Embarrassed once and does not want to go through that again

06fusion4us

I do not know where to start! But here is goes!
Call me Charlie. I have fought this weight roller coaster for many years. I was embarrassed once and that sparked a 70 pound loss from 300 to 230. Unfortunately 7 years later, I made it back to 300.

I am going to explain my embarrassment. I waited for over an hour to ride a roller coaster. After that long wait, I get in the seat and my problem starts. My *kitten* does not fit! The latch will not shut. There are two guys trying to lock me in the seat. After what seems like an eternity I tell them to stop and get off the ride. I exit the ride never to return. My close friend at the time came out after the ride completed and did not say anything other than “let’s get outta here.” He knew what was wrong and had no idea what to say. That was the best thing he ever did. It was at that moment I decided to lose weight.

Now fast forward 7 years. I have put all the weight back on. I have attempted to lose weight twice and epically failed both times. I have a three year old son that I love more than anything! So when I came across this article: “Man's change began when he couldn't fit in ride with son - CNN.com” Every feeling I had on that day at the amusement park came back. It took everything I had not to tear up in front of my wife and son!

I want to avoid the experience this father had. I can only imagine how gut wrenching and painful this was for him. Here is the link to the article: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/25/lose.weight.over.100.pounds/index.html

I have been on and off this site a couple of times. This time, I want to stay!
My first question: What is the add function?

charlie

morganadk2_deleted

Welcome Charlie good luck on your journey!

kao708

My first question: What is the add function?

What add function are you looking at?

twooliver

:laugh: :smokin: :bigsmile:

So glad that you want to fight for your life!!! You've come to the right place!!! There is much support, inspiration, and challenges here for you!!

puggleperson

bump

monica208

im not sure what the add fucntion is or are you asking how to add friends?

but... congrats for coming back... my advice is take it one day at a time... understand that this is a process... there will be ups and downs... but never give up... get some friends to help keep you focused... this site really works as long as you use it constantly and are honest with yourself... good luck to you and i know you can lose your weight again...

bethvandenberg

Welcome and good luck on your journey. The add function is where you add food.
I would suggest you add some friends as the support and accountability is wonderful. There are lots of men/women who have 50+ pounds to lose.

You can do this and your son won't remember that you were big. He'll just know what you portray. So get after it and plan a trip to the amusement park. ))))

StefBeeney

Welcome.... Don't think of it as a diet... we all fail at diets... this is a lifestyle change.... and you can do it!

danamfinn

Welcome back, you can do it! Every time you hit the gym or exercise outdoors just keep thinking about your son and the life you want to have with him. Good luck!

crebbe

Welcome! Good job making the first step and thank you for joining us! Remember to post whenever you need encouragement since we are all trying to reach similar goals. Everyone is very helpful here.

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Becky1971

Welcome! This is such a wonderful place, just add some friends, and they will help motivate you, as well as read the success stories, I think they are fantastic! You can do this! Stick around, don't go anywhere, no matter how many times you feel like giving up, or feel like you have failed again. The key is to keep at it, I blow it all the time, but refuse to give up. Best of luck to you!

I'm sorry for your embarrassment, and can imagine how you felt catching this other story, I was stunned when you mentioned it just thinking about how I would have felt.

omgiacobbi

I understand completely how this feels. I recently went to Cedar Point for the first time since childhood, and couldn't ride any of the ride with the harness that came down from overhead. They wouldn't latch shut. I was only able to ride one roller coaster. I wanted to scream, to run and hide, to lock myself away somewhere and never come out due to embarrassment. I actually had a couple of people LAUGH at me when the harness wouldn't lock. What's worse, is that someone else paid for my ticket as a gift, and I felt like their money was wasted.

Reliving that pain right now is a huge motivator, so thank you for this. It's a push I've been looking for.
Our stories sound very similar. I also lost a large amount of weight and then gained it all back (and much sooner than you gained yours back!), and I now have around 150 pounds to lose to get to a healthy weight.

I'm going to go ahead and add you. You can accept the request if you'd like.
Thanks for the motivation, Charlie!

ShellyMacchi

awesome article... thank you for sharing... and for sharing your own personal viewpoint of same situation. it is not easy to do, i know, but somehow, doing so, tends to set you free a lil to move on positively with where you are going instead of where you have been perhaps? *reassuring smile*

my fave quote in the article:

"Dieting implies that you're making a temporary change, and what is essential is making a commitment to a different way of living," he noted. "Once you've made the mental leap over that hurdle, you've taken the hardest step."

edited to add:
feel free to add me as a friend if you wish *S*

Atlantique

Welcome!

I think you are going to really like it here, as there is a ton of support and help.

If you have a smartphone, I would definitely recommend also downloading the mobile phone app, as this makes logging easier when you are away from your computer. The phone apps will sync with the PC app, so you are always up to date.

I'd also recommend taking measurements NOW. On the weeks that the scale just refuses to cooperate with you, you will often find that you've lost inches. It's also a good idea to take pictures as another way to monitor your progress. You don't ever have to share them with anyone unless you want to do so, but it will be helpful to track your journey this way.

az1cowgirl

I too know this embarrassment but do everything I can to avoid it. My husband loves roller coasters and rides and I refuse to go because I'm trying to avoid that weight issue embarrassment. But like everyone else is saying, this is a lifestyle change and just take it one step at a time, one meal at a time, one breath at a time and pretty soon your son will be running to catch up to you!!

Linda

06fusion4us

The add friends function. I have never seen that. That is what I am curious about.

MisterDubs303

I've experienced the amusement park ride thing (as I'm sure many of us have). I'm not sure which I hated worse: having a seat at the beginning of the line that allowed me to see if I would fit or not ahead of time, or being able to ride, but holding everything up while some 17 year old went to round up an "extender" for the seat belt while the whole line watched and waited impatiently.

