Oprah's Weight Gain

Like her or not, she's arguably the most powerful woman in the world. Her weight is no one's business but her own. I think it's a tactical error - born of ingrained fat prejudice - that makes Oprah decry her latest weight. Frankly, I'm sick of hearing about it. Whether she's slim or fat makes no difference to me. Arguably, the only one for whom it should make any difference is herself.

Ha, I just made a comment about this on the thread about Obama's responsibility to help reverse the obesity problem in his administration. The bottom line is, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. If even Oprah with her personal chef and Bob Greene as her trainer can't maintain her weight, it just goes to prove that even if you make it stupid-easy for people to lose weight (like on Biggest Loser), it's STILL their own personal responsibility to do it. I don't really feel sorry for Oprah anymore. She's got it easier than 90% of women out there as far as having the resources for being thin, so it's obvious that fitness and being thin is just not that high on her priority list.

There are plenty of average people out there that aren't loaded and have to work fitness and eating healthy into their busy lives and they seem to manage ok. I would love to have a personal trainer on call to help me with my workouts and have a personal chef to cook all my meals for me so I didn't even have to think about being healthy, but it isn't realistic.

I wish the best for Oprah, but just like Kirstie Alley (who regained all the weight she lost on her Jenny Craig kick), she's going to be fighting her weight for the rest of her life.

Weight is about more than "having the resources". There are so many emotional factors involved; it's really a complex issue. I think the fact that Oprah still struggles with this despite having so many resources to fight it just makes her human. And it's encouraging in a way...if everyone with the "resources to be thin" were able to do it, those without those resources might feel discouraged and think they don't have the tools so they'll never make it. Seeing that it's more complex than something you can buy your way out of I think is a more realistic scenario.

On one hand I feel sorry for her - I can relate to the yo-yo thing and how it feels to find yourself back where you started.

On the other hand, seems to me her show is responsible for promoting some pretty unhealthy, and/or unrealistic weight loss methods - the acai berry crazy being the latest.

Venuto's quote is taken out of context here. I think what he was getting at is that all those people Oprah pays so highly to help her aren't helping her all that much, because well, she IS Oprah after all. She's their boss. She pays them. Are they going to get "on her" the way they should or are they going to give her a "pass". I mean is she paying that Bob Greene guy? If so, WHAT FOR??? I mean come on. He's not doing his job. Maybe her audience can do it??? Oprah seems to at least care about her audience. They do everything she does.

And seems to me, given her status and propensity to promote this or that, she owes it to her audience to once and for all promote something that actually works. Permanently. Or at least stop promoting and making such a public issue out of her weight. I mean SHE'S the one on the magazine. It's HER magazine!!! She started this! Why? Publicity? Another liquid diet she's got waiting in the wings?

Weight is about more than "having the resources". There are so many emotional factors involved; it's really a complex issue. I think the fact that Oprah still struggles with this despite having so many resources to fight it just makes her human. And it's encouraging in a way...if everyone with the "resources to be thin" were able to do it, those without those resources might feel discouraged and think they don't have the tools so they'll never make it. Seeing that it's more complex than something you can buy your way out of I think is a more realistic scenario.

If I remember correctly when O was at her healthiest and happiest was a few years back when she made time to schedule in a meeting with herself every day to exercise. By the sounds of the reports, "she blames an out of control schedule with food as comfort" she has stopped making this time for herself and her health.

Maintaining weight and staying healthy simply requires a balance of exercise and diet and it would seem she may have let this things slide.

Other than medical conditions, everyone who is overweight has an emotional issue or something they haven't dealt with and worked through. Some know it and some don't. With all the helpe she has, she knows it.

As a life mentor I also help men and women "clear" what is "weighing" them down. As far as Oprah is concerned, she has to be 110% committed to changing from the inside out. There are things she's not dealing with in a healthy manner. I have a few ideas as to what they may be, but I won't air them out here.

Who am I to talk? Well I've done the work on myself and I have kept fit for over 10 years, not that I ever had a weight problem in the first place. There are "keys" to permanently stay at your ideal weight. That's what I've been teaching people all over the world. You can check out where I found my "revelation".

Well it also interests me that this comes short on the heels of Oprah's 21 day cleansing diet.... and I remember following bits of her journey hoping that with her obvious sense of deprivation as she went through it - and her fatigue and tiredness, that even though it apparently had a spiritual component to it that she wasn't about to shoot herself in the foot from a weight regain point of view.

