Off Topic: Oprah's Recent Weight Loss Shiw

Iris L.

Oprah recently had a show on TV on which she presented several obese people with medical conditions affected by being obese. She touted the effects of medication (semaglutide) to help with weight loss for the morbidly obese. I have no issue with this. But Oprah is not morbidly obese, nor does she have medical problems that she had disclosed. She is an ordinary older woman who is a yo-yo dieter. I wonder if her purpose for putting on that show was to say that weight loss drugs are the way to go for regular people who don't have medical problems. I ask this because I am just like Oprah, as far as weight goes. I have been a yo-yo dieter for decades, losing and regaining loads of weight. During the pandemic, I lost fifty pounds, which I have subsequently regained. I don't know why I can't keep my excess weight off. Oprah doesn't know why she can't keep her weight off, either. But Oprah has access to personal chefs, personal trainers, nutritionists, doctors and psychologists. Why can't she stay slim? Is she saying it is hopeless for people like us except for the use of weight loss medication? I refuse to believe this. Can anyone shed some insight for me? I want to know, is yo-yoing inevitable without medication? I'm starting over again, losing the same fifty pounds that I just regained. I'm saddened, but I won't give up! But I don't want to spend the few years that I have left yo-yoing.

Iris

M1

very hot topic Iris….there's obviously still so much we don't know, the information on the newer meds is intriguing but it's so intertwined with the cultural issues around food, availability, and processed foods. At one point Oprah certainly was morbidly obese (if you accept BMI >40 as a definition), and who knows what her medical consequences are or were. I wish you well in your efforts!!

Marta

It has been shown that after stopping semaglutide, one year later trial participants had regained two thirds of the weight they had lost, with similar effects on the cardio metabolic variables.
“Findings confirm the chronicity of obesity.”

Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, Vol 24, Issue 8, August 2022. pp. 1553-1564.

Iris L.

Thank you both for responding. Marta, thank you for that article. At the end it states that constant attention to diet and exercise is necessary, permanently. Well, this is my answer. I can accept this. I kept asking myself, how did I regain my weight? It was because I subconsciously reverted to my old eating habits. But now I know that I have to have a strategy for life-long maintenance.

Iris

terei

I suggest reading ‘Why We Get Fat’ and The Case against Sugar. I yo yo dieted for my whole life. I am a sugar addict. I am 50+ pounds less than I was 10 years ago. The way I can maintain is by eating strict Keto, which means no sugar, less than 20 carbs a day with intermitant fasting. I cannot control my eating unless I do this, simple as that, for me.

Iris L.

Thanks Terei. I had read that book, years ago. I was on a good diet and also lost 50 pounds, but it was so boring, and I wandered back to my usual eating. I have to be more disciplined! Thank you for your testimony. Congratulations! Keep it up!

Iris

subversivevegan

The drugs that Oprah is promoting after she got caught faking weight watchers:

(a) she has a financial incentive to push, and;

(b) costs ~$977 a month (though manufacturers will happily get you hooked by teasing with a discount).

The diet industry is shameful at best and evil at worst.

harshedbuzz

Oprah is the poster child for yoyo dieting.

Ozempic is not the first weight loss strategy she's shilled to her minions. Previous to this she was on the board of Weight Watchers and I recall a medically supervised liquid diet era as well. The former is the one when she famously wheeled a wagon of fat representing her total loss.

https://www.today.com/popculture/oprahs-biggest-air-mistake-wagon-fat-1C9380370

That said, I believe her weight issues deeply pained her and that she is sharing out of a sense that she's helping to a degree.

Iris L.

Marta and Terei came closest to what I was wondering. 1)semaglutide is not the answer to permanent weight loss and 2)being permanently disciplined with a low glycemic index diet is the way to go. I have a relative who was on a liquid diet when they first came out and lost 200 pounds, then regained it; he had bariatric surgery and lost a lot, and regained. Lately he was on a medically supervised keto-type program and has lost over 200 pounds again hopefully he can maintain.

I used fen-phen for a few months, lost 7 pounds the first month, 2 pounds the second month, then nothing the third month. I stayed on it for a couple more months with no more results. Diet pills are not the answer for me.

Oprah said she stepped away from Weight Watchers to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest. But I still wonder why she went on television to promote a weight loss drug. Who could she be helping? The diabetics already would know if it could help them, they don't need a television show. I believe she was trying to remove the hesitancy of the ordinary obese person, like me, who might have given up. But these people will continue to be disappointed if they rely solely on a medication. They need to read Marta's article. Then there is the fact that there is not enough medication for the diabetics, who truly need it. I think ssvegan may have a point.

