J.D. Vance was looking notably slimmer on the 2024 campaign trail than he had in years past. So what led to such a clear change for the new vice president?
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00:00J.D. Vance was looking noticeably slimmer on the 2024 campaign trail than he had in
00:05years past. So what led to such a clear change for the new vice president?
00:10With the number of celebrities speaking out about using weight loss drugs increasing each
00:15year, it's no surprise that virtually every famous person who's undergone a recent body
00:19transformation has been unable to escape rumors that they shed the pounds with the help of
00:24Ozempic or other medications with similar effects.
00:28In 2024, Vance dealt with similar rumors after losing a dramatic amount of weight. While
00:33campaigning to be vice president, he looked noticeably slimmer than he did two years prior,
00:38when he won his Senate seat. Former Representative George Santos was among those who suggested
00:43he had some help, writing on X in October 2024,
00:46"'Can anyone confirm Vance is on Ozempic? He's looking thin and good!'
00:51However, Vance firmly shut down the growing speculation that his impressive weight loss
00:55was due to medication. Instead, he attributed it to simply changing his diet and lifestyle
01:00since being elected as a senator in 2022. He told the Daily Mail in August 2024,
01:06"'Obviously, you eat a little bit less, but it's also just eating better. I tend to skip
01:11breakfast whereas before I would have, like, you know, three waffles and scrambled eggs
01:15and bacon.'"
01:17Vance has actually criticized the use of Ozempic for weight loss, although he did also say
01:21that people should listen to their doctors.
01:23"'Why don't we try to understand why it is that we have a terrible obesity epidemic rather
01:28than just giving people another pill to pop?'
01:31What Vance appears to have embraced is intermittent fasting, which, according to the Mayo Clinic,
01:36can aid in weight loss, ultimately lowering the risk of obesity-related diseases. But
01:41cutting calories isn't the only strategy Vance is using. In addition to adjusting his eating
01:46habits, like many who have lost weight, Vance also regularly works out in the gym and goes
01:51running, too.
01:52For Vance, his demanding role as a senator, which thrust him into the public eye, and
01:55his three children, were the major motivators in his weight loss journey. The VP explained
02:00to the Daily Mail that he wanted to be fit enough to play and keep up with his children,
02:04the eldest of whom turned 7 in 2024. Impressively, Vance's noticeably slimmer look reportedly
02:10was even praised by his boss, Donald Trump.
02:13While J.D. Vance cut back on his caloric intake to help shed the pounds naturally, he also
02:18altered what type of food he puts into his body. This is thanks, in part, to his wife
02:22Usha Vance. When she introduced her husband at the Republican National Convention in July
02:272024, she talked about Vance's change in diet.
02:31"'Although he's a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, he adapted to my vegetarian diet and
02:37learned to cook food from my mother — Indian food.'"
02:40Of course, Usha's story does not mean the former Ohio senator is 100 percent vegetarian
02:46A source told the Los Angeles Times in 2024 that J.D. still eats meat. While it's unclear
02:51just how much meat he consumes on a regular basis, incorporating healthier vegetarian
02:56dishes into his diet will only help with his weight loss journey in the long run.