We carry so much already. All of us do. We walk around bowed down by stress at work, worries at home, fears about the future—who in their right mind would want to carry any more? Yet so many of us are making our way through the world burdened by extra weight, literally. Sure, it might be just ten pounds—say, the weight of a bag of groceries. But if you didn't have to lug that bag everywhere you went, wouldn't you choose to set it down?
I'm here to tell you: You can choose. Even if you're carrying the weight of an entire extra person, you can choose. And your heart will thank you. And your knees will thank you. Your tired back and aching feet will be so glad.
My own struggles with the scale are well-known. I've never believed in hiding them. What I do believe in: strength in numbers. And so when I resolved that 2016 would be the year I got healthy for the long haul, I asked some women to join me. Like me, they've turned to food when the going's gotten tough—when they've been overworked, overwhelmed, angry, sad, hurting. And like me, they've realized that what tastes, in the moment, like comfort really isn't.
We have some baggage to get rid of, my new friends and I, and we're going to do it together. Meet them now, and stay tuned as we set forth on the road to better health and a lighter, brighter day.—Oprah
Photo: Ruven Afanador
Different Dates, Different Weights
From top: The 1986 national premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show; a 2008 episode; the 1997 Revlon Run/Walk for Women; the 2005 Oscars.
Photo: Sioux Nesi
Photo: Sioux Nesi
Photo: Sioux Nesi
Photo: Sioux Nesi
I'm here to tell you: You can choose. Even if you're carrying the weight of an entire extra person, you can choose. And your heart will thank you. And your knees will thank you. Your tired back and aching feet will be so glad.
My own struggles with the scale are well-known. I've never believed in hiding them. What I do believe in: strength in numbers. And so when I resolved that 2016 would be the year I got healthy for the long haul, I asked some women to join me. Like me, they've turned to food when the going's gotten tough—when they've been overworked, overwhelmed, angry, sad, hurting. And like me, they've realized that what tastes, in the moment, like comfort really isn't.
We have some baggage to get rid of, my new friends and I, and we're going to do it together. Meet them now, and stay tuned as we set forth on the road to better health and a lighter, brighter day.—Oprah
Photo: Ruven Afanador
Different Dates, Different Weights
From top: The 1986 national premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show; a 2008 episode; the 1997 Revlon Run/Walk for Women; the 2005 Oscars.
Photo: Sioux Nesi
Photo: Sioux Nesi
Photo: Sioux Nesi
Photo: Sioux Nesi
From the April 2016 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