I think I speak for the majority of my fellow Americans when I say: Oprah sucks.

Oprah may suck, but she IS the most powerful woman in the world and every woman pays attention to her, which means men must also.

On one hand the first thought is to say "She has a trainer, a chef, and handlers doing her every whim, how can she gain weight?"

On the other hand you feel sorry for her. It's something she's struggled with her entire life and will always struggle with. It's a lifelong struggle for most people, it's just that she's on a very, very large stage and has talked about it openly.

I commend her for being so open. Being open takes some of the pressure off.

However, she knows what she needs to do, just as the majority of Americans. Stop eating so damned much, follow the instructions of her trainer/dietitian/chef and she'll be back down.

She has promoted quick weight loss gimmicks for years...and has made a killing off it with her magazine sales and TV show rating. Just goes to show....quick weight loss sells magazines, slow and steady (and lasting results) do not. Why are we still listening to anyone in Hollywood for advice on anything?

That and how does Bob Greene still have a career in training if his best client is Oprah?

I think it's unfortunate that such a successful, powerful woman is undone by her weight. It's her achilles heel. We've all got them, things that stand-up as a glaring mark of failure in our lives if we let them.

And I think that's the key, she's allowing her weight fluctuations to mark her as a failure. She's making it an issue.

Personally I think she's gorgeous at 200 lbs and don't care that she weighs that. It's not my business or anyone else's what her scale reads.

From what I've heard about the article in O Magazine (haven't gotten to read it yet), she's planning to stop focusing on her weight and is just going to focus on being healthy and accept wherever her weight lands.

I think that's awesome and I hope she can and will do that and in the process, set a whole new example for the millions of people who tune in to her. It's an example that is needed.

"Set appropriate goals for yourself and stop comparing with others."
I totally agree to the first part; the second part, however, is kind of tricky.
For a vast number of people, it really is ideal to have a BMI of 23. Still, you have to find your personal optimum, according to e.g. your muscles. And you can and should compare to people who do have their ideal BMI (whatever that might be): It *is* possible to live healthy.
However, you cannot compare your personal food intake with the food intake of others, as everyone's metabolism is different.

I haven't read her article since I don't live in the USA, but as far as I remember she has issues with her thyroid. As a thyroid sufferer myself I can reassure you that it can be tough to maintain or lose weight when you have a thyroid condition. And I am not looking for excuses since I have recently lost lots of weight myself and have now a normal BMI...

I don't feel sorry for her at all. She has all the resources to do anything she wants.

I wish I could afford an olympic bumper barbell set. Help me out Oprah.

I do feel sorry for her. I feel sorry that even though she's rich, famous, successful, and influential, she still thinks her self-worth has anything to do with her weight. That's pretty sad. But not really surprising, because hey, this is America, where a woman can be as smart, successful, rich, and beautiful as possible, but if she's not skinny, she's worthless.

Oprah has a genetic obesity, as do many many Blacks, and all the money in the world can't help that. If she had lots of time, like some pampered and kept woman, she could devote it to working on her beautiful bod, but, alas, she is busy changing the world. Believe me, she must be "trying" somewhat because, if not, she would weigh 300, not 200, pounds.

But doesn't she have a thyroid condition?

I knew it was only a matter of time before Oprah would start talking about her weight gain. The first time I noticed she was “big again” was on election night.

I think it is hard to find a more influential person on many Americans than Oprah Winfrey. I mean, we don’t even need to use her last name, do we?

Thankfully she is giving attention to the message that “crash diets” don’t work in the long-term. I also think she is sending a positive message about “healthy weight”. We need to stop striving for some ideal number. It’s a toxic mistake. Rather, what can Oprah realistically maintain as far as healthy eating and exercise. Is she willing to lose weight slowly and does she have the energy to commit to a regular exercise program?

One thing to realize is that many people’s struggles with food have very little to do with food and hunger. Rather, there are other issues going on, life anxietites like stress, self-abuse, need for control, and other factors characteristic of disordered eating patterns. Eating is her “pleasure fix” drug of choice.

Drug addicts don’t hit rock bottom and leave that drug habit forever. Food is probably the hardest addiction of all to deal with…especially overeating. It is legal, affordable, plentiful, and socially acceptable.

