Inside Oprah’s yo-yo dieting and body transformation

When Oprah Winfrey stepped onto the red carpet at the Louis Vuitton Cruise Show in Italy on Wednesday, she showcased her incredibly slimmed down physique – leaving many to wonder if her recent weight loss transformation had anything to do with the rumors that she’s gearing up to join the senate.

A report from Associated Press hit the web earlier this week that claimed California Gov. Gavin Newsom is considering the star, 69, for the senate if Dianne Feinstein were to retire early.

Hours later, she stunned at the Louis Vuitton event in an oversized white striped shirt and matching, flowing trousers – which she paired with a black belt that left her stunning figure on full display.

Throughout her decades-long weight loss journey, the now 69-year-old has never shied away from discussing her problems with the public. In fact, she’s been extremely open and fiercely honest with her fans every step of the way, and has shared even the most intimate details regarding her relationship with her body and ‘food addiction.’

Her impressive transformation has posed the question: Does it have anything to do with the rumors that she’s gearing up to join the senate? She is seen left this week and right in 1992

Oprah’s issues with weight began in 1976, when she landed her first ‘big job’ at age 22.

The then 148-pound reporter said she struggled to come to grips with the immense pressure that was put on her, and began to pig out on things like ‘corn dogs,’ ‘chocolate chip cookies,’ and fast food from the mall food court to suppress her emotions and ‘numb her negative feelings.’ 

A report from Associated Press hit the web earlier this week that claimed California Gov. Gavin Newsom is considering the star for the senate if ailing 89-year-old Senator Dianne Feinstein (seen on May 10) were to retire early

Her weight soon soared to over 200 pounds, and she began trying ‘every diet known to womankind.’ 

In 1988, just two years after the launched the Oprah Winfrey Show, the TV legend revealed during an episode of her show that she had lost 67 pounds in four months thanks to an all-liquid diet.

In reality, she later revealed that she had ‘starved herself’ and messed up her ‘metabolism,’ which ultimately resulted in her gaining it all back and then-some pretty quickly.

By the early 1990s, the self-confessed yo-yo dieter was at her heaviest – 237 pounds – and feeling ‘so ashamed’ to have ‘joined the ranks of the perpetually obese’ that she said she could hardly look people in the eye.

She recalled feeling like a ‘big fat failure.’ But after connecting with a personal trainer at a spa in Colorado, he helped inspire her to turn things around.

For years after that, Oprah’s weight fluctuated. With the help of her new trainer, it dropped down to 160 pounds by 2006, but within two years after that, it was back up to 200 pounds.

Throughout her decades-long journey, the now 69-year-old (seen in 1995) has never shied away from discussing her problems with the public

From the many ups and downs that she’s faced to everything she’s said about her struggles, take a look back at Oprah’s weight loss journey. She’s seen left in 1997 and right in 2007

At the time, she said a slew of health woes were to blame for the weight gain, and admitted that she was once again feeling ‘defeated’ and was just about ready to ‘give up’ and let ‘fat win.’

However, in 2015, she joined forces with the company Weight Watchers, and within a year, she said she had lost 40 pounds through the program. 

But she had another set back in late 2021, with Oprah revealing in January 2022 that she was undergoing a diet ‘reset’ after consuming quite a lot during the holidays.

Now, Oprah is looking thinner than almost ever before – and the timing of her new body has posed the question, was it a potential move into politics that finally gave her the push to slim down and get into her best shape yet?

As we wait for an answer, take a look back at Oprah’s weight loss journey from start to finish – from the many ups and downs that she’s faced over the years and everything she’s said about her struggles to her current diet and workout regimen.

Oprah started ‘eating her emotions’ after landing her first ‘big job’ and struggling under the pressure – but when she shed 67 pounds thanks to a ‘liquid diet,’ she proudly showcased her weight loss on TV

In November 1988 (seen) – two years after launching the Oprah Winfrey Show – the talk show revealed she had lost a whopping 67 pounds in just four months thanks to a ‘liquid diet’ 

She celebrated the feat by wheeling out a wagon ‘full of 67 pounds of fat’ onto the stage

And while the results were impressive at the time, Oprah (seen left in 1986 and right in 1988) later admitted that she had ‘starved herself’ after trying ‘every diet known to womankind’

While Oprah’s weight loss journey began privately years earlier, it was first brought to the public’s attention in the late 1980s. 

In November 1988 – two years after launching the Oprah Winfrey Show – the talk show host had an episode called ‘Diet Dreams Come True,’ in which she revealed she had lost a whopping 67 pounds in just four months thanks to a ‘liquid diet’ known as Optifast.

