The Oprah Factor

A few years ago when Oprah was celebrating her 50th birthday, she got into incredible shape. She said that she didn't want to be "fat and 50!" Her  desire and motivation over rode her years of struggling with her weight and she looked amazing. I remember talking to my therapist about Oprah and how she motivated herself to lose weight. My therapist said 5 little words that struck me: "Do not compare yourself to Oprah". She proceeded to explain that Oprah is not like you and me. She never has to go to the market and shop for food, (she doesn't even have to drive!) she doesn't have to prepare a meal, (not to say she never cooks, but she did have her trainer/nutrition Bob live with her) and she doesn't have the same stresses that the average woman has. Not that she doesn't have problems, but her life is managed a lot more closely that mine is. Her point was that Oprah talks to her audience as if they are all in the same boat with her, unfortunately she's in a yacht and I'm in a row boat. I know she still struggles with her weight, but she went through a period, when she was thin, where she didn't have much empathy anyone. That's when I stopped watching her. It was as if she had conquered her demons and had little patience for those still fighting their demons. Of course, as we all know, Oprah's weight came back. This time she blamed it on her thyroid. Accountability is all I ask for. So if Oprah still struggles, and let's face it, she can pay somebody to feed her by hand, what chance do I have? I think it just goes to show that even if you have all the money in the world, there are some things that we all still have in common. I realized that I was not being empathetic to Oprah. Weight struggle is universal. It knows no boundaries.

It got me to thinking about how we compare ourselves to other people. Why can my friend Tyson eat an entire bag of cookies and gain no weight and I eat two and I gain a pound? You know why? Because, as my mother always said, life's not fair. It really helps when you're having a pity party for yourself to repeat those words. I have no control over the fact that Tyson can eat whatever he wants, but I do have control over what I put in my mouth. So life isn't fair. Boo Hoo! Now pick yourself off the floor and take that cookie out of your mouth and stop blaming everyone else. It's no ones fault that my metabolism isn't that of a super model. The fact of the matter is that I come from a long line of curvy women so lucky me! I will embrace those curves, I just want them in the right places.

So my message to you and Oprah and myself is to take responsibility for yourself, be kind to yourself and stop comparing yourself to other people. Life is tough enough without beating yourself up. If you fall off the horse, dust yourself off and get right back on and while your at it, don't forget to forgive the horse.