Oprah Winfrey has opened up about her weight loss journey, revealing how medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, both GLP-1 drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes, helped her understand the truth behind the eating habits of thin people—in a recent podcast episode with Dr. Ania Jastreboff, the 70-year-old media mogul discussed her experiences with these medications, shedding light on the mental and physical changes she underwent.
In 2023, Winfrey publicly admitted to using a GLP-1 medication, after previously denying similar claims. The star, who has reached her goal weight of 160 pounds (72 kg), shared that her use of the drug helped her realize the real difference between her struggles with food and those of people who maintain slimmer figures.
“One of the things that I realised the very first time I took a GLP-1 was that all these years I thought that thin people had more willpower,” Winfrey confessed. “They ate better foods. They were able to stick to it longer. They never had a potato chip.” However, after beginning her treatment with the medication, Winfrey discovered that what she once thought of as willpower in thin individuals was actually a lack of “food noise”—the constant, impulsive hunger signals that often lead to overeating.
View this post on Instagram
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy are reported to reduce these cravings, making it easier for users to listen to their body’s natural hunger cues. “And then I realised the very first time I took the GLP-1 that they’re not even thinking about it,” Oprah explained. “They’re eating when they’re hungry, and they’re stopping when they’re full.”
For Winfrey, who has publicly battled with her weight for decades, the experience was eye-opening. She explained that this type of eating pattern doesn’t work when you struggle with obesity, which she now views as a disease. During her conversation with Dr. Jastreboff, Winfrey reflected on her past as a plus-sized public figure, recalling how tabloids and comedians often made her weight a target for ridicule.
“Every week [I was] exploited by the tabloids, anytime any comedian wanted to make fun of or make a joke about it, they would make a joke about it,” she said. “And I accepted it because I thought I deserved it.”
Now, Winfrey says she realizes that her size never made her “less than” others and that she deserved better treatment, signalling a shift in her perspective on self-worth and body image.