Last Updated: 2008-12-10 10:10:35 -0400 (Reuters Health)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Talk show host Oprah Winfrey says she is mad at herself, and embarrassed, for allowing her weight to balloon to 200 pounds (91 kgs).
Winfrey, who for years has talked on her popular television show about her struggle with weight problems, is shown juxtaposed next to an image of her thinner past self on the January issue of O, The Oprah Magazine.
The cover line of the magazine reads, "How did I let this happen again?"
"I'm mad at myself," Winfrey says in the accompanying article, released on Tuesday. "I'm embarrassed. I can't believe that after all these years, I'm still talking about my weight."
In the article, Winfrey describes how her thyroid problem contributed to her weight, which went from 160 pounds a couple of years ago to 200 pounds (91 kilograms) today. "I had just about given up on myself last year," she said.
But Winfrey also points out that many of her fans suffer with recurring weight problems, and she plans to use that as a springboard for a week of programming on her television show, the www.Oprah.com Web site and her satellite radio show.
The Hollywood Reporter last week named Winfrey the most powerful woman in the entertainment industry. She has been credited by some for helping Democrat Barack Obama win the November U.S. presidential election after she endorsed him and campaigned with him.
Dr. Sears comments:
Many women are wondering if Oprah with her wealth, her personal trainer, her personal chef and her personal nutritionist can't get the weight off, how can they. Perhaps they should investigate the Zone Diet like Jennifer Aniston did 13 years ago.