Oprah Winfrey is taking her power back when it comes to her weight.
The talk show host and producer, who turns 70 next month, said she endured years of scrutiny over her body image and is finally at a place of peace with it.
"It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years," Winfrey said in an exclusive interview with People Magazine. "I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself."
Winfrey revealed she has a better handle on keeping a healthy weight, which includes the use of weight-loss medication for maintenance.
"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," Winfrey told People.
Winfrey began two years of steady weight loss during rehabilitation following a knee surgery. But she said she recommended the drug to friends long before trying it herself.
"After knee surgery, I started hiking and setting new distance goals each week. I could eventually hike three to five miles every day and a 10-mile straight-up hike on weekends," she told People. "I felt stronger, more fit and more alive than I'd felt in years."
"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," she continued.
Winfrey said she felt the need to justify the drugs until she eventually "released my own shame about it." The star said, "I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing."
WeightWatchers embracing drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy
Members can now meet virtually with a clinician to find out if they would benefit from weight loss medications.
As weight loss solutions like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro surge in popularity, particularly in Hollywood, Winfrey stressed that it was not a magic bullet for her, saying she had a regimented diet and fitness routine. She said she now uses the drug as a tool.
"I know everybody thought I was on it, but I worked so damn hard. I know that if I'm not also working out and vigilant about all the other things, it doesn't work for me," said Winfrey.
While Winfrey is only pounds away from her goal weight, she said her focus is "not about the number," but living a more "vital and vibrant life."
