Gayle King, the celebrated co-host of CBS Mornings and editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine, has been candid about her weight loss and fitness journey throughout her career. Her dedication to a healthy lifestyle has inspired many, and her story underscores the importance of consistency, dedication, and sustainable strategies. This article explores the various facets of Gayle King's weight loss journey, her fitness regimen, dietary choices, and her perspective on weight management.
Gayle King's Weight Loss: An Overview
Over the years, Gayle King has experienced fluctuations in her weight, as many people do. She has been transparent in sharing her weight loss strategies with her fans. In a May 2024 TMZ segment, Gayle King and weight loss in 2024 were the featured topics, where she told TMZ that she focused on a balanced diet and regular exercise, including strength training and the treadmill, and she set realistic goals. She emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all plan and that she does not endorse any particular method, plan, or strategy because everyone is different.
As of 2025, Gayle King, who is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs around 150 pounds. She has committed herself to living a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating a diet of healthy, whole foods and getting an adequate amount of physical exercise.
In 2016, Gayle shed almost 30 pounds. Speaking to E! News following her transformation, she confessed: 'I feel really good. I know there's more work to do but I feel really good.'
Fitness Regimen: A Blend of Cardio and Strength Training
Gayle King's commitment to physical activity is a cornerstone of her weight management strategy. She works out for an hour five to six days a week. For 30 minutes she does cardio, often on the treadmill, followed by 30 minutes of strength training either with resistance bands or free weights. One day she concentrates on her upper body; the next day on her lower body. And on weekends, when she has more time, she covers both. All of the strength-training moves are from the book, Business Plan for the Body by Jim Karas and Gayle swears by them.
Read also: Inside Oprah's Weight Loss Special
"Before I was doing cardio, cardio, cardio," she says. "And I wasn't losing weight the way I'm losing now. Jim said to me that building up muscle really does burn calories faster. Two years ago, Gayle dropped 20 pounds during a three-month makeover with trainer Karas.
Cardio Workouts
Gayle King does cardio workouts an average of four to five times a week. These workouts are done at an average duration of thirty to forty-five minutes each, with length determined by the degree of modification and exercises involved. The aerobics part mainly consisted of running, cycling, and HIIT, which are believed to enhance vascular functions, accelerate metabolism, and increase capacity endurance. This kind of planned distribution agrees with fitness experts’ claims that a minimum of 150 minutes of steady-state cardio should be done weekly for the good health of an individual.
Treadmill Workouts: Gayle King has to do some treadmill workouts that are essential for her cardiovascular training. Treadmill workouts can thus be made more efficient with controlled exercise intakes determined by speed and incline options, where these options can be tailored to the user’s taste. Usually, the rate of walking or jogging exercises is paced such that it ranges from 3 to 7 mph and so requires King to modify the speed. When treadmill workouts are performed, incline is another option that is used in many ways to increase the intensity of the workout.
Strength Training
Gayle King has also added a full-fledged strength training program consisting of exercises targeting all the major muscles within the body to improve both strength and stability.
Weight Lifting: King regularly employs free weights and resistance machines. The lifting movements include squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, which target multiple joints. All of these exercises are full-body and thus target more than one muscle group, which is beneficial for the development of general body strength and enhancing functional fitness. King seeks simply to build strength.
Read also: Weight Loss Gummies: Oprah's Caution
Bodyweight Exercises: Incorporating movements like push-ups, lunges, and planks enables King to exercise body weight. These movements are especially beneficial from the point of view of core stability and necessary for controlled movement.
The duration of each strength training workout is normally set at between 45 and 60 minutes with a normal frequency of two to three sessions a week giving time for rest and recovery between the workouts.
Dietary Habits: Balanced and Mindful Eating
Gayle King's approach to diet is rooted in balance and mindfulness. She doesn't believe in depriving herself of the foods she loves but rather focuses on eating healthy most of the time and making conscious choices.
Twenty-one years ago, Gayle declared that she does not deny herself anything when it comes to her diet. 'Some people don't eat pasta or bread or sweets ever,' she said. 'I love those foods too much. So, for the most part, I eat healthy, but if I go to a party or on vacation, I'm going to enjoy it, then I work extra hard to get back to where I was. 'Extra hard might mean going a few days without bread or dessert, or bumping up her exercise to two sessions a day.'Speaking to Oprah.com, she continued: 'I've learned that when you gain weight quickly, you can lose it quickly.'
In the new world according to Gayle-who stands 5'10" and weighs 150.5-staying sleek is about being calculating. "I deny myself nothing," she says. "Some people don't eat pasta or bread or sweets ever. I love those foods too much. So for the most part, I eat healthy, but if I go to a party or on vacation, I'm going to enjoy it; then I work extra hard to get back to where I was." Extra hard might mean going a few days without bread or dessert, or bumping up her exercise to two sessions a day.
