When it comes to looking your best when being plus size it is the things that are not as readily visible that make the difference in you looking your best.  Recently the fine folks from SQUEEM Shapewear sent me some samples of their products to try.  Normally, the samples are for my number one fit model, my wife, to try and I write from her experience and my observations.

Today I will be doing that but here is the newest twist.  I personally will be part of the review which will include a 30 day experiment with me wearing the SQUEEM Cotton & Rubber vest.  First impressions on wearing the vest is coming from a background of not wearing any type of garment like this it is a bit uncomfortable but not unbearable.  Additionally, in the lower part of my back I am sweating but as I stated before it is not something that I have a problem with.

All SQUEEM products appear to have these things in common:

1. Shaping your torso
2. Firms and flattens your abdomen
3. Provides support for your entire back
4. Claim of losing 1-4 inches in your abdominal area in 30 days

The weight loss component is what interested me because it is not like wearing shapewear is like exercising, though I have had my vest on for a bit over an hour and at this point I can feel the burn in my stomach area.  Right now I am attributing that to more of me getting used to wearing the vest than it is a magical weight loss elixir but this is why I am wearing it to see which one is true.

Like any other products it was recommend to wash the garment before wearing it, which I washed in cold water on delicate and hung to air dry in the shower.  In keeping with the FTC rules of disclosure blah blah blah my words have nothing to do with the fact that this product was sent to me for review.  I am telling it like it is.  At this point wifey has not tried hers yet but when she does I will write about it.

One final note regardless as to talk of plus size or big and tall fashion wearing shapewear is not new and in my opinion should be viewed as an enhancer to your current wardrobe to make you look better than you already do.  If you have been thinking about adding shapewear to your arsenal give SQUEEM Shapewear a look at.

Over the last few months there have been several posts in regard to shoes for my wife and how she has been all but permanently sidelined from wearing a heel taller than 2″.  Part of the problem is an injury suffered while we went camping back in the Fall and part is being hard headed and not resting the injured knee.

If you have the same problem there are a few things you can do in order to wear sexy trendy shoes without having to resort only to shoes with no heel and very little overall support for your foot.

1. Don’t throw your high heels out
2. Make pumps instead of stilettos your friend
3. Make sure “wide heel” is in your vocabulary
4. Find two or three brands you are comfortable with and expand your style choices
5. Only wear your higher heels on special occasions
6. Carry some of your most comfortable shoes with you if you are going to be doing lots of walking
7. Accept some of the most comfortable shoes may not be the most sexy
8. Invest the time and effort to find a cobbler in your area to repair any worn shoes
9. Spend a little more on your shoes to ensure quality
10. Become great friends with Ibuprofen and Tylenol

There is no reason you should be miserable in order to put on the appearance of having a great looking pair of shoes to go with a special outfit.  Giving it a little thought will save you some money and save you trips to the doctors office to deal with sore painful feet.  If you take care of your feet your feet will take care of you.

If you are looking to get a great deal on hundreds of styles and brands of shoes you can enjoy free Shipping BOTH ways on Shoes at Zappos.com!

Today on Full Figure Plus we are going to start on a series that will take us over the next few weeks to go deep into health and fitness and why dieting is not the way to go when it comes to getting fit and staying fit.  For those of us including myself who have lost weight in one way or another only to find it again it is not a situation in which we did anything wrong but we took the wrong road to reach our destination.  Additionally, I would like to thank Bill for providing me with the inspiration to start this series.

Total fitness is about bringing your mind and body together to be fit.  Fitness is not about losing weight its not about losing at all it is about winning.  Winning the race over a long period of time not reaching a goal of dropping some pounds only to celebrate by going out to eat.

This week I will spell out the overview of the plan and reveal each of the parts as we get deeper into the series.  During this journey I encourage all Full Figure Plus readers to join in and share your stories of getting and staying fit.

Disclaimer:  Let me state up front these are my ideas and my ideas alone.  I will share my story but when it comes to any suggestion of anything dietary or physical be smart and consult your doctor, period.

Lets get the obvious things out if the way first so we can start this journey with a clean slate:

1. Physical exercise only has short term effects
2. Admit you have a problem (the problem being not fit)
3. To go where you have never been, you must be what you have never been, and do what you have never done

Moving on there are seven areas, steps if you may, towards the goal of becoming totally fit.  Remember, this is not any type of diet plan with the goal for us to lose weight.  The goal is to become as fit as possible.  Dropping pounds would be a bonus at best because I am looking at this journey as more of a mind and lifestyle change that will last a lifetime.

7 Steps To Total Fitness

1. Do not neglect your body.  This means absolutely no starvation diets.  Period.
2. Take pain in your quest, because when you get started it is not going to be easy to finish
3. Be absorbed in your task.  Make it a part of your daily routine
4. Once you are headed in the right direction people will see your progress there will be no need to ask
5. Pay close attention to the things around you and how they change as you become more fit
6. Be resolute in your promise to become fit, especially when things get tough and doubt creeps in
7. Ensure success by choosing to be fit instead of giving in to peer pressure

I am sure by now you have noticed none of the total fitness steps include going to the gym, dieting, counting calories or anything else typically associated with weight loss.  The reason why is I am not thinking of losing anything but gaining everything through becoming as fit as possible.  In other words, total fitness is not about intentions it is about intentional choices.  The choice during this series is to become fit.  How? Over the next few weeks it will all be revealed.

Be sure to subscribe to the feeds to stay up to date with this series.  As always comment freely and feel free to contact me at owner@fullfigureplus.com with any additional questions or comments.

How would you like to lose weight playing video games? I am probably one od the few people in the world who does not own a Nintendo Wii. During a conversation with a good friend he talked about in using the Wii Fit he lost 12 pounds in 10 days.

