Oprah Winfrey To Host ABC Special On Weight Loss Medication After Admitting To Using It

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey To Host ABC Special On Weight Loss Medication After Admitting To Using It

Update (March 7): Oprah Winfrey is standing by her decision to use weight loss medication, and is educating others about it.

The media legend is set to host an ABC special on the topic titled,  An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution. Premiering on March 18, a press release issued on Thursday, March 7, says the project is set to,

“delve into the prevailing questions and concerns surrounding the impact [of weight-loss medications] on our health care, economy, lifestyle and culture.”

Oprah Winfrey will deliver a message to a live studio audience with a handful of medical experts: Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. W. Scott Butsch, ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Dr. Amanda Velazquez. It will also include those

“who are in the battle of one of the biggest healthcare crises the world has ever known.”

Oprah

The release noted:

“For the first time in history, new drugs could prove to be the game changer to stem the tide of people living with obesity, an epidemic that has grown exponentially since the 1970s, costing $173 billion per year in medical costs in the United States alone.”

Oprah Winfrey added that the use of weight loss medication is,

“a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity.”

Adding:

“This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment and stigma surrounding weight.” 

It will tackle hot-button issues like diabetes, obesity, society’s take, and more.

Original Story (Dec. 14): Sometimes you have to get a little extra help to reach your goals.

Famed media mogul Oprah Winfrey is no stranger to facing scrutiny for her physical appearance. Over the years the 69-year-old has been open about her battle with obesity and doing what’s needed to be the healthiest version of herself. In September, Oprah Winfrey, who has been affiliated with WeightWatchers since 2015, revealed her double knee surgery kept her inactive for a while, prompting her to rethink the ins and outs of her wellness journey. According to Oprah Winfrey, even though weight loss medication was an option, she felt taking the pills would be “the easy way out.”

However, it seems Oprah has had a change of heart since then. During a recent cover interview, she shared that she’s no longer ashamed to receive medical assistance with her weight.

“I eat my last meal at 4 o’clock, drink a gallon of water a day, and use the WeightWatchers principles of counting points. I had an awareness of [weight-loss] medications, but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way.”

Oprah, who didn’t explicitly name the medication she’s using, continued, explaining that the conversation she had in September about obesity during her panel, Oprah Daily’s ‘The Life You Want Class: The State of Weight,’ really helped shift her perspective.

“I had the biggest aha along with many people in that audience. I realized I’d been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control.”

She added,

“Obesity is a disease. It’s not about willpower — it’s about the brain.”

Oprah

After sharing she’d “released my own shame about it,” “The Color Purple” actress said she uses the medication as a “tool to manage not yo-yoing.”

She continued,

“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. I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”

Oprah Winfrey

Reportedly, Oprah is seven pounds away from her goal weight of 160 lbs and started taking the weight loss medication right before Thanksgiving. According to the celeb, even though the medication and her active lifestyle appear to be helping her make great strides toward her goal it’s “not about the number.” Oprah is just grateful she was given a second chance “ to live a more vital and vibrant life.”

What are your thoughts on this entire situation? Tell us in the comments below! 

[VIA]