So, Oprah's Fat Again

I sympathize with her, not so much over the weight gain, but because her struggle is such a public one. I want to like Oprah, I like who she appears to be on TV. I doubt, though, that we could be friends in real life. She's driven in a way I am not. She chose a life without children. I can't imagine what we would talk about.

This morning, her weight was discussion on the radio, on The View, on the radio again. It was written about on blogs. I'm sure it's been water cooler conversation at people's jobs.

I say, good for you Oprah. You finally spoke about what we've all watched happen in the past year or so. I remember you mentioning your thyroid problem and yes, that contributes. But, good for you for announcing it in your own words before someone else got a chance to.

We Fat Chicks do that. We mention our fat. We let it out first, sort of discussing the elephant in the room (pun NOT intended). We make jokes about it. We want people to know we're working on it, we're on Weight Watchers, we love aerobics, we talk about the dangers of dessert. We become the punchline to our own jokes before someone else can say something that we might ruminate about later.

I can't imagine what it must be like to fight the fat battle in the public eye. Perhaps at this point in her career, she's just able to put it out there and let it go. Perhaps the being in the public eye IS a motivator for her. I don't know.

I don't feel sorry for her for gaining weight, for falling off the wagon. That is part of her journey. What I think must eat at her (pun AGAIN not intended) is the relentless commentary. The play by play, so to speak, of her gains and losses. That must be brutal.