Carnie Wilson says Ozempic 'wasn't right' for her: 'I was too scared'
The ‘Hold On’ singer previously had gastric bypass and lap-band surgery to help her keep off more than 100 pounds.
Carnie Wilson says her doctor warned her last year about the possible serious side effects of taking Ozempic, and while she doesn't think there should be a "stigma" around taking weight loss drugs, it wasn’t the right choice for her.
"I personally was too scared for any side effects, gastrointestinal side effects," the 55-year-old "Next to You" singer told Fox News Digital. "My doctor warned me. He said, ‘This is an option if you want to do it, but I am warning you that it has not been around enough for the way many people are using this, and that is for weight loss."
Her doctor has had other patients sent to the hospital due to side effects from the drug, she explained.
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Carnie Wilson said she doesn't judge others for using Ozempic, but it wasn't right for her. (Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
"I didn’t want to take a chance with my anatomy that I have had gastric bypass surgery and a lap-band over that gastric bypass," she said. "I was not prepared to have — I was too scared for the side effects. So, it wasn’t right for me. And I do not put anyone down who has done it or wants to do it. To each his own. I believe that we are OK with having some kind of intervention in our lives. I’m a proponent of that."
Wilson, who is hosting an upcoming cooking show, "Sounds Delicious with Carnie Wilson," said her gastric bypass and lap-band helped her go from 310 pounds to 200 pounds.
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"That’s frickin’ amazing," she said. "I am so thrilled about that, you know what I mean? I’m not skinny, I’m not perfect, but I’m so much healthier than I was. And I just want people to be healthy. So, if you take Ozempic or Mounjaro or whatever you do, and it works for you, great. Get healthier. There shouldn’t be a stigma around any of this. It’s to improve our health."
WATCH: CARNIE WILSON SAYS OZEMPIC 'WASN'T RIGHT' FOR HER: 'I WAS TOO SCARED'
Wilson said her doctor talked to her about Ozempic in September after she got some blood work back and found out she was "half a point away from being diabetic. Scared the s--- out of me. Scared me to death, and I said, ‘That’s it." She began eliminating sugar and gluten two days later.
She said she went down three sizes, which wasn’t her goal.
"I’m so happy to be smaller. I feel better, but it’s the health," she explained.
Wilson said her weight has "fluctuated" since she had gastric bypass surgery in 1999, gaining 60 and 70 pounds during her two pregnancies. She said recently she lost around 40 pounds "just by elimination of food. I’m not a big exerciser. I do walk, but not enough, and I don’t go to the gym and, like, work out."
Wilson said she's gone from 310 pounds to 200 since her gastric bypass and lap-band surgeries. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
Wilson explained she was able to lose weight by cutting out "all gluten and 95% of sugar."
"It’s been really hard to do. No pills, no shots, no drugs. It has been purely willpower," she said. "I really keep fried food and sugar and gluten out of my diet. But there’s so many things to eat. I’m not deprived."
However, she did admit to really missing bagels.
"The gluten-free bagels are not the same," she said. "They’re just not."
"It’s been really hard to do. No pills, no shots, no drugs. It has been purely willpower."
Carnie Wilson with her daughter Lola Sofia Bonfiglio. The singer admitted the one food she misses is bagels because "gluten-free bagels are not the same." (David Livingston/Getty Images)
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The "Hold On" singer has also been sober for 20 years, which she "can’t believe."
"What a miracle. (In) 2004, I decided that I was probably better driving off a cliff 'cause I couldn’t stop drinking," she said. "And that is something I have really only shared in the private rooms of recovery, but I say it loud — not proud. I’m not proud to be an alcoholic, but I’m grateful to know who I am."
Wilson says she felt like a prisoner when she couldn't stop drinking. She's been sober for 20 years. (Chris Haston/NBC via Getty Images)
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She said she accepts that she can’t "put a substance in my body without wanting more or too much."
"And that is a great, a great freedom … and it's compared to not being able to stop where that felt like a prison."
She said she envies people who can have an occasional drink, but she "wasn't born that way."
"And so there is a great deal of acceptance and action. I have to help other people in this position. I have to help people that are like me and know that they're not alone, and that you can have fun and live a wonderful life sober."
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Besides focusing on her health, Wilson also has a new cooking show, "Sounds Delicious with Carnie Wilson," where she cooks for celebrity friends.
She started doing cooking segments on Instagram during the pandemic and has wanted to do a cooking show for a long time.
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"I have been praying for it, for the right team, the right concept" for "many, many years," she said. "I always knew it would happen when the timing was right. It did take a long time, but I think sometimes things are worth the wait."
Wilson said John Stamos, one of her guests on the show, was "hilarious."
"He’s really a funny guy. I mean, he’s gorgeous and so good to look at. That’s the first thing everyone always goes: ‘Oh my God, he’s so gorgeous,’ because he is. I had a lot of trouble concentrating. That’s the thing with these guests that are coming on. I’m a fan of all the guests that are coming in, so it’s like I’m a little starstruck, and I’m trying to focus on the recipes.
John Stamos is one of Wilson's guests on her new cooking show, "Sounds Delicious." (Mireya Acierto/Getty Images)
"The guests that come on my show were friends, too, so they're not, you know, I know these people. And that's part of the beauty of it, is like sharing the love. And even if they're not huge, if they're not chefs or like big in the kitchen, they all love food and we love each other. And you can feel that."
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Wilson said one of the things she wanted to get across with her show was "we can sing, we can laugh, we can dance, we can cook to our favorite music … I encourage people to celebrate food, celebrate the music they love. And that’s kind of what this is."
Carnie Wilson has always loved cooking and began doing cooking segments on Instagram during the pandemic. (Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
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"Sounds Delicious with Carnie Wilson" premieres April 16 on AXS TV. Guests include John Stamos, Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men, Wendy Wilson, Mark McGrath, Lisa Loeb, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and David Archuleta.
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