Full Episode: "Emotional Eating (Bob Greene)" | The Oprah Winfrey Show | Oprah Winfrey Network

PAIN OF NOT FEELING LOVED AND NOT BEING HEARD, BECAUSE IT IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE. FOR HER, THAT WAS IT. AND AFTER YEARS OF A FAILED DIET, KATHRINE BELIEVED SHE WOULD BE OVERWEIGHT FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE. LOOK AT HER STORY of her. Kathrine: MY WEIGHT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM FROM AN EMOTIONAL POINT OF VIEW. IN MY FAMILY WE USE FOOD IN RELATION TO EVERY CELEBRATION, EVERY SADNESS. THE ONLY TIME I FELT CONNECTED WITH MY FAMILY WAS WHEN THERE WAS FOOD. MY PARENTS WERE AT LEAST 100 POUNDS OVERWEIGHT, UNTIL I REMEMBER. I WAS OVERWEIGHT MOST OF MY LIFE.

WHEN I ENTERED COLLEGE, I WEIGHED ABOUT 150, AND WHEN I WAS A SOPHOMORE, I WEIGHED 190 TO 200 POUNDS. It got to the point where I would leave a party early saying I hadn't done well and I would go through the drive-thru and get enough food for two people, and I would go back to my dorm and eat and be alone. WHEN I WAS ALONE AND EATING THE FOOD, I DIDN'T FEEL ANYTHING. BUT IT WAS AFTER THAT I FELT ALL THE SHAME. THE HEAVIEST I EVER WEIGHED WAS 331 POUNDS. MY WEDDING DRESS WAS THE LARGEST WEDDING DRESS WE COULD FIND.

IT WAS A SIZE 28 AND IT barely fit me. IT WAS THE WORST MOMENT OF MY LIFE. WHEN YOU ARE AN EMOTIONAL EATER, ALL EATING IS UNCONSCIOUS. I don't even think I tasted the food I was

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, but it did fill a void in my heart, in my emotions, but it would go away very quickly, and then the shame would set in again. MY LIGHT ON MOMENT WAS THE DAY I HEARD THE WORDS: "KELLY AND THE BABY DIED LAST NIGHT." MY BEST FRIEND WAS 9 MONTHS PREGNANT. SHE HAD AN AORTIC ANEURYSM AND WE LOST HER AND HER BABY.

THE ONLY THING I COULD THINK IS HOW SHORT LIFE IS AND HOW MUCH I MISSED LIFE WITH HER BECAUSE I MADE EXCUSES TO DO THINGS BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT, AND THEN SHE LEFT. I WILL NEVER FORGET COMING HOME FROM THE FUNERAL, LOOKING IN THE MIRROR AND SEEING MYSELF FOR THE FIRST TIME AT 330 POUNDS. IT WAS THE DAY I STOPPED BELIEVING THE LIE THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FAT, THAT THIS WAS WHAT MY LIFE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE. THAT DAY I MADE THE DECISION NOT TO GO ON A DIET AGAIN. I STARTED RESEARCHING WHAT IT TAKES TO BE HEALTHY.

WHEN I STARTED LOSING WEIGHT, I FELT HOPE AGAIN BECAUSE I WAS NOT ON A DIET. I WAS JUST MAKING HEALTHIER DECISIONS. I WAS DEALING WITH MY EMOTIONS. WHEN THEY CAME UP, I WOULD GO TO THE REFRIGERATOR TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT, AND BEFORE I GRAB IT, I WOULD THINK, "WHAT DID YOU JUST THINK? WHY ARE YOU HERE IN FRONT OF THE REFRIGERATOR?" I FOUND NEW WAYS TO NOURISH MYSELF EMOTIONALLY. When a stressful moment comes, instead of running to food, I'll get a hug from my kids or go outside to smell a flower. I FILL MYSELF WITH THINGS THAT BUILD MY LIFE INSTEAD OF TEARING THEM DOWN.

I HAVE LOST OVER 175 POUNDS AND HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE FOR OVER FIVE YEARS. I MADE THE DECISION THAT THIS IS WHAT I AM, AND SO I STAY ON. FANTASTIC. SAL, KATHRINE. COME OUTSIDE. YOU LOOK GOOD, GIRL. YOU ARE A INSPIRATION! AN INSPIRATION! YOU ARE A INSPIRATION! THANK YOU. YES YOU ARE. YOU ARE A INSPIRATION! YOU LOOK WELL. WELL, FOR EVERYONE WHO THINKS THEY COULD NOT DO IT. Well, you were saying that you replaced that

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feeling that was happening to you at that moment with something else. -YEAH. -WHAT DID YOU REPLACE IT WITH? I REPLACED IT WITH THE LOVE I WAS ALWAYS SO HUNGRY TO GET AND THAT WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.