One thing I hope she does on her shows is have her labs tested. I would love for her to share her A1C (long term glucose control - diabetes), blood pressure, cholesterol levels, CRP, and to have an overall health assessment that includes more than just the 200 pound weight.

I doubt she would do that… it’s a lot of personal information to share with the world. But one of my biggest fears about Oprah bringing attention to her weight is that people will focus solely on her weight. Anyone working as a dietitian in weight management will tell you that there is a cluster of signs and symptoms of health issues above and beyond weight.

No, lots of women don't watch Oprah, aren't influenced by her, and don't care one bit what she weighs or does.

But she does seem to have an ungodly influence on people and her focus on her weight does seem to be a constant topic on her show - and you don't have to watch it to hear about it.

Maybe the rebound will make her talk sensibly to people about how dieting doesn't work. Eat properly, exercise, get enough sleep, and forget about the numbers on the scale.

She should also applogize to the millions of people who are buying into her failed diets that she's endoresed on her show and her website.

O and I share being overweight/heavy/fat and a lot of other titles for carrying more body fat than we want to or, indeed, should. Getting back to a healthier weight is important to me, too, but this is the most complicated issue that faces me. Complicated IS the key word. I have a host of autoimmune disorders, old injuries with their arthritis, and celiac disease. Eating what I should/can is a real pain. The time I need to take to plan food purchases and then fit them into the budget is a real problem. It costs a lot to select healthful food. So, I have a blend of reasons and excuses for being the 205 pounds I carry around. It is no coincidence that poor people often are overweight; it's also easy to note that obesity, growing so quickly (no pun intended) in 'advanced' societies, is probably due to that lethal mixture of stress, frenetic pace of life, poor food choices from the glut of choices on the shelves that are filled with chemicals of dubious repute (and food value). I decided to make a reasonable effort, do what I can to comply with the various guidelines by which I 'have' to eat, and shoot for feeling as good as possible. I don't want weight/food/diet to become a religion.

I follow Oprah's weight issue because it shows that even if you have money and connections for the best resources, weight loss isn't easy. As some comments have said, weight is a complex issue.

For many people, emotions are a part of the issue. When Oprah chose to do that 21-day fast and when she's talked about "this is the way," it showed that she hasn't dealt with the inner struggle she has with food and eating and what they represent or give her. She's still looking for "the way," as if there is one way for all people.

I admire her for being so public with her struggle. That takes guts. How many of us would share with the world our innermost thoughts about how we feel about our weight and all its attachments in such a public way?

I do think she needs to get away from that trainer though. I don't like his "Best Life" labeling on highly processed foods. I also don't like his cut and dried attitude that he expresses on her show when I've seen him speak. I'd like to see her try Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser or some other trainers who know that long-term, lasting weight loss comes from doing some tough inner work with the heart and head so that eating and exercising reflect those inner changes. She seems to be more comfortable with strictness and rules and not flexibility, and I think that reveals more than she realizes.

Having just gained 9 pounds myself in the recent 5 months, I can relate to the hectic schedule "excuse". My partner and I moved in together five months ago. My commuting to work changed, my work schedule had to change, all my eating habits and home habits changed. I'm only now beginning to get back on track.

I do think "hectic schedule" is a problematic issue when trying to keep lost weight off, but I also agree with others that said one should take responsibility.

There's this approach not to weigh oneself. I understand why it's good for self-esteem, but it's bad, bad, bad for knowing where you stand. People who weigh themselves every morning can tell when they're gaining, then take action - and responsibility - on time.

oprah needs to go to prothinspo and she will never go up and down with her weight again.. lol

