Oprah is not the problem.

Published 1.7.2016
Note: This is not the piece I intended to write today, but this is what emanated from my fingertips to the keyboard. Making an editorial calendar (or publishing schedule as I called it in my previous posting) clearly has a learning curve. However, I was scheduled to publish something here today, and that's progress.

Et Tu Oprah?

Oprah Winfrey invested in Weight Watchers stock and has become a spokesperson for the company. That Winfrey is a savvy businesswoman should surprise no one at this point in her substantial career, but apparently, some people in the "fatosphere" have been caught off guard and/or outraged by this business decision.

As always, no one's worth is defined by their weight, and if you are happy with your body size and don't want to change it— fantastic! However, I don't see any reason to shame those who choose differently. Choosing to eat a bit less and move a bit more is not a crime— even using Weight Watchers!

Some bloggers are outraged that an “idol” or "ally" has taken a position that they do not agree with, something made even worse because she will profit. There are other objections as well, but I will begin with the profit one.

Yes, Winfrey will make money from her agreement with Weight Watchers. Newsflash: she’s made money from most everything she’s done— or she wouldn’t have the power that she does today. She may mean well, but she’s never been solely altruistic.

Seeking validation for your choices outside yourself is folly, as is relying on someone else for motivation. Oprah has her own best interests at heart, always. If her “fans” would learn that lesson and apply it to their own lives, they’d be better off and less apoplectic when her interest don’t align with hers. Sure you can look to successful people (such as Oprah) for inspiration, but in the end, you are responsible for yourself.

This reaction claims that Winfrey’s success is in no way based on her weight— that, however, is only partially true. How many “health" shows did Oprah do about diet and weight loss on her old daytime talk show? How many doctors and experts did she interview about the topic? I was never a viewer, but my recollection based on articles about the women that indeed her efforts to control her health and diet are part of her success. Oprah is an obese woman who has dieted many times. This is not news, nor do I think Winfrey would be stunned by the statement. As such, she has an experience as an obese woman who wants to try and change her size (see red above). Of course she isn’t speaking for all obese people, but of courses, weight watchers wants her to be their spokesperson. Does no one understand marketing?

Then piece delves into the realm of fantasy with HAES patron saint Linda Bacon, who makes the claim that we don’t even know if obese people eat more than thin people. This is false, and contrary to Bacon, there is data supporting the idea. But Bacon has an agenda, and never lets pesky facts get in her way.

It ends with Melissa Harris-Parry’s upset because she uses Oprah as a role model for her daughter. Better she should model to her daughter the way to think for yourself. Stop looking for someone to validate your choices. Role models and idols have a tendency to only be human— thus they will always disappoint those with unrealistic expectations.

Nor are the dietary guidelines the problem.

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines have been a political football for awhile. Apparently, almost no one is satisfied with them. Certainly Adele Hite is not. So if the guidelines won't solve obesity, what will? A guest blogger is invited to give her answer.

After a lengthy and occasionally factual intro, the point of this post is that to solve obesity we should “eat vintage.” Which of course involves shoving fat down you gob because… it’s Hite’s blog, and that’s just how she rolls. Here’s the thing. I too, support cooking at home and starting with “real” single named ingredients. And I have no problem with butter. BUT the “conspiracy theory” crap about the government guidelines hacks me off. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

It’s not the government’s fault that people choose, cheap calorie dense food. (she means poor people. Her euphemism for wealthy people like herself is “in the bubble.” It’s not a bubble. It’s wealth.) Money allows a broader range of choice.

It does not need to be expensive to cook with real food, nor does meal prep have to take a long time, as she states. However, I wonder, has she checked the price of dairy any time recently??? Including the price of butter? (Her foundation is "Eat the butter"). A bottle of oil can be had for a fraction of the cost of pound of butter, and lasts longer. And guess what? Anything you can do with butter you can do with oil. Unless you've drunk the "paleo kool-aid" using a small amount of oil garners the same result as using a pat of butter. And for less cost.

You know what other single ingredient foods are cheap? Rice. Potatoes. Pasta. Funnily enough, these low cost items (which were staples in the poor household I grew up in BECAUSE they are cheap and quick to prepare) are never mentioned. Potatoes can be prepared in an endless variety of ways. Dried beans are cheap and nutritional powerhouses too. They take a bit more time, but are no more difficult to prepare than pasta. Just boil some water. No, she mentions butter and sweet potatoes. I love sweet potatoes, but they aren't as cheap as regular potatoes.

And which “vintage” are we talking about, anyway? The 60’s when I was in elementary schools eating boxes of cereal for breakfast, white bread sandwiches for lunch and yes, a home made dinner. My mother used processed foods because it made he life easier, and she was hardly alone. Okay then, what about 50s? when women across the country adopted processed foods willingly because it cut their time in the kitchen?

The issue isn't "vintage" cooking or "paleo" or anything else. The issue is eating as best as your family can with time and resources you have. I'm all for showing people how they can cook inexpensively for themselves using single ingredient, but let's not be patronizing.

The problem of obesity is eating too much. There are lots of reasons people eat more calories than they expend, but Oprah and the US Dietary Guidelines are not the reasons.

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