I'd like to thank those sisters who participated in our chat discussion this week, which was, Sisters and Our Body Image.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines the term overweight as an excess amount of body weight for height-which includes muscle, bone, fat, and water-as determined by weight-for-height tables. Obesity is defined as the excess accumulation of body fat. Doctors and scientists generally agree that women with more than 30% body fat are obese.
More than three-quarters (78.0%) of African American women between the ages of 20 and 74 were classified as overweight in 1999-2000 and 50.8% were classified as obese. In contrast, over half (57.5%) of White women were overweight and almost one-third (30.6%) were obese.
During chat, I read an excerpt from the book Slim Down Sister: The African-American Woman's Guide to Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss, by Roniece Weaver, Fabiola Gaines, and Angela Ebron, http://www.mamashealth.com/book/slim.asp . I found it to be very candid in describing how some sisters feel about being overweight. A couple points made was that sisters tend to have a higher self esteem concerning their body image than white women do, even if they are overweight. Although this self esteem is powerful, being overweight, particularly if one is obese, is simply not healthy. Sisters need to look at weight in terms of health, not in regard to whether we still look good or not.
Our sisters in chat shared their experiences with weight gain and weight loss. One sister related how one's environment can effect one's weight. Another said she lost weight for health reasons, and eats smaller portions. Yet another talked about eating disorders. Thank you sisters, for sharing so much of yourselves.
On a side note. I have thought about having a summer break for Sister Chat, like the brothers are having, and perhaps even, a longer break than that. I realize that our numbers are low during chat, and that my technical difficulties don't help matters. When I do research on a topic, it's hard for me to stop--just my nature--and then I look at all the info I've compiled and say, well geez, now what? And on the mic, I'm not one who has the gift of gab. Bubbly? Not I. So I gave sister Chat some thought, and decided...
Hey, it's always good to learn and share knowledge, I just have to remind myself, that I am not doing a research paper, and chill a bit more. Sister Chat is a concerted effort, and I'm not even trying to talk for 2 hours, lol. Watz you see, is watz you get.
But, most importantly...
There have been times...quite a number of times in fact, where sisters have given so much. Sisters have reached out in times of need, related painful situations, and they have in turn been embraced. It has been quite touching to witness. Many have shared a wealth of information. And some have showed a side of themselves, that I probably would not have otherwise seen. You never know when occurrences of this nature are going to happen, and when they happen, it doesn't matter how many sisters are in the chatroom. What matters is the bonding that is being allowed to happen. And so, Sister Chat, continues....
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines the term overweight as an excess amount of body weight for height-which includes muscle, bone, fat, and water-as determined by weight-for-height tables. Obesity is defined as the excess accumulation of body fat. Doctors and scientists generally agree that women with more than 30% body fat are obese.
More than three-quarters (78.0%) of African American women between the ages of 20 and 74 were classified as overweight in 1999-2000 and 50.8% were classified as obese. In contrast, over half (57.5%) of White women were overweight and almost one-third (30.6%) were obese.
During chat, I read an excerpt from the book Slim Down Sister: The African-American Woman's Guide to Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss, by Roniece Weaver, Fabiola Gaines, and Angela Ebron, http://www.mamashealth.com/book/slim.asp . I found it to be very candid in describing how some sisters feel about being overweight. A couple points made was that sisters tend to have a higher self esteem concerning their body image than white women do, even if they are overweight. Although this self esteem is powerful, being overweight, particularly if one is obese, is simply not healthy. Sisters need to look at weight in terms of health, not in regard to whether we still look good or not.
Our sisters in chat shared their experiences with weight gain and weight loss. One sister related how one's environment can effect one's weight. Another said she lost weight for health reasons, and eats smaller portions. Yet another talked about eating disorders. Thank you sisters, for sharing so much of yourselves.
On a side note. I have thought about having a summer break for Sister Chat, like the brothers are having, and perhaps even, a longer break than that. I realize that our numbers are low during chat, and that my technical difficulties don't help matters. When I do research on a topic, it's hard for me to stop--just my nature--and then I look at all the info I've compiled and say, well geez, now what? And on the mic, I'm not one who has the gift of gab. Bubbly? Not I. So I gave sister Chat some thought, and decided...
Hey, it's always good to learn and share knowledge, I just have to remind myself, that I am not doing a research paper, and chill a bit more. Sister Chat is a concerted effort, and I'm not even trying to talk for 2 hours, lol. Watz you see, is watz you get.
But, most importantly...
There have been times...quite a number of times in fact, where sisters have given so much. Sisters have reached out in times of need, related painful situations, and they have in turn been embraced. It has been quite touching to witness. Many have shared a wealth of information. And some have showed a side of themselves, that I probably would not have otherwise seen. You never know when occurrences of this nature are going to happen, and when they happen, it doesn't matter how many sisters are in the chatroom. What matters is the bonding that is being allowed to happen. And so, Sister Chat, continues....