Body Changes

Unless you have ever truly been overweight, you can't know what it is like. Life is different when you're fat. People who don't know you, often judge you by your appearance. You must be lazy. You must lack self control. You must be sloppy. You probably have lower intelligence. You must not exercise. And the list could go on. And I get it because I do the same thing. I think that being prejudiced against someone who is overweight is as prevelant as prejudice based on sex, race or religion. It just doesn't have any laws or guidelines to protect those who are overweight. If you think I am making this up, read HERE or HERE. Kids who are obese are much more likely to be bullied.

Many of my friends have commented that they didn't realize how heavy I was until they saw my before and after photos. That's because my personality was the same and they love me unconditionally. One of the hardest things about obesity is that you have a person in side of you that is trapped and can't get out. It takes a lot of energy to be the person you want to be when you are obese.

There's a whole psychological side to this that I'm not going to get into right now, but I thought I would just list some changes that I have experienced since losing over 100 pounds. These are probably things that skinny people just take for granted.

• When I go to a movie theater, I don't have to worry about fitting into or being comfortable in the seat.
• I can sit at a booth in a restaurant and not worry about not fitting.
• I can take a bite of something sweet without worrying that somebody will be judging me and think that I don't need that.
• I can fly and the seat belt will fit around me without an extention (an extra seat belt that clicks into the usual one).
• I will be able to lower the tray table on an airplane.
• I can reach the gas pedal in the car without my belly hitting the steering wheel.
• My kids can fit their arms all the way around me.
• I can hold a child on my lap. My kids never really got to spend much time on my lap. They learned how to balance on my boobs, but not cuddle up on my lap.
• I enjoy wearing jeans all day without wanting to put on sweats or pjs as soon as I get home.
• I am able to paint my toes.
• I can bend over and pick something up off the floor of the car.
• I can comfortably cross my legs.
• I can kneel down (I haven't been able to do this since having knee surgery, but now I can.)
• I enjoy seeing pictures of myself. Do you know that I hate looking at pictures from my wedding? I hate that I stick out in front of everyone. I hate that my arms don't lay flat at my sides. It was a perfect day, but I don't like looking at the pictures of it. I'm glad that isn't the case anymore.

• I can lay on my back and not feel like I'm choking.
• I can lay on my stomach and still breathe.
• I can see my collarbones. I find my self squeezing my shoulders and pinching my collarbones because I've never been able to feel them before.

• I can sit with my knees bent up under my chin.

• I can squeeze out of my car when someone parks too close to me.
• There are only two hooks on my bra!
• I tried out our zipline! I was too heavy to do that before.

Things that have been hard to get used to.

• My butt gets sore because there's no padding.
• When I hold up a pair of pants, I think there's no way they will fit because they look so small - but they do!
• I have to buy new clothes - over and over again. I'm love being able to fit in smaller clothes, but it's been hard on the budget. Old Navy and Gap marketing is totally working on me.
• I have to remember not to eat out of emotion or boredom, but instead eat just to fuel my body. Most of the time this is easy, but some days are harder than others.
• My rings don't fit.
• I have saggy skin. I will do a separate post on this at some point, but it is a reality. I will never have a flat stomach because there will always be skin.

I am so grateful for this new life and this new perspective. I will never go back. These are the things that I want to remember.