Who is Janelle Rohner? Wellness influencer admits to using weight loss medication as fans demand refund

Health and wellness influencer Janelle Rohner is criticized for relying on weight loss medication.

The 37-year-old took to YouTube on Wednesday, April 23, to reflect on her mental health struggles and weight loss management. She conceded to using GLP-1, a medication typically prescribed to adults with weight-related conditions like diabetes. Famous brands include Ozempic and Wegovy. Despite the rising celebrity trend, however, doctors advise against resorting to it for weight loss alone.

For the uninitiated, Janelle Rohner is a TikTok influencer who operates under the handle @janellerohner. She regularly uploads Keto and low-carb recipes and tips on her account, which boasts well over 5 million followers. She first launched her account in May 2020 and has since gained over 600,000 followers on Instagram.

Janelle Rohner gets dragged online for "misleading" fans: Read more

Fans have since been flooding the comments section and other social media platforms with allegations of misleading them, as well as calls for a refund for Janelle Rohner's $200 weight loss course. Scores online decried her for failing to disclose that she had been resorting to a weight loss aid herself.

In her YouTube video's description, Janelle Rohener penned:

“This isn’t easy to say, but I owe it to you to be honest. Janelle Rohner is microdosing a GLP-1. 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 added, “I’m not perfect, but l’m healing, and I hope that means something to someone out there who’s struggling too.”

In her YouTube video, she reflected on her decision to begin ingesting the controversial weight loss drug:

“If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’ve tried it all [from] keto, macro, workouts [and lifestyle shifts],” she said. “Over the last year, I have decided to make some new choices in my health. I started working with a doctor, and we did decide to add a GLP-1 to my plan. GLP-1s are not magic, [and] they don’t change your lifestyle overnight. It’s just a tool to help; I still had to show up.”

Rohner says she paired her dosage with exercise, tracking her meals, and drinking plenty of water.

“[Taking a GLP-1] just helped me regain a sense of control, and it’s something that I don’t want to be ashamed of,” Rohner stressed. “I don’t think other women or men, who are using this tool should feel ashamed either because if there’s a tool out there that can help with your mental and physical health, you deserve to explore that without feeling guilty.”

She started with full doses of the GLP-1 to shed the "stubborn 10 to 15 pounds," though she eventually toned it down:

“I was happy,” she added. “I switched to microdosing for maintenance, and I would, maybe, do a microdose once a month. I also paired those new lifestyle changes with something that was a real game changer for me — I started seeing a therapist regularly.”

She went on:

“I am so incredibly, deeply grateful and blessed for the community that I have and the support that I have,” Rohner said. “I’ll be honest, that opened the floor for a lot of criticism. I never imagined in my life would be under a microscope and that I would have comments, questions and judgments about everything that I was doing.” She concluded, “I’m not perfect and I never claimed to be.”

Trending

Some commenters even said they would unfollow the TikToker after her controversial video, slamming her for misleading them and being dishonest. At the time of writing, Janelle Rohner has yet to respond to the backlash.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback