NEWS

The Healthy Skeptic: Oprah's New Fitness Book Is Richest Non-Fiction Book Deal In History

Written by Sal Marinello
Published May 21, 2006

It is being reported that Oprah Winfrey is going to get a $12 million advance to write a fitness book with her personal trainer/nutritional guru Bob Greene. Unless this book will be a primer on how to yo-yo diet, or how NOT to design a reliable lifestyle program, there will be no reason to buy this book.

But millions of people will buy it anyway.

Greene and Oprah have been posing as fitness experts for years now despite the fact that Oprah has had zero success living a consistent, healthy lifestyle. Over the past several years Oprah's weight has been up and down more than...more than...well more than something that constantly goes up and down.

Too bad people are so blinded by her celebrity and don't realize that she and her guru are in no position to tell us how to eat, exercise, live etc. And shame on Oprah for not being content with her ability to sell people all kinds of other stuff. Like she really needs to branch out into this area, a subject that she knows so little about and has been so unsuccessful in dealing with.

Perhaps since Oprah has been a spectacular failure with her own weight, this is the way she deals with it. For all of her billions, she just can't get a handle on her weight and can't be happy with the way she looks. Having money doesn't improve a person's own body image, I guess.

Mark Twain once said, "Stopping smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." But he was joking, or being clever and witty.

What Oprah's has been saying is "These people know what they're doing with regards to losing weight - even though it doesn't work for me - and you should buy their advice." Well she didn't actually say this, but her actions say it. You know, since her weight has been going up and down and up and down.

While Twain never took money for his accurate insights - at least not to the tune of $12 million - Oprah and Greene will be selling their own brand of "insights" and take millions and millions of dollars from people.

If Oprah wants to tell us stories about her struggles with her weight, or what happens when a person puts emphasis on beauty and glamour over health, or recount the many dangers associated with yo-yo dieting, or the problems created when a person relies on other people or extraneous emotional mumbo-jumbo while ignoring the obvious in order to lose weight, I'd be all ears.

Instead we'll just get more nonsense from people who are in no position to give health and fitness advice. Kind of like John Daly giving advice on how to stop gambling or Dwight Gooden telling us how to kick that pesky cocaine habit while getting your life back on the right track.

The "Cult of Personality" will result in Oprah's fitness book becoming a bestseller at the top of the charts for years, but it could always be worse. Thank goodness she hasn't decided to run for president.

Sal Marinello is a National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer, a U.S.A. Weightlifting Certified Coach, a full-time, private Professional Strength and Conditioning Coach, an assistant football coach and a Head Strength Coach for a suburban New Jersey High School. He writes a lot and has no free time.
Keep reading for information and comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own!
The Healthy Skeptic: Oprah's New Fitness Book Is Richest Non-Fiction Book Deal In History
Published: May 21, 2006
Type: News
Section: Sci/Tech
Filed Under: Books: Health, Culture: Celebrity, Sci/Tech: Health/Fitness
Writer: Sal Marinello
Sal Marinello's BC Writer page
Sal Marinello's personal site
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Comments

#1 — May 21, 2006 @ 22:40PM — Mark Bellinghaus [URL]

Thanks for the early warning signals about this outrageous this absolute ridiculous idea of her--of all people to write something like that.
Poor lady must make a few more billions to wear more 20 carat earrings I understand.
That is a late April fools I guess. And it stroke me as hard as that heavy and absolutely out of any shape Dr. Phil is giving Fitness tips! Moron is selling his Ferrari and giving dating tips for clueless idiots who believe that baldy with the grin of a vacuum salesman.
He and that white hair freak from E-harmony are pretty much the scariest faces on TV. Oprah's is the most tiresome.
A book on fitness? Maybe a book on how to lose two pounds and find 20 right after. That would be applauded and worth reading.
She is almost as fat now, as she was 20 years ago. I found an old magazine from 1986 and I saw Oprah in it and I thought to myself: OMG!
Sal Marinello your name sounds hip enough to put it on a fitness book--I might even buy just yours! Do it. Good job.

#2 — May 21, 2006 @ 23:44PM — sal m

thanks...i just think i'll stick to telling people what NOT to do, it's so much easier that way!

#3 — May 21, 2006 @ 23:49PM — Mark Bellinghaus [URL]

That's fair--but with that attitude you are a winner already. Good Luck. Let's boycott that Oprah book-- and I was successful to shut down one book project before--the miserable attempt by a crazy ol dame called June DiMaggio. My first blog literally shut her up and she or her publisher pulled the book release! True story.
Check it out on my website.
You can do that with Oprah's crazy attempt to annoy all of us with that hidious book project when she hardly can keep her form and body for one freaking week.
I know that carrott cake is tempting--especially when it is covered with pure gold that you can EAT as well.

