Chrissy Metz Opens Up About Health Journey, 'Complicated Feelings' on Weight Loss Drugs

In an interview with PEOPLE, the actress reflected on her struggles with her body image and self-worth, and got candid about her relationship with her health now.

Metz said while growing up, she often felt "less than" her friends, who were cheerleaders and horseback riders.

"I was always the chubby girl, and I was also sort of the only one," she shared.

"We'd go shopping at Wet Seal, and I wanted to wear the cute shorts and outfits, but all I could fit were the accessories," she continued. "It was really hard.”

The This Is Us alum admitted that food was a form of comfort for her, noting that looking back, she struggled with disordered eating.

"It was my crutch, the love to fill in the holes," Metz recalled, adding that she didn't turn to alcohol or drugs, but "food was always my thing."

Metz -- who grew up in Florida -- shared that she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, and set her sights on a career playing funny roles as an actress. "I wanted to be the female Jim Carrey," she said.

However, achieving her acting goals wasn't easy.

"Every single role was for a tall, skinny blonde," Metz said. "Plus-size girls were either the butt of the joke or couldn't be attractive. One director told me I was 'too cute' to play the side chick."

The Emmy nominee -- who moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2020 -- went on to open up about how she's found self-love, while also romantic love, revealing that she has a new man in her life.

"He's so supportive and so kind," Metz said of her boyfriend.

While the singer said she wants to keep his identity private, she shared that her man is an electrical engineer, and that they've been dating for a year.

"I'm like, this relationship makes me feel good about myself? What's the catch?" she joked.

Metz got candid about her health journey, addressing reports about her weight loss earlier this year.

"I have lost a little weight," she revealed to PEOPLE, before sharing her thoughts on GLP-1 drugs that have gained popularity -- especially among celebrities -- for their weight loss benefits.

"But medicines like GLP-1 bring up very complicated feelings for me," Metz said. "If you're diabetic and need to lower your A1C, these are things that are important to take care of. But if you already have a restrictive eating disorder and take something that minimizes your appetite, it can become a very slippery slope."

She noted that "skinniness doesn't equal happiness," pointing out that there are too many people who believe "they're not thin enough, they're not good enough."

As for her own journey, Metz said skinny is not her goal but longevity. "I want to live the longest life possible," she shared.

She noted that she's had "thin, beautiful women" approach her, and thank her for how her "story" had helped them.

"I'm just like, 'What?!' But you realize that everyone has their struggles, their anxiety or depression or grief over losing someone," Metz said.

"I never said I was the poster child for body positivity. I just want to do what I can do to live the longest, healthiest life," she added, before sharing that her father died from sepsis following gastric bypass surgery. "I'm at a stage in life where I don't want that to be me. I wonder if he'd had GLP-1s whether he'd still be around."

Metz also shared details about her wellness routine, which includes intuitive eating and strength training.

"I want to be health-positive. It’s not that I condone morbid obesity or heroin chic. I condone a healthy body. There are plenty of people who are bigger-bodied and perfectly healthy," she noted.

However, she shared that what's most important is how she feels about herself, and being grateful. "I never thought I'd have all of this," she admitted.

In 2016, Metz was cast in what would become her breakthrough role of Kate Pearson on This Is Us, which ultimately earned her an Emmy nomination. While the show signed off in 2022, Metz said fans still approach her to share how much the show -- and herself -- mean to her.

"I was just crying with these two women on the plane today," she said. "They had a family member who was ill, and they told me how much they'd loved watching This Is Us as a family and what it meant to them."

She went on to recall another moving encounter in a flight, in which a woman gave her a note to tell her that she was getting her son treatment for an eating disorder, adding that Metz's

"I was just sobbing," she told PEOPLE. "But I've always been the people's person. People truly love to come up and share everything with me. I think it’s because they know I want to listen. I’ll have a real conversation with you. I’ll cry in the bathroom with you."

"I know what it's like to need someone to talk to," she said.

Metz's latest project is the Netflix hit, The Hunting Wives, which is streaming now.