Read also: Oprah's Journey to Weight Loss
Key Dietary Strategies
- Weight Watchers: Yes. She has followed the Weight Watchers program in Gayle King’s weight loss efforts. The program of this diet is based on the dieting system, where food is assigned a value, taking into consideration the nutritional components of the diet, thus promoting healthy eating options while accommodating flexible eating. For her part, Gayle King has been able to use Weight Watchers and count the food consumed.
- Sky-Rocketed Vegetable Consumption: Among other changes in her food habits, Gayle King has made a point of eating more vegetables, making sure that bright choices fill at least half of the plate.
- Eating Intentionally: In her case, King eats with purpose, taking into account feelings of hunger and conveying simple enjoyment out of the act of eating.
- Hydration Focus: King’s diet focuses on adequate hydration. She pays more attention to drinking water each day, with a target of six to eight 8-ounce glasses.
- Meal Prepping: Preparing meals ahead of time has also become a necessity in King’s daily practices. This strategy benefits King by providing clearer food choices and portion control, which minimizes the chances of eating out of excitement.
- Balanced Macronutrient Ratios: The distribution of macronutrients within the diet is also of primary consideration to Gayle as she has to achieve a rather appropriate carbohydrate, protein and fat diet ratio.
- Snacking Wisely: Raw nuts, fruits or yogurt are some of the phone snacks more often chosen by King.
Soup Fast
In 2020, Gayle, then aged 65, revealed she completed a five-day soup fast to try and squeeze into the dress she wanted to wear while covering the election after gaining 13 pounds during Covid. The day before the 2020 presidential election, she shared side-by-side photos of herself standing on the scale before and after the diet. While Gayle never stated what soup fast, she followed, it clearly worked. According to the scales, she dropped a total of seven pounds in just five days on the restrictive meal plan.
Addressing Common Questions and Misconceptions
The question of whether Gayle King’s weight loss is Ozempic-related has been a hot subject lately. People have also wondered if Gayle King had weight loss surgery, but similar to the Ozempic rumors, she has never come out and talked about this subject.
Ozempic and Weight Loss Drugs
In the course of her endeavors to lose weight, Gayle King has yet to endorse or mention the use of any weight-loss drugs as part of Gayle King’s weight-loss plan. Rather, she has always emphasized the need for change in lifestyle including diet and physical exercise to achieve the desired goals. Different reputable sources claim King’s approach is based on sustainable practices rather than drug treatments.
It's important to note that in December 2023, her best friend Oprah admitted to using medication for her dramatic body transformation - after previously denying she would ever take Ozempic or similar drugs to lose weight.
Talk show host Oprah reached her 160lb goal weight that same year. Earlier this year in January, she expressed that taking weight-loss drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, helped her realize the truth about 'thin people.''One of the things that I realized the very first time I took a GLP-1 was that all these years I thought that thin people had more willpower,' she confessed while discussing the function and safety of these types of drugs with Dr. Ania Jastreboff.'They ate better foods. They were able to stick to it longer.
Gayle King's Perspective on Weight Management
Gayle King has stated that she admires Oprah Winfrey’s achievement when it comes to losing weight and the methods that she used. She has also emphasized the major shift in Oprah’s outlook, which states that it is a mix of sound nutrition, physical activity, and a tempered approach toward one’s eating habits. While answering questions in different shows few times before, King said that one thing that worked for Oprah was sharing her own difficulties and victories, thus being closer to many people and gaining trust of larger public in this sphere. King admires Oprah’s attitude of loving oneself and the fact that successful maintenance of weight is not only on numbers but on health and wellness.
As far as is reasonable, there has not been a forgetting of the lessons learned during that journey from Gayle King’s weight loss, as Oprah Winfrey has learned from King’s weight loss experience, particularly how health is viewed more holistically. King ’s insistence on personal routines such as exercising regularly and a reasonable dieting curriculum parallels Oprah’s weight management experiences. Moreover, Oprah is happy that the supporting factors such as self-acceptance and mental health have been a part of King’s adventures.
Celebrating Milestones and Inspiring Others
Gayle King’s weight loss achievements have been celebrated through both individual and public announcements or milestones. One of such celebrations was during Gabby’s WABC ‘s stints at the national television station. She was emphatic about her new way of life and reiterated such statements during her stay there. King’s social media accounts also show active participation on such exercises, where she encourages her followers by sharing enhanced eating habits and workout plans and engaging them in wellness activities. Additionally, she has also celebrated her achievements by working chiefly in health and fitness-based charitable events, campaigning for healthy living, and inspiring everyone to follow their wellness dreams.
After losing weight, Gayle King has had a big share of the high fashion magazines, participating in several photoshoots highlighting and celebrating her new lifestyle. Among them, she did cover shoots for several newspapers and magazines, showcasing her exuberant persona and healthy body. Such photoshoots not only mark the achievement of the weight loss goal, but they also depict the very involvement of the person being photographed with healthy living according to her dress tastes and the positive evaluation of herself.