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Here is a summary of what Oprah Winfrey has revealed regarding her biggest regret amid the public discussion of her weight loss, which she has attributed to medication (like Ozempic) as a tool.
Oprah Winfrey’s Biggest Regret
In a powerful and candid conversation published in a special edition of People magazine in March 2024 and subsequent TV special, Oprah Winfrey opened up about her decades-long public struggle with weight. Her biggest regret is not a new decision, but a long-held mindset:
She deeply regrets being a major contributor to the public shaming and promotion of unsustainable “diet culture.”
Specifically, she expressed remorse for using her immense platform to perpetuate the idea that weight loss was a matter of sheer willpower alone, and for framing it as a problem with a simple, quick-fix solution.
The Context: The “Wagon of Fat” Moment
Oprah pointed to a specific, iconic moment in television history as a prime example of this regret:
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In 1988, she rolled a wagon filled with 67 pounds of animal fat onto the stage of her talk show to represent the weight she had lost on a liquid diet.
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That moment became a legendary piece of TV history, symbolizing dramatic weight loss success.
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However, she soon regained the weight, a cycle that repeated for years, leading to immense personal shame and public scrutiny.
Her regret is that this spectacle—and her overall approach at the time—implied that weight loss was a straightforward battle of discipline that anyone could win if they just tried hard enough. It ignored the complex biological, hormonal, and genetic factors at play.
Her New Perspective Amid Medication Use
Oprah’s recent use of weight-loss medications (she has not explicitly confirmed Ozempic but has referred to “using a prescription medication as a tool”) has been a catalyst for this reflection. She now frames her weight management as a medical issue requiring long-term strategy, not a moral failing.
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“Obesity is a Disease”: She now firmly believes that obesity is not a character flaw but a complex, chronic disease that requires medical intervention for many people, just like any other health condition.
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“The Tool” vs. “The Easy Way Out”: She has pushed back against the notion that using medication is “cheating.” She stated, “I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing.” She emphasizes it is one tool in a broader toolbox that also includes regular exercise, hydration, and mindful eating.
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Ending the Shame: Her primary goal in speaking out is to remove the stigma and shame surrounding weight and how people choose to manage it. She regrets her role in perpetuating that shame through the promotion of drastic, unsustainable diets.
In Her Own Words
“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,” she told People. “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”
“I was on that show, and I was shaming myself,” she said, reflecting on her past. “I’ve been a major contributor to that kind of diet culture… I cannot tell you how many times I have blamed myself because you have a number in your mind… and you blame yourself for every ounce that you can’t lose.”
In essence, Oprah’s biggest regret is that she became a symbol of the very “willpower-over-science” diet culture that ultimately caused her and millions of others so much pain. Her current journey and openness about using medication is her attempt to correct that narrative and advocate for a more compassionate, medically-informed understanding of weight health.
