Weight Loss Lies We Tell Ourselves
Black women are some of the most beautiful women on the planet, with God-given curves that some go under the knife to possess. But sometimes, what starts out as a brick house body morphs into a house of flab as age and bad habits take their toll. According to the U.S. Department of Health: “African American women have the highest rates of being overweight or obese compared to other groups in the U.S.” Heart disease, stroke and diabetes occur at much higher rates for people who are overweight, potentially making obesity a walking death sentence.
We have come too far, and fought too long, to let conditions that we can change destroy us. We must take our health into our own hands and lose weight as a group in order to survive. But, black women have a particular set of beliefs that keep us in a state of denial about our weight issues and how to heal them. We need to confront these myths that keep us at risk. What are the top ten things black women say to ourselves that prevent us from losing weight?
1) “I’m not fat, I’m thick.”
The term “thick” is an apt one to describe the 36-24-38 female that many men adore. But the key measurement here is the waist size. Ideally, a woman’s waist should not be above 35 inches if she wants to avoid diseases like diabetes. You might be thick, but if your waist exceeds this number, you are setting yourself up for health issues.
2) “I don’t want to mess up my hair.”
Unless you have a particularly uncreative stylist, you should be able to come up with a style that enables you to go to the gym. Alternate braids with a slicked down updo, or learn to carefully flat iron your hair with protective products. If you are telling yourself that hair maintenance is the reason you don’t want to sweat, you are being really creative – with excuses.
3) “Being big runs in my family.”
It has been clinically proven that very few people have a genetic predisposition towards being overweight. What does run in families are poor eating habits and patterns of sedentary living. Don’t tell yourself you can’t lose weight because of your genetics. You are likely disempowering yourself.
4) “Black men prefer women with curves.”
Black men, like all men, enjoy the hourglass shape, which is a scientifically proven evolutionary preference. While “thick” an hourglass body has a trim waist. This is interesting because abdominal fat harms the pancreas, contributing to the development of diabetes. Perhaps a thin waist is sexy because it is a sign of health. So keep your curves, but lose the midsection.
5) “If I work out, I’ll look mannish.”
While the proof is largely anecdotal, black women do look more defined from a moderate amount of exercise than other women. That is why First Lady Michelle Obama catches so much flack about her arms. But this is something to use to your advantage. You can get arms like Michelle! Want Serena’s stand-up booty? Build it up with squats! In addition, there are many exercises that will allow you to maintain your softness, from yoga to Pilates. Don’t let this fear stop you from protecting your health.
6) “A gym membership is too expensive.”
In many cities you can get a gym membership for as little as $25 a month or less. If you really need to save, watch a fitness channel on cable for free routines. A five-dollar jump rope combined with squats, lunges and push ups will do the trick. Or walk. Just find something inexpensive that you like, push yourself, and do it consistently. Be dedicated to taking care of you.
7) “It’s okay for me to eat [insert fattening food here]. I’m starting a fast tomorrow.”
One fast will not undo a lifetime of bad habits, or prevent those bad habits from returning when it is done. The awful truth is that to lose weight and be healthy one must eat less, eat well, exercise more, and do it forever.
8) “I may be big, but I’m still healthy.”
You may be obese and in perfect health, but as an overweight person, you run an exponentially higher risk for many debilitating conditions. Why not lose weight while you are well, and maintain your health into your elder years?
9) “I don’t have the time/money to make healthy meals.”
In our hectic, expensive times, cheap fast food seems essential. But the one thing worth spending money and time on is nutritious food. The old adage “health is wealth” rings true when you look at the mental, physical and emotional costs of disease — let alone the material drain. There is little you can do to protect your well-being more than investing in a healthy diet.
10) “I don’t like to work out. It makes my muscles hurt.”
It is supposed to make your muscles hurt! When you work out, your muscle fibers are broken down, then rebuilt stronger, which is painful. Your heart is strengthened by the stress of exercise, making it better able to function day-to-day. But exercise is so powerful, it can reverse diabetes. New studies show it slows aging. Isn’t a little morning stiffness worth these benefits?
Are we as black women willing to face these weight loss facts?
I don’t mean to be harsh. I just want to issue a wake-up call. Black women are the care givers modeling behaviors that can guarantee the vitality of future generations. If we are not fit, will our families be? When we can stop telling ourselves these weight loss lies, we will gain control of our health issues for the betterment of ourselves and our communities.
37 Comments – Add Yours
Latest Articles
Most Popular This Week
Recent Comments
-
Elle Michelle on
The Black Beauty Standard
@Ms. Quita: I can relate. I'm 5'3" and 110 lbs. While I haven't received blatant criticism from black men regarding my looks, I have...
