Oprah Winfrey is speaking candidly about her long-running struggles with weight.
In a new People cover story, the media icon opened up about her weight-loss journey and her use of GLP-1 medications. She shared that the process involved shifting her mindset around exercise as a way of life, cutting out alcohol entirely, and learning to stop punishing herself over everyday food choices — even something as simple as a croissant.
“I would have been thinking, ‘How many calories in that croissant? How long is it going to take me to work it off?” Winfrey said. “If I have the croissant, I won’t be able to have dinner.’ I’d still be thinking about that damn croissant!”
Getting sober was also a major turning point for her. “I could outdrink everyone at the table,” she admitted. Now, alcohol barely registers for her. “I was a big fan of tequila. I literally had 17 shots one night,” Winfrey said. “I haven’t had a drink in years. The fact that I no longer even have a desire for it is pretty amazing.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Winfrey shared details about her fitness routine, which includes moving her body six days a week for roughly two hours at a time through hiking, cardio, or resistance training. “I don’t recognize the person who feels sluggish when she doesn’t work out,” she said.
At this stage, Winfrey says she feels liberated from obsessing over her weight. “I’m not constantly punishing myself,” she explained. “I hardly recognize the woman I’ve become. But she’s a happy woman.”
Winfrey — who turns 72 on Jan. 29 — is also preparing to release a new book with obesity specialist Dr. Ania M. Jastreboff, Enough: Your Health, Your Weight and What It’s Like to Be Free, arriving on Jan. 13.
“I thought [weight loss] was about discipline and willpower. But I stopped blaming myself,” she added. “I feel more alive and more vibrant than I’ve ever been.”
