Oprah struggling with weight

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by rockinrobin

...... we can not wait for the government to do something. We have got to take matters into our hands. There is just too much at stake if we don't.

This is exactly, my point. I never once mentioned the government in my statements that environment needs to change (Besides which, in a democratic system of government, WE are ultimately the government).

WE need to change the environment, for ourselves, on an individual level, but we also need to make changes in our society (one person and one family at a time if necessary).

We can't "make" restaurants offer healthy choices that no one buys - but voting with our dollars to support restaurants that do offer healthy choices is one small step.

In fact, in a capitalist society, voting with our dollars, is probably one of the best agents of change. And in some small ways, we are seeing some positive changes (though the landslide of negative habits are increasing as well). I remember when the only apples that were available year round were Red and Yellow Delicious, and occasionally Granny Smith and MacIntosh.

Eating wholesome food is a lot more acceptable today than it was 20 years ago, where anyone who spurned packaged and boxed foods was "a health nut."

[JackieRn]

This issue so challenging to resolve. When you look at groups most disproportionately affected by obesity and related health problems the poor and uneducated far outnumber the middle class, wealthy, and educated. Tackling the issue of obesity involves addressing the various inequities that abound in our society, especially those centered around education, the distribution of resources, and access to quality healthcare. While individuals certainly have a role to play in this I don't think the role that government can play in helping those less fortunate should be minimized.

[kaplods]

True enough, there are many governmental programs that are currently throwing money at problems that probably would be cheaper to address at the prevention levels.

[JackieRn]

Originally Posted by kaplods

True enough, there are many governmental programs that are currently throwing money at problems that probably would be cheaper to address at the prevention levels.

Unfortunately, I've worked on some of those well intentioned prevention programs that fail because the participants never learned to read at a level adequate enough to use the written resources we provide or don't have the transportation, childcare, etc. to attend educational sessions or financial resources to implement the changes we suggest. Ultimately, without comprehensive systematic change narrowly targeted interventions are doomed to fail.

[tammay]

I did see the story on Yahoo! News today and it broke my heart . I think most of us have struggled with weight issues forever and we know that having the tools is not the issue - even without personal trainers, cooks, etc., we all know what we need to do - it's doing it for the long haul that's the problem. Food is a psychological issue, even if you're not an emotional eater. I personally think that the whole "if she has a trainer/cook/etc., why can't she lose weight?" attitude is akin to thin people looking at those who are overweight and saying, "why don't they just eat less and move more?" We all know that's not the issue - there's a whole lot more going on.

I don't judge her (or try not to) - I admire Oprah for taking a stand to say what we all know - losing weight is a tough thing to do and keeping it off long term is even tougher.

I'm anxious to see what she'll do about being healthier, whether she loses pounds or not...

Tam

[kaplods]

I think what's getting lost in the shuffle, is that Oprah is still a success story in terms of weight loss, in that she is not waiting until she is heavier than her starting weight to get back on track. She's regained about 50 lbs, but she's still maintaining about a 40 lb loss.

I think it's unrealistic and extremely rare for a person to lose weight once and only once. More often a struggle means a life long struggle and any period of inattention, whether from stress or just shifting priorities is going to result in backsliding.

I don't think that 40 lbs from goal weight is most folks idea of an area of acceptable leeway (although I certainly would jump at those numbers if I could), but it doesn't diminish the accomplishment of catching oneself before the situation is worse than the starting point.

I think it really shows us what kind of vigilance is required to reach and maintain goal weight. I may have to step on a scale once a day for the rest of my life, and I'm ok with that. I no longer let the number tell me who I AM, or how "good" I am, it just tells me what I weigh. It's like brushing my teeth. Or a better analogy is like shaving my under arms. Every morning, I look under my arms and decide whether or not I need to shave. I'm not good or bad depending on whether or not I let the hair continue growing for another day, but for hygienic and asthetic reasons I don't let the hair growth get too out of hand (and even if I do, I don't use it as a reason to put off shaving even further, and definitely not a reason to quit shaving altogether).

