Gabriel Iglesias revealed he had a weight loss setback after he stopped taking Ozempic.
“I got on Ozempic for five months. Ozempic works,” the comedian, 49, said during a recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast. “Ozempic is scary how good it works because it does curb your appetite to a place where you’re like, ‘Do I even need food?’”
Iglesias explained that after being placed on the medication for a few months, he started losing weight. (Ozempic is a type of GLP-1 medication for people with diabetes that helps lower blood sugar levels. The prescription has been used by many to assist with weight loss.)
However, Iglesias noticed that the weight he was losing was his muscle rather than fat. He decided to stop taking the drug, which caused the weight he had previously lost to come back.
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“I got off the Ozempic and immediately I gained back 20 pounds like that,” he shared. “It is scary how quickly you regain the weight.”
Iglesias revealed that at his highest, he weighed 440 pounds. He shared that he has since lost more than 100 pounds and plans on continuing his weight loss journey.
“I’ve put it off long enough,” he said of prioritizing his health. “I’ve managed to accomplish every goal for myself in my career. But personally, in my regular personal life, there’s so many things I’ve not accomplished that I would like to. And one of them is getting to a healthier weight.”
Iglesias explained that he didn’t have issues carrying the extra weight when he was younger and he enjoyed eating out frequently. However, his body type has taken a toll on him as he’s gotten older.
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“It just got to a point where it became uncomfortable. I started getting panic attacks. I would wake up and I can’t breathe right, I don’t feel good,” he recalled. “I’d stand up and I’d have to go outside and I’d have to take off my shirt and just stand there and let the cold air hit me.”
Iglesias added that his health and well-being are currently his top priority.
“So, if I lose 100 or whatever the amount of weight is, yeah, I might not be fluffy, but man, I’m gonna be alive,” he shared, referring to his comedic nickname. “And I think my fans and people would rather see me alive and able to function and do what I do rather than be the big guy.”
