LKL Blog Exclusive with Oprah's personal trainer

By Bob Greene, Oprah Winfrey's personal trainer.  Bob will be our guest tonight on LARRY KING LIVE.

Bob is discussing Oprah’s recent weight gain.  Here’s a little more on that from Oprah.com: Four years ago, when Oprah managed to get down to a trim and fit 160 pounds, she thought she’d hit on a foolproof formula for permanent weight loss. Then life –in the form of a thyroid problem and a killer schedule– intervened. Last year she was back up to the 200-pound mark and knew something had to change.

Oprah’s very candid and very public admission of her weight gain triggered an outpouring of letters and emails from her fans. The tremendous response doesn’t surprise me—she tapped directly into the hearts of so many people out there facing a similar struggle. She redefined the issue as not a problem with food or with exercise, but one of love and balance, and has opened the door for millions of others who might not have pinpointed these key issues.

You see, overeating and the lack of motivation to exercise are usually symptoms of internal issues—such as an unfulfilling career, destructive relationships, or (a biggie for Oprah) being overworked, overwhelmed, consistently putting others first and leaving no time for yourself. As Oprah says, she’s good at giving out lots of love to others, but not to herself. Food becomes the drug of choice for coping with the deficiencies or holes in your life.

Oprah—as well as all my other clients in the 27 years I’ve been in this field—have taught me what a graduate degree in exercise physiology and studying nutrition could never teach: That weight loss success comes from looking at your life as a whole. That’s why my current book, and companion website, is called “The Best Life Diet” because it’s about more than diet and exercise, but about the rest of the picture as well. When Oprah follows the Best Life Diet guidelines, she ends up at the right weight for herself.

Oprah has begun tackling the issues of balance and caring for herself, and is finding time to work out and eat better. By helping her, she’s given me a platform to share my strategies with others. Before I get into some of the specific guidelines, I’d like to talk about success. There's about a 5 to 12 percent success rate in cases involving dramatic weight loss; success being defined as maintaining most of your weight loss for at least 5 years. So, Oprah falls into the successful category. People often forget she has lost a total of 90 pounds. She's recently gained about 40 pounds back, but is now addressing it aggressively.

1. Exercise. Do this prior to fixing your diet. If you haven’t exercised in awhile, build up gradually—walking is a great way to start. Move your body every day. And adjust your calories to your exercise level. For instance, if you're training for a marathon you'll need more calories than if you're doing light exercise.

2. Diet. Eat the right foods in the right quantities. Easier said than done, but really, that’s what it takes. There are no magic prescriptions—just wholesome foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or one percent dairy, lean protein, and healthy fats in moderate portions. My book and website give loads of examples of healthful meals.

3. Understand and address the emotions behind eating and exercise. What about us makes us do things that are not in our best interest? Believe it or not, this is the most important of the three links, and the one that is key to long-term success.

Remember, it's more important to be happy today with who you are—rather than waiting to be happy when you reach a certain number on the scale. And it’s also essential that you find happiness and joy as you move close to your health and weight-loss goals. If you can do that—find pleasure in the process of living your healthiest life, instead of fixating on a certain number—then you’ll be well on your way to living your best life.

Filed under: