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Oprah Winfrey gets real about body image struggles following weight loss: ‘I blamed and shamed myself’
Oprah Winfrey shares her experience with body shaming and her weight loss journey post-knee surgery.
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Oprah Winfrey has long faced public scrutiny over her body. In a 2023 interview with People, she said, “It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years. I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself.”
After undergoing knee surgery in 2021, Winfrey says she found a new relationship with her body. What started with physical therapy turned into daily hikes. “I could eventually hike three to five miles every day. I felt stronger, more fit, and more alive than I’d felt in years,” she told People.
Also read: Oprah Winfrey says taking weight loss drugs has changed her opinion of ‘thin people’
Winfrey opens up about role of medication in losing weight
Winfrey confirmed she now uses a doctor-prescribed GLP-1 medication. She did not name the drug but said it helped her stop blaming herself for her weight struggles. “I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control. I now use it as I feel I need it – as a tool to avoid yo-yoing,” she said.
The star decided to moderate a panel on weight and obesity for Oprah Daily. “My highest weight was 237 pounds,” she said. Still, she insists medication alone isn’t enough. “It’s not one thing, it’s everything. I know that if I’m not also working out and being vigilant, it doesn’t work for me,” Winfrey told People.
Winfrey talks about the shame and stigma around body weight
The talk show host shared that she felt judged in stores and on red carpets when she weighed more. “Let me show you the gloves. Would you like to look at the handbags? There is a condescension. There is stigma,” she recalled.
Winfrey also revealed she was once told to lose weight during a TV appearance in the 1980s. “I just sat there smiling breezily, wanting nothing more than to crawl under my chair,” she said in her 2017 cookbook Food, Health, and Happiness.
She no longer has a specific number in mind. “I don’t have a goal in mind, I’ll know what it is when I get there,” Winfrey said in a 2020 WeightWatchers Q&A. She added that she still uses their point system and stops eating by 4 p.m.
FAQs
How did Oprah Winfrey finally lose weight?
She combined regular exercise, a balanced diet using WeightWatchers principles, and a doctor-prescribed weight-loss medication.
What weight loss surgery did Oprah have?
Oprah didn’t have weight-loss surgery; she underwent knee surgery in 2021, which helped her return to daily physical activity.
How long did it take Oprah to lose 67 pounds?
While she hasn’t confirmed losing exactly 67 pounds, she has shared her progress gradually over several years, including a 26-pound loss with WeightWatchers.
