by Reena Daruwalla, guest writer for Nancy Hayssen.com

Though I live in India’ half way around the world from the United States, I know quite a bit about Oprah Winfrey who, to my mind is one of the inspiring Americans. This is for many reasons; she is a true Rags to Riches story, because she is a triumphant member of a historically underprivileged community and because she has constantly reinvented herself in a manner that is truly remarkable. What I find also very remarkable is her journey to good health and her struggle with an eating disorder. She has also shared her story with people, thereby inspiring literally millions the world over.

Oprah has emerged victorious from a very long struggle with food abuse if there is such a term and this I find as admirable as her phenomenal success in her chosen career. For a large part of her life she struggled with over eating which she found comforting and has admitted to binge eating of the sort where she has finished an entire packet of hotdog buns drenched in maple syrup. “It’s always a struggle. I’ve felt safer and more protected when I was heavy. Food has always been comforting.”

I would think that it took a tremendous amount of courage to speak up on national television about the difficulties in her life that led to the emotional and disordered eating so that she could help other people see that they were not alone and that there was hope for them as well.

From what I recall of the Oprah show when it used to run over here (it doesn’t anymore) is this excellent Walking campaign that she started where she mobilized people to get on their feet and on the road to better health. Her weight loss story served as an impetus to so many people the world over. I also love the fact that Oprah has never put the emphasis on weight loss per se, has never exerted herself to be thin, has instead concentrated on getting to a size and shape that was natural for her, that was healthy for her.

As a result of the healthy life style choices that Oprah has made over the years and which she has inspired others to emulate by sharing, she now looks better at well over 50 years of age than perhaps she did ever before! That is truly inspirational!