‘For four solid months, I didn’t eat a single morsel of food,’ she recalled on her website . ‘When I started Optifast in July 1988, I was at 212 pounds. By fall, I weighed 145 pounds.’ She is seen in November 1988

She celebrated the feat by wheeling out a wagon ‘full of 67 pounds of fat’ onto the stage.

And while the results were impressive at the time, Oprah later admitted that she had ‘starved herself’ after trying ‘just about every diet known to womankind.’

‘For four solid months, I didn’t eat a single morsel of food,’ she recalled on her website. ‘When I started Optifast in July 1988, I was at 212 pounds. By fall, I weighed 145 pounds.

‘I’d saved a pair of Calvin Klein jeans from my days of working in Baltimore, and my goal was to get back into those jeans. 

‘Wearing my size 10 jeans, I pulled a wagon full of fat – representing the 67 pounds I’d dropped – onto the stage.’

She added that the diet messed up her ‘metabolism’ and that ‘two weeks after she returned to real food,’ she quickly gained 10 pounds back.

‘Since I wasn’t exercising, there was nothing my body could do but regain the weight,’ she explained.

‘Now I know that it’s impossible to starve your body for four months, then feed it, and not expect to regain the weight.’ 

In a separate post on her site, Oprah explained that her weight problems began years prior, when she landed her first ‘big job’ as a news co-anchor in Baltimore at age 22.

‘I discovered that food – especially corn dogs and six-inch chocolate chip cookies with macadamia nuts – could provide a great deal of solace,’ she said.

She added that the diet messed up her ‘metabolism’ and that ‘two weeks after she returned to real food,’ she gained 10 pounds back. She’s seen left in early 1989 and right in late 1989

In a separate post on her site, Oprah explained that her weight problems began years prior, when she landed her first ‘big job’ as a news co-anchor in Baltimore at age 22 (seen)

‘I had no friends and no furniture, not even curtains on the windows of my new apartment. 

‘My co-anchor seemed to resent me, and I worried that I was in way over my head. I’d had almost no experience as a writer, but every day I was given news copy to rewrite. 

‘It’s an awful feeling when you know you can’t make the mark. No matter how hard I tried, I could not bang out the copy fast enough for my superiors. 

‘I felt blessed to have my job, but I truly hated some of the things I was required to do. 

‘Working in that environment was an affront to my spirit. The reporter’s objectivity I needed to maintain went against everything in my nature. 

‘Many times I was an eyewitness to the most devastating moments in people’s lives, but I was not allowed to express any emotion. 

‘So I ate those emotions, and along with them, just about everything I could buy at the mall food court.’

‘I discovered that food – especially corn dogs and chocolate chip cookies with macadamia nuts – could provide a great deal of solace,’ Oprah (seen in 1978) said. ‘I ate my emotions’

Oprah (seen in 1986) said that she ‘thought she was fine’ and ‘just had a little weight problem’ at the time. But she later realized she had much deeper issues ‘that she was burying by eating’

She said that she ‘thought she was fine’ and ‘just had a little weight problem’ at the time. But she later realized that she had much deeper issues ‘that she was burying by eating.’ 

‘It took me a while to get to the truth. I didn’t love food. I used food to numb my negative feelings,’ she continued.

‘It didn’t matter what the feeling was – a phone call from someone I didn’t want to talk to, a confrontation of any kind, being late, feeling tired, anxious or bored. 

‘No matter how insignificant the discomfort, my first reaction was to reach for something to eat, unaware of how much I was consuming.’

One year into the job, in 1977, Oprah said she met with her first ‘diet doctor.’ She revealed that she was 148 pounds at the time and a size eight.

‘The doctor put me on a 1,200-calorie regimen, and in less than two weeks I had lost 10 pounds,’ she recalled.

‘Two months later, I’d regained 12. Thus began the cycle of discontent, the struggle with my body. With myself.’ 

After the ‘failed’ attempt to lose weight, she swore of dieting for good and soared to her heaviest at 237 pounds – until she met trainer Bob Greene who helped her completely turn her life around

 By 1990, Oprah had gained all the weight back and then some – and she said she was ready to say goodbye to dieting for good. She is pictured in 1990

During an interview with People magazine, the star said she believed the reason her diet had ‘failed’ was because ‘they don’t work.’ She’s seen in 1992

By 1990, Oprah had gained all the weight back and then some – and she said she was ready to say goodbye to dieting for good.

