Carnie Wilson, 55, Didn’t Use Ozempic To Lose 45 Pounds
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Carnie Wilson, 55, is opening up about her recent health journey. On the heels of her 45-pound weight loss, the singer shared why she isn't interested in using medications like Ozempic to maintain her results.
When asked if she would take a semaglutide, Carnie told Page Six, "Possibly back in the day, yeah. Not now though. It’s not for me, definitely not."
The Wilson Phillips crooner shared that she was "too afraid" of the side effects to use the drug. Side effects of semaglutide injections include diarrhea, constipation, and hair loss, among others, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Earlier this week, Carnie shared that she's feeling "so much better" after losing weight, per People.
While discussing a series of dietary changes she made to feel healthier, Carnie said, "I treat my body with respect now."
Carnie began losing weight in September, after experiencing "gastrointestinal hell" and joint pain. "There was a voice going, 'You’ve got to change the way you eat. You don’t have a choice anymore. It’s for your health,'" she added.
She also shared before-and-after photos of her body on Instagram, along a detailed message about how she reached her goals.
“Another before and ‘during’…my health journey...I feel really different,” she said. Carnie wished her experience can help others, adding, “Hope this inspires someone.”
So, how did Carnie lose the weight? Here’s what she's shared so far.
Carnie didn't use Ozempic.
Initially, her doctor suggested she use Ozempic to curb her appetite, since she had high cholesterol and was close to becoming diabetic. But the potential side effects "scared the sh*t out of" her, per People.
"I know it works for some people," she told Page Six. "I was too afraid of the side effects. For me, I just—I didn’t want to take a chance."
"I didn’t want to take a chance with my anatomy—that I have had gastric bypass surgery and a lap-band over that gastric bypass," she added to Fox. "It wasn’t right for me. And I do not put anyone down who has done it or wants to do it. To each his own. I believe that we are okay with having some kind of intervention in our lives. I’m a proponent of that."
But that hasn't stopped Carnie from receiving speculation about how she achieved her results.
"It’s funny because people are shocked," she said, per Page Six. "It’s like they don’t believe me. They’re like, 'Oh, can anyone say Ozempic?' And I’m like, ‘I didn’t do that.'"
She lost weight ‘purely’ by changing her diet.
Instead, Carnie told People that she decided to give up added sugars and gluten, which she believed were contributing to her digestive issues.
"It was hard at first, but now I love it," she said.
Carnie gave up added sugar and gluten in September, she told People. The changes have helped her lose 45 pounds as of April 9.
Of course, the shift didn't necessarily come easily. Carnie shared that, over the course of her life, food had previously become an "addiction."
"I have eaten to stuff down emotions," she said. "I eat when I’m happy, bored, anxious, annoyed, angry, frustrated, sad. I will find an excuse. Food will always be emotional for me."
Sugar "was my kryptonite," she added. "It took over me."
She sticks to fruits, veggies, and protein.
Now, Carnie will typically grab cottage cheese, blueberries, nuts, and turkey bacon for breakfast, she says. She also loves cheese sticks, hardboiled eggs, and carrots, per People.
"It’s a world of difference," she said. "I don’t wake up going, 'What am I going to eat today?' I’m like, 'What do I get to put in my body that feels great?'"
On Instagram, Carnie added that she's "so proud and pumped" to achieve her results through her diet alone.
"No gluten or sugar, no butter and keeping fats down too," she said.
Carnie doesn’t shy away from her cravings.
While Carnie altered her diet, she also made a point to say that she makes sure to allow room for cravings. In particular, she loves creamer in her coffee, or a small handful of Cheeto puffs or potato chips, per People.
“Lately I have indulged in cheese and nuts which have more fat,” she said on Instagram. “If I chose not to eat corn tortillas, nuts and cheese—there's no way I could keep this up. I have totally adjusted my eating habits to satisfy my cravings but in a realistic way."
And Carnie, who hosts the cooking show Sounds Delicious, still loves to whip up a tasty creation.
"I still love to make decadent things, but I’m not tempted anymore," she told People. "Now I have control."
The one thing she does miss? Bagels. "The gluten-free bagels are not the same," she told Fox. "They’re just not!"
She's had the support of her family the entire time.
Carnie didn't undergo her weight loss journey alone. Her husband, guitarist Rob Bonfiglio, lost 12 pounds after he also gave up sugar.
"He said, ‘I feel less self-conscious,' and I’m like, 'Honey, you were never fat,'" Carnie recalled to People. But after giving up sugar, he ultimately told her, "I feel better about myself."
"That’s what it’s about," she added.
Plus, Carnie shared that she still enjoys cooking for daughters Lola, 19, and Luci, 14. "I love serving people and watching them eat. It’s an act of love and of self-love."
Carnie's previously undergone weight loss surgeries.
Carnie has been open in the past about her weight loss journey. She underwent gastric bypass surgery in 1999, and underwent a Lap-Band procedure in 2012, according to Today.
"I needed to take action...this is about health, it's not about what I look like or what the scale says," Carnie told Today after her second surgery.
She has a goal weight in mind.
Ultimately, Carnie would like to weigh 170 pounds. (Currently, she's at 195, down from 240.) And, even though she hasn't gotten into the gym during her most recent weight loss journey, Carnie shared that she'd like to start exercising more to reach even more gains.
"I need to start exercising more to make the scale start to move again, but I'm so proud and pumped," she said on IG.
Currently, Carnie told Fox she walks, "but not enough."
She encourages kindness around weight.
Carnie called her weight loss “a miracle,” adding, “hope this inspires someone.” Carnie previously told Women’s World that it’s important for people to be kind to each other when it comes to weight loss.
“When I was young, I was teased a lot for being overweight and my feelings would get hurt,” she said. “My mom would always say to me, ‘What’s important is what’s inside of you.’ So I get confident when I’m kind to other people, that makes me feel good about myself. I make that a daily thing. You have the power to make someone’s day better.”
Now, Carnie said she'll continue her weight loss journey, no matter the results on the scale.
"Life throws a lot of stuff at you. I try to remain positive," she said. "It’s not a promise to anyone, and it’s not a show. I’ve been through all of it, and this is not for anyone except for me and my well-being. And I do feel happy and really grateful."
Congrats, Carnie!
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