“font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana;”>A woman who is 6 feet tall is thought to have a forgiving frame that masks weight fluctuations that plump out so easily on those of shorter stature. That may be true – but only to a point. “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Angelita Jackson, a graphic artist at The St. Louis American, was the tall, lanky girl who towered over her classmates while growing up. After graduation from Beaumont High School in St. Louis, Jackson majored in design and photography at the University of Missouri St. Louis. She spent long hours each day in the Fine Arts building, increasing her knowledge – along with her weight. “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I think it was because I stayed on campus a lot and campus food was convenient,” Jackson said. “It was mainly chicken strips, fries, chips, soda, candy bars – and the vending machines were mainly out in the hallway outside the class. We had a big lecture hall, so you’d just go out there – get your snacks – come in.” “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She pretty much lived in the arts building, where she stayed until about 11 o’clock each night.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Whatever what was in the machines, I just ate from there to hold me over, because I was on campus a long time,” Jackson said. “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>By the time she graduated, Jackson was weighing around 300 pounds – and she said she was comfortable with it. That sentiment agrees with a recent study of data collected between 2000 and 2010 by a team of researchers (at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute in Fargo, North Dakota and the Obesity and Quality of Life Consulting in Durham North Carolina) published in Applied Research in Quality of Life that indicated that black women are less bothered by being obese than white obese women. “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The Office of Minority Health (U.S. Dept. HHS) reports that 78 percent of non-Hispanic black women over the age of 20 in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Being overweight is defined by having a body mass index, or BMI, equal to 25 or more, using the relationship between height and weight. Obesity begins with a BMI of 30 or greater.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>High self-esteem, the need for emotional space and body image acceptance aside – people who are obese are at increased risk for many health issues, like type 2 diabetes (80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight), cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers (including breast, colorectal and kidney), fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, disability and premature death. Excess girth can pose potential heavyweight complications when treating overweight and obese patients for other health conditions as well.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Jackson
said she did
not have any red flags from health screenings – her blood pressure
was normal, as was her cholesterol, blood glucose levels and other
indicators checked during physical examination. Putting it bluntly,
she was just “phat” and happy – seemingly. The serious downside to
this attitude is that women who are less bothered by being obese
are less motivated to lose weight.
“font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Even as a participant during employee weight loss challenges at work, Jackson admits to never taking them seriously. “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“It was just fun,” Jackson said. “I was like, ‘Oh okay, I’ll do it again next year – put on weight again so I can lose more.’ It was like a game.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Last year when the office did not have a weight challenge is when what was going on with Angelita and the scales became personal. “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The woman in the mirror
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Screensavers can be reminders about what you love and enjoy. And in this case – the nagging image looking at herself made Jackson realize she loved herself and her body more than the image revealed. As comfortable as she professes she was with her weight, Jackson knew she needed to act to make a change for the better. “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Every time I looked at it, I knew I had to take the weight off,” Jackson admits. “And I was still jolly and happy with myself – it was that I kept looking at the picture and I needed to make a change.” “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>How did she do it?
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>By cooking her own meals (including more vegetables); walking to restaurants if she had a taste for a fast food lunch; and by giving up sodas and drinking only water.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I walked in some snow but when it got real bad outside, I had to stop walking, so I did it for about six months,” Jackson said. “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Jackson
knew she was
really making progress when others began to notice – and she was
safety-pinning her clothes together and wearing belts to make them
fit – and her clothes were still too big. Some people thought she
was losing weight because of illness.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I had to change the hairstyle I was wearing from when I was a little bit bigger because people were saying, like, ‘Are you alright – are you sick?’ And I’d say, ‘No – I am trying to lose weight,’ Jackson said. “Right now I’m at a comfortable size, so I am trying to mainly maintain right now.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Even after losing 84 pounds, from 311 to 227, Jackson would have a journey to move beyond the obese/overweight BMI categories into the normal range. At 6 feet tall, a person can weigh between 136.5 pounds and183 pounds before being considered overweight. “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Dropping six dress sizes and close to triple digits on the scales is nonetheless remarkable.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I want to give all glory to God, because I couldn’t have done it on my own,” Jackson said. “Because I’ve tried all sorts of diets and gym memberships and nothing seemed to work.” “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Jackson
said you have
to find out how to make weight loss realistically fit with your
personality.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>She advised, “We have to watch what we eat, how much we eat, when we eat, where we eat and why we are eating.”