During an interview with People magazine, the star said she believed the reason her diet had ‘failed’ was because ‘they don’t work.’

After rising to her heaviest at 237 pounds throughout the early 1990s, she decided to hire personal trainer Bob Greene and private chef Rosie Daley to help her transform her lifestyle completely. She’s seen in 1992

‘I tell people, if you’re underweight, go on a diet and you’ll gain everything you lost plus more,’ she joked, before adding more seriously, ‘I thought I was cured. And that’s just not true.

‘I’m trying to find a way to live in a world with food, but without being controlled by it, without being a compulsive eater. That’s why I say I will never diet again.’

After rising to her heaviest at 237 pounds throughout the early 1990s, she decided to hire personal trainer Bob Greene and private chef Rosie Daley to help her transform her lifestyle completely.

‘[When I met Bob], I was 237 pounds, miserable, and so ashamed to have joined the ranks of the perpetually obese that I had trouble maintaining eye contact,’ Oprah later wrote in an essay shared to her website about her trainer, Bob. 

‘I couldn’t understand why I was able to triumph over so many other challenges and adversities in life, and yet when it came to losing weight I was a big fat failure. 

‘I’d reached the end of believing I could be thin. I had filled journals with prayers to God to help me conquer my weight demon. Bob Greene was the answer to my prayers.’

She explained that they first crossed paths at a spa in Colorado. 

‘I thought for sure he was judging and labeling me as I had already judged and labeled myself – fat and out of control,’ she remembered. ‘Bob, it turned out, wasn’t judging me at all. He really understood.’

‘[When I met Bob], I was 237 pounds, miserable, and so ashamed to have joined the ranks of the perpetually obese,’ Oprah later wrote in an essay. She’s seen with Bob in 1995

Oprah said that Bob (seen together in 1996) asked her ‘tough’ questions that forced her to really analyze her lifestyle and mindset as a whole

And soon after they started working together, she said almost every aspect of her life changed. She’s seen in 1995

Oprah (seen left in 1992 and right in 1997) said that she ‘finally realized that being grateful to her body, whatever shape it was in, was key to giving more love to herself’

Oprah said that Bob asked her ‘tough’ questions that forced her to really analyze her lifestyle and mindset as a whole.

And soon after they started working together, she said almost every aspect of her life changed.

Throughout the mid ’90s, she was often seen going for runs and leaving the gym alongside Bob, and she looked amazing when she attended the Emmy awards in 1994 and wore a figure-hugging white gown that showed off her stunning new physique. 

‘I took most of the unhealthy foods out of my diet and replaced them with better choices,’ she explained at the time. 

‘I eat smaller portions and healthful foods as a way of life, not as a diet to go on and off. 

‘I still work constantly at not repressing my feelings with food. If you turn on the TV and see that I’ve picked up a few pounds, you’ll know that I’m not managing and balancing my life as well as I should.’

She said that she ‘finally realized that being grateful to her body, whatever shape it was in, was key to giving more love to herself.’

The talk show host was down to 160 pounds by 2006, but within two years she was back to 200 pounds after suffering from a series of health woes that left her feeling ‘defeated’ 

When Oprah started to suffer from unexplained heart palpitations in the early 2000s, it made her want to strive to be even healthier. She’s seen in 2002

By 2005, Oprah (seen in 2006) was down to 160 pounds. ‘I thought I was finished with the weight battle. I’d conquered it. I was so sure, I was even cocky,’ she said

But in 2008, she fell off track after suffering from a series of health woes, and she was soon back-up to 200 pounds. She is seen left in 2006 and right in 2009

When Oprah started to suffer from unexplained heart palpitations in the early 2000s, it made her want to strive to be even healthier.

At the time, she said her heart palpitations had gotten worse – which resulted in her struggling to sleep through the night and developing a ‘fear of working out.’ She’s seen in 2009

‘I stopped taking my heart for granted and began thanking it for every beat it had ever given me,’ she wrote on her website. 

‘For so many years, I had let my heart down by not giving it the support it needed. Overeating. Overstressing. Overdoing. 

‘I believe everything that happens in our lives has meaning, that each experience brings a message, if we’re willing to hear it. 

‘So what was my speeding heart trying to tell me? I still didn’t know the answer. Yet simply asking the question caused me to look at my body and how I had failed to honor it. 

‘Taking care of my heart, the life force of my body, had never been my priority. I sat up in bed one crisp, sunny morning and made a vow to love my heart. To treat it with respect. To feed and nurture it. To work it out and then let it rest.’