You will find support here, but brother, your first hurdle should be honesty and openness in your own home. I gotta say I was a little bummed by the part where you said it took everything you had not to tear up in front of your wife and son. If you don't let them into your heart and passions, your little safety buffer will probably buffer support from where it is most meaningful as well. I'd be happy to support you, but it may read like this once in a while. Friend me if you dare (and that goes for the rest of you as well).

MisterDubs303

Just click on someone's picture or screen name. There will be a little green box to the right that says, "Add as Friend." Just click on it and follow the rest of the prompts.

rjnandjosh

Are you talking about where you invite friends to join?:embarassed:

MooseWizard

I have been there. In my case, it was a lot longer than an hour's wait, and it was a ride I had rode before. However, they changed the harness configuration, and I had the same experience you did. Was very troubling to me at the time but sadly it was not a catalyst for change--at least not major change. It took a medical scare for that to happen.

Now, thanks largely to MFP and the community here, I'm down to 225lbs, and looking forward to my amusement park visit coming up in May. (And I expect to be around 215lbs by then!)

travelprincess

First I want to say welcome and you just started the first day of the rest of your life.
Second I want to say that I can imagine the pain your friend saw in your eyes. My sister was 450 lbs and we would always get in situations like that whether it was the amusement park or airline seat. She started losing her weight February of 2008, met her goal of 190 (she is 6' feet tall) in the middle of 2010 and has not regained a lb. You CAN do this.
One of the greatest motivations is your child, stick a picture of him on the fridge.
The greatest part is that once you reach your goal weight you can use MFP to stay there by logging what you eat. It does seem bothersome but some of us have to do it.

yuz1

Don't wanna sound like a tuna commercial, but sorry Charlie! (Been there...done that!) I wish you the VERY best in your renewed motivation. I'm sure many of the people believe in you...believe in yourself and persistence will pay off and you will succeed!

DawnBelle

You can do this!! You will have us all to support you along the way. Best of luck on your journey!!

milehighcritic

Good Luck from a fellow Harley Rider.

123456654321

Welcome and thanks for sharing with us! You will do it and stay with it this time for sure! Good luck!

anubis609

I feel your pain. At my biggest, 2 of the techs had to forcefully latch the harness into place. On top of that, the crotch safety belt was cutting off circulation to my left testicle for the 2 minutes of Riddler's Revenge at Magic Mountain... I don't remember much of the ride, but I do remember the pain. So, I sympathize with you.

As previously stated, remember that the key to a long, fulfilling life full of health is a lifestyle change. You can do it. I wish you much success on your journey.

arwamya

AWW i feel for you..the roller coaster ride .. I had an experience with it too.. My boyfriend and I couldn't fit into the same seat and mind you those seats were big enough for two.. It was embarassing given the fact that my boyfriend was like really lanky and i was almost 200 lbs so we sat in different seats.. I felt awful , miserable, people were giggling away . I knew i had to do something and i have done three fourth of it already . You can do it too charlie I know you can ! Go for it !

NuclearGirl

Welcome Charlie and thank you for sharing your story with us. That's a really big step you have made already - it's never easy to talk openly about what troubles us about our weight - so well done! I'm going to add you as a friend because I really want to support you on your journey - call it pay-back to all the wonderful friends I have met on my weight-loss journey. Without them I don't think I would have got this far.
I too refuse to call this a 'diet'. I don't want to starve myself stupid for a few weeks to lose a few pounds and then pile it all back on (and more) when I start to eat 'normally' again. It is indeed a lifestyle change - I've changed my attitude to food and reinvented my 'normal' diet.
Been here since January and I feel great! You will be saying this very soon!
Good luck Charlie!

ps to Phil - your experience with a roller coaster sounds incredibly gruesome!!

06fusion4us

I've experienced the amusement park ride thing (as I'm sure many of us have). I'm not sure which I hated worse: having a seat at the beginning of the line that allowed me to see if I would fit or not ahead of time, or being able to ride, but holding everything up while some 17 year old went to round up an "extender" for the seat belt while the whole line watched and waited impatiently.

You will find support here, but brother, your first hurdle should be honesty and openness in your own home. I gotta say I was a little bummed by the part where you said it took everything you had not to tear up in front of your wife and son. If you don't let them into your heart and passions, your little safety buffer will probably buffer support from where it is most meaningful as well. I'd be happy to support you, but it may read like this once in a while. Friend me if you dare (and that goes for the rest of you as well).

My wife and I are talking tonight. I sent her an email...

KTNemo

You will find support here, but brother, your first hurdle should be honesty and openness in your own home. I gotta say I was a little bummed by the part where you said it took everything you had not to tear up in front of your wife and son. If you don't let them into your heart and passions, your little safety buffer will probably buffer support from where it is most meaningful as well. I'd be happy to support you, but it may read like this once in a while. Friend me if you dare (and that goes for the rest of you as well).

My wife and I are talking tonight. I sent her an email...

I am so glad to see this response, Charlie, because it was bothering me too. If you don't have the support of your family, then this journey is nearly impossible! Having someone to talk it out with, especially late at night (when bad cravings are high) can help you tremendously.

I know it is different for women (which is sad) but I have cried to my hubby many times on my journey. He has been my greatest support and cheerleader! You are amazing, and you can do this!

The only advice that I can add is make sure to log everything, even if you cheat or have a really bad food day. That is another eye opener! Once you see what you are actually consuming, it becomes easier to really reduce your intake. Be honest. You have already proven that you can do this. Good luck. This site is wonderful!

06fusion4us

Thanks to all of you! On a roll and completed day three!!!!