Chrissy Teigen, a familiar face in headlines and social media feeds, recently opened up about a very personal topic. She decided to share her own story about using Ozempic, a drug often talked about in Hollywood circles.
The 39-year-old model revealed she started taking Ozempic, a GLP-1 medication, after a heartbreaking time. She and her husband, John Legend, lost their son, Jack, in 2020. This devastating event led to a difficult period for Teigen.
"There I was, living in a body that didn’t feel like mine," she wrote on Instagram on Thursday, September 18. "There was nothing to celebrate. Just a constant reminder that this body once carried life for 20 weeks. Now, it was just a sad memory." The cookbook author added that "food has always been my joy, my comfort, and my struggle." She described feeling "shame, relief, and the strange feeling of losing hunger."
Teigen discussed her experience with Ozempic on her podcast, "Self-Conscious with Chrissy Teigen." She spoke with Johann Hari, author of The Magic Pill. Ozempic is an injectable medicine for type 2 diabetes. It gained popularity because it also helps people lose weight.
"I started at 0.5 and got to 15 very fast," Teigen said on the show. "It probably took three months." She pointed out a common experience among users. "Looking back at photos, I think you get this ‘Ozempic blindness’," she explained. "Many people probably experience this when they start. You lose so much weight. You feel excited or proud. But you don’t realize you’ve lost too much."
Coping After Loss
Teigen also talked about the deep pain of losing Jack. He was just over 20 weeks into her pregnancy. "My body felt completely stuck," she recalled after the miscarriage. "I let myself enjoy a lot of treats while pregnant. So, when I lost that baby at 20 weeks, I had likely gained about 18 kilos. I just wasn’t comfortable with that."
Ozempic brought a mental shift for her. "I felt better mentally," Teigen shared. "I wasn’t constantly in that deep sadness. That feeling of seeing a pregnant belly with no baby. It also freed me from obsessing over food in a bad way. Good food, in a bad way." She continued, "It’s crazy what it did for me. Not just for my body, but for my mind."
However, eating while on Ozempic had its downsides. "Sometimes, eating felt almost forced," she described. "I had to eat just to get through my day and my work. To me, that’s like torture. Having no hunger, but still having to eat. I hate that feeling."
Teigen also brought up the "shame" many celebrities feel about using Ozempic. They often face criticism for taking "the easy way" to lose weight. The mother of four admitted she hesitated to discuss using the GLP-1 drug at first. "I sell cookbooks," she reasoned. "I eat what I want. And I wouldn’t be honest." Teigen and Legend are parents to Luna, 9; Miles, 7; Esti, 2; and Wren, 2.
Teigen and Hari, 46, finished their podcast chat by talking about self-love. They discussed finding appreciation for "our bodies." It was about looking past conflict or "our imperfections." You can listen to the full discussion here: Self-Conscious with Chrissy Teigen.