By 2005, she was down to 160 pounds – and she felt like she was on top of the world.

‘I thought I was finished with the weight battle. I was done. I’d conquered it. I was so sure, I was even cocky,’ she said in O magazine. 

After seeing a series of doctors, Oprah (seen in 2009) was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, a condition that makes your thyroid overactive, and that made her spiral even worse

‘I felt completely defeated,’ she recalled. ‘I thought, “I give up. I give up. Fat wins.” ‘The thyroid diagnosis felt like some kind of prison sentence.’ She’s pictured in 2009

But in 2008, she fell off track after suffering from a series of health woes, and she was soon back-up to 200 pounds. 

At the time, she explained that her heart palpitations had gotten worse – which resulted in her struggling to sleep through the night, feeling ‘lethargic’ all the time, and developing a ‘fear of working out.’

‘I began having rushing heart palpitations every time I worked out. OK, I’ve never loved daily exercise, but this was different,’ she wrote in her magazine. 

‘I actually developed a fear of working out. I was scared that I would pass out. Or worse. I felt as if I didn’t know my own body anymore.’

After seeing a series of doctors, she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, which is a condition that makes your thyroid overactive – and the diagnosis made her spiral into an even worse state of mind.

‘My doctor prescribed medication and warned me that I must “learn to embrace hunger” or I would immediately gain weight,’ she continued. ‘Believe me, no part of me was prepared to embrace hunger.

‘It seemed as if the struggle I’d had with weight my entire adult life was now officially over. I felt completely defeated.

‘I thought, “I give up. I give up. Fat wins.” All these years I’d had only myself to blame for lack of willpower. Now I had an official, documented excuse.

At the time, however, the host (seen in 2011) said she was determined to get back on track. She said she was off the medication and was back to exercising ‘at least one hour six days a week’

‘My goal isn’t to be thin. My goal is for my body to be the weight it can hold – to be strong and healthy and fit, to be itself,’ she concluded. She’s seen in 2010

‘The thyroid diagnosis felt like some kind of prison sentence. I was so frustrated that I started eating whatever I wanted – and that’s never good. 

‘My drug of choice is food. I use food for the same reasons an addict uses drugs: to comfort, to soothe, to ease stress.

‘I’m mad at myself. I’m embarrassed. I can’t believe that after all these years, all the things I know how to do, I’m still talking about my weight. I look at my thinner self and think, “How did I let this happen again?”‘

At the time, however, she said she was determined to get back on track. She said, per the recommendation of her doctor, that she was off the medication and was back to exercising ‘at least one hour five or six days a week.’ 

She said she was still trying to ‘tackle’ her ‘ongoing food addiction,’ and that while she wasn’t on ‘any particular program,’ she was focused on ‘eating less sugar and fewer refined carbs.’ 

‘My goal isn’t to be thin. My goal is for my body to be the weight it can hold – to be strong and healthy and fit, to be itself,’ she concluded. 

‘My goal is to learn to embrace this body and to be grateful every day for what it has given me.’

The star joined forces with Weight Watches in 2015 after being diagnosed with pre-diabetes, and quickly shed 40 pounds thanks to the program

In late 2015, news hit the web that Oprah had bought a 10 per cent stake in the company Weight Watchers for $43 million – and she soon became the face of the brand

By early 2016, the star (seen in June 2016) revealed she had lost 26 pounds since joining forces with the company. And by December 2016, her weight loss was up to 40 pounds

In late 2015, after more than two decades of being very public about her yo-yo dieting and weight battles, news hit the web that Oprah had bought a 10 per cent stake in the company Weight Watchers for $43 million – and she soon became the face of the brand.

In an interview with WW in 2017, the media mogul explained that her weight loss felt different this time because she had changed her ‘intentions.’ She’s seen in 2016

By early 2016, she wrote in O magazine that she had lost 26 pounds since joining forces with the company. And by December 2016, her weight loss was up to 40 pounds.

‘Weight Watchers is easier than any other program I’ve ever been on. It’s a lifestyle, a way of eating and a way of living that’s so freeing. You never feel like you are on a diet and it works,’ she said to People. 

She told the outlet that she loved that Weight Watches – which was rebranded to just WW in 2018 – allowed her to still enjoy her favorite foods (like bread, tacos, and pasta) so she never feels ‘deprived.’ 

WW works by creating a point system for each type of food based on it’s ‘nutritional factors.’ 

‘Your plan will include a Points Budget, and how you spend is up to you. Wine on date night. Sunday brunch. Birthday cake. No food, event, or celebration is off-limits,’ reads its website. 

