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Has celebrity trainer Bob Greene failed Oprah?
Since 1992, Bob Greene has been helping Queen Oprah remain at a healthy weight and he’s been making a killing in the process. Everyone would only dream of getting the “stamp of approval” from Oprah because you are guaranteed access to the Millionaires’ Club (pick me Oprah, pick me)!
Bob Greene has sold several thousand copies of all of his books (if not millions) and he’s now part of Oprah’s go-to-people when it comes to health and fitness.
Since Oprah has this celebrity trainer on speed dial and he no longer charges her for his services (no kidding, he’s making way more money than he could ever dream of with his books and speaking engagements), you have to wonder, how can it be that she still managed to gain 60 lbs since her ideal 2005 weight of 160 lbs (yes, I know she has a thyroid problem).
After watching Bob Greene on Oprah’s show talking about how difficult it was to watch her gain the weight back, I had one nagging question on my mind: as a professional fitness trainer, how can it be that Bob Greene didn’t intervene sooner to help control Oprah’s weight gain?
The interview with Bob Greene made him seem like he was a spectator and not an active participant in Oprah’s fitness success, yet he’s selling books, getting bookings to speak, getting mega sponsor dollars and promoting other types of programs every day.
Does it mean that Bob Greene failed his #1 client (the most visible and most powerful woman in the world)?
I’ll be honest, this question popped into my head a few days after I had reviewed Oprah’s Best Day kick off on January 5th, 2009 and late last night I was surfing the pages of the New York Times when I found an article that actually supported my sneaky suspicions.
Here was my original post on Oprah’s weight gain: Oprah Winfrey: I’m cursed with a fat sentence!
http://www.eatsmartagesmart.com/oprah-winfrey-i-am-cursed-with-a-fat-sentence/
Hollywood trainer Gunnar Peterson (he’s trained Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz and Mike Tyson to name a few) feels that Oprah’s falling off the wagon is partially Bob Greene’s fault.
If you have two minutes, it’s worth reading, but I think the closing sentence from Gunnar Peterson says it all”
“Great plan, Bob! In theory it’s a 10, but guess what: it’s not working.”
You can read the full article here: Her Bulge, His Book and Their Plan B
2009 will be an interesting year because I look forward to seeing how Oprah loses the weight and how many special programs she’ll devote to her quest on the Oprah Show. It will also be interesting to see what new diet & fitness plans Bob Greene comes up with!
What do you think of Oprah’s weight gain? Do you think that Bob Greene, her trainer, should have stepped in sooner or to you think Oprah has only herself to blame for “getting fat again”?
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January 28th, 2009 at 7:38
I think that ultimately it was Oprah’s responsibility.
As you say, you can lead a horse to water… Not saying that Oprah is a horse, but it illustrates the point.
Bob may be her coach, but as you can see if you watch the show, it’s Oprah who is holding the reins (don’t ask me what is with the horse analogies this morning)
I often get the impression that she thinks she knows more than he does, which is possible, but she said it best when she said that she ‘thought that she had arrived’.
I’ve fallen into the same trap in many areas of my life. There is no arrived. That was her biggest problem IMHO and something that everyone has to vigilant with to hang on to success.
January 28th, 2009 at 9:53
I agree with that comment. According to Oprah, she was dealing with hormonal changes, lack of sleep and depression, which for most people is more than enough to say “screw the salad and chicken–I’m eating a piece of cheesecake. tomorrow I’ll do better.” Sometimes even having a coach isn’t enough to stop emotional eating. I wish Oprah wouldn’t focus on her weight so much, but since so many people can relate to that, I think it is good she can own up to falling off the wagon. The interesting thing to watch now will be if she can get back on and stay on. Her new regime seems pretty hard to stick to long term.
January 30th, 2009 at 15:03
I HAVE A THYROID PROBLEM, AND I GAINED TONS OF WEIGHT WITHOUT TONS OF FOOD, JUST LIKE THAT ! THERE IS NO WAY ON THIS EARTH YOU CAN CONTROL IT UNLESS YOU TAKE THYROID HORMONE WHICH I HEARD OPRAH DOESN’T TAKE ! THIS DISEASE IN AWFUL IN TERMN OF WEIGHT GAIN
January 31st, 2009 at 21:13
Jan,
Your last sentence really resonated with me: “I’ve fallen into the same trap in many areas of my life. There is no arrived. That was her biggest problem IMHO and something that everyone has to vigilant with to hang on to success.”.
I think you are right. Once must always be vigilant and when you stop being careful than you grow careless.
Thanks for dropping by!
January 31st, 2009 at 21:15
MD,
I follow the same type of regime Oprah will be following and you can stick to it for life … but it’s a commitment. It means that you will have to learn to say “no” to a number of things in order to keep the promisses you made to yourself about your health.
Thanks for dropping by and thanks for your valuable comment.
January 31st, 2009 at 21:17
Lorraine,
You bring a whole new notion to the table and one I had not heard before.
I will need to find out more about “Inner Child/Bonding work or Emotional Freedom Technique or Psych-K”.
Thanks for a great comment!
February 4th, 2009 at 3:13
Gunnar Peterson may be a great trainer, but that zinger on Greene was as inaccurate as it was catty. No matter how good he or she is, no trainer–no *person*, for that matter–can lose weight for you (or for me, or for anyone else). Ultimately, it’s up to the client.
The thyroid thing is no kidding–I had thyroid cancer a few years back, and it’s awful. You gain five pounds by looking sideways at a lettuce leaf, you’re depressed as all get-out, memory tends to suffer, you’re cold and exhausted all the time.
I’m on synthroid and at a healthy weight for my height now, but I work hard at it, and I’ll have to work at it every day. (I should add that it took decades to figure out what worked for me diet-wise, and I tried EVERYTHING. And I can’t be sure that what works today will work tomorrow or next week or next year; I’ll have to be vigilant and ready to make changes as needed.)
Oprah’s clearly got the financial resources to get whatever dietary and medical help she needs–she may think she’s unworthy of accepting it and thus self-sabotaging. She’s a beautiful, powerful woman at any size; for what it’s worth, I hope she comes out healthy and happy, whatever that may look like.
February 5th, 2009 at 16:40
Sara,
Wow – what a challenge you have … but it sounds like you are right on top of things and that it’s a daily effort for you.
I think your last point it the point that some many people are confused by … because Oprah has the money.
Indeed, I do hope that Oprah gets down to a weight where she feels comfortable in her own skin.
September 3rd, 2009 at 19:54
Owww! That’s a sad thing to hear from a known trainer like Bob.
Well trainers should understand how hard it is for an individual to loose that bellies.
He should have the patience, well a trainer is a Trainer. Train and wait for the result.
September 7th, 2009 at 3:51
eat Smart Age Smart is right! It’s the commitment that matters. If you don’t have it at the very beginning, gaining that good shape, is far to achieve.