Mama June admits she’s now trying new weight loss drug after ‘packing on’ 130lbs – nine years after gastric sleeve surgery
After previously insisting she had no interest in using weight-loss injections, Mama June is now giving them a try.
June Shannon, 44, said she had gained more than 100 pounds due to the stress of caring for her now-deceased daughter Anna Cardwell.
The reality star successfully lost 355 pounds after undergoing stomach 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
Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names for the drug semaglutide, which suppresses appetite and causes weight loss.
In her video, Mama June said, βAs you know, I had gastric surgery in May 2015. I used to weigh 550 pounds, so I went from 550 pounds on my own. to 311 the day I had surgery. And in six weeks I went from 311 all the way to 195.
‘And at the time I had the skin on my arms removed, my chin liposuction, liposuction on my back, a tummy tuck and a breast enlargement. Since then I have lost some weight. I stayed at 130, 140, 150 and to me I looked super skinny and just wasn’t used to that.
“I’ve noticed over the last year and a half that I’ve really gained weight,” she explained.
June said the stress of caring for daughter Anna β combined with poor eating habits β led to her latest weight gain.
“I think the stress of everything going on, eating out, not eating right, just all kinds of things, I’ve gained like 120, 130 pounds.”
June tried to have weight-loss surgery over a year ago, but those attempts were ultimately unsuccessful after she learned that the procedure would have made no real difference.
‘So I kept going. I tried to cut back on eating out, I tried to cut back on my food. Nothing really helped,β she said.
Ultimately, she decided to try semaglutide.
She provided fans with a “before” video ahead of her weight loss journey
“I decided to go on semaglutide through my primary doctor a few months ago,” she explained. ‘I’ll tell you: go to your doctor and make sure you can use it. Make sure it won’t harm you with the medications you are going to take or any of the previous health problems you have.
“And after a month, I was cleared to use this semaglutide,” she said.
She promised to provide weekly updates for fans and share a video of what she currently looked like.
June said she has gained more than 50 pounds from the stress of caring for her now-deceased daughter Anna Cardwell
Shannon showed off the medication on Instagram
“Monday, this is what I look like… So guys, I’m starting at 267 pounds, let’s see how much weight I can lose,” she said
“Monday, this is what I look like… So guys, I’m starting at 267 pounds, let’s see how much weight I can lose.”
The post was captioned: βCome with me as I go through this journey.β
βI know a lot of you are all on the same journey, so let’s do it together. Tell me about your experiences, pros and cons and all that. I will keep you updated every week on how things are going as I know I am not the only person struggling since bariatric surgery.β
It comes after June told DailyMail.com she was not interested in trying weight loss injections such as Ozempic.
Last year, Mama June spoke to DailyMail.com about whether she would like to lose weight again with the popular ‘quick-fix’ that is taking Hollywood by storm: ‘I don’t want to try Ozempic because honestly I’ve heard about so many bad side effects.
Shannon photographed L in 2017 and R in 2013, two years before her weight loss surgery
June pictured in 2015
‘A medicine is used that is not really prescribed for this purpose. They use a diabetes drug to cause weight loss.β
The drugs, which have been used by the likes of Elon Musk, Chelsea Handler and Remi Bader, are approved to treat type II diabetes but are prescribed off-label for obesity.
They contain active ingredients that mimic the action of hormones in the brain that regulate appetite and the feeling of fullness, helping people reduce 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 for made her uncomfortable as a recovering drug addict.
She continued, βNo offense to the people who do it, but it’s just not for me. I want to stay clean. I don’t judge anyone, but it’s not for me.’