I really think we will have more success with weight loss when we stop assigning so much "meaning" to eating and to being overweight. Just take care of yourself. It's a simple concept, and yet so hard to manage. I mean no one forgets to brush their teeth and then decides they're such a failure for having done so that they're never going to brush their teeth again, and they might as well eat nothing but gum drops and let their teeth rot out, while they're at it. Or hey, maybe it's better to pull all their teeth so they never have to brush them ever again.

I guess it would still be "news" if we learned that Oprah never brushed her teeth - but it just doesn't have the same wallop as weight gain.

[JackieRn]

From the standpoint of weight lost, she is 40 lbs less than her highest weight and by the way we judge success she does qualify. The problem is the number she released her weight is what we focus on but why?. The real significant measure of success in weight loss is the quantifiable changes to blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol level etc. these numbers are evidence that the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, decrease in quality of life and ultimately premature death have been reduced. Not once when I watched this story on TV did I hear anyone mention the effect of the weight on her overall health there was just discussion of her weight struggle through the years accompanied by a display of images of her at various weights. I commend Oprah for stating that she now cares less about getting thin and more about getting healthy but the article from what I've read only mentions her weight and we are left to deduce from BMI that I think was calculated by the media that more than likely as with other people who fall into the obese category her health indicators are not within normal limits.

Unfortunately it seems we've been conditioned to focus more on the aesthetic consequences of weight than the actual implications for our health. If we focus too much on weight then we are more likely to automatically prejudge someone who appears overweight but maybe very physically fit and have health indicators superior to a "fat" thin person. I just think that while its good the numbers on the scale are moving it is important for us to remember the significance of the other numbers associated with this movement.

[cjd]

It's been awhile since I've posted but I check in from time to time. This subject caught my eye. The fact that Oprah still has to deal with her weight just shows that this is a difficult problem that has to be tackled every day and we can never ever really relax and assume that the problem is fixed. Even with her personal chef and exercise coaches, it is difficult, so although not impossible is perhaps even more difficult for those of us without her checkbook.
The stresses of her job and in her life make losing just as difficult as the stresses in our lives affects the way our bodies processes food. Aging and other factors make us lose weight more slowly than when we were young. For me, aging (I'll be 63 next month), lack of activity because of a sedentary job, health issues including diabetes (not on meds yet, thank goodness) and some breathing issues, a severely broken ankle that hasn't been the same and makes walking difficult, have made me yoyo back and forth losing the same pounds over and over again. 12 years ago, I lost 65 pounds and kept it off for 2 years and then put it all back plus more after my mother died. Now I play with the same 20-30 pounds over and over again. Right now, I know I must lose those 65 pounds agian but I am having difficulty finding the willpower to do it. I think it would be terrible to be Oprah and have your weight gains pictured in gossip mags. It's hard enough for me when I meet someone who knew me when I was a thin dancing teenager in high school and as a young woman in college. I want to disappear rather than face them so I think it must be even more difficult for her to be on television.

[beerab]

I read the article in her magazine- and I think part of it was because she ended up having a thyroid problem for a while- she didn't know for the longest time and kept gaining weight till she was finally treated- I'm not sure if she's okay now- but man I can totally relate to her struggles- I'm working hard on the fast smash and have lost 8 lbs, but I swear if I slip up and have one treat that's it I gain like a pound that day- it's so frustrating- I feel like I can never enjoy eating out again or having a treat for the rest of my life

[kari1980]

I also read the article in Oprah and yeah, I can see how her thyroid would cause problems. She's such a social woman and with socializing usually comes food like going to dinner parties, etc. Ugh, the temptations, esp this holiday for me!

[Angel26519]

I an not Oprah but let me tell you my story....

I am a real estate agent.... and as you know this has been a challenging time. I am one of the "lucky ones" in that I have had a successful career in these trying time. By "lucky" I have increased my work load from 55 hours to 80-90 hours a week. Yes, I am lucky to still be here and successful. I work hard for my "lucky".

