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Oprah Reveals the Secret to her Weight-Loss Success

June 8, 2016   14 Comments

Oprah knows a lot about weight loss. This will date me, but I remember back in the ’80s when she revealed her new thin bod after using a liquid diet.

Oprah Weight Loss

She lost 67 pounds in four months! She looked so cute in her black turtleneck and blue jeans. But, if you follow Oprah (and I do because I think she is amazing), you know that she gained it back.

Why? It seems that Oprah while being a super person is not super human. She was probably subject to the same biological issue that occurred with the winners of The Biggest Loser. Her body went back to her initial weight because that is what her body wanted to do!

Now, she has lost 30 pounds on Weight Watchers (good for her!) and she credits the loss to Stedman, her partner of many years.

Her secret is Stedman.

From Oprah:

He kept asking me what every point was, and I said, “Why don't you just join?” she said on the call, adding, “For me, it's so much better when other people are also counting points.”

I love that his name is “Stedman” – like a steady man to lean on when you want to eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.

I have to say that I am a bit surprised because I thought the secret was going to be something along the lines of “sticking with the program even when faced with croissants” – but I think she is being genuine.

For me, one of the biggest strengths of the Weight Watchers program is the group aspect. If you live alone and you want to lose weight, you can pay to walk into an instant community of people who are on the same journey. Maybe you will make a friend and work together.

Competition between friends can be a powerful source of motivation as long as it remains supportive. My best friend and her husband both lost 10 pounds by racing to the bottom. The one who won got a reward of their choosing and I think they were far more disciplined than if they had half heartedly said something like,

“Hey, we need to lose some weight. Stop buying Cheetos.”

Now all we have to do is clone Stedman and have him be our “accountabilibuddy”. Is there a Stedman App coming out any time soon?

Or you could offer to be someone else’s accountabilibuddy as a way to start since you may not know Stedman. If you are using MyFitnessPal, you could share results every week as a way to work together.

In my many years of writing this blog I have been asked how to motivate a husband, boyfriend, or partner to join in a weight loss journey. I NEVER know what to say.

What I can say is that if he/she won’t join you, go find someone else. Your partner in life does not have to share everything with you (though it would be easier).

Have you found an accountabilibuddy? Who is it and how did you make it work?

Photo of Oprah: By Aprhodite in NYC

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14 Comments:

I saw a report on network news last night that obesity is now an epidemic in America - 40% of women are obese! That's so sad. Besides all the health problems that accompany obesity, think of what it's doing to our healthcare system. Sadly, it took a heart attack followed by a disabling stroke for my younger sister to lose weight. Years of obesity as a diabetic with bone/joint problems caught up with her. She blamed genetics but it was mainly her poor diet and denial. Thank you for the good work you do, Snack Girl.

I just started weight watchers. My best friend has lost 40lbs. So far! With her help I am on board. She has motivated me to get started! I have knee problems and high cholesterol. Yes I could blame my genetics but it falls all on me! Eating too much sugar and carbs.

Thank you for sharing. I have been trying to decide in joining WW. This journey solo is a little rough. Hubby so not on board. Lol

Thanks for sharing.

I joined TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) in November 2013. The chapter is in the clubhouse (where I live) every Friday morning so it is very convenient. I was the chapter Secretary for 2 years and last July I became the leader. When I joined I was 161 and last December I reached my goal of 140 and just last Friday (June 3rd) I graduated as a KOPS (Keeping Off Pounds Sensibly. I have done Weight Watchers, but it is way too many carbs for me and the monthly charge for joining the website is more than I can afford. TOPS is cheaper and has worked for me.

I started a weight loss challenge at work. It was great! We all had to lose 10 pounds in 4 months. Slow and steady wins the race right. Anyway, we logged our gains and losses once a week. If you gain or stayed the same you had to put $1 in a jar. The great part about having my coworkers in the challenge was that everyone was careful about bringing in snakes that were tempting. We shared recipes and strategies. It was fun and we were all in it together.

I did that liquid diet right after Oprah. I lost 80 pounds but eventually FOUND most of it! :) Now my new idea is to have fresh healthy food delivered daily. It is costly and pounds are slow to come off...but it is healthy than the junk food I was eating.

