Will Serena Williams’ weight loss admission help with the stigma of anti-obesity drugs?

Serena Williams is one of the most successful athletes of all time, she said.

Will her outspoken comments create a new sense of confidence in people who use these drugs? Can her honesty quiet the critic?

The 43-year-old tennis star broke records in his career and won 23 Grand Slam titles, a manifestation of fitness and athleticism. But after having a baby, even though she was like many of us, she admitted to trying to shift those extra pounds.

Finally, Williams told The Today Show on American TV that she had to consider her extra weight as an “opponent.” Despite “training for five hours a day” and “running, walking, cycling, climbing stairs”, she couldn’t smash the opponent like she would on a tennis court – so, in the end, she said, she had no choice but to “try something different.”

Many of her friends are using GLP-1 – a set of medications that help with weight loss, so she decided to give it a try.

Williams insists that the drug route — she won’t say which brand she is using — isn’t easy, and her shortcut to losing 31 pounds (14 kg) over the past eight months isn’t a shortcut either.

There are doubts about the timing of the tennis star’s recent transparency – she just became a spokesperson for RO, a company that sells GLP-1 brands (such as Mounjaro in the UK) through its weight loss program, with her husband also an investor.

Still, her honesty can upset many people with potential side effects of taking medications – she says she is clamoring to eliminate the stigma of many women using medications to help them lose weight.

Caleb Luna, assistant professor of feminist research at the University of California, said people like Serena Williams were “a breakthrough”.

They say this helps silence critics about “how weight loss is achieved” who say “people are using weight loss pills and are taking an easy way out.”

“It gets rid of the stereotype that these drugs are lazy and incompetent fat people.

“In this regard, this may be a good thing.”

But Kaleb also said that she needed to resort to the revelation of using GLP-1 drugs was a little “terrible” and made them feel “slightly sad.” They worry that all it does is belittle effort and dedication, but focus on the appearance and pressure in some way.

“She has achieved so few people in our time and throughout history.

“But now it just illustrates how all these achievements are destroyed by body shape.

“It’s awful, and weight loss seems to outweigh all these record-breaking achievements.”

Williams’ weight and her appearance have been under scrutiny throughout her life. No matter how much success an athlete achieves in his career and bears the burden of social expectations, the pressure that suits social expectations will not be reduced.

Although she may be the most attractive sports star to openly use weight loss pills, there are many others in the public eye who say it.

Oprah Winfrey said she uses GLP-1 as a tool, as well as exercise and a healthy diet to keep herself in weight to stop herself from “yo-yo.”

Actress Whoopi Goldberg says she lost the weight of “two people” After taking the medication, singer Kelly Clarkson said she was “chased” by “doctors” for two years before she agreed to take it, and they were one of dozens of stars who were open to the drug.

Williams left the world of tennis in the final game of her career at the U.S. Open in 2022, but she remains a powerful force, and has wanted to reach what she described as a “healthy weight” since her second child, Adina.

In an interview with Today Show, she felt that her body was “lack of things” and despite her intense training, she couldn’t stand what she felt satisfied with.

Elite athletes may find it difficult to lose weight, said Dr. Claire Madigan, senior research assistant in behavioral medicine at the School of Athletics, Sports and Health Sciences at Loughborough University.

“They are used to burning a lot of calories and when they leave the sport, they find it difficult – requiring behavioral changes.”

Dr. McDiggan said it was great to see Williams mentioning that her weight loss was not only due to the medications — “She really had to focus on diet and physical exercise.”

She added: “It’s great, she’s talking about how difficult it is to lose weight after having a baby.”

But she wondered if Williams’ information could be lost, even depressing some women. “These drugs are very expensive, and the average person might think that this is an elite athlete, she can go to the gym, she has time, she has nutritionist… and she has to use GLP-1S”.

Dr. Madigan also expressed concern about the potential side effects of taking medications – which could include gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting and diarrhea, and in rare cases, gallbladder and kidney problems may not be widely discussed in the publicity announced by Williams.

Williams said she had no side effects and told Women’s Health Magazine that she finally saw the benefits of all the hard work she had in the gym.

“My joints are much better, I just had a checkup and everything the doctor said – including my blood sugar levels – looked great,” she said.

And, while she no longer breaks new ground on the tennis court, she is still smashing her own records with help, she said of weight loss pills. She is currently undergoing a half marathon.

She said proudly, “My running is far beyond my past.”

Other reports by Alex Kleiderman