The Oprah Diet

Few people have had as much public attention paid to their struggles with shedding and gaining pounds as Oprah Winfrey. Where does one of the richest women in the world, a woman who can buy a small country and then give each of its citizens a brand new car, turn for health and nutritional advice? Enter Bob Greene, exercise physiologist and Oprah’s certified personal trainer, all around health expert, and author of ‘The Best Life Diet”. After unsuccessfully trying fad diets, crash diets, fasting, you name it; Mr. Greene’s weight loss program helped Oprah to lose over 80 pounds, and equally as important, helped her to keep it off. The idea behind Mr. Greene’s approach to dieting is to focus less on the food and more on changing your eating and exercise habits.

When strictly on her diet, (about 12 weeks at a time), Oprah does not eat: white bread, pasta, potatoes, flour, milk, white rice, alcohol, or sugar. Are you starting to see a theme here? You got it - no white food allowed. She practices moderation by using portion control and has committed herself to daily exercise. As well as doing cardio exercises she credits the secret to success with the workout component lies in resistance training (using weights) and circuit training. The book also contains one week’s worth of Oprah’s personal meal plans. The diet is well rounded, balanced and obviously works or at least it does for Oprah. On-line memberships are available so that you too can join the party, at an affordable $20 per month.

Over ten years ago Oprah co-wrote the book ‘Making the Connection: Ten Steps to a Better Body and a Better Life’ with Bob Greene’s help. Similar to Mr. Greene’s more refined later version, ‘Making the Connection’ was all about losing weight the “Oprah way” with hard work, a sensible diet, and daily workouts. Ms. Winfrey shares her stories of triumph and tears as she battled the bulge. The book’s emphasis is not so much about what you’re putting in your pie hole, but how happy your pie hole is. In other words you will need to “find the connection” between your inner and outer bits before you will start looking better, feeling better and better able to take care of yourself.

The fact that Bob Greene’s program has been so successful for Oprah individually is an excellent argument in the importance of having a plan that is completely geared around your own personality and lifestyle. Oprah is her own best advertisement for a healthy lifestyle and come on, there must be something to it, as the media queen can not only afford to buy any diet delivery system she wants, she can afford to buy all of them.

As a side note, there is also an ‘Oprah Debt Diet’ which offers advice from financial experts in getting out of debt.