Jillian Michaels warns of Ozempic face and long-term effects of trendy weight loss jab

If you’re hoping to keep the weight off for good with Ozempic, Jillian Michaels says don’t hold your breath.

The fitness guru warned of the exhaustive list of side effects triggered by the weight loss jab, namely the sagging skin and gaunt appearance, a result of “accelerated facial aging” that has been dubbed “Ozempic face.”

“Every medication, whether it’s antibiotics or vaccines, have a cost-benefit analysis. They all have side effects,” the former “Biggest Loser” trainer told Fox News.

“So, when we look at Ozempic and all of those drugs there are many side effects from extremely nefarious to just absolutely s—ty, no pun intended.” 

Ozempic was approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat type 2 diabetes but has been used off-label for weight loss. The drug, however, has been linked to side effects that range from mild, like putrid belches and skeletal fingers, to severe, like suicidal ideation and bowel obstruction or stomach paralysis.

The craze first took over Hollywood more than a year ago and has since been endorsed by the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Sharon Osbourne, the latter of which claims she has no “regrets” about the jab despite her frail figure.

“All these celebrities are not health experts,” Michaels warned, emphasizing the need to conduct your own research on medications. “They’re not nutritionists. They’re not fitness experts. And they don’t spend all day talking to doctors.” 

Michaels also raised concerns over the long-term effects of Ozempic and similar medications — the problem, she said, is that “you can never get off those drugs.”

“If you do get off of them, all of the meta-analysis shows us that you will gain all the weight back, and then some, two-thirds of it within the first year,” she said.

That was the reality for dieter Artemis Bayandor, who spent $1,400 per month on Wegovy and lost 15 pounds only to gain it back — and then some — when she quit.

“You will plateau on Ozempic. It will stop working right around the 18-month to two-year mark. It’s going to stop working,” Michaels insisted.

“Now what are you going to do? Because now you’re literally beholden to it. It’s expensive. Insurance isn’t going to cover it forever. Are you going to be on it forever? So, we don’t even know what this looks like five years down the road, ten years down the road.”

Her cautionary stance coincides with FDA warnings regarding off-brand drugs that mimic Ozempic, which have landed patients in the hospital.

“If it was the easy way out, I would recommend it,” Michaels insisted. “I’d be like, ‘Fantastic, let me get in the business. Let me get my app on board. Let me sell these drugs through my app.’ Just like Weight Watchers.”

“Of course, I would get in line and profit like crazy if I didn’t really believe these things were bad, based on the research that’s already out there.”

Instead, she sticks to the tried and true weight loss mantra: calories in, calories out.

The only benefit to the Ozempic fad, she noted, is the reignited conversations about weight. It confirmed that people of all ages are proving they can, in fact, lose weight, she explained, and “now we’re allowed to say that obesity is deadly again.”

“I’m going to tell you that if you can find a way to eat less food without these drugs, you will lose weight, and [there] will be nothing but upside,” she argued. “Instead of all the negative side effects, you will have a list of positive side effects from improved cognitive function, improved heart health, improved hormone balance and on and on and on.”

What you eat is just as important as how much of it you consume, she added, emphasizing the importance of noshing on “real food” as opposed to processed junk.

“Added sugar. Not a banana. The crap in a box, high fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, all the crap. All the different names for sugar,” she said. “It is literally killing us.”

But a weight loss journey also requires a goal. While “obvious” or “cliché,” the goal shouldn’t feel “punishing,” and whatever exercise you choose should be something enjoyable so that it remains consistent.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s profound or superficial as long as you care about it,” she explained. “Because if your goals reflect the things you want instead of the things you should, then they’re based in purpose, which is a labor of passion and love as opposed to punishment.”

Just like change won’t happen overnight, neither will a lifestyle overhaul.

“Nothing has to be perfect. You don’t have to give up all sugar. Maybe give up soda for the month and build on top of that,” said Michaels, who encourages taking one “baby step” at a time.

“Progress is progress. Any step in the right direction, literally and figuratively, is exactly that.”