In the latest issue of her magazine, Oprah Winfrey candidly talks about her recent weight gain and medical problems. I just read the article “How Did I Let This Happen Again?” and in it, Oprah discloses that she has some of the same problems that face a lot of us Plus Size Ladies!
On one hand, it is nice to know that even with all of her money and resources, Oprah Winfrey faces the same struggle as we all do. But, I don’t wish ill to anyone who struggles with the issues of weight gain, self image, depression, and food addiction.
While those words above describe Oprah’s self-proclaimed problems, I think they are true for many plus size men and women. I know that I, personally, can identify with Oprah’s confessions of having food as her drug of choice. I know that I turn to food when my emotions are in turmoil. I know that I, too, felt a sense of relieve and rejoiced when my doctor told me several years ago that I had a thyroid condition. Finally, there was a legitimate reason for me being overweight!
Well, yes, there is a legitimate reason. In fact, there are several reasons. One of which is the fact that I have hypothyroidism. Thyroid problems run in my family, so it really was not a surprise to me to learn that I had problems also. To learn more about the role of your thyroid gland, here is a great resource for you.
Another legitimate reason that I am a plus size lady (sounds so much better than the medical term of morbidly obese, doesn’t it?) is that I am addicted to food. No, that doesn’t mean that I eat constantly. I don’t. In fact, I probably eat less than a lot of “average” people do. What that does mean is that I use food to satisfy emotional needs I have. Just as the alcoholic or drug addict use substances to control their emotions, I use food.
Weren’t we taught by our parents that food was a way to celebrate? After all, no family gathering is complete without all those “special dishes” that are associated with them. I even used food as a reward for my kids when they were growing up to celebrate good grades.
Even my ex-husband knows that if I say I am baking chocolate chip cookies that something is bothering me. I bake cookies to make me feel better. And, boy, do cookies right out of the oven make me feel better! At least, that is until they start upsetting my stomach after I have wolfed down about a dozen, just to get that feel good feeling! I promise, I am the original cookie monster. I will eat all of the cookies, just so they won’t be there anymore. I admit I have no willpower when it comes to fresh baked cookies. So, I’ve learned that I can’t bake cookies very often at all.
I guess what I am trying to say in this Plus Size Lady confession is that I need to figure out what need food is fulfilling for me besides nutrition. If I address that need and satisfy it in another way other than food, I think I will be well on the way to self-acceptance. Isn’t that where we all want to be?
So I wish Oprah all the best. I think she personifies the hopes, struggles, successes and failures of anyone who has struggle with a weight problem. Minus the millions and fame, of course!
