Oprah is getting honest about her recent diet discussions and issued an apology.
ABC News reports that during her WeightWatchers live special titled Making the Shift, she clarified that she's done with any “shaming” regarding diets. This all comes to light after the star revealed five months ago that she's using medication to help her shed the pounds.
Also, as of March, she decided not to run for reelection as a member of WeightWatcher's board of directors — making it a bold move after a decade of being the face of the company.
Oprah discusses her thoughts on diet and more in the latest special
The legendary 70-year-old talk show host said, “I've been a steadfast participant in this diet culture. Through my platforms, through the magazine, through the talk show for 25 years, through online — I've been a major contributor to it. I cannot tell you how many weight loss shows and makeovers I have done and they have been a staple since I've been working in television.”
During the special, Winfrey touched on her “wagon of fat” that she included in her old talk show. Regarding it, she said, “It sent a message that starving yourself with a liquid diet set a standard for people watching that I nor anybody else could uphold. And I've said this before, the very next day, I began to gain the weight back.”
She also went into detail regarding different dieting options. It stemmed from her and Joan Rivers appearing on the Tonight Show back in 1985 and making a pact to lose some weight.
“I was so embarrassed,” Oprah said. “That was the start of a vicious cycle of yo-yoing that ended up with that liquid diet where I literally starved myself for months. And the result was that now famous wagon of fat moment.”
She added, “It's really hard to love your own body when the whole world is telling you it wasn't worth loving.”
Regardling shaming, Oprah said, “Whether you choose to start moving more, whether you want to eat differently, whether you want to change your lifestyle, whether you want to take the medications or whether you choose to do absolutely nothing — that you are satisfied exactly the way you are where you are. That's up to you, whatever your path, this has been a watershed moment for many people.”
The star's other weight-related special, An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution, aired on ABC in March. In it, she discussed the rocky road to losing weight publicly.
“Everybody is just doing the best we can,” Winfrey said. “And if they are happy with the choices that they are making, you ought to be happy with it too.”
“We've been criticized. We've been scrutinized. We've been shamed, and we've been told that unless we meet a certain standard of size that we didn't deserve to be accepted or even to be loved,” Oprah added. “And what I know for sure is that I am done with it.”