Looks like Oprah Winfrey Her ongoing obsession with weight loss has entered a new phase, which is particularly disconcerting.
The incredibly influential media mogul returns to his talk show host roots in an all-new ABC special on Monday The night was titled “The Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution,” in which she promoted the use of expensive weight loss drugs such as Wigoby and Zepbound.
In December, Winfrey admitted she was taking weight loss drugs., However, he did not reveal which one. In February she announced her departure from WeightWatchers' board of directors. Almost 10 years later.
In the special, Winfrey lashed out at fat stigma, telling viewers to “stop shaming and blaming” people who suffer from “diseases” similar to alcoholism and their weight gain. denounced.
“The number one thing I want people to understand is: [obesity] This is a disease, and it's in the brain,” Winfrey said.
Dr. Jen Ashton, ABC News' chief medical correspondent and obesity medicine physician, was also present to support this claim.
“We know conclusively that the conditions of overweight and obesity are complex chronic diseases rather than character defects,” Ashton says. “Therefore, they should be managed accordingly.”
(It should be noted that research shows that doctors highly perpetuate weight bias) The doctor is less likely to respect Patients who appear to be overweightThis causes many diagnoses to be overlooked. )
Winfrey's feature included interviews with people who have taken weight loss drugs. They talked about how the drug helped with conditions such as type 2 diabetes, and how their lives were miserable when they got bigger because of fat stigma.
Ms. Winfrey talked about how deeply Sigma had an impact on her.
“I have to say that I have taken on the shame that the world has given me,” Winfrey said in the feature. “For 25 years, making fun of my weight was a national sport.”
she admitted in the special The infamous moment on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 1988 when she wheeled out a red wagon loaded with 67 pounds of animal fat. The weight she subsequently lost was achieved through rather unhealthy means. She had been “fasting” for five months prior to the stunt, she said.
“After losing 67 pounds on a liquid diet, the weight started coming back the next day,” Winfrey said.
But now, Winfrey said, she doesn't have to go on extreme diets or deal with the stigma associated with weight loss drugs.
“For years I thought all the people who didn't need to diet were just using their willpower and were somehow stronger than me,” she says. I spoke with the assumption that thin people don't think about their size or food at all. they eat. “But now I realize you guys weren't thinking about food. It wasn't like you had willpower. You didn't even think about it. You weren't attached to it.”
The message of the special definitely seems appealing and inspirational. But Winfrey's support for weight loss drugs is also hard to accept. She offers this with as much passion as she did when she first endorsed Weight Watchers. Her “I love bread!” ad — at face value.
Weight loss drugs are not available to many people Because of the high price And it's usually not covered by insurance. It's also unclear how long people will have to take these drugs and what the long-term effects will be.Studies have already shown that it can cause serious side effects meanwhile In one study, people using the weight loss drug Zepbound If you want to maintain your weight loss without gaining it back, you need to keep doing it.
And while the choice of whether or not to take weight loss drugs is completely personal and should not be subject to the criticism they receive as a means of “cheating” their way to weight loss, endorsing these drugs is , a larger societal problem, “weight stigma.'' It simply provides individuals with a way to opt out of being shamed.
Nor can we ignore Winfrey's long history of endorsing junk science and promoting snake oil salesmen. In 2004, Winfrey introduced Dr. Oz to viewers, and ten years later she was called before a Senate subcommittee. About protecting consumers who sell weight loss methods that don't actually work.Winfrey also gave Jenny McCarthy a platform to spread pseudoscience about vaccines. on her talk show in 2007.
It's also unclear whether Winfrey has a financial incentive to support weight loss drugs.Winfrey acquired a 10% stake in Weight Watchers in 2015, began serving on the Weight Watchers board, and reportedly made $221 million by selling her shares in Weight Watchers. For many years.
So if Winfrey were to announce a partnership with an affordable weight loss drug with a name like Mighty O in the near future;zenpic If you can't stop taking it or the weight will come back, it might be wise to be a little skeptical.
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