Many people told me about Oprah's weight loss confession on her show January 5, 2009.  I didn't see the show myself, but those who told me about it expressed a feeling of validation in hearing her struggle.  Later, I found part of the show clip and a write up about her confession on her website.  I too was moved by her vulnerability and sharing of her pain with this issue.

If you pay any attention to Oprah, you have seen her weight change, several times over several years.  Oprah is a yo-yo dieter.  She acknowledged and recognized that her issues are emotional.  She talked about her weight and food challenges being related to a "hunger for balance" due to "too much work and not enough play."  I applaud Oprah for acknowledging this for herself as well as sharing it so vulnerably with us!  As a friend of mine put it, "Oprah can afford any diet or diet pill in the world.  If there was a weight loss secret, she would know about it."  

However, I don't think Oprah does fully get it...yet, that is.  I think the process of confronting the emotional issues of food and body image land on a continuum.  It takes some time to let go of dieting and to really deal with the underlying issues.  Oprah is still on a diet and, I think, will therefore continue to focus her problem on her weight, not on better life balance.  That is okay; that is where she is with her process.  And, I hope that Oprah will some day stop dieting.  I think that if she did, she would find a way to enjoy her life, her body, and her success more.  Imagine the role model she would be to millions!  Perhaps she could be a key factor in ending the dieting cycle that teaches us to hate our bodies. 

In my experience, the key to dealing with the real emotional issues is to stop dieting completely.  It is then that you (and Oprah) can find true freedom from yo-yo dieting, hating your body and yourself, and address what you are really hungry for.