Oprah Winfrey Says She Was Treated Differently While Shopping When She Weighed Over 200 Lbs.

"There is a condescension. There is stigma," the media mogul said

Oprah Winfrey is speaking candidly about dealing with weight stigma.

The media mogul, 68, recently hosted a panel, Oprah Daily’s "The Life You Want Class: The State of Weight," where she discussed the obesity and weight crisis, which affects 2 billion adults globally. She held the conversation alongside obesity specialists Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford and Dr. Melanie Jay, psychologist Dr. Rachel Goldman and Sima Sistani, the CEO of WeightWatchers.

During the panel, Winfrey told those in attendance, "You all know I’ve been on this journey for most of my life. My highest weight was 237 lbs. I don’t know if there is another public person whose weight struggle has been exploited as much as mine over the years."

"You all have watched me diet and diet and diet," she continued, before noting that it's "a recurring thing because my body always seems to want to go back to a certain weight."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: Oprah Winfrey Says She Wrestled with Thoughts on Ozempic, Wegovy: 'If I Take the Drug, That's the Easy Way Out'

Detailing that she would notice how people would treat her differently when she weighed over 200 lbs., Winfrey said, "This is a world that has shamed people for being overweight forever."

"And all of us who’ve lived it know that people treat you differently, they just do," she continued.

The former talk show host then explained that she found she dealt with that stigma the most while shopping.

"It’s that thing where people are like, 'Let me show you the gloves. Would you like to look at the handbags? Because we know that there’s nothing in here for you,' " she said. "There is a condescension. There is stigma."

Related: Stars Who've Spoken About Ozempic — and What They've Said

Elsewhere during the panel, Winfrey also spoke about taking Ozempic, an FDA-approved prescription medication for people with type 2 diabetes.

It's one of the brand names for semaglutide and tirzepatide — also known as Wegovy and Mounjaro — which works in the brain to impact satiety, and is the latest Hollywood weight loss trend.

"Shouldn't we all just be more accepting of whatever body you choose to be in? That should be your choice,” Winfrey said. “Even when I first started hearing about the weight loss drugs, at the same time I was going through knee surgery, and I felt, 'I've got to do this on my own.' Because if I take the drug, that's the easy way out.' "

Winfrey also explained that she was “shamed in the tabloids every week about for 25 years” for “not having the willpower” when it comes to her weight loss journey.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.