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Josh Gad is opening up about the weight loss success he’s had with GLP-1 medication — and sharing some of the conflicted feelings he’s had along the way.
“I’m on a GLP-1 … this is the first time I’ve opened up about this,” the actor, 43, revealed during the Monday, January 27, episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. “It has suppressed, in a great way, that noise. … When I wake up, I feel hunger pains — and so much of that is psychological, right? And what this does is it takes away that signal.”
GLP-1 medications, which include Ozempic and Mounjaro, are a class of drugs originally developed to treat diabetes. They can also be prescribed for weight loss in conjunction with diet and exercise.
Gad revealed on Monday that he lost 40 pounds on the first GLP-1 he tried but had to change medications because he developed diverticulitis, an inflammation of small pouches that build in the colon.
“It is a miracle drug,” he said. “I was really bummed out because it was working incredibly for me and I had to switch.”
The Frozen star noted that his medication doesn’t mean he can eat whatever he wants or skip the gym.
“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,” he explained. “It can’t be in the place of having a healthy relationship with exercise. … I’m having my own journey with it. Sometimes I feel like I’m cheating myself by doing this.”
Gad went on to admit that he has worried about what his weight loss will mean for his career.
“I’ve always been the funny fat guy. Can I be the funny skinny guy? Can I be the hot leading man?” he wondered. “I don’t know that people would accept me as those things.”
His kids, however, are the main thing driving his journey. The comedian shares daughters Ava, 14, and Isabella, 10, with wife Ida Darvish.
“I’m not as worried about [my career] because my primary goal is, I want to be there for my kids,” Gad said. “Everything else is bulls—.”
Gad also said that Darvish, 49, is concerned he won’t address the underlying issues that have caused past weight gain, noting that she’s “not thrilled” he’s taking the medication.
