I’m not going to lie. I started running because I thought it would jumpstart my weight loss.
And it did to some degree. But then life happened and so did age and medication and I’m back to having very stubborn fat. I’m a very stubborn person, so it makes sense that my fat would be like me.
A lot of my friends think I’m crazy when I call myself a fat runner. And I admit it, I’m not the biggest girl out there. But I’m not the smallest either. My BMI has me teetering right on the overweight/obese line. My legs are very muscular though, so I think the BMI is a bit skewed. Doesn’t mean my weight is healthy by any means though.
I don’t put on weight in one particular place. It likes to go to my thighs, my breasts, my face, but most noticeably to me, my stomach. I am insanely self-conscious about my belly rolls. I try to wear clothing that doesn’t emphasize it while still trying to not look pregnant. Too much belly disguising can do that to a larger busted woman, after all. I know that it doesn’t work, but it makes me feel better about myself.
I don’t worry about it as much when I run, at least until I see the pictures afterwards. When I’m running, I feel powerful. Sure, the water belt around my waist gives me a lovely fat roll, but who cares? I’m running. I see pictures later and think “Oh man, I so should have sucked it in when I saw that camera.” But I don’t let it get to me. I have a less than flattering photo of myself hanging on my fridge from a race I ran last year. In it, I’m powering through the finish line, having just earned a new PR. I don’t even notice my stomach in that photo. Just the smile on my face (and the giant jet of red hair flying behind me).
As I look at triathlon gear, this is the thing that bothers me the most. The tops are tight. They should be – it’s hard to swim in a loose shirt. But there’s no way for me to hide my body in those. Does it mean I’m not going to do the tri? No. But it’s definitely something I have to get over.
Honestly, I need to lose weight, and ideally, the belly fat would go. Being overweight does raise cholesterol levels, and belly fat is the least healthy sort of fat and comes with all sorts of health risks. But I have to be honest – even though I know that I should want it because it will make me healthy, I want it to feel better about the way I look. I shouldn’t care. But I do.
I wouldn’t worry too much about cholesterol since the theory that cholesterol causes heart disease (The Lipid Hypothesis) has been thoroughly debunked in the scientific literature, although older doctors and the general public still believe it.
If they did a thorough blood panel on you, check the markers of inflamation like C Reactive Protein and A1C, which are much better predictors of heart disease and stroke than cholesterol.
“Good fats” that are high in omega 3s such as grass-fed beef or fish oil, or olive oil are a great idea. Try to avoid processed seed oils (corn, canola, soybean) which are high in omega 6s (the bad stuff).