Winfrey's new book reflects on the "complete mind shift" she feels we're finally making to understand the body scientifically.
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“My trying to fight being overweight all these years was as futile as my trying to fight being five feet, six inches tall.”
Oprah Winfrey opens her new book, Enough, with memories that center on her body image in the early days of the Oprah Winfrey Show. For one, some fans remember the 1988 moment when she pulled a near-70-pound bag of fat onset to visibly illustrate how much weight she’d just lost. To Americans watching, the stunt surfaced cultural conversation about women’s bodies…and, amid that era so driven by the goal of thinness, was widely regarded as an empowering symbol of self-determination.
But also early in her new book, Enough: Your Health, Your Weight, and What It’s Like to Be Free (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster), Winfrey reflects on the central role her weight has played for four decades, despite noteworthier accomplishments. She regrets having accepted that scrutiny as the cost of doing business as a woman in the public eye—and that she perpetuated the standard: “I want to acknowledge that I have been a steadfast participant in the diet culture that contributed to some of this shame,” she writes in Enough, which is co-authored with Dr. Ania Jastreboff, MD, PhD. Today, as societal advancements like trending weight loss injectables help evolve our understanding of the origin of weight issues, once again Oprah wants to help drive mainstream consciousness.
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Enough: Your Health, Your Weight, and What It's Like To Be Free
The title itself speaks to what Dr. Jastreboff calls a “set point,” or a baseline at which an individual’s body works to maintain a certain level of body fat. With Dr. Jastreboff’s background as an endocrinologist, she lists several of the most prominent factors that influence this mechanism: “Stress is one of the environmental factors that can impact our body fat set point or ‘Enough’ point, along with ultra-processed foods, lack of physical activity, lack of sleep.”
The book project, the doctor told us, came about organically. “We had just finished taping two [episodes of The Oprah Podcast] at Oprah’s home,” she says. “We were meant to tape for 90 minutes, but we taped for about four hours—there was just so much to talk about. After the taping we were eating together, and that is when Oprah turned to me and said, ‘You should write a book. And I will help you.’ In that moment, I thought, This could help millions of people with obesity.” Today, she adds: “My hope is that the understanding of obesity biology, understanding that obesity is a disease, helps to begin the shift away from blame and shame to compassionate care.”
The co-authors answered our questions about what healthy weight and body image mean in 2026.
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The Healthy: Oprah, some of us remember being young and watching you pull the bag full of animal fat onto the stage. All these years, you’ve been integral in helping us understand the connection between the mind and body, and not allowing personal struggles to stay so locked up in shame. What do you feel now when you look back on that moment?
Oprah Winfrey: Proud for fiercely trying to improve myself. Regret for being so misguided and misinformed. If I knew then what I know now, I would have never “starved” myself for four months, consuming only a popularized liquid diet during those months. If I knew then what I know, I would have probably never dieted and would have no doubt been twice the size I was. Fear of gaining weight kept my health somewhat in check. What I couldn’t keep in check is the biological way my body stores fat and therefore causes me to have obesity.
The Healthy: What is the “freedom” that the book’s subtitle nods to?
Dr. Ania Jastreboff: The most common sentiment that my patients share with me when they begin to know that obesity is not their fault, when we find a treatment that targets their biology is “freedom.” For my patients, the freedom comes in many ways. Freedom from blaming themselves for a disease—a disease that is not their choice, not their fault. Freedom from the constant food noise, freedom from feeling like they have to control every morsel of food that they eat for the rest of their lives. Freedom from the cognitive load of constantly planning out their lives around food. Freedom from their knee pain, their high blood sugars, their persistent worry about their health. Experiencing the joy of seemingly simple things—crossing their legs, walking into any clothing store and finding clothes that fit effortlessly, enjoying a meal with a friend without having to think about every bite of food, without guilt or shame, just enjoying the time together. As Oprah shares so beautifully in Enough, “… I am free—to behold whatever is new and possible for myself.”
The Healthy: Oprah, how are we thinking about weight differently now than we were 30 years ago? Have we come far enough?
Oprah Winfrey: It has been a complete mind shift. Understanding that all bodies and biologies are different—that it’s a disease and not about your discipline or willpower is the game changer for me. Obesity is a disease. No amount of blaming and shaming yourself can change your biology. Nor can willpower. The best analogy I’ve heard is, “It’s like holding your breath underwater and trying not to rise.” If you have obesity, you will continue to rise no matter how many times or how long you hold your breath.
As one doctor explained to me, “Genes load the gun. Environment pulls the trigger. Overeating doesn’t cause obesity. Obesity is what causes you to overeat.” If you have the gene, it means your body stores fat differently than people who don’t have it.
Dr. Ania Jastreboff: Obesity is not your fault, it is not about willpower. Obesity is a disease—a chronic, treatable disease.
The Healthy: For the many Americans who are overwhelmed just trying to show up to their lives every day—much less feel fit, or powerful, or attractive—what’s a message of encouragement you might share?
Oprah Winfrey: Movement makes a difference, especially as you get older. And eating healthy, whether you lose weight or not, is better for all the other parts of your wellbeing.
Dr. Ania Jastreboff: Being kind to yourself, not blaming yourself, giving yourself grace, and having gratitude for your incredible body. Treat yourself as you would treat your best friend.
The health gains of consistent exercise are incredibly important, as is eating healthful, nutritious food. The goal of treating obesity is improving and optimizing health. So, anything you can do to improve and maintain your health is extremely valuable.
The Healthy: Oprah, what’s something that makes you crawl into bed at night feeling like you had a really good, or really healthy, day?
Oprah Winfrey: No question it’s now some form of movement that makes the difference for me. I feel sluggish and not as sharp if I don’t get some exercise. Whether it’s resistance training or at least a brisk walk, it makes me feel better.
The Healthy: Dr. Jastreboff, as an endocrinologist, how do you understand how we exist in our bodies in ways that even other doctors might not fully grasp?
Dr. Ania Jastreboff: Our bodies are incredible! Our bodies adapt and change over our lifetimes. Gratitude for our remarkable bodies—Thank you, body!
The Healthy: Oprah, what are you most focused on in your life right now?
Oprah Winfrey: Sharing what I know. Gratitude and contentment.
The Healthy: What’s one self-care habit you refuse to skip?
Oprah Winfrey: Washing off all makeup, no matter how late the party.
For daily wellness updates, subscribe to The Healthy newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:
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- Gabrielle Union’s Grandmother Lived to 110—Here’s Her Own #1 Rule to Protect Wellbeing
- Dua Lipa’s Fitness Partner Just Revealed the Body Part the Pop Star Trains the Hardest
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
