Chrissy Teigen on Ozempic, Grief and Body Image

Chrissy Teigen, a model, entrepreneur, and author, has spent much of her life in the public eye, navigating not only fame but also the intense scrutiny that comes with it. Recently, Teigen opened up about her personal experiences with dieting, the impact of profound grief, the realities of using the weight loss drug Ozempic, and how she is now forging a new path toward self-acceptance and wellness. Her story reflects not only a personal transformation but also broader issues around celebrity, body image, and the pitfalls of diet culture.

The Public Pressure of Dieting: From Modeling to Motherhood

For decades, Teigen’s public persona intertwined with her appearance. In her modeling career, societal expectations and industry pressures dictated strict and sometimes unhealthy attitudes toward eating and body size. Teigen’s candidness has always been a hallmark of her brand, but her blunt honesty about the cost of this relentless focus on dieting is both rare and impactful.

• Modeling Years: Teigen describes her early years as a model as marked by unhealthy behaviors: “As a model, I ate s–t food and threw up … I didn’t consider it bulimia. I actually ate so much that I would get sick [for four years].”
• Transition to Motherhood: Becoming a mother brought new pressures and challenges, with each pregnancy and postpartum period adding layers to her relationship with her body and food.

Throughout these years, Teigen was both the target and the architect of diet culture narratives: she tried numerous programs, followed strict food rules, and wrote best-selling cookbooks that simultaneously celebrated a love of food while navigating personal guilt over her body’s changes.

Facing Grief and the Aftermath of Loss

In 2020, Teigen and her husband John Legend suffered the devastating loss of their son Jack at 20 weeks due to a pregnancy complication. This traumatic event ushered in a period of deep grief, which was compounded by the changes in her postpartum body.

• Teigen recalls the physical aftermath: “I had two babies and then I lost a baby a little over 20 weeks. And then my body was just completely stuck. It was like in shock almost.”
• The emotional toll was profound: “I was in this deep depression of seeing this pregnant belly with no baby in it.”

For Teigen, her body became a daily reminder of trauma—she described it as a form of captivity, both physically and emotionally. The weight gain from pregnancy and loss—about 40 pounds, by her own account—exacerbated feelings of disconnection from her own body and deepened her struggle with self-image.

Turning to Ozempic: Coping, Weight Loss, and Difficult Realities

Ozempic—a semaglutide-based injection originally developed for type 2 diabetes treatment—became a source of both hope and frustration for Teigen in her darkest period. She explained on her podcast, Self-Conscious, that her introduction to the drug was not motivated by vanity but by “survival.”

• Ineffective Beginnings: For the first three or four months, Teigen saw no tangible results—no weight loss—which added another layer of uncertainty to an already difficult time.
• Delayed Effects: Eventually, after nearly a year on the medication, the “weight just peeled off,” convincing Teigen of Ozempic’s power, but also raising questions about healthy expectations and outcomes.

The Double-Edged Sword: Food, Hunger, and Estrangement

While the drug worked, it also changed her day-to-day life in ways she hadn’t anticipated:

• Teigen described food as becoming “almost torturous”: she no longer felt hunger, sometimes had to “force-feed” herself, and missed the joy and anticipation that food once brought into her life.
• She recounted cycles: “I would take the shot. It would be three days of forcing myself to eat food. [Then] it would wear off a bit. Day four, day five, more food. Day six, the shot again.”
• Her love for eating, cooking, and sharing food with others—the foundation of her public image and her business—felt threatened by this emotional and physical disconnect.

Teigen also acknowledged the psychological trap of “Ozempic blindness”: not realizing how much weight had been lost until it was perhaps too much.

Reconciling Privilege, Guilt, and Public Perception

A critical theme in Teigen’s story is her struggle with the privilege of access to treatments like Ozempic and the fear of being disingenuous to her fans, particularly those who purchased her cookbooks.

• She confessed to feeling guilty for not disclosing her use of the drug earlier, worried that she might have discouraged or deceived fans hoping to relate to her food journey authentically.
• Teigen openly discussed the reality that many fans cannot afford treatments like Ozempic, which increased her sense of responsibility to be honest about her experience.

Only after her transformative experience did she publicly acknowledge the use of Ozempic, hoping her transparency could contribute to broader, less stigmatized conversations around mental health, body image, and weight loss medication.

Letting Go of Dieting—and Embracing Self-Acceptance

Teigen’s journey led to a profound re-evaluation of her beliefs around dieting and eating. Over time, Ozempic helped her move away from the “insane diet rules” she had previously internalized.

