Carnie Wilson Turned Down Ozempic for 40-Lb Weight Loss: ‘Wasn’t for Me’

Carnie Wilson lost 40 pounds in an effort to feel better and live a healthier life, and she did it without Ozempic.

Not that it was never an option. Wilson, 55, says her doctor suggested Ozempic to aid in her weight loss, but “it just wasn’t for me.”

“I was too scared of side effects,” she exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing her new cooking show, Sounds Delicious With Carnie Wilson. “And I think it’s great. It’s worked for a lot of people, and I just don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t think we know enough about it for this purpose.”

Instead, Wilson cut gluten and sugar from her diet, leaning on her own discipline to manage a healthier diet.

“I just listened to a voice inside of me, which was, ‘gluten and sugar are not your friend,’” she explained. “You need to stop eating that. And that’s the voice I listened to. And it’s working.”

She’s started to feel better, as well. Wilson thought back to how she felt pre–weight loss, saying she experienced “just a lot of abdominal pain and just feeling bloated and gross and just completely inflamed.”

Carnie, daughter of Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson, hopes that her diet change and weight loss serve as examples to her two children, Lola, 18 and Luci, 14.

“It kind of makes you a better person all around,” she said. “Probably a better chef, a better mother, and all these things.”

Lola and Luci are sisters, but Carnie explains they have plenty of differences, physically and socially. At a time when young women are pressured to look or behave a certain way, Carnie hopes to instill self-confidence in her kids — and that starts at home.

“I always say don’t compare yourself to other people because you are your own special person and everyone is beautiful,” she said. “Find something you like about yourself. … Self-confidence comes from believing in yourself and giving to other people.”

Carnie isn’t the only celebrity to eschew Ozempic. Chelsea Handler stopped using it after she learned more about the drug, calling it “too irresponsible.” Scheana Shay, Kate Winslet and Kyle Richards have also spoken out against it.

Tracy Morgan and Amy Schumer, meanwhile, have both admitted to trying Ozempic, and Kelly Osbourne spoke in support of the drug, calling it “amazing.”

Sounds Delicious With Carnie Wilson premieres on AXS TV Tuesday, April 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Her first guest will be Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, with Lisa Loeb, Dee Snider and more also scheduled to appear on the show.