Oprah Winfrey opens up on weight loss, understanding thinness

Oprah Winfrey has struggled with weight issues for years. She has significantly lost weight in recent years, which she has long attributed to diet and exercise. In 2021, she walked a lot after knee surgery, which improved her fitness. Two years later, the journalist admitted to using diabetes medication as support for weight loss.

Oprah openly stated that she takes medication to help her control her weight when needed. She has already almost reached her desired weight of about 11 stone. She now explains the significance of these measures to her. They helped her "understand thin people."

In the latest podcast episode, Oprah Winfrey talked with Dr. Anna Jastreboff about the safety of taking diabetes medications for weight loss. The journalist revealed that she long believed that slim people have very strong willpower and, therefore, do not reach for unhealthy food. In reality, there wasn't a constant stream of thoughts about feeling hungry in their minds.

One of the things that I realized the very first time I took a GLP-1 was that all these years I thought that thin people had more willpower. They ate better foods. They were able to stick to it longer. They never had a potato chip - Oprah Winfrey said on her podcast.

The journalist quickly understood that she should listen to her body regarding eating meals.

And then I realized the very first time I took the GLP-1 that, oh, they’re not even thinking about it. They’re only eating when they’re hungry and they’re stopping when they’re full.

During the conversation with Dr. Jastreboff, Winfrey also mentioned that she was publicly humiliated for a long time because of her weight.

Every week I was exploited by the tabloids, or anytime any comedian wanted to make fun or make a joke about [her weight], they would make a joke about it. And I accepted it because I thought I deserved it. Today, I know that my size doesn't make me less than anyone else - she added.