-
grateful on
Meagan Good Tells Life & Style She & Her Fiancée Are Waiting For Their Wedding Night
this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
grateful on
Pregnancy Weight Loss and the Public’s Betrayal
you're making a whole lotta sense...
-
H on
Bravo! 3 African-Americans Earn Doctorates In Chemistry, Set Univ. of Mississippi Record
This is very good news .....and sad. I hope we can get to the point one day where we don't have to celebrate things like this. It will just...
@Alexis,
I forgot something: Thanks for responding to my comments and I appreciate your opinions and perspective. It nice to have an intelligent “debate” without name calling like some people. LOL :) It’s all good. :)
Did Michelle Obama Send the Wrong Message With Obesity Comments?
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Health/michelle-obamas-obesity-comments-bringing-malia-sasha-wrong/story?id=9751138&page=2
You’re welcome! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your ideas.
I think the key to exercising is everybody has to find something that works for them. Not everybody likes to go to the gym or get on equipment. But taking a Zumba class or pilates class swimming or yoga class can get the same results.
Overall a good article though I disagree with # 8. How do we define “Big?” Is that someone over a size 10? It’s too ambiguous.
Not everyone is meant to be the same size. However that shouldn’t be an excuse for women (and men) not to take care of themselves. And that goes for any size.
Instead of being judgmental, write a post that is positive and gives out information about weight loss.
Fat apologists really should get off the bullpoop with this because ‘fat acceptance’ is nothing but support of laziness and detrimental behavior, at that is ridiculous!
One of the many things I love about Michelle Obama is her push for people and children to eat healthily, exercise, and get rid of excess overfat (SOMETHING EACH INDIVIDUAL HOLDS ALL POWER TO ACCOMPLISH FOR THEMSELVES). But if people wanna eat themselves into illnesses and a grave, they can have at it. I just hope they never have the nerve to demand the state support their lack of discipline with a disability check, pay their medical bills when they get sick, or that society LIES and tells them they are beautiful or sexy, but the following misrepresentations will be the death of people:
“The problem with America is not “obesity”
Untrue! Obesity and being overweight (and the medical complications that come with it) ARE problems in America and fatties are a $147 billion dollar drain on medical resources with the number set to top $300 billion.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/07/eveningnews/main6069163.shtml
“Don’t be so quick to believe a statistic”
If a statistic reveals females graduate from college in higher numbers than BM, many will tout that positive news from here to there; but, let a stat tell an unflattering story or truths a person doesn’t want to face or hear, and like clockwork someone comes along to cherry-pick or discredit statistics overall. Individuals can either accept stats and make positive changes or accept none and continue to whine about statistics, get sick and die!
“Heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes DO NOT occur at much higher rates for people who are “overweight”
Sometimes I wonder if people really care about their own people. If passing along UNTRUTHS to save face is more important than lives and limbs then oh well, but people should consider speaking with diabetics who now have one leg (since 15% of AAs have diabetes and are 3 times more likely to get an amputation). Being overweight or obese places individuals at a HIGHER RISK for diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure as well as certain types of cancers. THESE ARE FACTS THAT CAN NOT BE DISPUTED and anyone peddling mess saying otherwise are doing a disservice. Maybe the objective is to coddle or protect fat people’s feelings, but these lies do nothing but assist people down the road to bad health and early death.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4639
“anyone can suffer from these conditions regardless of his/her size because there are connected to eating habits and other environmental factors not waist size. a thin waist is NOT a sign of health”
Weight gain is not rocket science; it’s taking in more calories than are burned and as simple as eating too damn much (no portion control) of the wrong things (processed, fried, fast foods, sugar etc.) and not getting off one’s ass to exercise. Pointing the finger to bring up thin or normal-weight people suffering from heart disease etc. is a tired and ineffective argument done merely to deflect from the issue at hand.
There is no valid or sensible reason any male or female under 6′ feet should weigh ANYTHING CLOSE TO 200 lbs. EVER! If an individual is like 5’4″ and over 225 lbs. with a double-chin, neck rolls, back-fat, big gut (visceral fat) smothering internal organs i.e. liver, heart, lungs, intestines and disgusting rolls hanging off their arms etc., it is a visible sign they are more than likely UNHEALTHY especially if they are in their teens or 20s. Only the delusional and desperate would act as if the majority, most or a lot of overweight/obese people are healthy and it is a waste of time to point to exceptions (a fatty who might be healthy) because this does not change the rule. Never has and never will!
