100 to lose club - Everyday life, limitations and motivation

Just thought I'd throw this out there.

Those of us with a lot to lose often encounter things that remind us of our size - some helpful some not so much. I'm just wondering what some of the most revealing or life affecting things some of you have come across and how you've taken them, reacted to them. Have you found motivation in them?

For me some of them are:

*Finding clothes that fit in a regular store - I would like to be able  to walk into my local Walmart, or whatever and buy clothes.

*Getting behind the wheel of my car and have space between me and said steering wheel - this is actually a motivation for me. The more my belly falls away from the wheel, the better I feel about what I'm doing.

*Turnstiles in some stores - I hate it when I feel like I'm gonna get stuck in one of those things - I hate even more feeling like I have to go through the handicap gates.

What are your peeves, etc....?

I was just writing about this..

1) Scales - When I first started losing weight, I couldn't find a scale that went up to my weight! Gah! It took me a litle!

2) Airplane Seats - This may always be a problem, since I have wide shoulders but.. airplane seats are TOO SMALL!!!

3) Roller Coaster Seats - Nothing fills me with self-loathing as much as NOT being able to get on a roller coaster that I wanna ride. :p

Luckily, I'm happy to say, most of these aren't really a problem much anymore :)

Also, totally agree with the clothes thing. Blah. Stupid Big Men Stores :p

I can't think of many things that remind me of my size, I think more because I subconsciously try to avoid those situations :)

But...

Finding clothes that fit in a regular store would be very nice. I just discovered last night I can shop at different big girl stores whose sizes are not as high as others. *giggles*

Having the seatbelt in the back seat of our car (prior to wreck) do up without having to wiggle, suck and squinch was madsupercrazyawesome!

Every little thing you can do that you couldn't before is motivation to do better. I love having clothes that are cute and not just sacks to cover me up. The more I lose weight the cuter my choices of clothes become. Totally shallow, I know, but I'm really stuck on clothes at the moment! When I think I look good I feel better about myself :) Oh, and the whole healthier weight, lower BP, lower blood glucose, longer life, all that stuff too..heh heh

Restaurant seats: booths where the table is so low my thighs touch or spaced so close to the seat I have to suck in, and regular chairs where I'm hanging on either side.

i fly a lot sometimes (i have family in new orleans) and barely getting
that seatbelt across was a REAL revelation for me. that's actually one
of the reasons that this weight loss has to happen...it freaked me out.
im only 21. also, being able to buy clothes that aren't
misproportioned. i have a supermodel body under here i know it, and
unfortunately any store that sells plus sizes but isn't a plus size
store...has no idea how to fit a fat chick. the thighs are too big the
waist to small the pants are too short the tops are too short and made
of the wrong material. it's hard to find clothes that work for me. im
looking forward to more energy too...i shouldn't be so sluggish at this
young of an age. i guess i just want to feel better about myself too. i
know im healthy...the doctor just couldn't believe how a person almost
300 lbs could be healthy as a horse haha. but i want to feel good. and
im getting there. we're trying to plan a trip to disney next christmas
too..i'd hate to get there and not be able to go on space
mountain....man im fat lol. 

I hear you HK - I don't fly much (only did it once - trip to Florida) Going down I was lucky to sit beside a man and his daughter who were skinny and friendly - they let me keep the arms down. That made for a very comfortable flight down. Too bad coming back, I sat beside a skinny woman and young child who wanted to sit with their feet up on the seats and me 'please squeeze over' (cause we don't want to have a fat person bump our aura or risk rubbing off on us!) Uuuggh! How I didn't end up with deep vein thrombosis, I'll never know.

Booths and small chairs too (i'm always afraid of lawn furniture - I just know I'll crush it or atleast make it bow - not to mention my big butt barely squeezes into most) - My wife likes booths, but she knows how uncomfortable I am in them, so she will ask for a table with chairs when we go out.

I'm sick of being out of breath during regular movement, like walking and talking.

I'm sick of having "such a beautiful face" but not the hot body to match it.

I'm sick of having great style and fashion sense and not being able to find wicked new styles in my size!

