What is this all about?

I started this blog to keep me accountable in my fitness and clean eating journey. My first post was in March of 2007 and I've been posting ever since. As you will see I've had many highs and lows...but this is all about the journey...not just the destination

Friday, July 17, 2009

Obesity and Race --So what's my problem?

So next week the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) will issue the Morbidity and Mortality weekly report which will highlight latest obesity findings by race and by state. As in similar years, black americans are more obese than their counter parts. Also black women are the most obese.. Here are the specifics...

Black women were the heaviest, with 39 percent obese. Black men were next, at 32 percent; then Hispanic women, 29 percent; Hispanic men, 28 percent; white men, 25 percent; and white women, 22 percent.
The study cites the reasons are due to attitudes about weight and a link to poverty. Overweight and obese blacks in the study, are more satisfied with their weight than their counterparts - and are therefore less likely to exercise or diet. So what's my story...
I am neither below the poverty line nor I am satisfied with my weight. Yet for the past 10 years or so I have struggled with my weight teetering on being obese/overweight. So I am and have been a healthy eater. I guess we have our share of rice a ronie every now and then, but I eat plenty of veggies and fresh fruit. So what is the deal?
I think what the study doesn't uncover is how black people - especially black women cope with stressors in their life. For me, I never would admit that I was stressed - because of course, I am a strong black woman...who could handle anything. The expectation was that I was to be strong, secure, independent and successful. I had plenty of great role models - the mother who held it all together, the grandmother who did it all and was the matriarch of the neighborhood, The friend who was an engineer and president of every organization she ever belonged to...etc. etc. the list goes on. Community sheroes are common and often set the bar for "strong black women". There are all sorts of sayings that reinforce this expectation of independence and strength...
Sometimes, I didn't feel so successful or independent or strong - contrary to what may others may have seen. How did I deal? Did I reach out to friends ...no. Did I find an outlet to manage stress --- no. Did I seek therapy...no. I ate.
I am smarter, wiser, more fit and have more income than I did 10years ago.. but I still struggle with weight. I have more coping mechanisms now - yoga, exercise, therapy, friends... But I still struggle with 'in the moment' emotional eating. And - even after losing over 50lbs - completing 4 triathlons and being in great cardiovascular shape, I am still overweight. The reason, I believe - has nothing to do with my income or accessibility to fresh fruit and veggies . Nor does it have to do with a warped perception of my fatness. It has everything to do with my coping mechanism and my struggle with emotional eating....
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1 comment:

sister on the go said...

These studies on weight and health never deal with the stress African Americans in particular women go through in our society. Income doesn't matter when it comes to dealing with life here in the states on our jobs or in our home lives we are under the gun.Thats not to say some of us aren't living well and eatting right.

Yet I know far to many "degreed" blacks with health problems and they are not even over weight. It's not all in the genes either. Economics helps if you are able to afford health care and expensive healthy food products but nothing will change until a few things happen in this society for blacks.

The majority of black women are heads of households, strong women have to bring home the bacon and fry it up and they are worn out doing it.We just have to learn that strength isn't always about working or worring ourselves in to the ground. It is realizing we must take care of ourselves and become proactive with our bodies health so that we will remain strong.
Sometimes that means not always eatting healthy because we are tired but that one piece of cake did not put all those pounds on any of us. We take care of everyone before ourselves an universal woman thing in itself. Black women that are married are still in what has to be the hardest relationships out there. Black love is sweet but if marriage is hard it's even harder when your black and trying to keep it all together. Do i need to mention the single black women
of all ages using food to cope.

The list is long and no group is monolithic but one thing is for sure it's not diet alone it truly is a combination of factors.For me sister circles help.

I started working out again to reclaim my fit self. I was guilty of putting others in my life first and now i understand it's best for all of us if I'm health. I missed exercise and personally when life was kicking my butt running or walking was not a priority. However I've made it a must in my daily routine now. I never have eatten soulfood or greasy salty meals and still don't but now in a more positive mind I don't eat from boredom either. I train alone but it will be so worth it to reach the goal of finishing my frist tri next year. Support from family,friends and even reading other triblogs is helping me keep on keeping on.

July 17, 2009 1:26 PM

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About Me

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West Coast, United States
I am a christian woman, wife, mom to 2 great kids, a member of Delta Sigma Theta, A Jack and Jill mom, sister, daughter . I am also incredibly fit but wasn't always. I am a recovering fat girl - who takes it one day at a time.

Alonda the Triathlete!

Alonda the Triathlete!

The backstory-----How did I become a triathlete...