• She described a sense of being “released from captivity,” no longer obsessing over good vs. bad foods but instead moving toward a more balanced, intuitive relationship with food.
• For the first time in years, she felt freed from the constant calculations and food guilt that haunted her since her modeling days.

This more mindful and forgiving attitude, she hopes, will shape her public persona and her role as a parent. With four children—Luna, Miles, Esti, and Wren—Teigen is keenly aware of how conversations about food and body image can influence young minds.

More Than Weight Loss: A Portrait of Survival and Resilience

Ultimately, Teigen’s narrative is not a glowing endorsement of weight loss medications or dieting, nor a vilification of those who seek external help during moments of crisis. Rather, hers is a messy, deeply human account of grief, adaptation, and ongoing growth. Ozempic, for all its controversy and side effects, represented a lifeline in a dark chapter.

• For Teigen, using Ozempic wasn’t about Hollywood standards—it was a personal, psychological intervention to help escape a spiraling depression.
• Though she has not publicly clarified when or why she stopped using the medication, her reflections suggest it was a temporary “tool”—not a permanent solution or a recommendation for others.
• Her openness provides a rare look at how the intersections of mental health, body image, privilege, motherhood, and fame can collide in ways far more complicated than a simple desire to fit a dress size.

Understanding Ozempic: What Is It and How Does It Work?

Ozempic (semaglutide) is a medication developed by Novo Nordisk and approved by the FDA in 2017 for treating type 2 diabetes. It helps regulate blood sugar primarily by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone, which stimulates insulin secretion, slows digestion, and reduces appetite and food cravings.

Though not initially meant for weight loss, the drug has gained widespread attention for its secondary effect of prompting significant weight loss in many users. Despite this, Ozempic is not formally approved in the US for weight loss, and its use remains controversial, particularly as demand surges in celebrity and social media circles.

Potential Side Effects of Ozempic

• Nausea and digestive discomfort
• Loss of appetite or “forced eating”
• Risk of overuse or inappropriate weight loss, especially in non-diabetic individuals
• Ethical and accessibility concerns—high cost and limited access for non-celebrity users

Rethinking Body Positivity and Wellness in the Spotlight

Chrissy Teigen’s evolution offers insight into the shifting landscape of celebrity health narratives:

• Public figures face intense scrutiny for both their bodies and their choices around weight loss, whether those are surgical, medicinal, or natural.
• The pressure to conform, combined with increasing access to medical interventions, creates a complicated environment where honesty and transparency are both rare and necessary.
• Teigen’s story encourages fans and observers to consider the broader implications of diet culture, the real emotional costs of chronic dieting, and the freedom found in letting go of rigid rules.

FAQs About Chrissy Teigen, Ozempic, and Body Image

What prompted Chrissy Teigen to use Ozempic?

Teigen turned to Ozempic in the aftermath of a traumatic pregnancy loss and deep depression, primarily to help her cope with her grief and its physical consequences—not for cosmetic reasons.

Did Chrissy Teigen find Ozempic effective?

Initially, she saw no results for months, but after nearly a year, she lost significant weight. The experience was emotionally complex and sometimes difficult, especially given her passion for cooking and eating.

Did Teigen experience any negative side effects?

Yes, she described the process as “torturous” at times due to loss of appetite and the need to force herself to eat, which was contrary to her natural enjoyment of food.

Has Chrissy Teigen stopped dieting?

While she has not detailed exactly when she stopped using Ozempic, Teigen has made clear that she is moving away from rigid dieting, embracing a more relaxed and accepting approach to food and body image.

What is Teigen’s message to her fans?

Her main takeaway is the importance of honesty, compassion, and releasing oneself from damaging diet rules. She advocates for a more forgiving, open dialogue about health, privilege, mental wellness, and the realities of weight loss medications.

Key Takeaways from Chrissy Teigen’s Story

• Be critical of diet culture: Even those who appear confident and successful are not immune to its harms.
• Mental health and physical health are intertwined: Grief and depression can manifest physically, and responses to these struggles are personal and varied.
• The complexity of weight loss drugs: Medications like Ozempic can offer help, but they come with side effects, ethical considerations, and long-term questions.
• Celebrity stories have power: Honest revelations contribute to public understanding, reduce stigma, and help others feel less alone in their challenges.

Chrissy Teigen’s story is not prescriptive advice, but it is a meaningful contribution to ongoing conversations about how we see ourselves, treat our bodies, and value our well-being—in public and in private.