Kathy Bates has made an extremely candid Ozempic admission after revealing the unbelievable amount of weight she's lost.
The 76-year-old American Horror Story actress, who first shot to fame after starring in the 1990 horror Misery, has finally addressed the speculation that she took the controversial weight loss drug following her 100-lb (around 45.3 kg) weight loss.
Bates also opened up about the various changes she made to her diet and lifestyle after being diagnosed with type two diabetes back in 2017.
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Speaking to People, Bates explained that she was able to independently lose more than 80 lbs due to such changes and lost the final 20 lbs on Ozempic.
The drug in question is a medicine intended to treat people with type two diabetes. However, many people associate it with weight loss thanks to its active ingredient, semaglutide, which can help regulate your appetite.
In case you're unsure of the science behind it, the weekly Ozempic injection - also controversially referred to as the 'skinny jab' - suppresses a person's appetite by mimicking the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).
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The hormone is usually released after eating, making people feel full and resulting in them eating less.
"There’s been a lot of talk that I just was able to do this because of Ozempic," Bates told the outlet.
"But I have to impress upon people out there that this was hard work for me, especially during the pandemic. It’s very hard to say you’ve had enough."
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Explaining her health battles following the diabetes diagnosis, the Hollywood A-lister bravely admitted: "I ate because I was afraid, and I ate because it was a FU to my self-esteem.
"[Diabetes] runs in my family, and I'd seen what my father had gone through. He had had a leg amputation. One of my sisters is dealing with it very seriously, and it terrified me. It scared me straight."
Confessing that she used to eat 'terribly', Bates revealed she's now stopped eating after 8pm, and follows a piece of advice her niece told her about listening to her body.
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"When we’re full, we experience an involuntary sigh," she continued. "I just pushed the plate away."
Explaining her exercise routine, Bates, who's just wrapped the first season of Matlock, carried on: "That's going to be my next thing that I'm worried about, because I won't be on set running back and fourth.
"I have a treadmill here at the house, and I might try Pilates. People always ask, 'Don't you want a trainer?' No, I really don't. I don't want anybody over my shoulder. It's just very important to me to keep this going. I don't want to slip."
Bates also exclaimed that the dramatic weight loss 'coincided beautifully' with the timing of Matlock, adding: "Physically, I’m capable of doing this show.
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"I don’t have to sit down. I can stand up all day long and walk and move and breathe and do so many things that I couldn’t before."
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is warning the public not to buy pre-filled pens claiming to contain Ozempic (semaglutide) or Saxenda (liraglutide) but to consult a healthcare professional qualified to prescribe medicines and obtain a prescription.
Rhiannon Ingle