Oh, those tempting SNAKES, Andrea! Just ask Eve! (I'm sorry...couldn't help myself). But I certainly agree that partners in crime (and dieting) is vital. My BFF has joined WW and has lost ove 20lbs, thus far. Seriously tempted to join...again😞. Unfortunately DH is dead set against it. Just waiting to see BFF again, we live 600 miles apart, and maybe seeing her transforming body will give me the kick in the pants I need.

I have lost nearly 30 pounds on the WW program in the last year. I am now in maintenance. Oprah is no different than we are, we want it off NOW! How many of us have tried the crazy diets, the cabbage soup, the grapefruit and many others? We want results but don't want to do the time, energy and willpower that it takes. So glad that she found what is working for her.

A WW leader once told the group that it took her 7 times to finally "get it".

Each other time she regained.

I have found a "menu plan" with recipes for healthy interesting vegetable dishes and snacks. I'm trying to replace my bad habits with good ones instead of gimmicks (aka WW brownies, etc.). Lost 17 lbs. in 5 mo.

For years I have been concerned about my husband's health. His grandfather and father both died in their 50's. My husband was also in a car accident and broke both of his femurs. He was lucky and is able to walk and get around but years later it has taken a toll on mostly his hips and back. In the meantime he's gained a lot of weight which I know doesn't help. He had gotten up to 320 lbs. All the nagging in the world and concern didn't help. Then his younger brother, who weighs about 500 lbs had a health scare, and was in ICU for a week. That did it. My husband started to use the MyFitness Pal app and really pay attention to his portions and nutrients. He isn't able to exercise as much as he'd like to, but he does wear a fitbit and likes to see how much he was able to do. In 50 days he's lost 25 lbs. He's not hungry at all. He just eats better foods and measures everything. As of right now losing the weight hasn't alleviated the pain like we'd hoped it would, but maybe soon. I can stand to use a few pounds too, so I'm right there with him, cheering him on! I'm so proud of him.

I joined WW almost 3 years ago and I have lost 87 pounds. It has been hard. I had one friend finally join me after the first year or so. However, she lives in another state. My hubby has been so supportive that it has helped. When WW rolled out the smart points program, it really helped me by having the connect feature. I have met so many people who are just like me. Trying to get healthy and active. I think Connect is going to change the lives of some many people who join WW. It definitely helps to have people help you along when you are struggling.

I cook most of our dinners, so my husband eats what I eat. After many conversations, he agreed to having only a few processed foods in our home. We will continue to buy the nutritionist approved gluten free seeded bread and the multigrain crackers. Yes, we continue to use canned tomatoes, etc. other than those, there will be no temptations to throw me off, and he will be eating better.

In the early '60s, there were Swanson TV dinners for moms to cook when there were busy days or she was just too tired to cook. When my brother played baseball in the early '70s McDonald's was the new place to eat after a game, where at a minimum, you had a milkshake, fries, and hamburger. Since then, more convenience food has come on the market, for people to cook quickly for busy times. But in addition to that, portion sizes are out of control! 8 oz. was a small size drink in the '70s, now it is 12 or even 20 oz. We are conditioned to have our portions super sized for a few cents more, and in an effort to save money, we expand ourselves with weight! Whether through hormones in the food, or just eating more over time causes people to want more food, people's "full" buttons have been turned off, so they eat more. Finally, the lunch hour for students and other workers have shrunk, so everyone gulps their meal down today. In my opinion, this is why we have an obesity epidemic today.

Two years ago, my husband and I were overweight and needed to get healthy. When I retired, I asked him to join WW with me. This included both of us going to meetings, tracking and following the same plan. It was SO helpful having him on this journey with me. Over the first year, he proudly lost 50 lbs, and I lost 30 lbs and back to my Lifetime Status. Accountability is so important. A one week weigh-in is not always enough, some people need more help. Perhaps hooking up with another member/friend to keep accountable during the week would be helpful. You don't need to be a WW member, just someone who is as comitted as you are. Someone to share recipes, exercise with, encourage. It works both ways.


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