Dolores Catania is struggling with weight gain even while taking Mounjaro.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(734x337:736x339):format(webp)/Dolores-Catania-2-060925-0166893a66dd422284da30ad912cfd30.jpg)
On June 6, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 54, appeared on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live and talked about taking Mounjaro, an FDA-approved prescription medication for people with type 2 diabetes. It's a brand name for tirzepatide, which is highly effective for weight loss by reducing appetite and improving how the body breaks down sugar and fat.
Mounjaro is similar to Ozempic and Wegovy — brand names for semaglutide. They work in the brain to impact satiety and have been trending in and out of Hollywood.
Catania — who previously shared that she lost 20 lbs. with the medication — revealed on the show that she’s now gained the weight back.
“I’m having a really hard time right now. My Mounjaro stopped working, I gained 20 lbs.,” she shared. “I’ve been looking for therapy for all my friends. I’m really having a bad time with this.”
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Lewis asked if she’s able to switch to another medication like Ozempic and she immediately replied, “I did it all.”
Catania said she has since stopped taking the medication for about a month because she needed to undergo a cardiac ablation — a minimally invasive procedure where doctors freeze or burn the inside of the heart to restore a normal heart rhythm.
The Bravo star assured that she’s “fine” now and was only in the hospital for the procedure.
“I’m on a bunch of medicine, like, 10 pills a day,” she said. “It’s just a formality now. I have to take it for the next 90 days, then I should be done.”
“Maybe that’s why I gained weight,” she said of all the new medications. “I’m hoping maybe that’s why.”:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x307:751x309):format(webp)/Dolores-Catania-1-060925-1d11e44f7dad4036a0c4c226c9d6f28a.jpg)
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Catania previously spoke about her success on Mounjaro in 2023.
"I'm down 20 pounds," she told The U.S. Sun, adding that her goal weight "is to be in the low 130s."
The reality star admitted that she was previously “gaining weight every month” and got up to 163 lbs. before trying the medication and seeing some results. “It doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't come off easy," she said.
Catania was originally prescribed Ozempic, taking the drug for two years before switching to Mounjaro in early 2023.
“I was medically prescribed for both because I am insulin resistant/pre-diabetic and have a thyroid issue,” she said at the time.
Catania stressed that although she was still hoping to lose more weight on Mounjaro, taking these medications isn’t a quick fix to weight loss, insisting that she focuses on exercising, healthy eating, and limiting her drinking — minus the wild nights spent with her RHONJ castmates.
"I stopped taking [Ozempic] because it was expensive and everything. But being healthy and living a healthy lifestyle is cheap — it's free!" she told the outlet. "I work out regularly. There is no easy fix for weight loss and I have to watch what I eat."