I don't feel sorry for Oprah, even though I can relate to her eating disorder "compulsive overeater" Its a emotional battle. I do believe if Oprah is willing to go to any lengths to get well and get control over the food she is using to stuff down the "reactions to" and the "acting out of" feelings and/or thoughts, then she is ready to change her lifestyle. Take a look at your life. We can't avoid the compulsive overeating by keeping busy or involved, until we are ready to stop overeating. Overeaters anonymous is available to all people of all levels, just a couple of $'s donation to keep the literature, books and etc... And its all over the world. Its not about having a trainer or professional food guru. Its about your relationship with a Power Greater then self ... Its about honesty, open mind, and willingness. Money can't rid a person of eating disorder, even though surgery can cut out some of the stomache, but, it won't cut out the compulsive eating. Its all about eating to get through what life brings your way rather then getting through it with a Power greater. Its the trigger foods, that tell you its OK, as long as you can consume sugar, flour, starch ... Well, you can't take that one bite. No more then a drug addict can take that one hit or the alcoholic can take that one drink ... Oprah take a look at your life, do you really want control back??? I care about you Oprah, and I love you, but, that love I have for you is unconditional and it has no strings attached to it ... and the reality of unconditional love, you don't have to find the serenity, courage and wisdom for me, you have to find it for you ... The Serenity Prayer helps me through each day. "Dear God/HP, grant me the Serenity to Accept the things I Cannot Change, The courage to Change the things I Can, and the Wisdom to Know the Difference" Do you know the difference between the things you can change and the things you cannot change? Its the relationship between you and food that must be changed ... so you can have a relationship with your Higher Power and your HP will take care of the rest. All you have to do is correct the position of your priority life; God-you-and everyone and everything comes after. We all can live without sugar, flour and starch. Read the ingredients sugar, flour and starch should be fifth or after on the list of ingredients. Exercise should be moderate, like taking a 15 min walk.. working up to an hour walk within a reasonable time ... You don't have to have that hard ass workout ... you are meant to walk it off, but, in moderation. These few guidelines will help you become healthier and stronger each day ... plan you daily meals ... it takes about 30 days to rid you body of sugar, flour, starch ...after that start off slow adding some foods back into you food plan what ever you add if it triggers you stop and go back to your original food plan, it may take 90 days of back to back abstinence and give up the alcohol. Make a daily committment to your HP and to yourself.

I think this whole thing is funny. She could be thin, she spends what on just having her eyebrows done, SHE could be spending the same on not having her chef make certain foods and having the kitchen locked at night. SHE is the one who secretly likes to be fat. She is only doing this because she got sooo much more attention during the campaign and now all that attention is focused on Obama. This her way of being back in the spotlight. If more people focus on her weight loss, since there are so many out there who would love to be thin too, then no one will pay attention to what is happening to our country!!!

Oprah does amazing things, however, ironically, she hasn't made 'the connection' that diets don't work!

Maybe the reason she is going through this is to show people that even with all her resources - DIETS STILL DON'T WORK! She's right about the fact that she needs to say no, but then why is she restricting herself and doing things she hates to do (ie treadmill)??

Of course Bob Greene says run on the treadmill everyday - that's something that HE loves to do.

She would be better off going for a walk with her dogs, which she loves to do!

Bottom line - we need to stop doing what we think we 'should' do and start listening to our OWN bodies!

Just got one thing to say about Oprah:

"Poor little rich girl!"

OK, not so "little", perhaps...

IF OPRAH REALLY CARED FOR OVERWEIGHT PEOPLE,SHE WOULD NOT PUT HER STAMP OF APPROVAL ON SO MANY DIETS THAT ARE JUST FADS AND SHE WOULD ADMIT THAT IT IS JUST A MATTER OF EATING THE RIGHT FOODS FOR LIFE.IT IS NOT JUST A SHORT TERM DIET THAT OBESE PEOPLE NEED. THEY NEED LIFE CHANGES. IF OPRAH WAS SUCCESSFUL AT KEEPING HER WEIGHT UNDER CONTROL SHE SHOULD BE GIVING ADVICE. SINCE SHE IS NOT, SHE SHOULD STOP RIGHT NOW. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. EVERY TIME SHE SAYS NOW SHE HAS THE ANSWER. GIVE ME A BREAK. SHE KNOWS WHAT THE ANSWER IS,HARD WORK AND LEARNING TO DO WITHOUT SOME OF THOSE FATTENING FOODS YOU LOVE SO MUCH.IT IS JUST THAT SIMPLE. FOR THOSE WITH REAL PROBLEMS CAUSING THEM TO EAT. SEEK THERAPY. WHEN I WAS OBESE I KNEW WHY.I ATE TOO MUCH AND DID NOT EXERCISE ENOUGH. AT LEAST I KNEW WHY AND TOOK FULL RESPONSIBILITY, NO EXCUSES.

To answer the last question, she'll be remembered for being a great source of information for Americans. She's provided so much more knowledge and education than most people ever will. Especially on taboo topics like sex and relationships.