Oprah Winfrey - Food, Health and Happiness : ’On Point’ Recipes for Great Meals and a Better Life

REAL COOKING IS AN ART FORM. A GIFT TO BE SHARED.

OPRAH WINFREY

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I treasure words. So the making of a book is an act of reverence for me.

Thank you to all who helped make this book a tangible thing to behold, especially Lisa Kogan, wordsmith and chief humorist.

Charles Melcher, Aaron Kenedi, and the Melcher team for your artful guidance.

Adam Glassman, Jenny Capitain, Ruven Afanador, and Urania Greene for our beautiful shots at dawn.

Bob Greene and all the chefs featured . Without you there wouldnt be a book.

And a special love shout-out to Stedman Graham, whono matter what meal I preparealways says, Honey, thats the best I ever had.

OPRAH WINFREY

Maya Angelou, my wonderfully wise mother-sister-friend, once said, When you know better, you do better. Well, I thought I knew all there was to know about losing weight. Over the years Id interviewed every expert, Id tried every diet. For one brief moment, back in 1988, it seemed like Id found the secret: After a four-month liquid diet (which is a nice way of saying: fast), I practically leapt onto the stage of my show to reveal my brand-new body in a pair of skinny-minnie Calvin Klein jeans. To prove the point, I hauled out a little red wagon loaded with actual fat representing the pounds Id starved myself to lose.

And thenno pun intendedI fell off the wagon. As of course I was bound to do, I started eating again. I lied to myself. I broke promises to myself. I beat myself up. I let myself down. I felt like a spectacular failure. And the worst part was, I did this over and over again. My lowest moment came the year I was afraid to win an Emmy; I couldnt stand to think how fat Id look to all the pretty soap stars in the audience if I had to waddle up to the podium. It didnt matter that Id be wearing hand-tailored couture. In my mind, to my shame, Id be dressed in fat.

If Maya were here right now (and as I sit writing this, I like to believe she is), Id say, OK, if anyone knows better when it comes to dieting, its me. So how do you explain my endless struggles with weight? Why is it that with all this experience and information, I havent done better? My guess is shed probably smile and, in that commanding voice unlike any Ive ever heard, shed say, Well, my dear, when youre truly ready to know, you will. And as usual, shed be absolutely right.

You can tell yourself to eat less and move more, you can cut down on carbs (so long, lasagna) and salty snacks (goodbye, Mr. Chips), you can practice portion control and begin the day with a balanced breakfastat this point we all know the drill. But its one thing to be able to recite the rules of dieting, and quite another to fully internalize and know the truth of maintaining a healthy weight.

The reality is that for most of us, diets are a temporary solution at best. They last as long as our willpower holds out. But how long can any of us hold our breath before we need a gulp of air? Ive fallen into every trap, from The diet starts first thing Monday morning to Ill have the cheeseburger and frieswith a diet soda, please. Yes, Ive made every excuse in the book. The most recent: when I hurt my ankle while hiking in the wrong shoes. Afterwards, I couldnt exercise enough to burn even one calorie. But rather than just be extra vigilant and eat extra sensibly, heres what I told myself: You really should get back to protein shakes. Skip breakfast. Skip lunch. Avoid alcohol. Enough with the carbs. Do a cleanse. Which quickly morphed into: Im on vacation, though! I have a house full of guests. Were serving a buffet for breakfast. And it starts with pancakes and cronuts and bacon. But its true that I have to make better choices. I know! Ill choose the turkey bacon and maybe just a jalapeo cheddar cheese bagel and one scoop of scrambled eggs with truffle. And some melon, because melon is super healthy, and Try that for a week with minimal physical exertion and Im here to tell you, its a half-pound-a-day weight gain, easy.

Left: Maya Angelou always had a home-cooked meal, an honest assessment of every situation, and a warm embrace waiting for me.

Middle: Me, my Calvins, and that infamous wagon of fat turned out to be iconic television. But if I had it to do againI wouldnt!

Right: Winning the Emmy in 1992 was a professional high point. Unfortunately my weight was also at a high point.

My all time favorite place to be is quietly under a tree. I sit every day in praise and gratitude for all lifes blessings.

Thats where I was in the summer of 2015 when Weight Watchers called. Seventeen pounds beyond my already steadily overweight weight. And yes, you read that rightWeight Watchers actually called me!

For years, my daily prayer had been, Lord, what should I do next? Ive tried everything already. Twice. So I not only took the call from Weight WatchersI decided to take it as the answer to my prayer. The call came, and I was ready to listen. Something inside me shifted. The need to see a certain number on the scale, to wear a specific size, had somehow fallen away and released me. How exhilarating to suddenly think I might be able to stop being a slave to yo-yo dieting, that I might be able to live freely and independently, eating the way I chose in order to fuel my life! I could be free from the burden of stressing out over what to eat next, free from the guilt of regretting what Id just eaten. Somewhere buried beneath the decades of trial and errorthe seesawing between fat and fasting, feast and famine, the shame and fear and frustrationwas a belief that I could find balance and satisfaction with food without having to declare war on myself. I dreamed of detente, of eating with pleasure, ease, and maybe even a hint of joy.

AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, IVE BEEN THE KIND OF PERSON WHO WANTS TO SHARE THE THINGS THAT MAKE LIFE BETTER.

OPRAH WINFREY

I know now that losing weight and keeping it off will never be about dieting and deprivation, shaming and guilting yourself. My friend Marianne Williamson was right when she wrote me a letter saying that you have to change the way you think, not just about food, but about the whole of your life. Getting real relief from the burden of extra pounds requires what another friend, Bob Greene, tried to teach me years ago: In order to wake up to a new way of eating, moving, and being with yourself, you must first recognize that you deserve to be healthy and youre worthy of being loved. You have to be willing to give yourself the best care you can, every day.