#4 — May 22, 2006 @ 08:08AM — AV

I could not agree with you more. I'm really getting sick of hearing about Oprah all the time.
I turned on Dateline NBC last night and there she was being interviewed, and she looks big again. She has no business writing a book about weight loss or gain. She clearly has a food addiction, and the few times I have seen her show, and someone is cooking, she dances around and acts REALLY weird when food is involved. ENOUGH OPRAH ALREADY!

#5 — May 22, 2006 @ 08:19AM — Tina Marie

Great article Sal! You are so handsome by the way.
I think this whole thing is a ploy to get more money for Bob Greene. She has turned him into the handyman at her mansion in CA. Maybe he wants back in the spotlight. Oprah is heavy again, she is not an expert on weight at all. Way too many amercians hang on her every word. What's next a book about weight loss from Star Jones?

#6 — May 22, 2006 @ 08:25AM — sal m

stop it, i'm blushing...

if you want to laugh, i just saw an item on AOL that is comparing oprah to Mother Theresa...i'm not kidding.

#7 — May 22, 2006 @ 08:40AM — Tina Marie

Don't blush...Well, you are hot Sal. I have always been attracted to really built Italian Guys. :) OPRAH IS NO MOTHER THREASA!!! That is almost as bad as some director a month ago wanting Paris Hilton to play Mother T in a movie.

#8 — May 22, 2006 @ 08:49AM — Julie J

I agree Tina, SAL M. IS A TOTAL STUD (and smart too). I'm soooo over Oprah! It is like she is trying to take over the Universe. She must be stopped. ha-ha

#9 — May 22, 2006 @ 10:34AM — Christopher Rose [URL]

you know, that trick of pretending to be more than one person would be really clever if it wasn't for the fact that we can see they all come from the same computer...

#10 — May 22, 2006 @ 14:08PM — Casey Carson

So many people are way too obsessed with Oprah.
It is like people who are still obsessed with Marilyn Monroe. GET A LIFE!

#11 — May 22, 2006 @ 14:14PM — Julie J

People who are obsessed with stars, living (Oprah) or dead (Marilyn Monroe) is just sooooooo creepy. Our culture is in a very sad, strange place.

#12 — May 22, 2006 @ 21:09PM — Mark Bellinghaus [URL]

Who says that Oprah is alive? That is news to me, girl! Prove it.

#13 — May 23, 2006 @ 23:19PM — craven

I dont know how she can look in the mirror after accepting this big payday! What a joke!!
America is so stupid that if Oprah said eating her own feces would make them lose weight people would probly try it....

#14 — May 23, 2006 @ 23:21PM — sal m

please don't give her any more ideas!! although you are probably right as to the loyalty of her fans.

#15 — May 24, 2006 @ 09:28AM — MOO

Oprah writing a book about weight loss makes about as much sense as The Dr. Phil Show winning an Emmy for "best hair". GO FIGURE!

#16 — May 24, 2006 @ 21:00PM — Peggy Byrd

Hi, Sal:
How do you keep off the weight? For example, I am a 52-year-old woman who exercises doing aerobics 2x a day (total 90 minutes), ab work (30 minutes a day), and use a cardio-glider for 30 minutes a day. Eat salad (no iceberg lettuce) with lemon as dressing and drink protein drinks for breakfast and lunch. Started 3 months ago at 160 pounds and have not dropped a pound. Where can I get information from you regarding what I am obviously doing wrong. Sure don't want to rely on Oprah or Bob Greene. Incidentally, didn't they do this book back in 1994?
Thank you.

#17 — May 25, 2006 @ 09:20AM — sal m

dispensing specific, personal guidance with regards to these issues in an open internet forum such as this is something that i won't do.

there are too many unknowables - from medical history on down to the most minute personal details - to accurately assist anybody.

what i can tell you is that you seem to have fallen prey to all of the classic mistakes and misconceptions with regards to losing weight, gaining capability and being healthy. what i will tell you is that your cardiovascular routine is too much and inefficient and that you shouldn't be focused on how much you weigh.

i recommend reading the book the no sweat exercise program - that i reviewed for this site - by dr harvey simon. this book will give you a great deal of information that should help you to focus your efforts.

#18 — May 25, 2006 @ 12:30PM — Upper East

I LOVE ANN-MARGRET. I JUST SAW HER IN PERSON.
FOR 65 LOOKS SLIM AND AMAZING!!!! SHE SHOULD WRITE A BOOK NOT OPRAH.

#19 — May 27, 2006 @ 01:39AM — Jack [URL]

Oprah has a huge audience that are going through the same problems that and emotions that she is
going through. It could be part of the 12 mil is buying advertizing space in her publications, tv spots and etc. How could a publisher go wrong with her marketing capabilities.
And so what if she's been over eating for the before picture. And what a way to get her audience into a buying frenzy with monthly stories on how much weight she has lost.

For me, there is way too much estrogen flying around on her tv show. I can dizzy like a sugar over dose from watching 20 minutes but some people are glued to her.

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