There's a thread in the Triple Digits Club about things people want to do when they have lost all their weight. Lots of the ideas are inspiring and are clearly things that members of the Triple Digits Club cannot do at their current weights. However, I find some of the posts disturbing -- people are not doing things that they are capable of doing because they are concerned about other people judging them because of their weight. I am as guilty of this as everyone else. I think we need to encourage each other to do things without waiting until we get to goal. Getting to goal will take a long time for many of us. Many of the things we are not doing -- such as putting on a bathing suit and going swimming -- could help us get to goal.

I'd like to start a new thread: what's one thing you were scared to do because of your weight, but did?

I will start: I danced at my office holiday party last weekend. I have been going to my office holiday parties for years and never danced, although I loved to dance, because I worried about my co-workers staring at me. This weekend I danced and for the first time I had a great time at the office holiday party! I don't think anyone was staring at me and whispering, but if they were, I don't care. I have as much right to dance as anyone else.

I'd like to challenge everyone to do one thing over the holiday season that they have avoided doing because of their weight. If you do something new, please tell us about it so we can cheer each other on.

Great Thread!

I have always been guilty of putting things on hold until I am at a normal weight. I started realizing that I could be dead before that happened and life would just have passed me by. I hate to think about the joy and opportunities I missed by waiting........

BUT, I fell in love and moved 2,000 miles to pursue joy. I quit a well paying job, got rid of most of what I owned, and said goodbye to my friends and family.

I am just here to say that no matter HOW much you weigh or don't weigh, there is someone out there who will love you like mad. You just have to keep that door open!

OK - this might be over the edge - but - when I was at my heaviest weight I went to a party. There was probably a dozen people there - most of which were younger and very nicely put together. We live in Florida, and the party eventually turned into a pool party. The problem - it was and afternoon barbeque type thing and no one brought swimsuits. It was very hard getting into that pool knowing I was the oldest and fattest woman there. But I did.
End of story - I married the host of the party on November 20th of this year.

Very scary.

I gave a guest lecture in front of 400 undergraduates -- on stage, with a microphone. I decided not to think about how critical young adults are, and just went for it. I did wear all black, though.

Amazingly, I am so glad I did it because it was fun!

Still not as scary as a swimsuit..........

What wonderful stories! Kat, I used to be terrified of public speaking because I didn't want everyone to stare at me. While I've never stood in front of 400 undergraduates (or 400 any other type of people) and given a lecture, I have learned to give presentations before groups of 50 or so and I have also learned how to effectively chair a meeting. I really think that once I start talking, people are more interested in what I have to say than in what I look like. I think people take us seriously if we take ourselves seriously. If we act as though we have something to be ashamed of, people react to that.

I started this thread by talking about dancing at my office holiday party and I wrote: "I don't think anyone was staring at me and whispering, but if they were, I don't care. I have as much right to dance as anyone else." It turns out that at least some of them were whispering about me, but what they were whispering about was how much weight I had lost. I don't like the idea that people were watching me, I feel more comfortable being invisible (as though that is possible at over 300 pounds!), but at least what they were saying was positive.

I guess Mine was at the end of October I walked into a Health Club and joined and now go Everyday and People do see Me in My Swimsuit LOL because I take Water Classes but I really learned some things
1. Most People are so busy doing their own thing they really do not watch You.
2. I really do not care what others are thinking I am there to Work on Me
3. People have been motivated by Me being there and that really freaked Me out to have 2 People in the last 2 Weeks come up to Me and tell me they joined after seeing me come and go from the Gym.

I have found that I really enjoy working out I better I have a long way to go

I helped host our annual Awards Banquet at work and was visible by about 200 people and would have liked to be at goal but I had a wonderful time. I greeted every one of them at the door and it was not as bad as I thought it would be.

I tend to be a little shy anyway and to know that 200 sets of eyes would be gazing on me made my belly a little queazy.

Windy(Linda)

I noticed that people kind of stopped posting in this thread, but I think its great!

I think everyone should try to do something that they normally would wait til goal to do!

Here is mine~

I have been in chorus for as long as it has been offered to me. I have been told that I have a good voice, and I've also been told that I am a good actress (comes from playing convincing pranks on people).

Anyway, every year my high school puts on a huge musical production in the fall. They've done Carousel, Fiddler on the Roof, Bye Bye Birdie, and countless others. Anyone in grades 9-12 can audition to be in the play. Every year, people told me to do it, but I never did. I always regretted it.

Then, at the end of last year, the director announced that the play for the coming year would be Guys and Dolls.

I told people that I was auditioning for the part of Adelaide (one of two female roles and the only one in my voice range). Of course, when auditions actually started this year, I tried to weasle out of it. But eventually I worked up the courage and went to the audition.

