What are you most looking forward to?
 

Naturally, we all probably started this plan to induce weightloss and improve our health. That is the broad, generalized reason.

What specifically are you most looking forward to as a result of your new Way Of Eating? Is it going to the amusement park without worrying if you'll fit in the ride, comfortably easing into a theater/sporting seat, wearing a swimsuit to the beach/swimming pool, feeling "sexy" wearing a smaller size? Or how about lowering your blood pressure or getting off a certain medication?

Try and pick out one thing you are really, really looking forward to and write about it. Describe how you presently feel about that situation and then visualize and share how it will be when you reach that goal.

I think I am presently most excited about fitting easily into a theater/sporting seat:

A couple of years ago I went to a hockey game and I was mortified that when I sat in the seat, my hips fit so tightly I was actually in pain! I went with some friends and I was praying they couldn't tell I was about ready to pop out of the chair!! The pressure caused my stomach to "ride high" and I'm sure this made my head turn red! I had to cross my arms in front of me just so hubby would have room to sit next to me. It was God awful! Theater seats are a little more forgiving to me than that awful arena seat was! But still, even in the theater I feel like I am taking up more than my share of space.

Each pound and inch I lose will find me much more comfortable in that situation; and when I reach goal, I'll have plenty of room to manuever and even allow hubby to put his drink in the cupholder between us without worry of a roll knocking it over! People will be able to sit next to me without feeling overpowered by my size....I can hardly wait!!!
:yay:

P.S. If you have already lost 100+ pounds and are near or at goal, describe to us one of the things that have improved in your life. Your success will be so inspiring!

For me, its definately just regaining my positive attitude and dominant personality. The bigger I got, the more I 'shrank" inside. I was beginning to get depressed and I want to be the old happy go lucky me.

As a side note, I love to travel and fly. I was beside myself that I had to wiggle/wiggle/wiggle inhale until I almost imploded to get the seatbelt on.

Thank god the plane wasnt full but if there was someone next to me, it would have been terrible. On the way home I noticed another airport sign that said oversized passengers may have an additional surcharge... No way... I dont ever want to read a sign like that again and feel worried about it, or that it applies to me....

P.S. Giants stadium has been replacing seats one section at a time. I loved my seat, sure enough the new one.. smaller and a little higher off the ground. The result? I'm MASHED in there like an overstuffed sausage, and have to sit on the edge so my feet can comfortbly fit the ground.

Opening day is sunday. Hopefully I'll fit a little easier in the seat this season :-)

I want to be able to walk around Disneyland and California Theme Park next summer with my son and my (soon-to-be) husband. I don't want to have to sit down every ten minutes, and I would like to go on some of the rides.

I went to the little carnival that my hometown put on every summer last June and I couldn't ride any of the rides because I was afraid that I would get on and no t be able to fasten the seat belts or close the gates.

I have always said that I wanted to take AJ to Disneyland when he was 7 because then he is old enough to ride the stuff he wants to, and stil little enough to go on the ones I want to. So Next summer he will be 7, and the trip is coming. I just want to feel better and be able to keep up with my family.

Ha! It has been a long time since I could fit into the seatbelt on an airline. I've had to ask for "extension" belts for a long time now. On one trip, the armrests were solid and didn't more and it really hurt to squeeze into the seat. If that flight had lasted more than an hour and a half, I'm not sure what I would have done!

And then the look people give you when you say you're seated next to them. One old lady looked nearly terrified at me. Boy I'm I SORRY!!

Then at the restaurants I always have to ask for a chair without any arms as otherwise I have to sit on the edge of the seat. And forget the stadium seats. Yuck!

And I used to like to ride a bike, but at some point it just hurt too much to sit on those tiny seats. Boy will it be nice to ride a bike again!

But, I was able to fit into most of the rides at Disneyland. They must have a lot of overweight people that go there.

But the biggest thing for me is just to have the energy to do things. I simply can't do a lot of housework as it's just too hard. It especially hurts to kneel and do something -- so forget trying to tile the floor!

