Oprah Winfrey used to consider GLP-1s a “gift”.
Having long struggled with dieting, the talk show star announced in 2023 that she had begun using the drugs – officially ‘Glucagon-like peptide-1s’ but better known to the public through brand variants like Mounjaro and Ozempic – to achieve her optimum weight.
It worked, but after about a year, Winfrey stopped, eager to see if she could keep the weight off without pharmacological assistance. That decision saw her regain 20lbs (approx 9kg).
Winfrey’s experience mirrors that of thousands of others who cease using GLP-1s. Some, like Winfrey, may stop using them to prove to themselves that they can keep the weight off without medical intervention.
For many others, it feels like more of a functional necessity, either because GLP-1s cost too much to keep using, or because the side effects – which can include nausea, constipation, diarrhoea and dehydration – are simply too much to bear.
