Oprah Winfrey Addresses Weight-Loss Medication Rumors

Oprah Winfrey is opening up about whether or not she uses weight loss medication after speculation has been swirling around in the press. During a recent interview with People, the legendary talk show host revealed that she uses a weight-loss medication prescribed by her doctor and she has "released my own shame about it." She chose not to name the specific drug she takes.

"I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing," The Color Purple star said. "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 also recalled what prompted her to start committing to healthier lifestyle habits. "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 said. "I felt stronger, more fit and more alive than I’d felt in years."

She continued, "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. I was actually recommending it to people long before I was on it myself."

Oprah added, "I had the biggest aha along with many people in that audience," referring to a panel called The State of Weight on Oprah Daily's Life You Want series. "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. Obesity is a disease. It’s not about willpower — it's about the brain."