I would love to go camping and hiking with my kids and make it more than a mile or two. I would love to go swimming with them and not feel like a huge marshmallow. I would love to take my wife to Europe and enjoy myself.

And to think I put off losing weight when it has turned out to be relatively easy! How stupid I was not to do this sooner. But how grateful I am that at least I found out about this WOE now!

In short, life is hard when you're way over weight and you just can't do things easily. You're truly handicapped and embarrassed about it to boot! And you're killing yourself too.

Losing weight changes a lot. Losing weight and enjoying what you're eating is like heaven.

After I lose my weight, I'm going to take my son and go down to Brazil and perhaps go to the Amazon. I'm going to take my wife to Europe and Israel. I'm going to go skiing with my whole family, and camping, and canoeing, and bicycling, and mountain climbing, and hiking, and snorkeling, and... and I'm going to take my wife to the beaches of Hawaii and lie in the sun and try to surf!

Who says it's fun to be over weight? It's fun knowing it's coming off and there's no reason on Earth for it to ever come back!

Dean in Arizona

This thread is bringing tears to my eyes. Tears remembering all the embarrassments and disappointments that my weight has caused, and more tears of happiness that *finally* I doing something about it. I regret that I didn't know about CAD at a younger age, it could have saved me a lot of hardships.

I guess I am most looking forward to being able to do anything I want to do without having to consider my size first. Already I can do so much more than before. Walks on the beach, rounds of mini-golf without looking for something to sit on, shopping trips with my kids where I actually participate in the shopping instead of sitting on a bench while they choose and then going in to pay. I guess I just want to participate fully in my life :)

And, I can't help but wonder if once I lose all this weight I will suddenly get inspired to do more house work. I have always blamed my laziness on my weight, but with 90lbs gone and no sign of any motivation to do more appearing.. I am starting to wonder! :)

I saw a lot of things mentioned that I am really looking foward to!

But I think the biggest thing I am looking foward to is being able to buy clothes in a "normal" store!!!! I can't wait to be able to just pick something off the rack and know that they will have my size!! Once I get to where I want to be, I'm going to buy myself a sexy, expensive dress at a store called Gantos and force my husband to take me someplace ritzey! Just so I can go into that store buy something beautiful and not have to slink out the door after realizing they don't carry anything larger then a size 12!!!

Thanks for starting this thread! You really got me looking foward to all the things I'm going to enjoy when, and as, I lose this weight! :yay:

~Jaya

Wow BelmontLil. That is such a powerful statement that probably applies to most of us here. Your one sentence is so descriptive of what it is like to be very overweight. Very quote worthy!

Ellen-mom, Disneyland is going to be so rewarding for you next summer! By then you'll have lost plenty of weight to fit into any ride you want and have the energy it takes to walk around the park. What fond memories you'll be able to give your son (and yourself!)

AZDean, you have so many exciting, wonderful things you are planning to do...and you've come so far already with your new WOL! Your family is so lucky to have those adventures to look forward to in the near future! Feel like adopting another family member? LOL!!

Vel, wouldn't it have been wonderful to have discovered a way to make our bodies fit and healthy when we were all younger!? Oh, the possibilities! In reality though, I believe that all of us have an edge over those that have never had to battle their weight. I bet we are more appreciative of getting our bodies healthy and looking and feeling better. Our struggles have made us stronger and wiser I'm sure.

Plagiomom, most definitely!! I can't wait to not have to wear plus-size clothing! (A lot of that stuff must be designed by skinny people that haven't got a clue about what could be flattering on larger people!) Weeding out plus-size clothes for smaller and smaller clothes is going to be more exhilarating than any sugar rush!!

well, one of the things I want to be able to do is to go camping, and I already have!!

I spent 9 days camping and got back just over a week ago!

I am looking forward to next summer, when I can spend more weekends camping out in the woods and sleeping on the ground!!

ANother thing I would love to do is to go backpacking again. It has been 20 years since I've done that, and then there will be trips canoeing in the boundary waters, or in Algonquin in Canada.

and one life long dream has been to swim the English Channel.

