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‘Cheetah Girls’ Creator Reveals How She Lost 105 Pounds Without Ozempic

After her modeling career ended, her weight went from 130 pounds to 305 pounds.

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

PublishedApr 28, 2026, 6:26 PM EDT

UpdatedApr 28, 2026, 6:26 PM EDT

Updated Apr 28, 2026, 6:26 PM EDTPublished Apr 28, 2026, 6:26 PM EDT

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The creator of The Cheetah Girls lost 105 pounds through bariatric surgery after years of struggling with her weight.

At 5-foot-11, a young Deborah Gregory lived the glamorous life of a professional model, walking the catwalks of Europe. After returning to the U.S., however, she shifted gears, working as a journalist and author—a career change that proved highly successful. She went on to write 16 books in the hit Cheetah Girls series, which led the Disney Channel to produce three movies of the same name.

But her background contributed to difficulties maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a nutrition-first diet.

“I was a skinny kid who didn’t have enough to eat in the foster homes, and as an adult, I didn’t know that anyone can gain weight if they don’t keep on top of their eating habits enough,” Gregory told the New York Post.

Over time, Gregory says her weight gradually went from 130 to 305 pounds.

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After doctors diagnosed her with diabetes—a moment she now refers to as a “wake-up call”—Gregory was encouraged to undergo weight-loss surgery by loved ones.

One of the supportive parties was her best friend: legendary supermodel Beverly Johnson, 73, who was the first-ever Black model to grace the cover of American Vogue in 1974.

After looking into different surgery options, Gregory decided on a gastric bypass surgery.

“The most popular weight loss technique is the gastric sleeve, but that’s really for people who need to lose 70 to 80 pounds max,” she told the New York Post, stating that her plan was to lose more.

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Both procedures affect how much food the client can eat before feeling full.

During the gastric sleeve surgery, the surgeon removes a part of the stomach. During gastric bypass surgery, the stomach is divided into two sections of different sizes. The smaller section becomes the new stomach after it is connected to the small intestine.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, patients typically lose about 30 percent of their weight following gastric bypass surgery.

Gregory underwent the surgery, which was performed by Dr. Cheguevara Afaneh at Weill Cornell in New York City and covered by Gregory’s insurance company. She only had to pay the $379 co-pay, she said.

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For two weeks following the surgery, Gregory was on a strict liquid diet, slowly moving to soft foods.

“You just had your stomach trimmed, so you have to keep testing your limits of what you can handle now,” she told the outlet.

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Although the surgery was successful, Gregory stated that it was only a part of her journey.

“I looked better and felt better, but there was nothing else directly linked to that, and I find with all big goals, there tends to be a sense of disappointment,” she said, adding, “I felt depressed.”

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She continued to work on her relationship with food and exercise.

“It’s with you forever, that obsessive desire to eat—because despite any denial, the food addiction can be activated at any given time,” she said, admitting that she “hates” the gym but enjoys walking, which has numerous health and longevity benefits.

There were also other aesthetic changes that followed the surgery.

After losing 105 pounds, Gregory underwent a facelift, focusing on the appearance of her eyes and chin.

“Plastic surgery is definitely a follow-up reality if you lose more than 100 pounds, but plastic surgeon Dr. Bianca Molina took care of that,” Gregory said. “My face looks natural minus the few sags.”

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

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