Serena Williams, 43, is opening up about her weight-loss journey. She revealed that she turned to a GLP-1 medication after years of frustration with postpartum weight. The 23-time Grand Slam winner said the result is a healthier, lighter, and more energized Serena, inside and out.
Williams was the epitome of strength, discipline, and consistency for most of her career. But after giving birth to her first daughter, Olympia, in 2017, she noticed her body wasn’t responding to her famously intense training and clean eating. Despite her efforts, the scale wouldn’t budge. “I never was able to get to the weight I needed to be no matter what I did,” she told PEOPLE. “I had never been in a place like that in my life.”
The same challenge hit after her second daughter, Adira, was born in August 2023. While she initially dropped pounds quickly, her progress stalled. “I never lost another pound,” she joked, but behind the humor was real frustration.
Why Serena Decided to Try Something Different
As someone who had built her career on grit and hard work, Williams hesitated before exploring weight-loss medications. She researched heavily, questioning whether using a GLP-1 would feel like a shortcut. But she eventually turned to a direct-to-patient healthcare company, where she received medical guidance and started the treatment once she finished breastfeeding in early 2024.
Her results included more than 31 pounds lost and a dramatic improvement in her mood. “I feel really good and healthy. I feel light physically and light mentally,” she said.
The Power of GLP-1: Not a Shortcut, But a Boost
GLP-1 medications help regulate appetite and satiety. For Williams, it wasn’t about replacing her healthy habits but enhancing them. “GLP-1 helped me enhance everything that I was already doing — eating healthy and working out,” she explained.
She’s quick to point out that the treatment didn’t erase her commitment to training but gave her body the push it needed to respond. “It’s not a shortcut,” she emphasized. “It’s a way to continue the work I was already doing.”
More Energy, Less Pain, and a Renewed Spark
Since her weight loss, Williams says she feels more mobile and less burdened by joint pain. Every day movements feel easier. She has more stamina to chase her kids, tackle gym workouts, and even train for a half-marathon. “I just can do more,” she shared. “I feel like I have a lot of energy, and it’s great.”
Even at her heaviest, Williams says she never lost her confidence and wants to pass that lesson on to her daughters. “Weight loss should never really change your self-image,” she said.
She admits that while her joints felt uncomfortable at a higher weight, she always embraced her body. For her, weight loss was about health and comfort, not meeting outside expectations. “It’s really important to teach [my daughters] to be confident at any size,” Williams added. “You don’t want to judge yourself when you’re just always showing up as your best.”
Today, Williams is still using GLP-1 treatments when needed. She’s keeping fitness fun by sharing gym selfies and embracing the gym as her “favorite place to be.” With her new energy, she’s focused on health and modeling strength and self-love for her daughters. “Love yourself at any size,” she said. “That’s the real victory.”