Mama June admits she's now trying new weight loss drug after 'packing on' 130lbs

Release time：2024-05-01 08:15:18 Source：Culture Connection news portal

After previously insisting she had no interest in using weight-loss injections, Mama June is now giving them a try.

The From Not To Hot star revealed plans to begin using the weight loss drug semaglutide in video posted to her Instagram account on Tuesday.

June Shannon, 44, said she had gained over 100 pounds from the stress of caring for her now-late daughter Anna Cardwell.

The reality star had successfully shed 355 pounds after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery nine years ago.  

Now the reality star is inviting fans into her latest weight loss chapter with promises to share weekly updates. 

After previously insisting she had no interest in using weight-loss injections, Mama June is now giving them a try

'Monday, this is what I look like.... So guys I'm starting out at 267 pounds, let's see how much weight I can lose,' she said 

Shannon pictured L in 2017 and R in 2013, two years before her weight loss surgery 

Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names for the medication semaglutide, which suppresses appetite and triggers weight loss. 

In her video, Mama June said: 'As you know, back in May 2015, I had gastric sleeve surgery. I used to weigh 550 pounds so on my own, I went from 550 lbs. to 311 the day that I had my surgery. And in six weeks, I went from 311 all the way down to 195.

'And at that time, I had my skin removal on my arms, I had my chin lipoed, I had liposuction on my back, I had a tummy tuck and had a breast augmentation. Well since then, I kinda kept off the weight. I stayed at like 130, 140, 150 and to me I looked super skinny and just wasn't used to that. 

'I have noticed over the last year and a half that I've really put on weight,' she explained.

June said the stress of caring for daughter Anna - combined with poor eating habits -  led to her latest weight gain. 

'I guess the stress of everything going on, eating out, not eating right, just all kinds of stuff, I've packed on like about a 120, 130 pounds.'

June attempted to undergo weight loss surgery over a year ago but those efforts ended up being unsuccessful after she learned the procedure wouldn't have made a real difference. 

She provided fans with a 'before' video ahead of her weight loss journey  

'So, I kept on. I tried to cut back on eating out, I tried to cut back on my eating. Nothing was actually helping,' she said. 

Ultimately she ended up deciding to try semaglutide out.  

'I decided to go to semaglutide a couple months ago through my main doctor,' she explained. 'I will tell you, go to your primary physician, make sure you're okay to take it. Make sure that it's not going to harm you with any of the medicines that you're gonna take or with any of the previous health issues that you have going on.

'And, after a month, I was cleared to take this semaglutide,' she said.

She promised to provide weekly updates for fans and shared video of what she currently looked like. 

'Monday, this is what I look like.... So guys I'm starting out at 267 pounds, let's see how much weight I can lose.'

The post was captioned: 'Come along with me as I go through this journey.'

'I know a lot of y’all are on similar journeys so let’s do it together. Tell me what your experiences are, pros and cons and everything. I will be updating every week how things are going as I know I’m not the only person that has struggled since having bariatric surgery.'

June said she gained over 100 pounds from the stress of caring for her now late daughter Anna Cardwell 

June pictured in 2015 

It comes after June told DailyMail.com she wasn't interested in trying weight loss injections such as Ozempic. 

Speaking to DailyMail.com last year about whether she would like to shed pounds again with the popular 'quick-fix' taking Hollywood by storm, Mama June stated: 'I don’t want to try Ozempic because, honestly, I've heard about so many bad side effects.

'It is using a drug that isn't really prescribed to do that. They're using a diabetic drug to take care of weight loss.'

The drugs, which has been used by the likes of Elon Musk, Chelsea Handler and Remi Bader, are approved to manage type II diabetes but prescribed off-label for obesity.

They have active ingredients which mimic the actions of hormones in the brain that govern appetite and feelings of fullness, which can help people cut the number of calories they consume. 

In 2022, more than five million prescriptions for Ozempic, Mounjaro, Rybelsus (for another Novo drug that uses semaglutide), or Wegovy were written for weight management.

Mama June explained that using the drug for something other than what it was approved to treat made her feel uncomfortable as a recovering drug addict.

She continued: 'No offense to people out there that are doing it, but it's just not for me. I want to stay clean. I'm not judging anyone but it’s not for me.'

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