Oprah Winfrey Gets Real About Her Weight Loss Journey

Everyone’s health journey is different, but for Oprah, the turning point came when she realized she couldn’t wait any longer to prioritize her well-being. Oprah Winfrey’s weight has been a topic of public conversation for most of her life, often not by choice.

“It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years,” Winfrey told people in 2023. “I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself.”

Throughout the 25-season run of “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, her body was relentlessly scrutinized. But now, the Emmy and Tony winner is sharing how her journey has evolved — and how she’s finally found a sense of peace.

Oprah Winfrey on the Turning Point in Her Health & Wellness Journey

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In 2021, Winfrey underwent knee surgery that became a catalyst for real change. “After knee surgery, I started hiking and setting new distance goals each week. I could eventually hike three to five miles every day,” she told People. “I felt stronger, more fit, and more alive than I’d felt in years.”

She shared that the surgery not only improved her mobility but brought a new urgency to living well. “There is a sense of knowing that there isn’t as much time left, and I am at peace with that,” she said on Today during a celebration for Al Roker’s 70th birthday.

“There’s a sense of urgency for me about living well.” Before surgery, Winfrey admitted she had trouble doing everyday tasks. “I had been becoming more and more debilitated… It was hard to walk down even two steps to get into the car.”

Ultimately, the operation became what she called “The best thing I’ve ever done.”

Letting Go of Shame & Reframing the Struggle

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In July 2023, Oprah hosted a panel called “The State of Weight” as part of her Oprah Daily series, where she confronted the stigma of obesity and the shame she carried.

“I’ve been on this journey for most of my life. My highest weight was 237 lbs. I don’t know if there’s another public person whose weight struggle has been exploited as much as mine.”

The conversation helped her understand that weight gain wasn’t entirely within her control. “I realized I’d been blaming myself all these years… and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control.”

Battling Social Stigma in Stores

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Oprah also spoke about the emotional toll of living in a larger body, from shopping experiences to career moments. “It’s that thing where people are like, ‘Would you like to look at the handbags?’ because we know there’s nothing in here for you,” she said. “There is a condescension. There is stigma.”

The judgment started early. According to People, Winfrey recalled a moment from her national TV debut in 1985 when Joan Rivers publicly commented on her weight. She recounted the moment in her 2017 cookbook Food, Health, and Happiness:

“Joan wagged her flawlessly manicured finger at me… told me I shouldn’t have let this happen… and challenged me to come back 15 pounds lighter. The audience laughed nervously. And the whole time I just sat there smiling breezily, wanting nothing more than to crawl under my chair.”

No Target Number: Just a New Relationship With Her Body

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Despite the progress, Winfrey says she’s not chasing a number on the scale. “I don’t have a goal in mind,” she said in a 2020 WeightWatchers Q&A. “I’ll know what it is when I get there.”

Still, she offered a glimpse of her progress. In an interview with People in 2010, she joked that her longtime partner, Stedman Graham, could now “pick her up and carry her to the pool.”

Oprah Winfrey’s journey has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. From surgeries to medication, from hikes to heartbreak, she’s learning to live in her body without apology.

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