So, I hope to get back to swimming more and use that as one of my exercise goals. THe most I have ever swum at one time was 2 miles in a lake swim when I was in my early 20's and teaching swimming a lot.

I guess that is a bit more than just one thing.

BUt these things are coming!!

Rena

I am looking forward to a lot of similar things everyone else is...

Being able to go to an amusement park and not having to try out the 'tester seats' first. I learned my lesson after going to Six Flags and having the worker at the ride boarding pushing his whole body weight on my lap bar to push it far enough down. :rolleyes:

Buying clothes in a normal store and not wondering if they have my size.

Last but not least: after developing film not being shocked by how I look in the pictures.

Definately this one...
 

In addition, I look forward to the day I won't be running from the camera in the first place.

Dateline: May 4, 2003
I find myself awaking in the middle of the night out of breath and fearing for my life. Many times I have to get up and go to the couch and sleep sitting up.
I cannot walk the 75 feet to the bathroom at work without being winded. I have trouble walking any distance. I cannot walk the 150 feet to my mailbox. I no longer live.

Flash forward: September 3, 2003
I sleep well and no longer have any breathing difficulties. The jaunt to the men's room is child's play. I am not the world's greatest walker but I just walked a mile this past Sunday! A mile. A whole mile at one time! I have not been able to do this in years! I live! I feel alive again!

And no, I have not lost 100 pounds...but I have lost THREE 16 pound bowling balls (it will be posted this coming Sunday at my weigh-in day but I took a seak peak yesterday and have made the 3rd bowling ball!!!!)! next time you are at a bowling alley pick ONE up. Now put another in your other hand. Now walk. And think of adding one more and then walking up 2 flights of stairs every morning on your way to work.

Oh, for those who cannot tell...I am damned proud of myself. And I am damned proud of this way of eating as I am never hungry and always satisfied. But in addition to the WOE and my perserverance goes thanks to the folx on these boards who keep me motivated and having a ball. Lard is for losing; friends are forever!

Way to go MisterE!! It is so great to be alive again! And, for me, I love the feeling that this whole thing is actually WORKING!! To think! I really AM going to lose this weight! I really AM going to be able to do the things I haven't been able to do for years! I really AM going to look normal once again!

Ha! That is what is so great now! Knowing I've found the answer to the enemy that had defeated me for so long!

And speaking of bowling. I went bowling with my family on Monday, and on the first ball I threw, I slipped and fell into the gutter. Falling isn't such a bad thing, but when you are so over weight, you just know what people are thinking about you! Yuck!

There's one more thing I look forward to being different.

Onward and lower!

Dean

Great thread!!

I have to go with the seating also. Whether it be on a roller coaster, restaurant or airplane I'm always worried that I won't fit into it. I quickly scan restaurants with tables to see if I'll be able to squeeze in between the tables to make it to mine.

I had a similar experience. I went with some friends to a plantarium. Well for some reason it didn't even occur to me that I might not fit well. Well I barely squeezed into it. I tried to sit at the end of the seat so I wasn't in a ton of pain and I survived but it wasn't fun and I sure don't want to go through that again.

The second thing would be energy. I have none. I think that be losing I'll have more.

Seating is always a big issue,you avoid booths like the plague, now I fit Yeah!!! but my #1 is being able to tuck my shirt in! (into jeans that I haven't worn for almost as long) I think it has been 14 years since I have had that pleasure and I am looking forward to it!!!

So true, so true! Hate the seating issue (along with everything else mentioned above!). I work for an airline and have been lucky enough to do a lot of flying. Unfortunately, even the 1st class seats were getting too small! And there's nothing like making a reservation for someone, assigning them a seat on the plane, and having them say, "Just make sure you don't put some fat chick in the seat next to me". Really happened! :mad:

Oh well, have a trip this week...we'll see if it feels a little better now! Maybe I won't even have to use my seatbelt extender!

Ciao!