So- I work way too much and have a butt load of stress trying to help people sell their homes before they lose it to foreclosure, to tell these people that they owe more on their homes than they are worth, that the home they bought 2 years ago is with $50,000 less..... and so on...

And then there is the guilt..... I still have my home... am I doing everything I can to help these people or is there something more? So I get up at 3am and head to the computer do work ..... and so on....

So I dont work out anymore (who has time), I eat dinner at 11:00pm... forget to eat lunch until 4:00 and my blood sugar is crashing.

I eat for stress, I eat for comfort, I eat for guilt, and oh yeah I eat because I am hungry....

And, then along the way my thyroid has gotten screwed up.... because there isnt enough with everything else....

And with all of this I have gained approximately 38 pounds in the last year. I am not proud of myself. I know better. I beat myself up for it because I have the gym equipment in my house and every dang exercise video ever made and yet I am still not doing what I am supposed to do....

So if I have this issue in my own little world, I can only imagine how rough it is for Oprah.... and I think she is brave to speak about an issue that is so painful, so personal, and can bash your self esteem to ****. It makes me realize I am not the only one and for that I appreciate her and all of you on this site.

[Amarantha]

I'm not a big Oprah fan, in fact, I just don't like her much, but I totally empathize with what massive inner turmoil I believe she faces regarding the losing and gaining over and over of the weight, the way she comes out with these "I've found the answer" pronouncements, shows off a fab figure and then two years later, still a very public person, she'll be back up again and she finds some new "I've found the answer" thing an it all starts again. I believe she is totally sincere in this and that she's under tremendous pressure to perform weight loss tricks for her giant audience of followers and because she's human and seems to love food and use it to soothe herself, she can't hold off the obesity for long as it wants to come back.

I feel sorry for her because I think that in her deepest heart of hearts she does not believe that she can permanently lose weight, no matter what she says in public.

Of course, she can, but I doubt if she ever will and that's sad.

[kaplods]

I'm not sure that it really is all that sad, or that she necessarily doesn't believe in her ability to lose the weight and keep it off, rather I think that it may be much simpler than that. Weight loss is difficult for almost everyone who attempts it, and if you lose focus, even briefly, you can backslide (but this is true of many tasks in life).

No one can "do it all," and no matter who you are, when you juggle a lot of tasks, you're bound to drop some balls. Prioritizing and making sure the important stuff is getting the most attention is a struggle for us all, and giving our weight "just the right" amount of attention and value can be very difficult.

I think too often, we've been taught to think of weight struggles to signify some internal mental or emotional struggle that isn't necessarily there. If someone were having difficulty learning their job skills, or to play a musical instrument, or say to save money for a special purchase, we wouldn't necessarily attribute the difficulty to the types of emotional or psychological failing that we do when talking about obesity. Nor would we necessarily call continued struggling as failure.

Losing weight is one of the most common New Year's resolution, along with saving more/spending less money, cleaning/organization.

Yet, if a person has a life-long struggle with finances, house cleaning, or organization, along with occasional set backs and backsliding in their goals, we don't look at it in the same way as a life-long struggle with weight or weight slips and backslides.

Hypothyroidism is certainly an understandable factor in gaining weight, and although 40 lbs sounds like a tremendous amount, I've known quite a few thin folks who gained that much weight before being able to get their weight back under control.

My brother for example has always been extremely fit, and coming back from Iraq, he started putting on weight very quickly. His doctors blamed his retirement, his post-traumatic stress, his physical injuries.... and it turned out to be a hypothyroid condition (which they only discovered because my brother was too stubborn to accept their explanations and badgered them into testing for other explanations).

[Jen415]

She admitted that most of her weight gain is attributed to "taking herself off her priority list." That is something we ALL have done.

To me, this just shows she is human, like me...and like you.

Honestly, do any of us EVER "beat" this weight thing??

[beerab]

wow angel, that's crazy- I had to learn myself to treat myself as number one- not to give in and eat out because my hubby doesn't want to eat his veggies, and so on. I stopped worrying about everyone else and worried about me- I now eat for me- if my hubby wants a warm and nutritious dinner great- if not he can figure it out for himself! lol.