I'm sick of not being able to wears stilettos for a very long time because the weight is too much.

I'm sick of knowing that if I don't get off my ass and do something about it, I'm putting not only my health, but likely the health of my boyfriend and our future children, at risk.

I'm sorry. This is going to be incredibly corny.

jayd.. then follow me! To better health.. and beyond! ;D

(I'm totally looking for some hawt work clothes whilst shopping today, nice fitting pants and shirts that I look hawt in ;D )

Hey Hub, I can tell you two things that drive me crazy.

1. Like you, I want to be able to buy clothes at regular store.  I can rarely find shirts that will fit me.  I wear a 3xl and most stores will only carry a 2xl.  I would really like to be able to buy a shirt and pants at a place like american eagle, or someplace like that.

2.  Seats at sporting events.  They are the worst.  And the look that someone gives you when they see they are sitting by you.

Ughh.

What a good post!  I know all of the above personally, except roller coasters, which are a fear of mine!

What about being able to get into and out of a car back seat easily? 

Walking between seat rows in stadiums or some classrooms without having to turn sideways? 

Fitting in those classroom seats with the attached desks??

Being able to sit in one of those molded public bus seats without overlapping into the next one?

I'm sure there are others . . .

I DO want to say, though, that I am starting to feel and see victories in my own life as I am now able to do several of the above comfortably (like the booths, only needing a scale to go to 230 or less, and having several inches between me and the steering wheel of my very small car!).

Laughin, I totally hear you about the cute clothes! I'm still shopping in the plus size stores.  Yep.  But I'm also shopping in Old Navy, Eddie Bauer, and a couple of other "misses" size stores.  I know you will be soon, too!  Your photo is beautiful, and you're doing great!

HK, the way you've been hitting the exercise, no rollercoasters will be off limits very shortly!!  Keep up the good work! :)

You will ALL see victories too!  I promise!  Just hang in there! :D

Jay-D, hon, I know what you mean about walking and talking.  You will get there!  Start small--walk 10 minutes.  Keep doing it.  Add 5 minutes.  Eventually, and it may seem like it takes a while, you'll be walking 30-40 minutes, faster, and without too much trouble.  5 months ago, I couldn't take 5 flights of stairs or walk more than 15 minutes "for exercise."  I couldn't do push ups.  I parked as close to buildings as I could, and couldn't talk if I had to walk any distance.  I weighed 284 pounds.

Yesterday, after my 50 morning push ups, I walked about 2 miles, did a low-ropes course in 85-degree weather and high humidity for 3 hours with 12 18-year olds, and held my own.  :D 

Yesterday, I also did a service project for 3 hours that involved a lot of walking and lifting, and I walked from the furthest parking lot on campus to my classroom and back.  In addition, I took 5 flights of stairs up and down 2 times. 

Is this my norm?  NO way, Jose!  haha!! And YES, I still thought it was hard work to do some of the above, BUT losing weight and making little but consistant changes has made an incredibly positive difference in just a short time!! 

I can do things I never imagined I would. . . . :)

And, yesterday, despite the stress and eating (on purpose) over my normal calories, I weighed in at 232.  :D

Keep the faith, my fellow 100 Clubbers .  .  .  .

Cutting toenails without wrestling with my own legs - yeah, that would be nice. And I hear ya, Jules, about the floor thing - I wish sometimes I could play with the kids on the floor and not feel like a blob stuck on the floor (or like you say a 'freaking whale').

One of these days, luv, one of these days:)

The floor thing is a good one! 

Today, I almost teared up because I was able to walk between crowded tables in a ballroom, going all the way from the dead back row to the podium quickly, without having to have everybody scoot their seats in for me to get my big butt around them . . .

Hang in there hubbaji and united--those toenails are a big step in the right direction!!  :D

Well I gotta chime in here.  Last year we had a local carnival come to town and I decided to ride on of the rides.  It had been twenty years since I had ridden so I thought it would be fun to do with my brother in law.  Wow what an embarrassment, the stupid bar would not close over my waist when they guy came to "lock us in".  So the ride operator said I had to get off.  That is probably the most embarrassing moment I have had in my life...  I have to admit the other people on the ride were pretty cool and as I was walking off they were saying things like "these seats are really to small and one skinny guy said "don't feel bad I barley fit in here".  I know they were trying to make me feel better but it still sucked.  I am big boy and it really didn't get me all that up set but it made me mad that I had let myself get this fat.  What's really sad is this happened almost a year ago this month and I just started losing weight a few weeks ago.  Don't know why I waited so long but it's time to get it off...

