Disappointed Oprah Reveals Her Weight in Newest Issue of "O"

Though I've never really been a huge Oprah Winfrey fan, something she said today struck a chord with me. In an article for the January issue of "O" magazine, the 54-year-old talk-show mogul spoke honestly about her weight, saying that she has "fallen off the wagon" of healthy living and now weighs 200 pounds.

"I'm mad at myself. 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?'"

The article reveals Winfrey's weight problems, including her troubles with her out-of-balance thyroid and how it made her fear working out. She weighed 160 pounds in 2006. Winfrey writes that now her goal is not to be thin, but to be strong, healthy and fit.

When I read excerpts from Oprah's letter, I felt my heart sink. I could understand exactly what she was talking about. Ever since I was a teenager, I struggled with weight issues. While never obese, I understood perfectly that I not only loved food, but that food was my way to cope when things went wrong.

A familiar ritual of mine was to walk into the kitchen, smell the air, sigh blissfully and say, "I LOVE food."

If my mother was present, she'd shake her head and say, "You shouldn't love food."

But I refused to accept that. So I developed a method. I picked at food. I sipped, nibbled and tasted my way around things, convinced that such miniscule amounts could never add up to anything. Despite this logic, I avoided scales.

I told myself that a scale was just a number and that I wouldn't allow myself to be categorized. I valiantly defended my opinion that I would not be bony and thin like the Hollywood starlets! I would break the mold and be my own woman!

Eventually, I came to understand that there should be a balance between eating well and eating everything. I went on Weight Watchers with my mother and slowly began to understand how all the little things added up. I felt more confident about myself and began to see that I could eat better and still eat the foods I loved--just in moderation.

However, I've slipped in the past few months. I've been finding myself slipping into the freezer to have a few "little" bites of ice cream. I've discovered my stomach rumbling less than two hours after eating dinner.

Oprah stands 5 foot 6.5 inches and is 200 pounds. She is obese according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I am 5 foot 5 inches and don't know how much I weigh. I know it's not 200 pounds, but the idea that I could get there with all that nibbling is terrifying. For some people, weight is easier to handle. For others, it's an every-day struggle. I suppose admitting that is the first step to a better, healthier life.

Caryn Rousseau, Oprah Winfrey Says She Weighs 200 Pounds, Yahoo! TV

Adult BMI Calculator, CDC