MM-HMM. THAT I WAS NOT WORTHY, I DIDN'T FEEL WORTHY OF RECEIVING. YEAH. BOB, YOU JUST TOLD ME: "EVERYTHING COMES DOWN TO LOVE." IT REALLY DOES IT. EVERY PERSON HAS TO FIND THEIR SATISFACTION, BUT WHEN YOU SUMMARY MOST PROBLEMS, THEY COME FROM A POINT OF VIEW OF LOVE. YEAH. FANTASTIC. AREN'T YOU PROUD OF YOURSELF? AM. I LIKE IT NOW. OH, THAT'S WONDERFUL. YEAH. THANK YOU. COMING SOON, YOU LOST OVER 300 POUNDS! 300 POUNDS. THEY ARE TWO PEOPLE. IMAGINE THAT. I THINK THIS MAY BE ONE OF THE GREATEST WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS STORIES WE'VE EVER TOLD. THAT'S NEXT. GOING UP. BACK IN A MOMENT.

THIS NEXT STORY WILL MAKE YOU BELIEVE THAT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. REVEREND RAY THOMAS, 44, HELPES PEOPLE IN NEED EVERY DAY, BUT WHEN HE CAME TO HIS OWN WEIGHT PROBLEMS, HE FELT UNABLE. IT'S ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS STORIES WE'VE EVER SEEN. LOOK AT HIS STORY of him. THIS SHOULD INSPIRE YOU. Ray: TWO YEARS AGO I REACHED MY HIGHEST WEIGHT, WHICH WAS 524 POUNDS. WHAT DRIVE ME TO EAT WAS DEFINITELY MY FAMILY. BAD RELATIONSHIPS, OR IF SOMEONE HAD HURT ME I WOULD FIND COMFORT IN FOOD. IT WOULD RELIEVE THE PAIN. FOR BREAKFAST, I CAN EAT SEVEN EGGS, A POUND OF BACON, AND SAUSAGE ON THE SIDE.

I REMEMBER ONE TIME I WENT TO BURGER KING AND BOUGHT 10 WHOPPERS. HE ALWAYS EAT IN SECRET, EVEN THOUGH HE CONTINUED TO PREACH. I KEPT STOPING AT RESTAURANTS AFTER, EATING AND EATING BECAUSE IT WOULD REMOVE MY INSIDE PAIN. THEY CALLED ME "SLOB". THEY CALLED ME "FAT". MOVING WAS VERY DIFFICULT. One time she was going to be in the audience of the "OPRAH"

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and weighed about 500 pounds. I got up that morning, drove there, but I saw all the people standing out front, and my eyes filled with water because I knew I couldn't park for too long and then walk back there, and I really didn't.

I WANTED TO BE IN THAT ROW BEING AS BIG AS I WAS, BECAUSE I KNEW PEOPLE WERE GOING TO STARE AT ME. MY BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT WAS WHEN I FOUND OUT I WAS DIABETIC AND MY DOCTOR SENT ME TO A DIETITIAN. WHEN I WENT THERE, HE SAID TO ME: "MR. THOMAS, WE ARE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT WEIGHT TODAY." HE SAID, "HAVE YOU HAD ANY HARM IN THE PAST?" AND WHEN HE SAID "DUELS FROM THE PAST", MY EYES INSTANTLY FILLED WITH WATER. AS IF SOMEONE GOES TO THE TAP AND OPENS IT, AND I STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE DEATH OF MY GRANDMOTHER, MICHAEL, MY BROTHER, AND A BAD MARRIAGE.

I NEVER DREAMED IT WAS SO DEEP. I EVEN TOLD ABOUT BEING ABUSED AS A CHILD, WHICH WAS SWEEPED UNDER THE CARPET. I CAME HOME FROM THE DIETITIAN'S OFFICE AND SAID, "I'M GOING TO FACE IT. I'M GOING TO FACE THE PAINS." I WAS GOING TO FACE THE PAIN, AND I JUST FELL BACK INTO THE BED AND STARTED CRYING. THE NEXT MORNING, I COULD EVEN SEE THE DIFFERENCE. I DIDN'T HAVE EIGHT EGGS, I HAD FOUR. I STARTED GETTING UP EVERY MORNING AND GETTING ON THE EXERCISE BIKE. IT WAS SO BIG, MY STOMACH COVERED THE BIKE, AND I COULD ONLY RIDE FOR LIKE A MINUTE, AND I WAS OUT OF BREATH.

THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS WERE A NIGHTMARE. IT WAS PURE HELL. I would wake up feeling like a drug addict who just needed that fix. I WOULD LIKE SO MUCH ITALIAN MEAT. I WANT FRENCH FRIES. I ATE SMALL CARROTS AND I JUST WANTED TO SCREAM. I WOULD FALL AND GET UP AGAIN. IT'S LIKE A CHILD RIDING A BICYCLE. YOU KEEP GETTING UP. KEEP GETTING UP, AND KEEP GETTING UP UNTIL I GOT IT! I GOT IT AND IT MAKES ME TEARS BECAUSE IT'S SO DIFFICULT. IT WAS LIKE TRYING TO BE BORN AGAIN. STOP EATING WHEN I LIVED TO EAT.

