Khloe Kardashian on Her 60-Lb Weight Loss and Why She Didn’t Use Ozempic
The reality TV star said fitness became her therapy during a difficult time
Khloé Kardashian has long been open about her weight loss journey, detailing the hard work, discipline and mindset shifts that have helped her transform her body over the years. While the reality star and entrepreneur has faced criticism at every stage of her journey, she has remained steadfast in her commitment to improving her overall well-being. Now 40, Kardashian has emphasized that her transformation isn’t about meeting society’s expectations. Here, we reveal how her weight loss journey began and how she’s maintained her results for over a decade.
Why Khloé Kardashian didn’t use Ozempic or surgery
In recent years, Kardashian has faced speculation that she used GLP-1 medications like Ozempic or underwent surgery to lose weight. But she’s firmly pushed back on these claims, emphasizing that her transformation has been a decade-long journey.
“Over the past three years, people are like, ‘You must have gotten surgery because you just lost weight.’ I’m like, ‘It’s been a 10-year journey! What are you talking about?’” she shared in a December 2024 interview with Bustle. However, she isn’t one to judge those who choose to use weight loss drugs or get medical assistance such as bariatric surgery.
“Even if people get surgery or [get on] the Ozempic craze, I’m like, ‘Who cares!’” she said. “As long as people feel good about themselves, who am I to judge? I think it’s ridiculous, the judgment on that.”
Khloé Kardashian’s weight loss started in the gym
Kardashian’s dedication to fitness started during a deeply personal struggle: her divorce from Lamar Odom, which was finalized in December 2016. Going to therapy was no longer an option after a breach of trust, so she turned to the gym as a way to cope.
“I needed a release, but I did not trust anybody else anymore. And the place that I felt the safest was the gym,” Kardashian revealed to Bustle. “As a byproduct, my body started changing. I loved the way I felt. I loved testing myself and challenging myself. And I’ve been doing it for 10-plus years now, and I love it.”
“I think Khloé hit the nail on the head when she said she started working out because she needed a release,” notes Catherine Garvacio, RND, nutrition consultant for WOWMD. “Exercise helps release feel-good hormones like endorphins and serotonin. This can reduce stress, anxiety and even symptoms of depression.”
The importance of exercise for weight loss
While the former Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian host is now known for her intense workout routine, she admits she didn’t start off as a fitness expert.
“When I first started working out, it was agony,” she said during a 2020 livestream with her sister Kourtney’s Poosh wellness brand. “When I was heavier and when I was more unhealthy, I had no idea what I was doing. I think I started two days a week for the first two weeks, and then I advanced to Monday, Wednesday, Friday.”
Over time, her dedication grew. Kardashian enjoys a mix of workouts, including Pilates, SoulCycle, circuit training and high-intensity cardio. “I’m a beast at the gym. I’m super competitive and I’m a sweater,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in 2016. “I love pushing myself.”
When starting a weight loss journey, Kardashian encourages setting realistic goals and not expecting a dramatic loss in a short amount of time. “It’s going to be a long journey, but it’s going to be the most rewarding journey,” she says.
She faced public scrutiny over her weight
Kardashian recalled being fat-shamed before her weight loss and then judged after she lost weight. At first, this led to increased feelings of insecurity.
“When I was bigger, I thought I was the hottest thing in the world,” she said. “I had so much more confidence the bigger I was, which is what’s crazy. And then the more in shape I am, the more insecure I can get because I’m so hard on myself. It’s a vicious cycle that you don’t get out of.”
However, the public scrutiny has only strengthened her resolve to focus on what’s best for her rather than trying to please everyone else.
“It’s crazy that we’re so mean to ourselves, but I think so much of it is society constantly nitpicking you,” Kardashian explained to influencer Remi Bader on the March 26 episode of her podcast, Khloé in Wonder Land. “Whether it’s, like you said, you’re thinner, ‘How dare you get so thin?’ but when you’re bigger they call you all these names, they shame you. That’s when you sort of just have to throw your hands up in the air.”
How Khloé Kardashian’s diet aided her weight loss efforts
Kardashian admitted that she struggled with mindless eating in the past. “I ate for comfort. I also ate out of boredom and habit…and when I was unhappy,” she shared in her book, Strong Looks Better Naked.
“Mindless eating can happen for a variety of reasons, but emotional eating is a common cause,” explains Shelley Balls, MDA, RDN, LDN, nutritionist for Flawless Bloom. “When you feel the urge to eat, stop and ask yourself if you’re really hungry or if you’re just stress eating. Practice mindful eating to listen to your hunger and fullness cues.”
Becoming more mindful about her eating habits helped Kardashian build a healthier relationship with food. She doesn’t believe in restrictive diet plans, but rather in making sustainable lifestyle changes.
“I truly dislike when people report I’ve lost a tremendous amount of weight in a short amount of time or when people claim I’m doing these ridiculous diets,” she posted on X in 2018. “It’s really setting the wrong tone. I believe in making lifestyle changes when it comes to my food.”
“Fad diets and extreme weight loss routes are not sustainable, nor are they healthy,” adds Balls. “You might see short-term results, but these habits won’t be sustainable long-term.”
She cut back on carbs and dairy
A key turning point in Kardashian’s weight loss journey was understanding how her body reacted to certain foods. After a blood test, she worked with a nutritionist who advised her to limit carbohydrates in the evenings.
“It’s not that we couldn’t have carbs, but that we have to avoid them after around 4 p.m. Apparently, our bodies are not particularly good at breaking them down,” she wrote in Strong Looks Better Naked.
She also eliminated dairy, which had an immediate impact on her energy levels and weight.
“The moment I cut out dairy, limiting myself only to almond milk, I felt transformed. Within a week, I had more energy than I’d had in months, and I was leaping out of bed in the morning, ready to seize the day,” Kardashian wrote, adding that this change alone helped her lose 13 pounds in under three months.
Why Khloé Kardashian focuses on feeling strong
Kardashian—who reportedly experienced a 40-pound weight gain while pregnant with her daughter True—has always emphasized that her goal was never about hitting a certain number on the scale, but rather feeling her best. Even when she weighed 203 pounds when giving birth to True in 2018, she worked hard to lose 60 pounds during the pandemic and reach her goal of “around 150” in 2020.
“I never thought about the number,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “When I started seeing that I could lose weight—because I just thought my body would never change—I started taking it more seriously and eating better.”
“When you see yourself getting stronger or showing up for yourself consistently, that’s empowering,” emphasizes Garvacio.
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