There were about 30 girls auditioning for the role of Adelaide (and I was the biggest girl). Before the individual auditions (which were of course held on the stage in front of EVERYONE) all of the girls had to complete a dance sequence. I had missed the first audition so the dance was totally new to me. Groups of about 10 girls went at a time (there were tons, because even the smallest parts had to dance). I started to go out and join in the dance, but I just couldnt.

Instead, I hid backstage and cried. Another girl that I used to be very good friends with (high school happened, different paths etc). It was also her first time auditioning (for the other role) and she helped talk me into staying at the audition. So I stayed, but told myself that I was just going to watch the other girls perform. I watched them, and after one of them, I just walked onto the stage. I was up there, and would have been even more embarassed if I had walked off stage, so I just did it.

I got the part. Everyone was so supportive (except for one little witch who was jealous, but she never said anything to me..I just knew lol).


My opening night was TERRIFYING! I was so scared that I was nauseous! I was shaking! But I did it. And it was great. The reviews in the newspaper (just the locals, nothing fancy) raved about it and compared it to broadway quality! It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I always thought that I would wait until I was thin before I tried to perform. I would think, "nobody wants to see my try to sing and dance all over the place".

But apparently they did, because people from a well known theater in the neighboring city want me to audition for My Fair Lady in the summer!


I never thought I could do it when I was fat, but I did it darnit and I am proud of myself.


Who's next?




Shannon

Shannon,

You go, girl! That is truly an amazing scary thing that you did and I take off my hat to you. I couldn't even think of anything close to as courageous as what you did.

This doesn't even come close to your scary thing, but I went to Italy last summer for two weeks with a large group of friends (15 of us in all). I was by far, the heaviest (ok, fattest) person on the trip and as much as I love to travel, I almost said no to the trip because all I could think about was how my weight would hold me back... not to mention squeezing into that airline seat for 7 hours! I knew that every day of the trip would be filled with walking and I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep up. But, guess what? I did it! And I had the best time I've ever had! I roomed with my two teenage neices and what surprised me the most was that they never seemed to view my weight as a concern; we went everywhere! They never took no for an answer and I went everywhere and did everything they did. Even went to an Italian niteclub in Palermo and danced my fat ass off!

Anyway, it was awesome and even though it wouldn't seem like such a big deal to those of a normal weight, I felt like it was a grand accomplishment.

So, there - that's my story. I didn't get any auditions out of it , but I may be invited to go on the next trip!

I've let my fatness turn me into an agorophobic. Just reading your stories gives me more courage to get out. I have been doing demos for Nabisco at Walmart but I won't get up in front of people who know me or go to their houses anymore.

I'm going to have to think of a challenge so I can be as courageous as you. Madi

Great Thread, Liz.

Star Shannon Rocks! A true entertainer and a woman of great spirit and courage! Thanks for letting us vicariously celebrate your first onstage success - bet they'll be LOTS more to come.

Two romance stories, & a great Italy trip - aah - just in time for Day.

Madi - you deserve to go anywhere & do anything! I do understand how our feelings about our size can hurt our self-esteem. If we can step out of it, even if just for a bit - and know we really are OK - it can help us to move on, up, out. I know it helps when I remind myself "I am enough. I am good enough."

May we each gracefully embrace life ~

What great stories! I'm glad this thread got revived again. It's inspiring me to think of ways to challenge myself.

I completed in the Kona Marathon in '02. This year I'm doing the race for the cure.

I'm really glad this got bumped up too, as I hadn't seen it before and the stories in it are great, very inspiring.

Mine is a travel one also. In 1997, when I weighed about the same as I do now.. I went on a trip to Australia to meet up with a big group of internet chat-room friends. I went alone and it was my first plane trip I was scared but also very thrilled to go. I had to ask for seatbelt extensions on the many planes, but after the first couple of times, it didn't bother me.

While I was down there we went on a houseboat cruise on the Gold Coast for a few days and I did the bravest thing I have EVER done.. I went parasailing. What a feeling soaring up a million miles in the sky, pulled behind a speeding boat. It was an amazing feeling. I was reluctant to do it, but was assured by the men running it that it would be ok and it was. It was the most exciting thing I have ever done.

Hey, just remembered I also rode a camel down there.. but that wasn't quite as thrilling LOL

I hope more people will post here, this really gives us all something to think about. Our lives are right now.. that is all we have for sure. Time for me to be looking for a new exciting thing.

try out for a musical. . .I have been doing Curves for 4 months before I started the Atkins. .. and I was feeling good about myself. . .so I tried out. . .and I have a small part in George M in my city. i get to sing a bit on stage all by myself. Trying out was the hardest part. . .but it was a blast. I hadn't heard about it so I had assumed I had not gotten the part. . .meanwhile I had decided to start the Atkins. . .now I am going to be dancing on stage. . .and if you had told me I would be doing this a year ago. . .I would have said you were nuts! redawn