LIVING

julieworley376

This is inspired by RatPat, if you follow any of his posts you will see some downright motivational stuff going on. He is really living, getting out there and achieving and feeling good.

So what is living to you?

Do you think you are really living to your fullest potential right now?

How do you want to live?

How is your weight holding you back from living the life you want?

I will go first.

Living to me is being active right into old age. It is being able to walk, climb, run, bike, swim, play with grandkids, go to exercise classes.

No I am not living to my fullest potential. It's like my life hit pause and I hate it.

All of the above, I want to be out there zip lining and going on rides if I want and not getting tired and sitting in a plane seat with room to spare.. there is SO much out there.

Right now I am so heavy it's a struggle to put on socks and shoes. It is a HUGE effort to walk. I have to rest during dog training classes. At the weekend I could not stand ring side with my friend.. my back couldn't take the weight of my belly and I was in horrible discomfort. Getting out of a chair takes several tries and what feels like mammoth effort. I could go on and on. I have to say that even hygiene is a challenge.

KnitOrMiss

So what is living to you?

To me, living is having something to look forward to each day. It is feeling good enough to get out there and move around, to not have to say, "No, I can't do that..." for whatever reason. It is being able to say, "Yeah, let's do it!" ...or... "No, I don't WANT to do that today. Maybe Tuesday?" It is being able to have laughs and love and friendship and finding that special spark inside yourself that has been too long neglected for most of us. For remembering the spark of discovery, the enchantment of learning something new. To wake up with that sparkle in your eye, saying, "I can't wait to do THAT today." Whether that is devour a piece of chocolate cake or take a 65 mile bike ride or walk until you can't walk anymore or push your weight limit or be able to paint your toenails or whatever floats your boat.

Do you think you are really living to your fullest potential right now?

Not even close. I am my own worst enemy. I talk myself out of doing things. Other things I can't do or am not willing to do due to embarrassment or restriction or humiliation or whatever. I want the only reason I can't do something to be sheer literal restriction - or sanity!! I don't think I've ever lived to my fullest potential. I think I've always tried, to an extent, but I've always held myself back, too. Usually out of fear.

How do you want to live?

I want to live fully - experiencing everything, living in the moment, enjoying everything - even the misery that must temper the joy. I don't want my life to end and to think, "I wish I'd done that..." about anything. Not a single thing. For a huge number of years, I simply stopped dreaming. I stopped trying. Then in time, I tried to stop caring. I told everyone I had stopped caring. But I didn't. I buried my spark deep inside. It's trying to burst free. I want it to burn so brightly, I risk "sparking" everyone else around me!! I want to be admired and respected. I want to inspire someone - any single someone. And I want to have so few regrets that I almost forget the term.

How is your weight holding you back from living the life you want?

It isn't my weight that is holding me back from these things, at least not completely. I think my weight is more a symptom of the underlying mental hiccups I have. But physically? My weight keeps me from being healthier by being a physical deterrent. It almost seems a self-fulfilling cycle. I'm too fat to work out at any intensity worth doing, but by not doing it I get fatter... What I have to remind myself is that anything counts. I'm back to trying to walk at least once a day. I'm tweaking a few other things, but that is my main thing. I'm embracing the medications and supplements recommended to me. My blood pressure has me feeling really nervous about exerting myself at all, even though I know that is mostly unfounded. It is possible that taking some weight off will help that, but not altogether likely since it all seems hormonally triggered. I have a number of weight related injuries and reductions of motion, some of which are not repairable. I must, I repeat I MUST make the choice that I, my life, my health, my happiness, ME - that I am more important than any fear I have of change, of failure, of success, of any of it... That is the current struggle in my journey. I have a feeling that once I am able to launch myself past that fear, the rest of things will fall into an easier path - one I'll still have to fight for, but one I will feel able to fight for. And I know I have to fight for it, because my everything has a great value, and great value comes at great cost and great sacrifice....and that is where I am headed! Slow, and steady, sometimes taking some steps back, but never giving up, not permanently.

ronercat

Living for me is being able to accept any offer made to me by friends and family. Whether that be a hike, to play a game of tennis or what have you.

I do not feel like I am living at my full potential. I do accept most of these requests at the moment, but I can tell that my weight is holding me back and making everything much harder than it has to be.

I want to be able to complete the 15 mile hikes and not just the 3 mile ones. I want to be able to play basketball at the same speed as everyone else (my height and strength level things out a little bit). I want my nieces to compare me to something in my room besides my statue of Smee (that one stung a bit).

I am lucky in that I am still young(ish) and that I have quite a bit of muscle mass. Even though I am a very large man I am able to participate in many things that people my weight normally do not do. I do not have the same issue of mobility that many on here suffer (if I don't take care of this now I will), but I do have many of the other adverse effects such as not fitting in things. I am working on making this change so once again roller coasters and other theme park rides are open to me.

I agree that we should see Pat as motivation. He is getting out there and facing his weight head on and he is seeing the beauty of the world at the same time. That is something that we should all do. We need to see the world for the beauty it holds and make sure we are active participants in it and not just distant observers.