Oprah Winfrey defended her use of weight loss medication on occasion‚ saying “obesity is a disease” and is not due to a person’s lack of willpower. The 69-year-old billionaire TV personality has publicly discussed her weight loss struggles for decades. She most recently shared her thoughts during an interview with People that was published Wednesday. “It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years‚” she said of the media’s fixation on her fluctuating weight over the years. “I have been blamed and shamed‚ and I blamed and shamed myself.” Winfrey said that after “five decades” of obsessing over losing weight and “believing willpower” was her “failing‚” she experienced a turning point after undergoing knee surgery in 2021. “After knee surgery‚ I started hiking and setting new distance goals each week. I could eventually hike three to five miles every day and a 10-mile straight-up hike on weekends‚” the TV talk show host told People. “I felt stronger‚ more fit and more alive than I’d felt in years.” Of her eating habits these days‚ Winfrey said‚ “I eat my last meal at 4 o’clock‚ drink a gallon of water a day‚ and use the WeightWatchers principles of counting points. I had an awareness of [weight-loss] medications‚ but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way.” “I was actually recommending [the medication] to people long before I was on it myself‚” she added. Winfrey said she changed her thinking about the use of weight loss medication during a panel discussion called “The State of Weight‚” which is part of Oprah Daily’s “Life You Want” series. “I had the biggest aha along with many people in that audience‚” she said of doing the panel in July. “I realized I’d been blaming myself all these years for being overweight‚ and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control.” “Obesity is a disease. It’s not about willpower — it’s about the brain‚” Winfrey told People.  As for using weight loss medication herself‚ the media mogul said she let go of “shame” when she started using it. She also didn’t disclose which specific one she’s been using.  “I now use it as I feel I need it‚ as a tool to manage not yo-yoing‚” Winfrey told the outlet.  “The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier‚ in my lifetime‚ feels like relief‚ like redemption‚ like a gift‚ and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for. I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.” She explained how she utilized the medication ahead of Thanksgiving‚ for example. “Because I knew I was going to have two solid weeks of eating‚” Winfrey said‚ adding that “instead of gaining eight pounds like I did last year‚ I gained half a pound.” “It quiets the food noise‚” she said.

A Seattle high school teacher allegedly marked a student incorrect on a quiz for several gender identity questions‚ including for saying that “only women can get pregnant.” The quiz about “understanding gender vs. sex” was administered by a 10th grade Ethnic Studies World History teacher at Chief Sealth International High School‚ Fox News reported. One boy in the class marked the statement‚ “all men have penises‚” as true‚ but the teacher marked that answer incorrect. The boy also marked as true the statement‚ “only women can get pregnant‚” but the teacher again marked his answer as incorrect. The quiz also included the questions‚ “When someone uses ‘they/them’ pronouns‚ what does that mean about their gender identity?” and “True/false: Transgender people are gay.” The Seattle Public Schools district acknowledged that a “knowledge check quiz” was given to students in the high school’s Ethnic Studies class about two weeks ago. However‚ the district said the quiz grade did not affect students’ final class grade. “SPS remains committed to fostering inclusive environments that encourage the exploration of contemporary issues‚ particularly the examination of power systems such as racism and patriarchy. This dedication extends to providing a space for thoughtful exploration and dialogue on these issues‚” the district said in a statement. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The district also said that the course description for the Ethnic Studies class “underscores that students will be ‘investigating … the global economy‚ society‚ and culture.'” The student’s mother‚ who said she identifies as a moderate liberal‚ expressed her “frustration and anger” to the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “I keep trying to wrap my head around how it is legal to teach inaccurate information and force students to answer against their beliefs or receive negative scores‚” the student’s mother told the outlet. The mom said she is “proud of him because he refused to answer against his beliefs (which are medically and scientifically accurate‚ or at least used to be).” The mom also accused teachers of calling her son names‚ including “f****d and racist” and a “product of the patriarchy that teaches young boys not to care about anything.” The school denied that any name-calling occurred. “Claims that the student was called names have not been reported to SPS. We have confirmed with [the] school’s principal that this is the first reference to any name-calling‚” the district said. Gender identity has become a hot button issue in public schools over the last several years‚ with parents across the country expressing concerns about curriculum content.

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