Serena Williams has opened up about the effect GLP-1 medication has had on her life after losing over 31lbs.
The tennis champion, 43, revealed that she had chosen to take the weight-loss injections after finding it harder to lose weight post-partum.
She explained that she noticed her body changed after having her first daughter, Alexis Olympia, in 2017, telling People: "I never was able to get to the weight I needed to be no matter what I did, no matter how much I trained.
"It was crazy because I'd never been in a place like that in my life where I worked so hard, ate so healthy and could never get down to where I needed to be at.
"I had never taken shortcuts in my career and always worked really hard. I know what it takes to be the best. So it was very frustrating to do all the same things and never be able to change that number on the scale or the way my body looked."
The 23-time Grand Slam champion found that the same thing happened after welcoming her second daughter, Adira River, in August 2023.
Serena revealed that while she was able to lose a lot of weight in two weeks, she "never lost another pound" after that, despite remaining consistent.
She admitted: "I just thought, gosh, I don't know if I would ever be able to get back to where I needed to get to."
It was then that she decided to turn to GLP-1 medication, which has exploded in popularity in recent years.
First created as a medication to help those with diabetes control their blood sugar, it was later discovered that GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy, can help with weight loss by curbing the appetite.
GLP-1 drugs are only meant to be used under the supervision of a doctor and where medically necessary to help with weight loss, and can come with a host of side-effects including gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Rarer, but more serious side-effects include acute pancreatitis, gallbladder issues, and allergic reactions.
Serena admitted that she was nervous to use the injections herself, especially given the controversy surrounding the medication.
She explained: "I did a lot of research on it. I was like, 'is this a shortcut? What are the benefits? What are not the benefits?' I really wanted to dive into it before I just did it."
The athlete consulted with a doctor and began the jabs in early 2024, around six months after Adira was born, and once she had stopped breastfeeding.
She revealed that she feels "great" following her 31lb weight-loss, adding: "I feel really good and healthy. I feel light physically and light mentally."
The Olympic gold medalist added that she is now able to be more active and "do more" as her joints no longer hurt as much and she feels like she has more energy.
She also admitted that she wanted to be open about the method behind her recent weight loss, and revealed that it is not necessarily a "shortcut".
Serena added: "GLP-1 helped me enhance everything that I was already doing — eating healthy and working out, whether it was as a professional athlete at the top level of tennis or just going to the gym every day."
Despite her weight loss, Serena believes that every woman should "love yourself at any size and any look" and that "weight loss should never really change your self image" as women experience "judgment" no matter their size.
She explained: "I've never felt that pressure to maintain a certain appearance. I always felt comfortable at any size, whether I was a lot heavier or not.
"I do feel like my body didn't like me at that weight. I had pain in my joints and pain in different areas just because of the extra weight that I'm not used to carrying since I had children.
"But the size I was before, there was nothing wrong with it. It's just not what I wanted to have. I just knew that I wanted to be where I personally felt comfortable."
She added that she is trying to instil body confidence at any size in her two daughters, who she shares with husband Alexis Ohanian.