Oprah Shares Her Journey to Freedom From Weight Shame

Every week, Oprah is setting an intention exclusively for Oprah Daily Insiders, with reflections on topics like letting go, forgiveness, coming into your own, and more. Happy Sunday, Insiders! Last Sunday, I wrote about my new book with Dr. Ania Jastreboff, Enough, which breaks down the science of obesity and the weight loss drugs that are offering so many people, myself included, a new sense of freedom. Freedom from an endless cycle of losing and regaining weight, and freedom from shame. My mission is to keep spreading this message far and wide—which we did this week on several TV shows and in a conversation with Dr. Jastreboff and Gayle at the 92nd Street Y. On The Today Show this week, I told Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones about the very first time I felt embarrassed about my weight. I stepped on a scale at Kmart, and my dad walked by and said to me, “No need to be weighing yourself because you know you’re going to be big. Have you seen your mother and your mother’s sisters? I had them all in the back of my Buick, and the car could hardly move. No matter what you do, you’re going to be big.” For decades, I heard those words whenever I tried a new diet or gained back a few pounds. But in a way, he was right: Our biology and genetics set a baseline for our bodies, and for many of us, no amount of diet or exercise will move the needle. Serena Williams joined my podcast this week and shared how, before starting GLP-1 medication, she was working out more than eight hours each day and not seeing any changes. If one of the world's greatest athletes, who has access to the best fitness and nutrition experts in the world—and clearly has no shortage of willpower—struggled, then clearly “lifestyle” alone isn’t to blame. Do you remember the first time you felt shame about your body? Whose voice played in your mind when you got on the scale? How might the new science of weight loss change the way you speak to yourself in those moments? I look forward to hearing your stories. Be well.