The fact remains that 90% of those with type II diabetes are overweight or obese and obesity is a MAJOR RISK FACTOR for heart disease and certain types of cancer. Thousands are NOT dying annually of bulimia or anorexia; contrast that with the FACT that **300,000 AMERICANS DIE PER YEAR OF OBESITY-RELATED ILNESSES** and it’s clear people should ixnay the deflections about anorexia, some mythical fat person they supposedly know and claims is healthy, or some thin person with diabetes.
http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=Lh4hgvKMyTCr5PTJlTnhTTyhFJTgZdMphvVLNRp8TbVT3Lzv9Jky!28837460!-967903252?docId=5002400053
See my issue with these topics is that people say things like disgusting arm hangings etc…you talking like that isnt going to help folks lose weight. You have to motivate them and by using language such as that you are only pushing them away. Weight is a sensitive issue and should be treated as such…get off your effin high horse and realize that.
I’ve NO interest in trying to motivate a grown-ass person to do anything and I’ll stay on whatever EFFIN’ horse I choose, thank you! My point in responding was to correct flat-out wrong or misleading statements (i.e. no relation between obesity and various diseases).
More and more people DO NOT want to foot the costs for the bad behaviors OTHERS CHOSE, so they can ‘push’ themselves “away” in a corner and eat until they explode as long as THEY ALONE pick up the tab!
This PC-dee-cee, kinder gentler, ‘fat acceptance’ type mess hasn’t solved a thing and is killing people. So if anyone views rolls of blubber as attractive or is honest enough to admit obesity is extremely physically unattractive yet want people to either lie about it, pretend and not say the words “disgusting,” “gross” etc., that’s their issue!
I was talking in general by certain comments i see repeated on this site…so what if their grown?? so motivating people ends when they get to a certain age? I disagree..If you keep in mind the language when your talking about this issue most times you would get a more positive response. This is not going along the lines of “fat acceptance”…this being genuine and saying you know you are hurting yourself and really have a discussion because calling ppl names etc they will always associate the verbal abuse with weightloss and will never tackle the issue. I talk to my coworker and we discuss methods…i dont call her lazy,etc.
Oh and Akai I was not talking directly to you so umm yea need need to get high-strung…thanks
I agree with Eilish. I don’t understand why some people feel they have to be judgmental cruel to prove a point. And the fact is the weight problem is so much more complex than just somebody dieting and exercising. I think it’s an unfair to assume that overweight people are just being “lazy” or just don’t “eat right”.
[...] Source: clutchmagonline [...]
Hi, I don’t know if you will ever read this Tiffany Young, but you give GREAT and REAL advice! I have been exercising and eating much healthier over these few days, and I feel great!
You should totally start a blog with your journey for REAL Black women who are intimidatd by the skinny girls at the gym, and who need help separating that “food is for energy” and not “food is to feel better about insecurities”. At least, that is the case with me.
I know you will reach your goal, I will set mine every week (even the small ones, as you say)! You are so inspiring! Thank you so, so much:-D
Natural,
Erika who posted above actually has an amazing site that does all of these things and more. I just spent some time reading it last night, and it’s very enlightening:
http://blackgirlsguidetoweightloss.com/
It is not about being thin but being healthy OVERALL both mind, body, and spirit. When we think of getting fit and healthy we assume or we are going to be skinny instead of thinking “oh I can walk up and down the stairs without getting winded, or I don’t need to take this medication anymore” This is why I love women like Michelle Obama and Queen Latifah because both are two different sizes but stress the important of being healthy and fit. Being healthy and fit doesn’t come in straight sizes. And I must admit this article is on point, I can’t tell you how many times I heard some of these excuses from other black women especially “I’ am not fat but thick” like WTF! TRUST I use to tell myself that too until I start seeing myself get bigger and bigger and feeling sluggish and feeling overall unhealthy physically and mentally until I woke up and decided to take control of my health, exercise (and you don’t have to be a freaking gym rat to get great exercise!) and do something because i don’t want to be on medication for conditions that can be avoided and I want to live a longer and healthy life/lifestyle so I watch everything that goes into my mouth because the idea is to find YOUR PERSONAL BEST HEALTH AND WEIGHT FOR YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO THESE STARS IN HOLLYWOOD OR YOUR FRIEND.
As a person who joined a swim team in middle school, I gave up straight hair. After all, it’s easier to buy a wig compared to a pacemaker.
[...] elliptical.I think Black girls need to rediscover the child in us. A lot of bloggers have written scathing posts about how black women are too lazy to exercise or too concerned with their hair to work out. [...]