Oprah Winfrey is one of the most influential names in Hollywood. From movies to television talk shows, Winfrey has done it all. Moreover, the star, who will turn 70 early next year, has been a vocal advocate of several humanitarian issues. Now, Winfrey is speaking up about her lifelong struggle with expectations related to the ‘ideal body weight’ and overall image.
In a recent interview, Winfrey spoke about her weight loss and body shaming struggles. She also admitted to consuming controversial weight loss medication. The 69-year-old also ended up revealing a range of surprising details about the medication and its impact on her weight loss journey.
Oprah Winfrey Admits To Taking Weight Loss Medication
Oprah Winfrey recently sat down for a conversation with People for the cover story of the magazine’s recent issue. Winfrey spoke freely about her battle with weight loss during the interview. During a panel conducted in July 2023 on Oprah Daily’s The Life You Want series, she admitted to taking weight loss medication after speaking with experts and clinicians.
Winfrey stated that her perception of weight loss meds changed during the discussion after realizing she blamed herself for being overweight. As a result, Winfrey no longer felt ashamed about using meds and consulted her doctor, who was willing to prescribe the same as well. Although Winfrey did not name the particular drug she uses, the media mogul admitted to recommending pharmaceutical aids before using it herself.
“The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for.”
Oprah Winfrey has stated that while she has resorted to using medication for weight loss (which has been a controversial method suspected to cause life-threatening complications), she does not see it as a magical method or a singular solution to her problem. Instead, she revealed that she tries to use the medication as a tool to manage her weight while also working out and staying vigilant about her eating habits.
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Oprah Winfrey Opens Up About Her Struggles With Body Shaming
In the same interview, Oprah Winfrey spoke candidly about her body image issues. She shared that weight fluctuations affected her mental health for nearly five decades. Furthermore, Winfrey stated that she was aware of the online and public scrutiny she received because of her body. Initially, Winfrey felt she was failing to control her weight because of her willpower. However, the turning point came for her after two knee surgeries in 2021.
“It was (a) public sport to make fun of me for 25 years. I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself.”
After her double knee surgery, Oprah Winfrey decided to make more conscious health choices. In the aforementioned panel of The Life You Want, Winfrey revealed she first learned of weight loss drugs after her knee surgery. During the same panel, Winfrey learned that obesity is a chronic disease, and it changed her perspective on taking weight loss medication.
