And here’s the follow-up to Saturday’s post! It too was originally published in the first days of my blog.
Last week I shared how, many years ago, I got stuck in a bentwood rocking chair at church, and had to push and tug myself out of the chair while a group of ladies watched in uncomfortable silence. That incident didn’t get me motivated to get healthy and lose weight, and neither did the second incident involving a chair.
The year was 1995, and we were celebrating one of my children’s birthdays. As customary for the time, we had invited an assortment of friends over for the party, and were enjoying watching all the little children run around and play. As an obese woman, I tired easily. Even during my normal daily routines I would often find myself sitting down “for a rest.” I often rested with a bite of something high fat and high sugar, followed by a bite of something high fat and high salt. And then to round off my rest, I would return to the high sugar food, just to end on a sweet note! That birthday party day was even more strenuous than my typical days usually were. After all, I had made a cake, planned games, cleaned the house, wrapped presents and gotten several little children fed and dressed.
As the party progressed I could feel my energy level waning. My legs began to hurt. My back ached from standing around and I just felt burned out. During this particular party, some of the husbands had also come, and one of my friend’s husbands was sitting in our dining room watching his little daughters play with mine. I walked into the dining room, which was part of our great room, and began talking with him. As we talked I became more and more exhausted, so I sat down in a chair. As I sat down, I heard a soft crack. I shifted my weight around and looked behind me to see where that unusual sound had come from. I couldn’t see anything. But then, he said, “I think you broke the chair.”
Looking at him in horror, I reached my right arm around to my left side and grasped the left chair arm. Imagine my embarassment when I pulled and the chair arm came free, having broken right off the chair. I looked at him, he stared at me and I mumbled something about the fact that they just don’t make furniture the way they used to. He wisely agreed with me, and we both left the dining room. I put that chair arm in the coat closet and returned to the party. Unfortunately, the only thing I could think of all day long was that broken chair. I told John what had happened and he kindly agreed that it was a manufacturing defect, and not the fault of my large backside.
It would be about two more years before I started to finally lose the weight. I kept that chair arm for years as a reminder of where I had been, and where I didn’t want to be any longer. As I look back on that time, I realize that I wasn’t being honest with myself about how much my weight was affecting my everyday life. I couldn’t see beyond the physical size and acknowledge that my weight was holding me back in all areas of my life, not only physically. One thing I often share with people who ask about my weight loss is that being overweight isn’t just a physical issue. It’s an emotional issue as well. The physical size is often a symptom of an emotional issue.
I would encourage you to take this weekend and examine your feelings about your weight and your size. Then go beyond just the physical and think about the emotional and spiritual connections surrounding where you are. I believe that all situations and all challenges can be used to stronger and happier. Write down some of the things that come to mind when you think about your physical appearance, and then write down an action plan to address one of those issues today. Don’t be like me and wait until you start coming apart at the seams, make a choice to make a change today. Diane
Diane, once again a great post. While I agree it probably was a manufacturing defect, it turned out to be a closet motivator.
.-= South Beach Steve´s last blog ..Update Six – The Hot 100 =-.
Thank you for sharing your story, Diane.
And thanks for the motivation to make things happen
Great post – thanks for sharing that day with us.
I have to ditto your last part of this entry, NOW is the time to make those changes to one’s life if you’ve been struggling with your weight.
.-= Marcelle´s last blog ..Sharing The Love =-.
Thanks for this Diane. I’ve been following your blog for a few weeks now, this is the first time I’m posting.
I have steadily been losing weight for 5 months now, (lost 15.5 kgs – that’s 34 pounds) but hit a speed wobble recently and started going off track. Thankfully I have a husband that loves me enough not to let me hurt MYSELF even further. He confronted me and challenged me last night and this morning I woke up with a renewed sense of purpose and focus. I am blessed.
Thanks for the reminder that it’s not worth it. There is no food in this world worth giving myself up for.
I love your blog. Thanks for always being so encouraging and DIRECT!
