Oprah Winfrey Links Weight Loss Drug Use To Sobriety

For Oprah Winfrey, using weight loss drugs had more benefits than just shedding off a few pounds!

The renowned talk show host has never hidden her use of popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic to maintain her toned figure; however, hopping on GLP-1s also benefited her sobriety journey.

Oprah Winfrey recently raved about the benefits of these drugs in a candid interview, sharing how they changed her life and body.

According to Winfrey, her past self "could outdrink everyone at the table" until she started using GLP-1s in 2023. An unexpected benefit of the weight loss medication was a lack of interest in alcohol, as she needed to drink more water to avoid having unpleasant side effects.

Soon, Winfrey realized that she had become indifferent to alcohol despite loving drinking for years. "I was a big fan of tequila. I literally had 17 shots one night," she told PEOPLE. "I haven't had a drink in years. The fact that I no longer even have a desire for it is pretty amazing."

The benefits didn't end there for the TV personality, as she not only changed her relationship with food but also exercise, which she once saw as punishment. Now, Winfrey happily works out six days a week for about two hours either by hiking, doing cardio, or resistance training.

Winfrey began her weight loss journey with GLP-1s in 2023 after realizing that she wasn't lacking the discipline to lose weight but battling obesity. She confessed that she initially avoided the word "obesity" because she linked it to someone being "out of control."

"But I came to understand that overeating doesn't cause obesity. Obesity causes overeating. And that's the most mind-blowing, freeing thing I've experienced as an adult," Winfrey explained. Alongside that realization, she understood that obesity could not be tackled with discipline alone.

Winfrey needed medical help, and she finally gave the GLP-1s she had always heard about a chance. She threw away the belief that getting her weight on track was her responsibility and saw the medication as a tool to help manage the food noise that compelled her to overeat.

Elsewhere in the interview, Winfrey noted that she had eaten a croissant for breakfast and enjoyed every last bit of it, something her past self could never do. Instead of stressing about the calories, she could finally have a peaceful relationship with food.

For Winfrey, using GLP-1s has been a game-changer in her seventies, with the entertainer declaring: "I feel more alive and more vibrant than I've ever been." Her longtime hairstylist, Nicole Mangrum, echoed similar sentiments about her renewed energy.

"When I come in the mornings to start her hair, she's already on the treadmill. She's looking better than she's ever looked and more confident. It's magnetic," Mangrum said. To help others in similar situations, Winfrey teamed up with obesity expert Dr. Ania M. Jastreboff to share her journey in an upcoming book.

A month before her raving review of the benefits of GLP-1s, The Blast shared that Winfrey had caused a stir among fans with her cinched waist. She flaunted her toned physique while leaving a gym in Santa Barbara.

For the workout session, Winfrey donned a white top underneath a gray zip-up and black leggings pulled up to her knees. She wore a matching black headband to hold back her shoulder-length hair and carried a large water bottle and a purse.

For a woman in her seventies, Winfrey looked radiant and fit, with the sun highlighting her skin's caramel glow. The pictures confirmed the talk show host was not only depending on weight loss drugs to stay fit but also maintained a healthy lifestyle.

Earlier this year, The Blast reported that Winfrey had sparked backlash on the internet amid the tsunami warnings in Hawaii. The problem began after a massive earthquake hit Russia, causing about 15-foot waves across the Pacific.

Evacuations were ordered in Japan, Russia, Hawaii, Colombia, and some parts of the U.S. West Coast, with people scrambling to higher ground for safety. Someone called out Winfrey on X, claiming she needed to open her private road to facilitate a more efficient evacuation for those in Hawaii.

Thanks to this claim, many began attacking Winfrey, believing she valued her property more than people's lives. However, a rep refuted these claims, revealing Winfrey's team had been working with local authorities to aid the evacuation through her private road.

Oprah Winfrey's new book chronicling her battle with obesity will be released in January 2026.