We recently had an interesting discussion in a focus group for We Are Black Women about the much-ballyhooed movie ”Precious.” It garnered a best supporting actress Oscar for comedian Mo ‘ Nique and introduced actress  Gabourey Sidibe – who is morbidly obese, yet confident that she is beautiful.

Whether or not she’s attractive while carrying at least a hundred excess pounds is debatable, yet many consider her to be the new beauty standard-bearer for large black women. But even Mo’ Nique, a big girl herself, who authored the book “Skinny Women Are Evil” has dropped quite a few pounds and now openly admits that her own obesity became a health concern.

I seriously hope that Sidibe  doesn’t become the new heroine for big black girls. Acceptance of her obesity  sends out a bad message and will not only contribute to poor health for her, but is also a dangerous image for other overweight people who think that being fat is okay when clearly it’s not. Although Sidibe’s sunny personality is enough to melt anyone’s heart, I pray that her loved ones get a hold of her and make her lose a lot of weight  (at least 100 pounds) because if they don’t, she’ll  have many health problems down the line - if she doesn’t already.

Recently, I came to accept the fact that I am suffering from early stages of arthritis, a condition caused in part by having too much uric acid settled in my joints, which in my case is due to a number of issues. Arthritis has always been accepted as part of the aging process, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Arthritis can be delayed and even avoided altogether by taking a number of precautions. By reducing  the amount of acid-producing foods that we consume, drinking  enough pure water, maintaining a healthy weight and getting enough exercise, we have the capacity to avoid arthritis. So does this mean I’ll continue to suffer every night when I try to climb the stairs, or do something drastic about the arthritis in my knees ? I choose the latter, and yesterday pulled out my weights and took all of the sugar (even the natural Turbinado sugar that we use) off of my grocery list permanently. I also plan to shed at least 15 pounds (and hopefully more) over the next year.

Obesity shortens our lives and is a strong contributor to such diseases as heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. And let’s face it, with the exception of people who may have thyroid conditions, obesity is our own fault and is a burden on everyone.  Here in the United States, a major contributing factor to our poor state of health and high insurance premiums is directly related to the fact that we eat far too many empty calories and get too little exercise.

With spring in the air, it’s time for a huge shift in our health habits. I hear loud and clear First Lady Michelle Obama’s quest to educate Americans about taking charge of their own health. This doesn’t mean that we all have the ability to have perfect health, just that each one of us has the ability to strive for better health by eating nutritious food and staying on the move.

On the eve of the vote on the president’s health care reform package, it’s essential for each of us to keep one thing in mind: No matter how careful we are, we have a better chance at having good health when we take charge of it. It’s extremely unfair for any one to believe that they aren’t fully responsible for what they eat. In reforming America’s health care, we each must take responsibility for our personal habits, including what we put in our mouths.

Related posts:

1. Michelle Obama’s fat fight
2. Big girls do cry
3. Heart-healthy beans