Hi Dr. James

I am 5 feet, 4 inches and weigh 153 pounds. I am a beautiful, stacked, modern woman who turns a lot of heads. I went to this new doctor for my annual checkup, and he had the nerve to tell me that I am overweight!

I think that I look great and my husband thinks so too. All the women on my mom’s side of the family are short and curvy in all the right places. We are not fat, and definitely not obese. We are just big-boned people.

I am very active and play on my office softball team. Do you think my doctor is right and that I am just being stubborn?

Chris

Hi Chris

I love your attitude! There is definitely nothing wrong with having curves “in all the right places.” A lot of African American women are curvy by nature. We sometimes take after the women in our family. That usually means wide hips, a generous butt, and thick thighs.

I hate to disappoint you, but I agree with your doctor. Based on your height and weight, you are overweight.  I discussed the importance of why our size matters in a previous blog post.

While a lot of women say they are “big boned,” there is nothing actually big about their bones. They are often overweight and have more body fat than they need. The extra fat may give us the curves, but it also puts us at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

This does not mean that you have to go on some crazy diet and lose 50 pounds in a year. I am sure your husband appreciates those curves and would hate to see them disappear. It simply means that you should find a balance between being curvy and being healthy.

You will need to cut back on how much you eat and spend a little more time exercising on the days you don’t play softball.

And girl, don’t hate the doctor. Work with him or her in finding the best way to keep you healthy and happy.  Please check out a previous blog post on setting S.M.A.R.T. weight loss goals. 

Keep It Tight Chris.

Now, It’s Your Turn

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Eat. Move. Breathe.