As part of a fresh start, Oprah is making the commitment to have more joy and balance in her life. "This is the year of hopefulness," she says. She's also coming out of hiding. The January 2009 cover of
O, The Oprah Magazine features a full-body shot of Oprah juxtaposed next to her 160-pound self from 2005.
Oprah's says her new goal isn't to be thin. "My goal is to be the weight that my body can hold and be healthy and strong and fit and be itself," she says. "One of the things I had to learn to do is to embrace this body that I have and be grateful for what this body has given me. ... God blessed me and this body. I mean, I could weep right now thinking about the love and appreciation I have for this body. For that, I am truly grateful."
When times are tough, Oprah remembers a lesson she learned from author
Marianne Williamson. "She was saying that your overweight self does not stand before you craving food. It's craving love," Oprah says. "It's about extending yourself in so many different directions that you literally become unconscious. You're just trying to get through it all and not giving back to yourself. When you love yourself enough, you take care of yourself."
Oprah wants everyone who's struggling with weight to make themselves a priority this year. "Look at falling off the wagon as I am—not as a weight issue, but a love issue," she says. "Like all of you, I'm really good at giving love to other people and my happiness ... really comes from giving to other people. But we all need to make 2009 the year we give ourselves as much love and support as we give to others."
