As successful as she is, Oprah Winfrey is not immune to the body image issues she faces – especially being from an industry where looks are put on a pedestal. Opening up about her under-the-wraps but lifelong battle with body scrutiny, Winfrey spoke with People Magazine about how she navigated it.
Along with the struggles she faced along her journey towards body positivity, Winfrey also opened up about the newly adapted transformative approach that she embodied at the age of 69. Speaking to People, she asserted that criticism of her weight has been a difficult and constant part of her life.
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Oprah Winfrey Says She Was Publicly Made Fun Of For 25 Years
“It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years. I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself,” she said. Remembering a particularly hurtful moment, Oprah said, “I was on the cover of some magazine and it said, ‘Dumpy, Frumpy and Downright Lumpy’…I didn’t feel angry. I felt sad. I felt hurt. I swallowed the shame. I accepted that it was my fault.”
No more, the co-producer of the upcoming movie ‘The Color Purple‘ said. As she looks forward to entering her 70s next month, Winfrey said she now has optimism and a newfound confidence in managing her weight issues.
She asserted that she has grown considerate towards a holistic lifestyle approach with regular exercise, lifestyle adjustments, and the addition of a weight-loss medication to her regimen. She said she is now determined to free herself from the shackles of shame.
Winfrey recalls that her journey towards a healthier lifestyle began after a knee surgery she underwent in 2021. She said after the rehabilitation process automatically kick-started steady weight loss, she “felt stronger, more fit and more alive than I’d felt in years.”
“After knee surgery, I started hiking and setting new distance goals each week. I could eventually hike three to five miles every day and a 10-mile straight-up hike on weekends,” she said.
“Now, I eat my last meal at 4 o’clock, drink a gallon of water a day, and use the WeightWatchers principles of counting points. I had an awareness of [weight-loss] medications but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way,” she added.
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“Obesity Is Not About Willpower, It’s About The Brain“
Though Winfrey strongly recommended the use of weight-loss medication, she said that it’s not a magic bullet, but a tool in her comprehensive strategy.
The turning point in Winfrey’s weight loss journey came during a panel conversation about weight loss during a discussion called The State of Weight, a part of Oprah Daily’s ‘Life You Want‘ series.
“I realized I’d been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control,” she said.
“I had the biggest aha along with many people in that audience,” she recalled, as she added, “Obesity is a disease. It’s not about willpower — it’s about the brain.”
Well aware of the attention surrounding her body size and the surge in popularity of weight-loss medications, Winfrey clarified that it is a part of her broader health and fitness routine.
“It’s everything. I know everybody thought I was on it, but I worked so damn hard. I know that if I’m not also working out and vigilant about all the other things, it doesn’t work for me,” she added.
An icon for many women, Oprah set another dazzling example of a strong figure with this interview. She has seemingly decided to embrace her flaws and trying her best to work on them instead of holding shame and guilt for them.
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