Run Your Race: Let’s Talk About Weight

The topic of weight tends to be a very sensitive conversation among both men and women.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re reading this article with a somewhat biased perspective or even maybe a hint of apprehension…

Perhaps you have done tons of research about weight loss, so you’re curious to see what angle I’ll choose to explore in my write-up.

Or maybe this is a subject that has always made you uncomfortable and you’re cautiously skimming through my words ready to close the tab at the slightest hint of ‘triggering content’.

Regardless of where you lie on the spectrum of thoughts and feelings about weight loss, I just want to assure you that this is a safe space ❤

I’m not an expert on this topic and I don’t have all the answers, however I do believe that we can have a healthy conversation about weight in a way that provides truthful and balanced insight in a loving manner.

So, put your guard down, leave your expectations at the door, and let’s talk 🙂

I’ll begin by sharing my own personal experience.

When I first started running in January 2019, I was within a relatively normal weight with a BMI of about 23.

Body mass index is a value derived from the mass and height of a person and it is sometimes used as an indicator of whether one is underweight, within normal weight or overweight depending on the individual’s height.

In the first half of 2019, I didn’t experience any significant weight change. I can attribute this to the fact that I wasn’t being too ambitious with my workouts and in addition, I hadn’t made any changes to my diet. Genetics also had a major role to play in this because I tend to lose weight very very slowly. On the other hand, I gain weight relatively easily especially around my waist.

In the second half of the year, I realized that my eating habits had a significant impact on my energy levels. I noticed that if I eat a heavy meal for dinner, I tend to have trouble sleeping and I wake up feeling quite tired. On the other hand, if I have all my meals before 6 pm (with my last meal being something light) then I tend to sleep much better and wake up feeling more energetic. So I started changing my eating patterns and slowly over time, I began to see some noticeable weight loss. By November 2019, I had lost about 6 kgs and I was able to increase the pace and distance that I was running with relative ease.

My decision to skip late night eating meant that I was able to wake up feeling more energetic for my morning runs. Furthermore, the more weight I lost, the less strain and impact I experienced on my joints hence I was able to run faster, further and avoid injuries.

Then came December and I suffered a setback in my fitness journey. During the holiday season, I was stress-eating all the time and had little motivation to workout. In span of 4 or 5 weeks, I gained back nearly all the 6 kgs that took me about 5 months to lose. So in January 2020, I was basically back to square one. However, I was determined to get back on track. 

Many people start running so that they can lose weight faster. However, I wanted to lose weight so that I can start running faster.

Sean Wade is a top masters athlete and coach. He teaches that there are four factors which determine how fast you are as a runner: Form, genetics, how hard and smart you train, and your weight.

In addition, a 2014 study found that the optimal BMI for male 800m runners was between 20 and 21, while it dropped between 19 and 20 for male 10,000m and marathon runners.

So while I was setting my fitness goals for the year, I decided that I want to try and get my BMI down to 20 or 21. This would mean losing about 7 kgs. Between January and July 2020, I have slowly increased my weekly distance from about 10 km per week to my current position whereby I’m covering 20km per week. My goal for the year is to be able to run 30 km every week.

I also started eating a post-workout breakfast salad every morning consisting of beetroot, carrot and banana. This combo tastes really good and it keeps me full for a long time while still maintaining a low calorie count.

As a result of these changes, I’m glad to report that my current BMI is 20.9, having lost about 6.5kgs between January and June.

I am currently very satisfied with my weight and I can sincerely say that I’m in the best shape of my life. My weight loss journey has been very slow and steady, and if you are looking to attain a healthy BMI however you’re discouraged by the fact that your progress isn’t showing as fast as you had hoped, don’t worry. These things take time.

Most people can lose about 1kg in a week however I was averaging 1kg in a month. This proves that we are all different and it’s important for you to be consistent in your workouts and focus more on building a healthy lifestyle as opposed to being obsessed with the numbers on the scale.

Here are some summarized tips that I would give to anyone looking to lose weight:

1. Be patient

The speed at which you start seeing results greatly depends on your body type. This means that you could be following the same workout and diet program as someone else and yet your results are completely different. Don’t let this discourage you. Simply take it a day at a time and be assured that eventually, you will reach your goal.

2. Follow professional advice

Many fad diets promote unsustainable eating or fitness habits that will leave you in a toxic cycle of losing weight, gaining it back then starting the cycle all over again. If you want to receive long-lasting health and fitness benefits, then you should seek to achieve a lifestyle change. There are lots of amazing professional nutritional and fitness experts who can help you discover a weight loss plan that is specifically tailored to suit your needs. While I myself didn’t enlist the help of a professional trainer, I know many of my friends who have achieved amazing results by enrolling for these programs. The weight loss programs that I can confirm have yielding sustainable results among people I know include Shiv Simani Fitness, Life With Tess, Insanity by Shaun T and Jane Mukami . If you are searching for a professional program, you can check these out and see if it works for you.

3. Love Where You’re At

If you forget everything else I’ve said in this article, please remember this: If you don’t love yourself at your current weight, you won’t love yourself at your ideal weight.

The fact that you love your body doesn’t mean that you can’t identify certain aspects of your health that need improvement. In fact, this is often one of the highest forms of self-love because it simply means that you want to be in the best possible state of health so that you can enjoy life to the fullest.

The more you love your body, the more fitness and exercise will become a joy instead of a chore. You will be enthusiastic to find workouts or sports that work for you. In addition, you will discover healthy foods that appeal to your palate and find interesting ways of making your meals taste really good while using wholesome ingredients.

This should be your goal…to be so immersed in self-love such that weight loss is not something that you need to achieve so that you can start feeling better about yourself, but rather it is something that merely improves the existence that you already love.

Whenever I am tempted to compare myself to someone else or be unhappy with my appearance, there is a simple series of statements that I repeat over and over again:

I love my body. I am happy with my body. I am proud of how I take care of my body.

And these are the words that I want to leave with you today. Be intentional to love your body, be happy with your body and embrace a healthy lifestyle so that you can be proud of how you take care of your body.

Thank you for reading.

-RR🌸

Disclaimer:

I am not (yet) a medical practitioner and I strongly advise that anyone looking to begin an exercise program or diet should consult with their physician first.