Jeff

I had a little moment today that felt wonderful. I was driving on the freeway to visit my brother and eating a few crackers I had brought along so I wouldn't be STARVING later when we went to dinner. I dropped one of the crackers on the floor.
1. I could see it there, on the floor when I glanced down.
2. With suprising ease (which is good 'cause I was doing 70 mph...) I reached my arm between the steering wheel and my stomach, between my legs, and picked up the cracker before inevitably stepping on it and grinding it into the carpet.

No way could I have done this a year ago. I would have had to undo my seatbelt, reach around the outside of my leg and feel around blindly on the floor while trying not to get in a wreck. (Or just deal with the cracker dust upon reaching the destination) There was a period of time 4 or 5 years ago when I could drive the car with my stomach. At least relatively straight drives; though I could steer some with a little hip action...

If I'm ever a size where I don't have to ask an airline stewardess for a seatbelt extender, I believe I shall cry.

I get to put down things I won't miss and I have to say I feel so darn lucky to be able to. Though just because my height I will always fit badly in plains, roller coasters and back seats...

I will not miss nearly pushing every breath of air out of me trying to reach my toes.

I will not miss the "King's Size" brand from the Sears 'big and tall' crap catalog.

I will not miss leaning forward on my bike and having my belly hold me up, not just up but in fact up above the wind screen. (Now that I can lay my chest on my tank I can get going MUCH faster.)

I will not miss being an example of what not to live like to my daughter. It's dumb but I like a good example of how to charge charge of your own life and I like even more that now she has two good case studies to learn from with my wife being years a head of me.

I will not miss trying to catch my breath after walking up only one flight of stairs.

I will not for a second miss the 68 pounds. I won't miss the last 32 when they leave me either.

Great show guys and gals, you've really come up with perfect examples of what we face with the simple and not so simple things in life. And you have overcome or are overcoming those hurdles like champs!

Losetheweight - don't sweat "waiting so long", I think we all have waited longer then we thought we should (some of us have waited too long more then once!) Losing weight it something you can't do until your ready, getting healthier is something you can't do until your ready......living is something you can't do until your ready!

Shopping for clothes was always a bummer, especially when I was in denial of how large I was.  I did not want to admit that I was going up in sizes, so I would get disappointed when nothing would fit right.  'Course, it's compounded by the current trend of low-rize pants, which squish my fat in super-unflattering ways. 

I haven't really bought clothes since I've started my weight-loss journey, but the ones I have are fitting better and I'm wearing things I haven't in years because they finally fit again!  And THAT is super-motivating!  :)

I can't wait until I can shop for clothes in "normal-sized" stores.  I don't care if it's the back of the rack, it's a "normal-sized" store. 

wow- this is a great post. i have encounted many of these issues, but none of theme helped motivate me, just depressed the heck outta me when they happened. I used to fly every week for work- and was about 40 lbs lighter at the time. Once I had a seatbelt that didn't fit and had to ask for an extender, and I cannot describe the nasty look the flight attendant gave me- it was like i was utterly disgusting and annoying! i too have trouble fitting in cars under the stering wheel. I have a relativiely small waist- but the thickest hiney and thighs in the world! or so it seems, which was def. a factor in the car i choose when i was looking a couple years ago. Turnstiles? forget it! I actually was at a concert where u had to go thru one, and i just asked to be let thru a door- for fear my hips wouldn tmake it and I'd be stuck, and embarrassed! I have alos had issues in movie theaters- not being able to fit easily into a seat.  and in restarant booths. Life can really suck sometimes when you're big, and people have no sympathy. So i've learned to avoid potentially embarrasing situations. and even after a little weight loss- I am fitting into things a bit easier.