In February 2006, I went on a ski trip with my new colleagues from work. On the way back, I sat next to a girl named Wendy - a really friendly woman who talked about her experience as a newcomer to Seattle. She told me how her main source of making friends was through her workout buddies. She also mentioned that many of her friends participate in triathlons and that (get this) I should consider doing one too. I thought she might have been delirious from all of the skiing. I assured her that I was not the one. She obviously had mistaken me for someone else. Perhap my heavy coat prevented her from seeing what was underneath (50 lbs of extra weight and lots of evidence of no exercise). She continued with this crazy talk, speaking of how fun it is and how supportive the Danskin Triathlon is. I wanted to be sure that she and I were thinking of the same thing... Triathlon (swim bike run -some huge number of miles -all on the same day right after each other). Yup this was it. I chuckled and told her to have fun.
A few weeks later at the office, she mentioned it again. Now at this time, I had been contemplating joining my company sponsored health club (PROCLUB) and in particular the weight loss program called 20/20. After all, I had really packed on the pounds. I arrived in WA 50lbs overweight and pretty unhappy with myself. I actually started to think that completing triathlon would be a good goal...impossible but a good goal. I decided to go for it. At the same time I also decided to join the weight loss program. My first meeting with my trainer ..Anthony Parker was on 3/14/06. I told him ..in all of my fatness, that I wanted to do a triathlon. He looked at me and said hmmm, ok.
I began this really intense workout and nutrition program and began building my endurance. My first meetings with Anthony consisted of walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes and then doing stairclimber or eliptical for 15 minutes. Followed by a bit of strength training. I did this 3x a week (between 6am and 7:30) and then worked out on my own 2 other days. I had absolutely no endurance and could not run for more than 1 minute. Over the months, my endurance grew ..slowly at first then more rapidly. I also figured that I needed to improve my swimming skills if I was going to swim for 1/2 a mile. I took a Total Immersion Class.. which teaches swimming efficiency. Let's set the record straight here... I could swim well enough to save myself if I was thrown off of a boat. I was a decent (not great) swimmer. At the start of the class, I could do 1 (that's right ONE) lap and then I started breathing heavy. At that point I new the triathlon was totally out of reach. After all 1/2 mile was equal to 20 laps. I left the 1st day of class feeling scared and dismayed that I was too aggressive. Maybe I should have set my goal for 2007.
The next week's class, I asked the teacher what I needed to do to build my endurance. He said just keep at it, it will come. You know what, it did. Each week I got better and better. 4 weeks later I was able to swim 9 laps. I then started swimming before my workouts with my trainer (a little crazy but hey). My trainer was pretty impressed. I also started biking on the weekends. In fact in May I did a 30 mile bike ride as a part of the Tour De Cure for Diabetes. I really love biking...:)
Ok so I still had not tackled the most difficult part, the running. Not only could I not run but I absolutely hated it. I started adding running to my treadmill work. Anthony suggested intervals. We started with 2min run 2 min walk . I did this for weeks extending the time and the speed. I was up to running at 5.5 and walking at 4.0. Then Anthony said ..let's see if you can run a mile. I thought he was kidding. I did not think I was ready for that. This was May 5th (a day after my birthday). Guess what I did it. And I didn't feel like I was going to die. I was on top of the world. All day I had a little extra spring in my step. I just kept replaying in my head the "goal attained" message on the treadmill. I just could not believe it.
I kept it up, continued working out 5x a week. I took another swim class "Triathlon Swim Training" to help even more. This class was filled with drills and specific swim workouts. I really saw progress. By the end of the class, I was able to swim 28 laps. Now the challenge was to swim in Open Water. That's right. The triathlon was going to be in Lake Washington.
I finally felt like I could really do it. I didn't have a specific time goal , my goal was to finish. The week before the race I was sooo nervous. I was doing mini triathlons with a few really good girls. I kept up with them during the swim but one bike ride was particularly hilly and....they left me in the dust. I felt so bad and really began to rethink whether or not I should do the race. I spoke to one of the girsl about my bike performance , and she said that my bike was holding me back. That day, I decided to retire my 35lb mountain bike for a 19 lb feather light road bike. Boy what a differnce. This was a risky thing to do so close to the race but it worked for me.
The other thing to mention is that I met up with a wonderful group of women called the Soul Sistas. They are a group of African American Women of all ages who participate in triathlons and bike races. They are so awesome.We (the soul sistas) took pictures the day before the race... I'll post when available.
So the day of the race..... Everybody in the house is excited and up. My kids and my nieces - who were visiting from NJ are all up and ready to root me on. I left early so that I could get ready.The goal was to meet me by the swim finish. This was alll pretty tricky because there were 40 waves of swimmers starting every 3 minutes. All I can say about the swim is that it felt much longer than 1/2 a mile. I kept focused and didn't get nervous. I focused on keeping my breathing relaxed. It worked ...and by the way I wasn't the last swimmer in my group YEAHHH. I don't know how it all worked out but as soon as I finished my swim, I saw them. Byron , Tyler, Paris, Ahlia and Ivy were all waiting there for me with the most beautiful handmade signs saying GO MOMMY, Go AUNTIE, I love you. It was so terrific. Once I saw them I was energized.... Now on to the bike.
The bike was the best part of the entire race. I love my bike and I love to fly down the road. The entire 14 miles of the race was closed to traffic. Our longest stretch was on the express lane of one of the largest highways. Imagine flying down a highway with nothing in your way (but other riders on your right). It was so amazing. I was going pretty fast but could have gone faster - but wanted to save my legs for the run.
Now the run... I hate running and I am really bad at it. I am slow and not terribly efficient. After biking hard for 40 minutes, your legs are really worked up. During the after bike run, your legs turn into "bricks". They are heavy and hard to move. If you push through , you can get over the feeling and get into a stride. Well I also felt pains in my knee. So instead of running the entire 3.2 miles I decided to walk run. In the end it was actually fine - but while doing it I was a little disappointed. Danskin is great because there are so many supporters on the way. Cheerleaders who are yelling "go for it" from their back porch. It was just what I needed. In fact I heard Destiny's Child Im a survivor , on my way and that was what I used in my head to keep me going.
So when I realize I am about 1/2 mile from the end, I start getting super excited and very emotional. It is all coming together now -- all the training, the visualization of actually crossing the finish line and my waiting family. I got on my cell phone to cal my husband, just to make sure he was at the finisth line. He cracked up that I called:)
When you come close to the finsih line, there are all these spectators lined up waiting for you. It is so great! I ran through a narrow entry to the wide finish line area. And there they were.. my family (My hubby, kids and neices) - with signs and smiles. When I crossed the finish line, my name was announced and the official put a medal around my neck. Well I just lost it and started crying. I could not believe that I had just completed a triathlon. I was officially a triathlete.

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