Oprah’s weight struggles a microcosm of America’s obesity epidemic

Oprah frustrated over inability to keep weight off

The definition of the word “expert” is someone “who has a special skill or knowledge in some particular field; possessing special skill or knowledge; trained by practice.” And one of the biggest experts on dieting in America has got to be media mogul Oprah Winfrey. After all, for the past twenty years, the subject of weight loss diets has become almost as synonymous with her daytime television talk show as anything else. And most of it has surrounded the never-ending up and down weight journey that Oprah herself has been on over the years. We all remember that famous 1988 episode when she wheeled out the 67 pounds of fat on a wagon after being on a high-protein liquid diet:

She admitted in 2005 that was her “biggest, fattest” mistake.

“I had literally starved myself for four months, not a morsel of food, to get into that pair of size 10 Calvin Klein jeans,” Winfrey explained. “Two hours after that show, I started eating to celebrate, of course, within two days those jeans no longer fit!”

That’s right, she gained back some of the weight and admitted as much on her show in 1989. And thus started this media obsession with Oprah Winfrey’s weight. I’m not sure why she is so berated about her fluctuating weight other than the fact that she kinda puts herself out there as somewhat of an expert on the issue bringing in people like Dr. Phil McGraw, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Bob Greene, and others who dish out dietary advice on her program on a regular basis. In fact, she’s always looking for weight loss success stories to come on her show to talk about how they did it (I have sent my story in so many times it’s not even funny).

All of this hoopla over Oprah’s weight got stirred again this week when the January 2009 issue of O Magazine showed on the front cover a picture of the current 200-pound 54-year old Oprah looking at her 160-pound skinnier self from 2006 and asking the question “How Did I Let This Happen Again?” It’s the latest saga in the sad but true story of a woman who has it all but can’t seem to figure out why she can’t lose weight. In typical fashion, the media went WILD with this story on Monday and here’s a good recap about what Oprah Winfrey said about her weight from Good Morning America on December 9, 2008:

My first experience seeing Oprah Winfrey was not on her TV talk show, but in one of my favorite movies of all time–the 1985 feature film adaptation of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. You’ll recall she did a magnificent job portraying the strong-willed Sophia and marries Harpo (which happens to be “Oprah” spelled backwards by the way). In the film, Oprah is very obese and yet it did not hinder her from being successful enough to propel her to stardom in her own national daytime talk show in 1986. Nevertheless, the weight demons in Oprah’s head continue to haunt her all these years later.

Listen to how Oprah beats herself up over her weight gain (see if it sounds familiar):

“I’m mad at myself. I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed. I can’t believe that after all these years, all the things I know how to do, I’m still talking about my weight. I didn’t just fall off the wagon. I let the wagon fall on me.”

Man, we’ve all felt those emotions before, haven’t we? Anyone who has lost weight only to see it come right back on should feel mad and embarrassed about it. But what I’ve learned over the past five years since I lost 180 pounds (and admittedly put back on a few of those pounds) is that you have to keep at it. My concern about Oprah is that she sees weight loss as a mere temporary diet rather than a permanent and healthy lifestyle change. You know she’s heard that message from guests on her show and from the experts she brings in.

And yet she blames it on that proverbial “off the wagon” comment (which I’ve never understood what that is supposed to mean). Incidentally, President-Elect Barack Obama used similar rationalization when he told Tom Brokaw in an interview over the weekend that he has “fallen off the wagon” in his attempts to stop smoking while maintaining he is still “much healthier” than most people. While that may be true, both he and Oprah are merely giving excuses for doing something about their addictions. I know how hard it is to beat a food addiction, so I have nothing but compassion and sympathy for what she is going through right now. But I also know from personal experience she CAN overcome it.

While she blames a slow metabolism brought on by a poor thyroid function, the fact is the weight has come back on because of poor choices in food and exercise. Consuming high-carb crap while eschewing any meaningful exercise is the simplest way to pack on the pounds. Oprah sees herself as “fat cow” and exhibits “a fear of working out” now because she doesn’t see the point of it all.

“I was so frustrated I started eating whatever I wanted–and that’s never good.”

This kind of negative imagery is not conducive to bringing about the success she is looking for. And it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when you turn to food to comfort yourself when things are going awry. That’s a normal response that most people take which is why Oprah’s story really is a microcosm of America’s current obesity epidemic.

If you haven’t read Dr. Mike Eades’ take on this weight issue with Oprah, then you must check it out. In my April 2008 podcast with him, we talked about his brand new book coming out in March 2009 entitled The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle: The Simple Plan to Flatten Your Belly Fast! which deals with this very subject that Oprah is going through right now.

Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades realize how much more difficult it is for older people to lose weight compared to the younger generation. When Oprah was so proud of her 67-pound weight loss in 1988, keep in mind she was 34 years old at the time. I was 32 when I lost my 180 pounds in 2004 and I realize the advantage of having youth on my side. But what Oprah did in the years after her weight loss was let herself go. That was her biggest mistake which has led her on this quest to find that perfect diet that will let her lose the pounds so she can get back to the way she was eating before.

REALITY CHECK: No such diet exists that produces long-term results. After my weight loss in 2004, I continued to eat the same basic diet I did when I was losing the weight. At times I’ve allowed the carbohydrates to go higher than they need to be and I’ve paid the price on the scale. But instead of acting surprised that it has happened, what did I do? I got right back on the plan that got me thin to begin with.

Now I’m not suggesting that Oprah starve herself on those protein shakes again. If she would simply start eating a healthy high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb diet (and NOT that awful Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet she was on before), then I am convinced her insulin-resistant body would respond incredibly well without the use of exercise early on (although I think her body would spontaneously want to move after all the energy she would feel from the weight loss). It seems obvious to me that controlling her carbohydrate intake is a must to get this addiction under control once and for all. Perhaps this personal experience of hers will open the door of opportunity for her to hear about livin’ la vida low-carb. I’d love to see her succeed on it and show the whole world what an amazing nutritional approach this really is!

None of this is lost on Oprah’s producers who are soliciting stories of people dealing with weight struggles for their television show right now. They are looking for people who lost a bunch of weight and then gained it all back.

“Did you lose a significant amount of weight–only to gain it back? Did you let life throw you off-track? Do you wonder how you let yourself gain weight again? Is your weight gain a symptom of something that needs to be changed in your life? Do you wish you could get to the real core of why you keep gaining weight? Why do you think you gained the weight back? Do you often search for a weight-loss shortcut? Are you unmotivated to exercise? Do you expect perfection? Do you find comfort in food? Do you use food to ease stress and medicate feelings? Are you planning to kick start a new weight loss plan in 2009?”

Do you have the feeling that those are some of the questions Oprah is asking herself at this very moment? It will be interesting to see what she does in 2009 about her weight because America will be watching her. Maybe this time around she can make it last for a lifetime. I wish her well in this journey!