Oprah: "I'm Mad At Myself, I'm Embarrassed" Over Weight Gain

CHICAGO — An embarrassed Oprah Winfrey says she's "fallen off the wagon" of healthy living and has ballooned to 200 pounds.

In January's "O" magazine, Winfrey, 54, details her recent struggles with an out-of-balance thyroid and how the condition made her develop "a fear of working out." She says she's gained 40 pounds since 2006, when she weighed 160.

"I look at my thinner self and think, `How did I let this happen again?'" the talk-show queen says in the article provided early to The Associated Press by Harpo Productions.

"I'm embarrassed," she says. "I'm mad at myself."

Winfrey's weight and height put her body mass index at 31.8, which is obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says people who are obese are at higher risk for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Winfrey says she's abandoned trying to get thin. She just wants to be strong, healthy and fit. She hopes to get started with her upcoming "Best Life Week," starting Jan. 5 with an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" during which she is expected to talk candidly about her weight.

Winfrey famously wheeled a wagon loaded with fat onto the set of her talk show in 1988 to represent a 67-pound weight loss while wearing a pair of size 10 Calvin Klein jeans. She had lost the weight with a liquid protein diet.

"When it comes to maintaining my health I didn't just fall off the wagon. I let the wagon fall on me," the chairwoman of Harpo Inc. writes. "I didn't follow my own fundamental rule of taking care of self first."

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In 2005, Winfrey said she starved herself for four months to lose weight. Ever since, her weight has yo-yoed. She weighed as much as 237 pounds and by late 1990 acknowledged she had regained most of the 67 pounds, saying "I'll never diet again."

In 1993, she hired personal trainer Bob Greene and the next year finished the Marine Corps Marathon. By 1996 she said her roller-coaster weight saga was over.

But now, Winfrey finds herself tipping the scales again, telling AP Television last week that she has yet to choose a gown for President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural ball next month.

"I had a dress on the vision board, but I'm not sure that's gonna fit," Winfrey said. "So I have to work on something else."

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On the Net:

http://www.oprah.com

Comments

[joebiz]

Billions of dollars can't zip the lips

[dissanayake]

She may have forgotten to remove her wallet, outta her pocket before weighing herself.

[pilotsknob]

Oprah, I know your pain.....my BMI has been creeping up over the years too. I think it's time to do the Best of Life Challenge and get fit and healthy. I'll join you on January 5th.

[mellene]

There's a lot more to be mad at yourself than just weight gain. Stop obsessing about your looks and start helping poor Americans get on an economic footing. If those who are rich and famous thought less about themselves and more about others, the world would be a better place to live in.

[trish74]

She does more than most if not all wealthy people. WHo the heck are you to demand she does more??

[heal57]

jealous of her wealth, are we?

[ConnecticutEG]

If I had to listen to some of the neurotic complainers on her TV show every day my thyroid my get out of balance.

Where's the doctor to fix they thyroid problem?

[marijam]

Oprah, we love you honey whether you're fat or thin. Some people just aren't meant to be thin, some people just aren't meant to be fat. Life is too short. As long as you are healthy, and you can be healthy even though you are overweight, don't spend so much time worrying about it. Some people just can't gain and lose 40 pounds at the drop of a hat.

[BetterAmerica]

She has all the money in the world and she's worried about her weight? Even if she was skinny she wouldn't look like a supermodel. She should be happy the way she is and accept herself.

It shows that even the richest person might have something to complain about. We're all human.

That's why if you are happy and have a good family life you already have all the treasures in the world.

[TruthAndTheory]

Obesity is unhealthy, period.

Oprah, because of her big head, does look attractive when she's pleasantly plump. She looks odd in the skinny photo of her.

But, obesity can shorten life expectancy. It shouldn't be placed into the "appearance" category. It's a health risk. Many people have high cholestorol, but that's not considered fine and dandy.

People should take care of their bodies, and be healthy. It has less to do with looks and society, and everything to do with a long, healthy life.

[marijam]

Being too thin can kill you too.

[Dlotus]

I like how Oprah is willing to confront what is going on with her. This is very okay with me. In fact, we don't ever get past our issues until we own up to them. I see she at least practices what she preaches. We all know how hard it is to reconcile what we said and did yesterday with what we are becoming today.

Why do we define people by the way they looked yesteryear or by what they did or said in the past?. Some people live in the past, we should all get on with it, she felt she had to come clean, it's good for her soul to state it, it helps some people to get a handle on it. . Apologize, it isn't necessary. life is what it is.! But I can see why she has done so, public opinion can be brutal when you are in her position and society has a way of applying pressure to those in her position because of what they said in the past.

Look what a revolution Oprah has created in our country, so many of us have learned more about life, love and truth, because she dares to speak her mind.
Her pounds are small in comparison to the magnitude of her spirt and generosity.

Love the one your with. ( Tomorrow your circumstances, looks and thinking may change, but love the one your with each and every day..YOU. that's what is!)

[DeloresT]

Join the club Oprah....the "we can't keep the weight off club" ! am just as overweight as Oprah....but I wonder if I had a trainer and a cook, if I could be more in control. However, Oprah looks good for a middle-aged woman. It's a constant battle....one that I have just about given up on.

[1will]

Ahaaaa!!!
That's why McDonalds is the only company in America making money right now.

[DeeW]

She still looks good, I'm tired of people thinking that because you're fat you're ugly or you're something that needs to be changed. I woudn't call her fat anyway, sure she chubbier than she was but so what? She still looks good. People are so obsessed with this stuff.

[diva13]

An obesity expert on CBS's The Early Show discussed Oprah and weight in general:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4659751n

This basically contradicts everyone's assertion that not being slim is a function of eating too much. Everyone has a set point for weight and your body fights against your efforts to go too much below that weight. It actually sends signals and hormones to return you to the weight it thinks you should be. This totally undercuts the theory that everyone at a certain height should weigh about the same. He does state that you should battle against adding more pounds as you get older, because this is unhealthy. But this would apply to everyone--including naturally slim people who gain 15 pounds of belly fat as they age and would still fit into the weight chart. But, if you have people who, except for starving themselves, have been heavy all their lives, then it is against scientific evidence to state that their bodies want them to be 60 pounds slimmer.

[Halek]

I think I agree with your assertion that everyone at a certain height should not weigh about the same, and that there are certain genetic/ho­rmone/enzy­me/whateve­r set points. However, I am curious as to how this addresses the fact of increasing national averages? Or that, for most of the history of people, most of the people were not obese. I have a suspicion there is too much emphasis on the fuel and not enough on the engine.

[allis1]

Here is a woman who has been incredibly successful on many levels and done a great deal to make the world a better place for many and yet, she feels guilty and embarrassed to be overweight. Well, many of us can relate to that, but I think her feelings say more about the culture we live in then the state of Oprahs
self image. I attended a party not long ago given by women from many middle eastern and african countries. No men were allowed and the women came dressed in their most beautiful clothes and
jewels and the shoes were crazy (but you took them off at the door and went barefoot, thank goodness). There were women of all ages and sizes, but I would say most of them would be considered overweight by american standards. Did I get the impression this bothered them? Not a chance! I have never seen women so comfortable and confident in their own beauty and beautiful they were. We ate, we danced, we sang
and we talked, it was wonderful...we need to be the ones who determine what a beautiful woman is
and not buy into the images that make life more miserable for most of us. It's a mind thing not a body thing.

[MissMisk]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/10/1581/6723

"Why Can't Oprah Love Me When I'm Fat?"