Nothing to do with weight loss, my progress or any words of wisdom. Just have a laugh

Today's post is going to be a reminder of why I have done what I have done to get healthy. It is intended for myself (and anyone else reading) to read and remember why surgery was necessary to change my life should I ever be tempted to stray from the path, or I wonder what the hell I have done to myself. Credit goes to Wulfrune of the UK for starting this thread on the RNY forums and giving me a chance to reflect on my reasons for having surgery.

Top ten reasons I hate being fat.


1. Difficulty driving a car. Can't get that seatbelt around me, and all my shirts have black marks from the steering wheel rubbing my belly.

2. Sitting in restaurant booths just wasn't working for me. I once got wedged in for a few seconds and couldn't get back out or the rest of the way in. Completely mortifying. Ahh but in those restaurants where I DID fit in the booth...the table certainly was a nice resting spot for my boobs. Who needs a napkin in their lap? Not me!

3. Sitting on airplanes was near impossible. I never knew they had seatbelt extenders, so when the seatbelt lights came on, I would just have my sweater in my lap to hide the fact that I wasn't wearing one. Never mind putting the try table down either. I either held my drink or used the tray table in an empty seat near me.

4. Sex was such an ordeal that I started trying to avoid it. It's gotten better, but I still won't do anything in the bedroom with my husband unless it's dark.

5. Not having a lap really sucks. My cats try to get on my lap for some lovin' and I always end up with claws in my leg when they fall off because my belly is in the way. Or how about going to a fancy restaurant, putting the napkin in your itty bitty lap, and having it fall to the floor in 3 seconds flat. Then it's an exercise in futility to pick it back up without getting out of the chair that the nice host just pushed in for me, like a gentleman.

6. Bending over to put on socks and shoes was a workout all by itself. I used to have to put on my pants first, then use the cuff of the pant leg to lift up my leg high enough to get the ankle crossed over the knee just to put on my socks. The shoes I always bought were slip-ons because tying shoes nearly made my head explode from the blood rushing to my head.

7. Buying clothes for myself. This was once a fun thing for me in my younger, thinner days. Now, I buy clothes once every 5 years when everything I own is falling apart. Trying on clothes in the store's dressing room is the worst kind of ordeal. Pick the biggest size they have, take it in, get it halfway on before realizing it's not going to get over my hips let alone zipping or buttoning. Peel everything off, get re-dressed in my old clothes. Come out of the dressing room dripping sweat and shoving stuff at the attendant like it was her fault it didn't fit. Leave the store without new clothes. Story of my adult life. If I do manage to find something that fits, all it seems to do is make me look rumpled and fatter (is that possible?) and like a slob.

8. Having my husband say to me, "let's go camping this weekend" or "let's go for a bike-ride, it's such a nice day out". And me saying, "aww honey, I wish I could, but I have to do XXXX today" or "Eww camping, with all the bugs and crawly things?" Actually I always loved camping and bike riding but weighing this much makes it nearly impossible to do. Last time I tried to sit on a bike was about 15 years ago and the entire bike seat was swallowed by my butt and I felt like I was sitting on a pole without the seat.

9. Walking was becoming an effort as well and I was tempted to use those motorized carts in the grocery stores whenever I went. I'd have to go into the store with a cart even if I was only picking up one or two things because I knew I couldn't make it through the store without that cart to lean on and rest my back.

10. No energy to do ANYTHING. It took me forever to get the most basic of housework done because I always got tired, sweaty and out of breath doing simple things like vaccuuming, mopping the kitchen floor, cleaning the bathroom, brushing the dog, etc. Forget about things like lawn mowing, leaf raking, snow shovelling and weed pulling. Those were automatically delegated to my husband who is as fit as ever thanks to the military. Sometimes I feel like such a burden to him