Influencer Janelle Rohner Reacts to Claims ‘Ozempic Is Cheating’ After Revealing GLP-1 Weight Loss

Wellness influencer Janelle Rohner has seen the internet’s criticism after revealing she micro-dosed GLP-1 to lose weight.

“‘Ozempic is cheating.’ ‘Ozempic is the easy way out,’” Rohner wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, June 17. “Here is my experience: You still need to prioritize macros, especially protein and fiber you need to continue to fuel your body with nutrients, especially if you’re planning to maintain muscle and if your goal is a toned look. It helped me stay on track with my macros but I can assure you it does not magically build muscle.”

Rohner noted that she “still worked out five days a week,” lifting “heavy” weights and hitting more than 10,000 steps per day while also incorporating pickleball into the mix “very often.”

“GLP1s do help with appetite suppression and help suppress the desire to overindulge, but it is not a magic shot or at least not in my experience, especially at a microdose. I’m taking .5mg once a month. It helped me with food noise,” she wrote. “It has been a great tool for me, but it is just that it’s a tool along with everything else I was already doing.”

She continued, “And in my opinion (just my opinion) if you are having to force feed yourself and are unable to eat a healthy amount of calories in a day. I think your dose might be [too] high.”

Rohner concluded her message with a disclaimer that “this is not medical advice,” but instead her “experience.” She paired the caption with a series of clips of her hitting the gym and eating nutritious meals.

The influencer, who has a following of more than 700,000 on Instagram, made headlines in April when she announced she had been utilizing a GLP-1 medication to lose weight. (The medication is commonly prescribed to adults with weight-related conditions, including diabetes. Doctors, however, do not recommend the medication as a casual weight loss method.)

“This isn’t easy to say, but I owe it to you to be honest. Janelle Rohner is microdosing a GLP-1,” Rohner wrote in a YouTube description for a video at the time. “I’ve quietly been working on my mental health, trying to find peace in the chaos. I know sharing this might open me up to judgment, but hiding it would mean losing the most important thing: my truth.”

She continued, “I’m not perfect, but l’m healing, and I hope that means something to someone out there who’s struggling too.”

In the aftermath of the video, Rohner received backlash from her followers — particularly those who had purchased her health programs. Rohner said in an April TikTok that she was “willing” to refund anyone who purchased one of her classes within the last 11 months.

“I still wholeheartedly believe in tracking macros and the workouts that I do and my classes,” she explained. “I did not take a GLP-1 because I don’t believe in my classes and macros wasn’t working. I did it for other personal and health reasons to use as a tool to hit my goals. And if people felt deceived by that, I really, truly am sorry, and I am willing to do a refund for anybody who bought a class in the last 11 months.”