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Charles Barkley is known for the unmatched physicality he showed on the court as a 6’6 forward against huge centers back in the ’90s NBA. Throughout his career, working out was a crucial aspect that helped him excel. However, after 16 years in the NBA, he was done with it. Instead, he chose to develop a poor lifestyle by eating unhealthy and not exercising. On top of this, he had to undergo hip surgery as well. All of this cost him big time later in life, as he was forced to lose a lot of weight. Well, Oprah Winfrey’s case was no different to the Philadelphia 76ers icon. 

Oprah was able to relate to Barkley as obesity caused her a lot of trouble. On the latest episode of Gayle King and Barkley’s King Charles show on CNN, the 70-year-old said, “I’m like you Charles, I couldn’t work out anymore. I mean, I can’t climb any faster or run any faster…There was nothing I can do!” Barkley was relieved of a similar frustration after he reduced several pounds. In both Barkley’s and Oprah’s cases, there was one drug that the two used in common, and it proved to be a saving grace.

Mounjaro was one of the drugs that both Barkley and Oprah used to help them in their weight loss journey. Notably, Oprah clarified that these drugs are “medically prescribed”, and were not randomly collected from other people or dealers. These were obesity drugs that helped both of them reduce weight with proper exercise and a diet. 

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Oprah continued, “I had three goals. Number one, people understand obesity is a disease…stop blaming yourself for something in your brain…and also to explain what the drugs actually do.” Oprah did not want people to misunderstand the use of obesity drugs here. Similar to her, Barkley’s weight-loss journey was not an easy one

Charles Barkley did not feel like a “fat***” anymore 

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The Chuckster started at 352 pounds, then reduced by 62 pounds to get to 290. He did all of this at the age of 60. He revealed that this was possible only because of Mounjaro. During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show last May, Barkley shared, “I’m starting to feel like a human being, not a fat *** anymore…I’m working out, I’m taking my shot once a week.”

USA Today via Reuters

Barkley put on a lot of weight following his hip replacement surgery, which resulted in a six-month-long arduous fitness journey for the former NBA forward. Reducing 62 pounds in just 6 months sounds quite bizarre. But for Barkley, Mounjaro helped him with it.

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He further revealed, “I have zero idea what it does, I’m not going to lie.” However, the results were “amazing”. After Barkley, Oprah has now opened up about the obesity drug Mounjaro. Clearly, the medically prescribed drug is making life easier for old people like Barkley, Oprah, and many more. 

Written by

Rohan Dharmalingam

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Rohan Dharmalingam is an NBA beat writer at EssentiallySports, who extensively covers the Lakers. Be it a multimillion dollar deal breaking or a classic throwback, Rohan has covered the many themes and formats. Most notably, his coverage received a shoutout from the Purple & Gold icon Shaquille O'Neal and the rap legend 50 Cent, on Instagram.
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Edited by

Pragya Vashisth