Personally, I am not giving up, even though I have to start from scratch again.

One thing I have always hesitated to mention, because I know that caregivers are busy enough, is that weight loss can be so beneficial for the PWD. Weight loss enables the PWD to be easier to handle, especially if mobility is limited or if falls are an issue. Also, Alzheimer's Disease has been mentioned anecdotally as being "diabetes type 3". I think this means that insulin resistance may be a factor. These two thoughts were more incentive for me to reduce sugars and carbs and to lose weight. (Even though I regressed.)

Iris

AlzWife2023

@Iris L. I am also a yo-yo dieter but mostly on the upwards trend. I’ve done WW, Atkins, Keto, shakes & macrobiotic. The most I’ve ever lost and regained was 35 pounds on shakes, but I’ve lost and regained 5-15 pounds many times over. I was seduced by the promise of semaglutide, but I realize it’s just another way of avoiding the hard work of habit change. I need to lose 75 lbs to be healthy. I can not even imagine going on another fad diet, and I’m not going to take medication for the rest of my life to depress my appetite and God knows what else so I’m starting the slow & steady process of eating better, plain and simple. Lean meat, high fiber foods, no sweets, minimal bread and rice, tons of veggies, fruit for dessert. I will lose 75lbs in two years by cutting out sugar and junk food and eating healthy. I’ll keep you posted. PS Oprah is a saleswoman, period.

sandwichone123

When people are trying to lose weight it's important to maintain muscle mass. It's not clear to me that losing weight is a worthwhile goal, but getting stronger and more flexible will move some of that weight to muscle which makes clothes look better and provides more health benefit.

Iris L.

Sandwichone, you make a great point and may have hit on the secret for me as to why I yo-yoed! My last big weight loss was via a mostly vegetarian but not vegan diet. I was slim but I did not feel strong and I began to feel hungry. That's probably why I returned to my old eating habits, in order to get more protein. I will have to plan better to avoid muscle mass loss. Thank you again for reminding me! 👍

This is probably why Oprah can't maintain her own weight loss.

Iris

mommyandme (m&m)

Yo-yo weight loss/gain is the WORST! I was morbidly obese most of my children’s young lives and beyond. My nine year old asked me to please not get fat like some mom’s. I did it anyway. I found out later in my life they were embarrassed and their friends, in high school, were sure my husband must be cheating on me. He’s a decent looking guy, he travels yet he wasn’t, he’s also very loyal. I tried pills, weight watchers, sooo many things. My husband tried to encourage me to get healthy but I told him, I’m not ready yet , I can’t face gaining it all back and more again, it’s too depressing. I sat in my obesity for about two decades, and struggled with weight and dieting my entire life. I give credit to my mom for my endless cycle of weight obsession, starting at 5 years old.

Then I got very ill with West Nile Virus. We didn’t know it was WNV until almost three weeks later. (If we would have done a spinal tap in the ER we could have found out sooner, just seemed extreme. In the end of the ER visit, I got the sense they thought I was just drug seeking or something, yuck). Anyway, that illness jump started me almost 20 lbs. Since I was so sick and didn’t know why, I wondered if I’d done it to myself, being so unhealthy. I was disgusted with that idea and since my husband had to take intimate care of his fat sick wife, I couldn’t stand the thought of putting him through that again, by my own doing. (Of course we found out later it wasn’t my fault, but still). I capitalized on the 20 lbs and simply started walking about 2 mos after diagnosis. I had to start slow cause WNV can do a number on you. It took about a year not to feel the muscle effects. Didn’t worry too much about my food choices. Figured if I at least started exercising and not dieting it had to help. I was about 52 hrs old. I also got turned onto Dr Phil’s “20/20 Diet” book about the same time. That really helped me with food choices and how exercise could also benefit. The exercise aspect was in line with other exercise ideas I had read. It certainly wasn’t THE answer, yet it was very helpful and I’ve given the book to a few friends and still think it a solid inspiration.

So, 1 1/2 years later, I had lost 110 lbs. Seven years later I’ve kept most of it off. I’ve yo-yoed twice about 20-30 lbs. Really bites, I finally got rid of fat clothes and bought lots of new ones, have to be able to fit in them! I didnt weigh myself often and went by how clothes fit me. That was another trigger, the scale. I had a terrible and obsessive relationship with the scale my whole life. Giving up that burden helped too. I also didn’t tell anyone how much weight I’d lost during the journey. Sometimes I think sharing it is a bit prideful and “pride comes before a fall”, at least for me. It was between myself and me.