Liesl – Thank you for commenting!! You are doing great with your weight loss – very steady for 5 months. You are blessed to have a husband who can gently help you see where you may be steering in the wrong direction. I was always so defensive of my weight loss attempts, that I think John was afraid to say much of anything to me because I might cry! You are right on, there is no food in the world worth giving yourself up for. That can be a life altering thought can’t it? There is no food so fabulous that it is worth gaining weight, and losing your health for. I appreciate your insights. Diane
Hi, Diane! Love this post. Thanks for sharing with us. I’ve been stuck in a chair or two myself and must agree, that’s not what made me get busy losing. I don’t really know what happened this time to make me see the light, but I think reading posts like this keeps me motivated.
Thank you for always being so positive and supportive to all of us in blogland!
.-= Tena´s last blog ..Pants that Fit =-.
Diane, thank you so much for sharing!!! I have never been that big but I do understand the emotional issues that go with any addiction & food is a big one for emotional eating! IT is so important to address because it will come back & bite you at any moment & you have to learn how to deal with these emotions so you don’t end up gaining the weight back. And you have mastered that!
Once again Diane, a post that really speaks to people out there & I know it has happened to them too. You will help them face it!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..In Memory of Mom; Saturday Funny for Her =-.
Oh, darn, I keep meaning to say again how I love your tips.. all of them! BUT, I LOVE “say no if you want”! People are afraid to do that but I have done it all along! I was at a family gathering last night & the only healthy thing there was the white meat turkey. There was not another thing I really wanted enough to eat. I ate the turkey & I had brought a couple other small things for myself cause I thought this might happen. People are fine with me doing this I guess cause they are used to me BUT I just don’t eat it because it is there. I help out & thank them for their efforts & I may take a bite of something that interests me but the holiday season is long & I can’t eat every time I am faced with it. I would be 7 pounds heavier come January if I did that!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..In Memory of Mom; Saturday Funny for Her =-.
I so agree, I think our weight is so connected to our emotional and spiritual being. And I think we have to deal with our emotions as we are dealing with our weight. Thanks for sharing this story.
Have a great weekend!
Another great blog – and you’re right that physical weight is very rarely about the actual weight, but about what *caused* it, and the emotional issues behind it.
Even bored and stress eating are still emotional issues being dealt with in inappropriate ways, and we should not forget that as we progress along our life journeys. When something isn’t right deep down, it WILL manifest itself outwardly. Maybe in weight, maybe in something else, but dealing with contentedness and heart issues is so key to permanent life change, and something I think is often forgotten in most of the current weight loss programs and diets.
.-= Taryl´s last blog ..My biggest NSV (and SV) to date. =-.
Oh Diane! I can relate to this post. I have broken a couple of chairs. One was at a sushi bar in southern california with my family and I felt so much shame. Thankfully, this has not happened in several years. I will never forget that awful feeling. I love the exercise you suggested and am going to do some journal writing. I hope you and your family are having a wonderful weekend.
Great post, Diane.
I have never broke a chair. But many times I have sit in a chair and it have started to make noise. That’s a thing that I find annoying, and that’s something that makes me feel very embarassed.
These last Saturdays I have been playing in a chess tournament. All was silent, and every time I was sitting the chair started to make noise. I didn’t knew where to look, because all the people could heard my noise and they could heard that when other girls were sitting, there were no noise. I’m now near 195 pounds, and it’s more than the other girls. I think that any of them would we 150.
I have not broken any chair, but I’m still embarased with chairs.
Thank you so much for this story. There are so many different times that I should have stopped. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize those times that I had this medical problem that makes it extra difficult. I just thought I couldn’t do it…sometimes it’s more than just motivation…
.-= MackAttack´s last blog ..another busy day! =-.
Funny but this reminds me of when a Sears repairman came to our house to fix the treadmill. He almost did not fix it under warranty because we was asking me how much I weighted. I told him 245 pounds (but it really was about 255). He said ok and he let me know the limit of this treadmill was 250 pounds!
That started one of my yo-yo diets but it was embarrassing to be questioned if I was too heavy for a treadmill.
.-= John W. Zimmer´s last blog ..Weight Loss = Portioning? Yes!!! =-.
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