Oprah’s Weight Gain: How DID She Let This Happen Again?

December 14, 2008

Photo by Alan Light
I can’t help but add my two cents to the blogosphere about Oprah and her recent weight gain news. This is, afterall, a blog that discusses weight loss for women.

You can bet that I’ll be watching the weight loss episodes, Oprah’s Best Life Series, beginning January 5, 2009, in which Oprah is expected to talk openly about her yo-yo dieting. It is my hope that, in addition to the health experts she already has on her show, we’ll be seeing a tough, tell-it-like-it-is fitness expert such as, perhaps, Jillian Michaels. This is not likely though since her preview of the series does not indicate any such expert that we have not already seen on her show. But better yet, maybe Oprah will visit Jillian instead. Can’t you just see it now, Oprah on “The Biggest Loser.”

But let’s get to the question Oprah posed to herself, “How did I let this happen again?” Let me just point out a few of Oprah’s obvious mistakes which jumped out at me.

Three mistakes that Oprah made:

Winfrey herself said in regard to losing weight in 2005, “I had literally starved myself — not a morsel of food.” Oprah resorted to many diets over the years, including a liquid diet. Anyone can lose weight quickly by diets such as a liquid diet. But the real challenge is keeping that weight off. And it cannot be done with a “quick” weight loss plan. Quick weight loss plans are not usually plans you can maintain for a long amount of time. You eventually have to start eating again. Oprah should have made a lifestyle change, for life, and took a slower approach to losing weight. An approach that involved eating real food.
Winfrey said in regard to her hypothyroidism, “I actually developed a fear of working out.” Her out-of-balance thyroid made her fearful of exercise and gave her an excuse to skip exercise altogether. In fact she admitted in her O Magazine to having said, “Now I have an official, documented excuse.” No excuses, Oprah! Her health problem may have limited the exercise she could do. But she simply should have consulted her doctor about an exercise plan that would work for her.
Being in the public eye, Oprah (so it seems) focused on being thin instead of being healthy. Despite the fact she had the great Dr. Oz sitting at her side. Luckily, she is changing her approach. Instead of trying to lose weight, her goals, which she will share with us on the January episodes, will be to become strong, healthy, and fit. With the hope that weight loss will just be an added benefit.

Strong, healthy, and fit.

These words are music to my ears, especially when I hear Oprah say them. That is because, when Oprah talks, her audience follows. Sad, but true. Chances are, after she showed tremendous results from her liquid diet by walking out on stage in her size 10 jeans, many loyal fans probably started their own liquid diet that very day. After all, if Oprah says it works, it must be true, right? However, as we now learn, just two days following that skinny episode, Oprah no longer fit into those size 10 jeans because, after the show, she celebrated her success with food. Sooner or later she had to eat anyways.

I have no doubt Oprah will lose weight again. Hopefully, though, with her faithful viewers watching, she will be able to do so in a sustainable way by building strength that will keep her fit and, most importantly, healthy.

Oprah’s Weight Gain: How DID She Let This Happen Again?

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