NOW I WEIGHT 222 POUNDS. I HAVE GONE FROM A 70 WAIST TO A 34 WAIST. I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN BE IN SLAVERY AGAIN AS TO MY WEIGHT. I LOVED WATCHING "THE WIZARD OF OZ" WHEN I WAS A CHILD, AND LIKE DOROTHY, SHE ALWAYS HAD THE POWER TO GO BACK TO KANSAS, BUT I JUST DIDN'T KNOW SHE HAD IT. I ALWAYS HAD THE KEY TO LOSE WEIGHT, CHANGE MY LIFE. I JUST DIDN'T KNOW I HAD IT. ALL THOSE YEARS I HAD THE POWER. I HAD THE KEY. ALL I HAD TO DO WAS TURN THE KNOB. THAT'S A MIRACLE! COME OUT, REVEREND RAY.

GOD BLESS YOU. WHOO-HOO! BRAVO! HEALTH! HEALTH. WHAT AN INSPIRATION. WHAT AN INSPIRATION. IT IS OK SWEETIE. TAKE IT! THAT'S FABULOUS. YEAH. -THAT'S GREAT. -WHAT A GREAT STORY. THAT'S GREAT BECAUSE YOU HAD SOME EMOTIONAL BARRIERS TO OVERCOME. -YEAH. -YEAH. I heard you brought your pants from earlier. YOU ARE BEFORE PANTS, AND YOU KEEP PHOTOS OF YOURSELF AT 500 POUNDS STILL AROUND THE HOUSE. These pants, OPRAH, used to be tight on me. ACTUALLY? TIGHT SKIN. AND EVERYONE WOULD SAY HE HAD A BUTT THE SIZE OF LAKE MICHIGAN. NOW MY ENTIRE BODY FITS IN ONE LEG OF THESE PANTS. YOU ARE A INSPIRATION.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. AN INSPIRATION. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. Oprah: IN "ALWAYS ON THE PROGRAM!", BOB SAYS: "STOP COMFORTING YOUR FEELINGS OF SADNESS, REGRETS, FEAR AND FRUSTRATION WITH FOOD. STOP COMFORTING YOUR FEELINGS FROM DAILY STRESS, BY FALLING PREY TO THE OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE SNACKING STOP COMFORTING YOURSELF BY BELIEVING THAT YOU CAN FILL A VOID IN YOUR LIFE JUST WITH FOOD. WELL, REMEMBER THIS: EVERY TIME YOU EAT WITHOUT HUNGER, IT'S CALLED EMOTIONAL EATING BOB'S "STICK WITH THE PROGRAM IT'S NOT THE PLAN!" A DIET PLAN, ACTUALLY, PHASE ONE IS ABOUT FINDING OUT IF YOU'RE READY FOR THE PROGRAM BY ASKING A SERIES OF QUESTIONS AND DON'T SPEND THE TIME UNTIL YOU'RE READY, GOOD, AND GETTING READY, AND PHASE TWO IS AHEAD.

ABOUT TO START MOVING, START MOVING AND ADD SOME EXERCISE TO YOUR LIFE, AND HERE I DESCRIBE WHAT THE BEST EXERCISES ARE AND HOW TO PROGRESS, WALKING WITH POWER IS NUMBER ONE. TO THE LINE ON BIKES AND SWIMMING AND WHERE THEY ARE IN THE LINEUP, BUT POWER WALKING IS NUMBER ONE. FOR MOST PEOPLE. YEAH. YEAH. Well, you said power walking is number one. IT SAID: "WALKING WITH POWER". NOW YOU DON'T QUALIFY! Well, you know it's just... okay, and then it's about managing the

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component, and then phase four is the long haul. THE LONG TERM, AND IF YOU HAVE THREE WORDS, IT IS JUST, YOU KNOW, START LIVING YOUR LIFE.

WELL, START LIVING YOUR LIFE. NOW HERE IT SAYS BIG AS THE DAY, "WALKING WITH POWER, A." SOMEONE MAY NOT LIKE TO WALK, YOU'RE GOING TO... OK, BUT YOU HAVE OTHER OPTIONS. OH, ABSOLUTELY. BUT WALKING WITH POWER IS THE BEST. THE BEST ONE EXERCISE AND ANOTHER TECHNIQUE IS THAT YOU WANT TO ADD SOME OTHER EXERCISES. DON'T WALK ON POWER ONLY. THROW ONE OR TWO MORE THERE AND COMPLETE YOUR WEEK. WELL. WE'RE BACK TO TELL YOU HOW TO "GET STARTED WITH THE PROGRAM!" WITH ALL OF US HERE ON THE "OPRAH" SHOW. NOW WHAT KIND OF FRIEND IS THIS?

ONE OF THE GUYS ON THE TEAM JUST GAVE ME A SUZY QUESTION! SUZY P. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I WANT TO THANK ALL MY GUESTS TODAY. BOB GREENE'S BOOK IS CALLED "GET THE PROGRAM!" GOODBYE EVERYONE. THANK YOU!