Getting older is definitely making my workout regimen harder. I’ve gotten into some bad eating habits again and without exercise I’ll gain back too much. I’m still fighting with myself and working on the 20 lbs again, dammit. I can at least run after grandkids. And being smaller definitely helped when caring for mom, getting into precarious situations often. I gained the 30 just before mom got here and at the beginning of her stay. I had to get exercise again, hence the wheelchair for long walks and the stationary bike in her house. I could be a little obsessed with exercise, scary since age will curtail it. Gotta start eating better again!

My daughter just started the shots. Her endocrinologist encouraged them due to her pre diabetes, her Graves’ disease and the thyroid issues. I’m worried about the weight gain when she’s done and how easy that can be and the depression that goes with it. I’m curious too.

Long response, thanks for reading.

Iris L.

AlzWife, I've been on all those diets too. It's odd, I was of normal weight and ate normally until I gained a lot of weight in my thirties. I've been yo-yoing ever since then. But it's not too late for me to return to healthy eating from my twenties. But I'll have to make some adjustments because my activity level is not as high as it was then.

Iris

AlzWife2023

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/206484#Comment_206484

you should be very proud of yourself!!!

mommyandme (m&m)

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/206793#Comment_206793

thanks…but there’s that pride thing huh…

I only shared to possibly give ideas. i’ve thought about deleting my response, might still. I’m actually not proud, I continue to struggle in my relationship with food and exercise. Maybe mom was right, it never goes away. (not too inspiring…IKR!)

Iris L.

M&M, I'm glad you didn't delete your post, because I missed it the first time. Your story isn't unusual, that's my point, so many of us yo-yo, even Oprah, with all of her resources. Why do we have so much troubke?? Losing weight by exercise is hard work! Losing weight by any means is hard work, even if by getting sick. I hope you can read the article that Marta posted about semaglutide and regaining weight. Does your daughter cook? Cooking her own food does help. Congratulations on losing weight! Why can't we be proud if we lose weight?

Iris

AlzWife2023

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/68914/off-topic-oprahs-recent-weight-loss-shiw

UPDATE I started Wegovy this week. Lost weight already. Feeling good. Would recommend. Ask me anything.

Iris L.

What are you doing in addition to using Wegovy? How do you plan to sustain the weight loss and avoid yo-yoing?

Iris

ladyzetta

I might be wrong for feeling the way I feel. I like Opera but I think she is overdoing the weight loss, she should be proud of losing all the weight but as was said before she has the money and trainers and dietitians, not all of us can afford that.

Iris L.

Zetta, my question was, why she cannot SUSTAIN her weight loss, even with all of her great resources? If she cannot, with her $$, what chance do the rest of us have? But I read from the many thoughtful posts that the solution is DILIGENCE and PERSISTENCE in maintaining what made the weight loss, not reverting to old eating ways. This is the take-home message for me.

Iris

GothicGremlin

I think Oprah means well. But I don't ever see myself taking a drug like that.

I've never been a yo-yo dieter, but I do spend a good amount of time on diets. I was always thin, sometimes too thin, until I hit law school. Law school did me in. I studied all the time and got very little exercise. And of course I got heavier. Since I'm barely 5 feet tall, I can only gain so much weight before it's really not good. And since I'm Italian, all I have to do is even think about food and I gain 10 pounds. Bad combo 😄

What I've found that works for me is spend half the year on what I call the ABC diet: no (A)lcohol, no (B)read, no (processed) ( C ) carbs. This means that I end up shopping the perimeters of the grocery store. It's where you find all the fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, etc. Generally speaking, if something is in a bag, a box, or a jar, it's processed, and you just pass it by. And if you read the labels, you'll know why — sugar is in everything, even in places where you don't expect it, like salad dressings. I didn't come up with this diet on my own, and I'm not sure what it's really called, but I remember reading an article about it at some point, and wondering if I could do this diet without driving myself nuts. Turns out I can.

So I do that diet for three months. Then I take three months off. I don't go crazy, but if it's Easter and I want a Cadbury Creme Egg, I'm having one. Maybe even two! I will have other types of chocolate. I'll have spaghetti, I'll have pizza. I'll have whatever I want, really. I just don't have a lot of it. And I always keep the good stuff in my diet.

Then back on the ABCs for another three months. So three months on, three months off. I go to the gym reliably 4 days a week. I sometimes get in a 5th day. But if I only make it in 3 days a week, I don't beat myself up about it. I think we need to give ourselves grace.

I've found that this is sustainable, and I've kept the weight off for the last 10+ years. Probably longer.