I've signed my contract

Well, Oprah's 2008 episodes are off to a strong start - Oprah and Bob Greene have challenged Americans to take their Best Life Challenge. They visited Mississippi, where 1-in-3 people are overweight, to kick off their program to inspire folks to live healthier lives and get to the bottom of their weight troubles. You have to be living in the remotest corner of the planet not to know weight has been a very public struggle for Oprah since she's been in the public eye. She's attempting to make her personal experiences completely transparent in order to inspire others to make major life changes.

In the past, I've struggled with weight and body image issues and I agree from the depths of my heart that diet and exercise are only a piece of the puzzle when it comes to permanent weight loss. I like that this program seems to have an emotional-healing component to complement the eating and exercise plans.

I did sign my contract to myself - committing to take better care of myself in 2008. I am very grateful that I'm already on a path that helps me eat in a very healthy way and I'm quite an active person. So, weight loss or starting an exercise plan is not something I am focused on. However, one thing that I can absolutely adjust is to cease eating 2 or 3 hours before I go to bed. I will also be very clear about my food selections, making certain I am not making emotional choices.

While my inner-jury is still out about whether or not I think this program is a good one, I do want to point out several areas of concern. I was a little taken aback by some of the food selections that Bob has put his stamp of approval on. Some are very high in sugar content and hidden sugar seems to be the downfall of lots of folks who intend to eat healthily. The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) states that as of 2005, 20.8 million people in this country have diabetes. Shouldn't Bob have been more responsible when making his celebrity endorsement of products for his program? He couldn't find another soy milk? The second ingredient in his chosen brand (which I won't name, they'll make enough money from his endorsement!) is SUGAR. Sheesh! I drink unsweetened soy milk from Whole Foods and Silk. It's delish. There's also a good one from Westsoy. Anyway, I was a little worried that the commercial component took a higher priority than health in some of the food recommendations. If you're following the program and making food choices based on the Best Life seal stamped on packaging, don't stop there - read the nutritional info and ingredients to confirm this food is indeed healthy for you, your lifestyle and any health issues you may be facing. Guidance is a terrific thing, but don't give all your power away!

I also noticed that if you want to sign up online for Bob Greene's internet-guided weight loss program, it's $59.85/3-months. And you must sign up in 3-month chunks. So, for a year, that's $239.40. I totally believe that health is priceless and joining other diet programs might cost even more money. HOWEVER...Oprah's website says they're looking for ONE MILLION viewers who want to lose weight to join the challenge. So, if the minimum of 1 million people join, that's $239,400,000.00 that is going into someone's pocket. Impressive. I guess everyone is out to make a buck, but I wish they were being a bit more philanthropic when it came to this issue. What do you think?

By the by - my mother-in-law told me a friend of hers was concerned I didn't like Oprah. This project has nothing to do to with liking or disliking Oprah, it's an exploration of her power and influence. I think Oprah is admirable in many respects and I think she has infinite possibility to inspire people to live better lives.

I'd love to know if you joined the Best Life Challenge! Please do vote in this week's poll and drop me a comment!

Thanks all! Here's to a healthy 2008, no matter what path you choose.