That got me to thinking and being the blogger that I am I sent a proposal to Nintendo requesting a few of the units. The goal is to get in shape, not go on a diet, to document my journey, and to share it with the readers of Full Figure Plus.

Below is my request to Nintendo as you can see as I stated before I am looking to get into shape and share my results regardless of the outcome with you guys.

As the owner of a blog concentrating on plus size women and big and tall men the subject of obesity and weight-loss comes up often. It occurred to me that the Wii Fit has been marketed as a way to have fun while getting in shape at the same time, thus the request for a Wii console and the Wii Fit attachment to try out as a case study on weight loss.

A little bit about me. I am an African-American male, 43 years old weighing 270lbs with a BMI of 30. Though overall I consider myself in good shape for the sake of clothes fitting properly as well as lowering the risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, I feel it is necessary to get into better shape. Additionally, I am Cubmaster of Pack #2 in Little Rock, Arkansas and will be doing more physically challenging things with my boys and need to be in the best condition possible.

After hearing a friend state he lost 12lbs in 10 days using the Wii Fit I was inspired to embark on a similar journey with the goal of possibly helping those that read my blog. My proposal is to do a 12-week case study using the Wii Fit and to chronicle my journey on my blog http://fullfigureplus.com. As a bonus to my readers I would like to give away at least two console systems for those looking to get in shape as well.

Regardless of my individual results I think that promotion of the Wii Fit for Americans to get in better shape would be good for the company and good for those wanting an alternative method of working out. Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you.

Glen L Johnson
Owner
Full Figure Network, Inc.
http://fullfigureplus.com

As much as I would love to get a console from Nintendo I am determined to make this happen.  There are only a few days left in the request I made which makes me think that the request will not be granted.  If there is another company willing to sponsor a unit to this cause it is one of the items on my wish list.  Regardless by the end of next week I will start this journey to get into shape and to play a few video games at the same time.

UPDATE:

They turned me down you can read their reply below.

Thank you for your proposal requesting participation with your program. We are unfortunately not able to partner at this time. However, we will keep on file for future consideration.

Nintendo of America Inc.
Consumer Promotions Team

When it comes to health and fitness I have always liked the idea of having a custom program that fits the person.  Rynell over at Fully Figured out has a program that is designed for fuller figures to exercise and be healthy while taking into account the difference in body shape.  If you are in the area check out the classes.

FULLY FIGURED OUT’S BASIC FITNESS

A fitness facility designed for full figured women by full figured women!

Join us after work every week Monday-Saturday for fun and exciting fat burning group exercise classes! Get ready to get fit and stay fit! All group exercise classes are $8.

YOU CAN’T BEAT THAT!

• StepLess Step Aerobics (M-F 5pm-6pm & Sat 9am)
• Hustle for Health (M, W 6:15pm-7:15pm & Sat 11am)
• Strength & Tone (T, TH, F 6:15pm-7:15pm)
• Plus Size Yoga (Sat 10am)

We also offer personal training! For $25 per session you will get a custom workout plan that includes cardio & strength training and daily motivation to keep you on track of your fitness goal(s)! If you need one on one workouts with a trainer call today to reserve your training sessions.

***Ages 13 and up are welcomed***

Lathrup Village Office Plaza

28880 Southfield Rd, Ste 182

Lathrup Village, MI 48076

313.739.7974

When I received notification that my son had a high BMI and according to their chart was obese I threw it in the trash.  It made no sense to me that a 8 year old black child that is height and weight proportionate would be considered obese by a fancy math system that I personally have had problems with for years.  The article below confirmed my suspicions.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611142407.htm

The body mass index (BMI) and waistline measurement overestimate obesity in blacks, according to a new study. The results, which were presented at The Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., suggest that conventional methods for estimating body fat may need to become race-specific.

“Compared to Caucasians, African-Americans of the same age, gender, waist circumference, weight and height may have lower total and abdominal fat mass,” said principal investigator and study leader Samuel Dagogo-Jack, MD, professor of medicine and chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis. “These findings argue for a review of the existing cutoffs for healthy BMI and waist circumference among African-Americans.”

BMI is a simple and common method of estimating someone’s body fat levels, based on that person’s weight and height measurement. Obesity experts classify an adult who has a BMI less than 18.5 as underweight; normal weight is 18.5 to 24.9, overweight is 25 to 29.9 and obese is more than 30. An indirect measurement, BMI is not a reliable indicator of body fat for people who have a large body frame or lots of lean muscle. More specialized methods, such as DEXA bone density scanning or computed tomography (CT), can directly measure total and regional body fat, but these methods are expensive and more time-consuming.

The waist circumference is used to identify abdominal obesity. This fat around the middle carries a higher risk for obesity-related complications such as diabetes and heart disease. Experts define abdominal obesity as a waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men and more than 35 inches in nonpregnant women.

National data show that blacks have higher rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes than whites. Dagogo-Jack and his co-workers therefore examined whether the relationship between body fat and BMI would differ by race. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association, they compared how close BMI was to body fat directly measured by DEXA in whites and blacks. The researchers performed the same comparison for waist circumference and abdominal fat. They studied 93 nondiabetic adults (53 blacks and 40 whites) who have one or both parents with type 2 diabetes. Subjects had a broad range of body weights.

The correlation between DEXA-measured total fat and the BMI was higher in whites than blacks, the authors reported. The same was true for the correlation between directly measured abdominal fat and waist size.

Therefore, body fat is likely to be lower in blacks than in whites of the same weight and height, Dagogo-Jack said. He said their data suggest that muscle mass may be higher in blacks, which would explain the dissociation between weight expressed as BMI and measured body fat.

“If our results are confirmed in a larger study population by other researchers, the obesity field will need to develop ethnic-specific cutoffs for what values represent overweight and obesity,” he concluded.