Embarrassed once and does not want to go through that again

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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
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Replies

  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    Welcome Charlie good luck on your journey!
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
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    My first question: What is the add function?
    What add function are you looking at?
  • twooliver
    twooliver Posts: 450 Member
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    :smile: :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
    puggleperson Posts: 740 Member
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    bump
  • monica208
    monica208 Posts: 229
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    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
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
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    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
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    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
    danamfinn Posts: 77
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    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
    crebbe Posts: 18
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    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
    Becky1971 Posts: 979 Member
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    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
    omgiacobbi Posts: 88 Member
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    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
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
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    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
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
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    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
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    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
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    The add friends function. I have never seen that. That is what I am curious about.
  • MisterDubs303
    MisterDubs303 Posts: 1,216 Member
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    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
    MisterDubs303 Posts: 1,216 Member
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    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
    rjnandjosh Posts: 168
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    Are you talking about where you invite friends to join?:embarassed:
  • MooseWizard
    MooseWizard Posts: 295 Member
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    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
    travelprincess Posts: 73 Member
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    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.