Gabriel Iglesias (49) Talks About Immediate Weight Gain After Stopping Ozempic

Gabriel Iglesias recently opened up about his health journey during an appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast. The 49-year-old comedian talked about his experience with Ozempic, a medication widely used for weight loss.

While Iglesias admitted the drug was effective, he found it a little unsettling. “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?’” He told host Shannon Sharpe.

Although the medication helped him lose weight over five months, Iglesias grew concerned about what kind of weight he was losing. He noticed he was shedding muscle as well as fat, which led him to stop the treatment.

The moment he quit, the pounds came back quickly. “I got off the Ozempic, and immediately I gained back 20 pounds like that,” Iglesias said. “It is scary how quickly you regain the weight.”

At his heaviest, Iglesias weighed 440 pounds. Since then, he has lost more than 100 pounds and remains focused on continuing that progress. “I’ve put it off long enough,” he said, discussing his renewed dedication to personal health and longevity.

He explained that while he could handle his size in his younger years, age made it harder. “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.

The physical strain sometimes forced him to step outside just to catch his breath. “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,” he said.

For Iglesias, the goal is now functionality over image. “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 said. He added that fans care more about his health than the comedic persona built around his size.

“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,” he explained. Iglesias recently finished his Don’t Worry Be Fluffy stadium tour and continues to work in voice acting for animated films and streaming shows.

As he approaches his 50th birthday, he is looking toward a more active future, showing how challenging weight management can be, even with modern solutions like Ozempic. His story offers a candid look at the struggles of balancing health, career, and lifestyle while navigating the pressures of weight loss in today’s world.

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