Josh Gad opens up for 1st time about taking weight loss drug: 'It is life-changing'
Josh Gad is sharing some candid updates about his life in a new interview.
During his appearance on the "Armchair Expert" podcast on Monday, the "Frozen" actor opened up about taking weight loss medication.
"I’m on a GLP-1," Gad revealed during the conversation with Dax Shepard and Monica Padma, noting that this is his first time speaking out publicly about the topic.
"It has suppressed, in a great way, that noise," he said of the drug. "When I wake up, I feel hunger pains, and so much of that is psychological. And what this does is it takes away that signal…it is a miracle drug."
GLP-1 drugs are a class of prescription medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound, that helps regulate blood sugar by boosting insulin production.
Taken as a weekly injection, these drugs slow digestion, reduce appetite, and promote weight loss.
Clinical studies show that medications can help users lose between 5% and 20% of their body weight over time.
Gad revealed in the podcast that before trying GLP-1, he was on a different medication during which caused a disruption with his bowel function.
"And I had lost 40 pounds," he said. "I was really bummed out because it was working incredibly for me and I had to switch."
He continued, "So I'm figuring out this new one, and it is life-changing. But it also doesn't negate the fact that it can't be in the place of having a healthy relationship with food and it can’t be in the place of having a healthy relationship with exercise."
While Gad admitted to feeling guilty about using the medication, he also acknowledged its necessity for his health.
"I’m actually really happy that I’m opening up about this because I’m having my own journey with it," he said. "Sometimes I feel like I’m cheating myself by doing this, and I know a lot of people who aren’t overweight like I am who are taking it, and then I feel like, 'Okay I should be able to do this because I need it for health.'"