Oprah revealed at the time that she was allotted 30 points a day, a number that was determined by her height, age, gender, and current weight. 

In an interview with WW in 2017, the media mogul explained that her weight loss felt different this time because she had changed her ‘intentions.’ 

‘I could lose weight to fit a dress size or to make other people like me. But this time I changed the intention to, “I want to be the healthiest I can be,”‘ Oprah (pictured in 2018) said

‘When the weight first started to come off, I needed to get clear on my intention,’ she explained.

‘I could lose weight to fit a dress size, or attend an event, or to make other people like me. But I couldn’t keep it off for those reasons.

‘I always put the weight back on. This time I changed the intention to, “I want to be the healthiest I can be – physically, emotionally, spiritually.”

‘So the process and purpose of losing shifted for me. It was easier, because my intention was clearer.

‘Intention is the most powerful principle that rules my world. I do nothing without first thinking about why I’m doing it. What is the real motivation?’ 

She also revealed in a newsletter that she had been diagnosed with pre-diabetes before joining Weight Watches, but insisted her blood pressure and blood sugar were all ‘stabilized and in a healthy range again.’

Oprah is now slimmer than ever, and maintains her stunning figure by eating 1,700 calories daily and focusing on ‘fresh foods’ that will ‘keep her sodium levels low’

In January 2022, Oprah revealed she had kicked off her year with a diet ‘reset’ after ‘eating every day like food had just been invented’ over the holidays 

At the time, she shared a clip of herself tossing out leftovers of cake that she had made for her friend Gayle King’s birthday, while encouraging others to ‘get back in control’

Since teaming up with WW in the early 2010s, Oprah has seen immense success. But that doesn’t mean that she still doesn’t have moments where she falls off track. 

In January 2022, Oprah revealed she had kicked off her year with a diet ‘reset’ after ‘eating every day like food had just been invented’ over the holidays.

At the time, she shared a clip of herself tossing out leftovers of cake that she had made for her friend Gayle King’s birthday, while encouraging others to ‘get back in control’ after Christmastime.

‘Time for a reset. I’m clearing out my fridge,’ she said in the video. ‘You know, we had 12 people over the house over the holidays. I gotta say, we ate every day like food had just been invented.

‘So, I’m clearing out the fridge. No chance of one last piece of Gayle’s delicious bananas foster birthday cake,’ she continued, while throwing the dessert into the garbage.’

Oprah encouraged her followers to join WW so that they could ‘reset’ together. Her marketing contract with WW is up this year, but she has agreed to serve as an adviser for the company through May 2025. Her stake is now down to just two per cent.

‘I know a lot of you are also ready for a reset. WW brings a level of awareness to what I’m eating, and that’s what helps me close out the holidays, get back in control of how I want to live,’ she said.

As for what she eats to stay healthy, Oprah recently documented everything she consumed in a day for O Magazine. At the time, she said she ‘averages about 1,700 calories daily

‘Her diet is about 20 per cent protein, 30 per cent fat, and 50 per cent carbohydrates,’ the outlet claimed

‘Let’s do our day one together. Not one day, not tomorrow, not next Monday, not next week. Let today be our day one, OK? Goodbye bananas foster cake.’

The TV legend is now thinner than ever. As for what she eats to stay healthy, Oprah once documented everything she consumed in a day for O Magazine.

Oprah (seen hiking last year) said she loves to eat ‘fresh foods prepared simply’ to help keep her ‘sodium levels low.’ She has also said that she tries to walk at least 10,000 steps a day

She said she ‘averages about ‘1,700 well-balanced calories daily,’ and that she loves to eat ‘fresh foods prepared simply’ to help keep her ‘sodium levels low.’ She also explained that she tries to consume 34g of fiber and 1,100mg of calcium a day.

‘Her diet is about 20 per cent protein, 30 per cent fat, and 50 per cent carbohydrates,’ the outlet claimed.

She also told Harper’s Bazaar that she usually has an early dinner – at 6pm – and that she sometimes opts for a liquid dinner like a protein shake or a bowl of soup. She does, however, love a good bowl of pasta. 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for Oprah, with her once stating, ‘No one would ever mistake me for an expert on engines, but I know one thing: They don’t work without fuel. 

‘Our bodies are the same way, which is why I’m passionate about breakfast.’

Hydration is also key for the talk show host, with her telling WW that she drinks half a gallon (64 ounces) of water a day. She has also said that she tries to walk at least 10,000 steps a day.