NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
Gayle King<\/a> isn\u2019t one to mince words \u2014 especially when it comes to her health.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The CBS Mornings co-host has spoken openly about her weight journey over the years, including the ups and downs of losing and gaining, and what has (and hasn\u2019t) worked for her. One program she\u2019s returned to multiple times is Weight Watchers \u2014 the same plan her best friend Oprah Winfrey<\/a> championed for nearly a decade<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to deprive yourself,\u201d King said during a February 2016 segment about the program on CBS News<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s what I think is the beauty. You can decide how you want to use your points \u2026 That\u2019s what I think is the genius of the program.\u201d\n<\/p>\n She told E! News<\/a> the following month that she had lost 25 pounds and was motivated by a specific goal.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a dress I\u2019m trying to get into that I used to wear years ago,\u201d the news anchor said. \u201cWhen I can get into that dress, I know then I can start the maintenance program, which, by the way \u2026 is just as hard.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Here\u2019s everything Gayle King has said about her weight loss journey.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n She joined Weight Watchers in 2015 <\/p>\n Gayle King attends the 2016 Dress For Success Give Confidence, Hope & Style Gala at Grand Hyatt New York on April 7, 2016 in New York City.<\/p>\n Daniel Zuchnik\/WireImage<\/p>\n In February 2016, King spoke with\u00a0CBS News\u00a0about how she and Winfrey had joined Weight Watchers five months prior. It was her third time on the program, and she said the journey felt more challenging as she got older.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you go through menopause, it is hard to lose weight,\u201d she said. \u201cSo here I am, years later, but I do think that there is something different. My mindset is different. I know that it actually works. It\u2019s slow, baby steps, but it definitely works.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Though she told TMZ<\/a> in May 2024 that she was no longer using the program, she did say that she had been utilizing Weight Watchers her \u201cwhole life.\u201d She was adamant about not endorsing a specific weight loss technique, however, and noted that \u201ceverybody has to figure out what works for them.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n She blamed quarantine for gaining weight in 2020 <\/p>\n Gayle King attends Marvel Studio’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” New York Screening at AMC 34th Street on November 01, 2022 in New York City.<\/p>\n Arturo Holmes\/Getty<\/p>\n In October 2020, King shared a photo of her bathroom scale<\/a> on Instagram and called the 172-pound read a \u201cCRISIS.\u201d She wrote in the caption that her doctor said her \u201cideal weight\u201d was 163 pounds \u2014 but that was \u201cnot happening anytime soon.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cblaming corona quarantine & Halloween candy corns I just bought,\u201d King added<\/a>. \u201cMake it stop!\u201d\n<\/p>\n However, just a week and a half later, the TV journalist shared that she had lost 7 pounds<\/a> by completing a five-day soup fast. She captioned a side-by-side photo<\/a> of her scale, \u201cTrying to get into mustard yellow dress for Elex night coverage TONITE…praying to sweet black baby Jesus it now fits, that you VOTE and that there is PEACE.\u201d\n<\/p>\n She ate a burger before her Sports Illustrated photoshoot in 2024 <\/p>\n Gayle King attends the 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Launch Party at Hard Rock Hotel on May 16, 2024 in New York City.<\/p>\n Taylor Hill\/WireImage<\/p>\n King made her debut on the cover of the 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue at the age of 69. To prepare, the CBS Mornings co-host didn\u2019t go on a crazy diet or follow a rigorous workout regimen. Instead, she enjoyed her favorite meal<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cI said to [Sports Illustrated editor-in-chief MJ Day], ‘God, now I’m going to have to start starving myself,’ and she said, ‘Absolutely do not do that. We don’t want you to change anything that you’re doing,\u2019 \u201d the journalist told PEOPLE in May 2024, adding that she had a cheeseburger before her photoshoot.\n<\/p>\n She said, \u201cIt’s one of my favorite things \u2026 [MJ] said, \u2018Gayle, go for it. Do what you normally do.\u2019 And that’s what I did.\u201d\n<\/p>\n She does an hour of exercise at least five days a week <\/p>\n Gayle King attends the 2025 TIME100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 24, 2025 in New York City.<\/p>\n Kevin Mazur\/Getty for TIME<\/p>\n