HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Oprah Winfrey admits that she's "falling off the wagon" when it comes to her longtime health battle and now weighs 200 pounds.
"I'm mad at myself," the 54-year-old media mogul shares in the January issue of her O magazine, according to an advanced copy made available to The Associated Press.
"I'm embarrassed … I can't believe that after all these years, all the things I know how to do, I'm still talking about my weight," Winfrey continues. "I look at my thinner self and think, 'How did I let this happen again?' "
The talk-show host explains that an out-of-balance thyroid helped lead to "a fear of working out," which has pushed her weight up ever since she tipped the scales at 160 in 2006.
"I was so frustrated I started eating whatever I wanted — and that's never good," she says of the impact on her diet.
The Mississippi native writes that becoming thin is no longer her top priority, instead she wants "to be strong, healthy and fit." She is planning to address her weight on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" when she kicks off her "Best Life Week" on Jan. 5.
Winfrey recently admitted to AP Television that her weight gain has proven challenging when it comes to picking out her attire for next month's inaugural ball for President-elect Barack Obama.
"I had a dress on the vision board, but I'm not sure that's gonna fit," she confessed. "So I have to work on something else."