Why is Oprah still Over Weight?

The bit before the first bit…
Opening the doorToday’s post is not so much a lesson, as it is me opening the door on a discussion that will be relevant and of interest to many of you. Yes I will share my thoughts and ideas but I won’t be providing any major solutions or never-heard-before revelations. The reason I’ve chosen Oprah to revolve my questions around is purely because we all know who she is and can relate to her in some way. If the title of today’s post was “why is Mrs. Smith (from the grocery store down the road) still fat?”, it may not have generated the same level of interest or curiosity and we may have struggled to identify with, or relate to, some anonymous person. And then there was the small issue of finding some decent publicity shots of Mrs Smith for my article. Her agent is a tool.Let’s not get side-tracked with emotion

Before I get under way today, I just want to say thanks to all you amazing people who shared your personal stories with us on Friday. Your honesty and courage is inspirational, insightful and potentially, very helpful to others. To be honest, grief is a pretty tough subject to explore as a writer and I didn’t know how that particular post would be received. While I know that type of information and discussion is not always ‘light or easily-digestible’, it can be transformational and invaluable for the right person at the right time. So thanks for your contributions.

Yeah I know, feathers will be ruffled and noses will be put out of joint today… and that’s just because of the title of this little discussion. But before you Oprah lovers start gettin‘ all “Craig’s a big meany-weany, nasty-pants, Oprah-hater” on me, let me preface my thoughts on Miss O’s battle of the bulge with a little disclaimer… Firstly, I think Oprah rocks. Mostly. She’s uber smart, uber talented, has achieved off the chart, helps a shit-load of people, is an incredible communicator (something I dig) and as a much as I can tell from the comfort of my lounge chair here in down-town Craig-ville, seems to be a kind, generous, genuine and philanthropic person. With a few challenges and issues (like the rest of us). So let me be clear for those who have a propensity to seek out the negative – this article isn’t about anything other than Oprah’s very public battle with her weight and the relevant lessons for the rest of us. Me acknowledging her obesity is not an insult but merely an observation of her physiological condition. If you want to make it offensive then that’s your choice, not my intent and you’re missing the entire point of the article.

So why Oprah?A few reasons:1. Many of us have had (or do have) similar battles and most of us know of, sympathise with, respect or connect with her on some level.

2. She has had probably the most public (and lengthy) battle with weight in recent history.

3. Over her journey she has had every resource and some of the leading experts and specialists in the world at her disposal.

4. It’s interesting (incredible even) that a person can create a multi-billion dollar business, turn herself into a global media phenomenon and become a symbol of success for women around the world, but not be able to get herself in shape physically and stay that way. Especially a strong, dynamic, intelligent and talented person who has desperately wanted to change her body for decades. I guess that’s a clear indication of how tough it can be for us to take charge of our bodies.

5. I have seen many (many, many) people with far less resources, far less professional assistance (that is, zero) and possibly less knowledge, understanding and talent, achieve and maintain incredible results. So, for that reason, I thought that the ‘creating forever results’ topic might be an interesting, relevant and valuable one to explore.

So the big question is… “can Oprah actually lose the weight and keep it off forever?”Well, the answer to that is absolutely yes, but the better question is “will she?” And the answer to that… I don’t have. We’ve all seen the slimmer version of Oprah so we know that she has the physical capacity to lose weight. But as you and I know, losing weight is often the easy part; the real challenge is to keep it off for a lifetime. Does it matter if she’s obese? You’d have to ask her. The last two decades of her life and the numerous weight-loss attempts would suggest that it does matter. As an exercise scientist, I only care about people’s body-fat levels from a health perspective. However, as an ex-fatty who copped plenty of ridicule, I also ‘get it’ from a sociological, emotional and psychological perspective too. In a culture that has a tendency to judge our worth, desirability and social standing purely on appearance, being fat sucks. It did for teenage me anyway.

The Theory and the RealityWhile the theory of weight-loss is something of a no-brainer (energy in, energy out), the practical reality of transforming a body and creating lasting change is significantly more complex and challenging; just ask Miss O. We can all theorise and philosophise as to why (like so many others) she has vacillated between in-the-zone and out-of-control but in truth, only Oprah will ever know the whole story because the state of her body (what’s happening externally) is largely a reflection of the state of her mind (what’s happening internally). And of course the only person who lives there… is her. While Oprah has some practical getting-in-shape-challenges (welcome to the club), namely, hypothyroidism (recently diagnosed), being in her fifties (a little tougher at fifty but we’re still very adaptable) and her endomorphic genetics, it still comes back to what she does, with what she’s got, where she’s at. As I’ve said many times on this site, getting in shape ain’t determined by genetics but rather, genetic management – what we do with our genetics. Neither is it determined by our age but rather, what we do at our age.

So what can we conclude from the above thoughts and observations?

No matter who we are, where we are, what we know or what we have, one of the biggest practical challenges that you and I will ever have down here on the big blue ball is managing our physical selves. And I’m not just talking about weight-loss, I’m talking about maximising this incredible, irreplaceable resource, that you and I will walk around in for eighty years or so. It’s crucial that we understand what a multi-dimensional process creating lasting physical change is and that in many ways, our physical selves (what shape we’re in) is merely a by-product of what’s happening in that thing on top of our shoulders. I guess we could conclude that being wealthy, intelligent, motivated, successful (in other areas) and having limitless resources at our disposal doesn’t necessarily equate to success; that is, permanent weight-loss. Sure, having your own Chef (Art Smith), Trainer (Bob Greene), Psychologist (Dr. Phil), Spiritual Advisor (Ekhart Tolle) and Doctor (Dr. Oz), on call might be kinda cool (as Oprah does), but clearly it doesn’t guarantee success because ultimately weight loss always comes down to the decisions and behaviours of the individual – even a rich, intelligent and well-equipped individual.

Even Oprah.

I’m sure you have some thoughts, feel free to share them. If you’re not sure how to leave a comment, click here.

Ciao x