Misery, Meet Company

I'm feeling a little guilty these days. See, I heard on the news that Oprah had gained weight, and my first reaction wasn't sympathy. Instead, I was relieved. She's been through her weight struggles over the years, and she's had the disadvantage of fighting the battles publicly. I don't envy her that. But the fact that someone who's worked so hard and come so far can continue to struggle, well, I confess that hearing about that is helpful to me. It means I'm not the only one.

I've written here before about my struggles with my weight, and the fact that maintenance is a much harder concept than I would ever have imagined. Moderation? Feels like a fairy tale to me. In my opinion, maintaining weight is almost as difficult as, and maybe harder than, losing weight in the first place. It's the long term that's the problem for me, and for others. It's the concept of a "healthy lifestyle" that proves easier in theory than it can ever be in practice. And it's the issue of living in the real world, where temptations abound, excuses are everywhere, and reasons to fail are too numerous to count.

I might hear Oprah's news and be depressed. Instead, I'm encouraged. If it can happen to her, with her legion of chefs and personal trainers, the fact that it happens to me doesn't seem so surprising. And it also isn't insurmountable. Difficult, frustrating, and at times discouraging. But being healthy, lifelong ambition though it may be, is achievable. No matter who we are.