This is a picture of me with my oldest son, who is 13 and my 3rd son, who is 7. My daughter took this picture at the zoo a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was a nice picture of the three of us and couldn’t believe how tall my oldest son has gotten. And then I thought of something else when I was looking at that picture. He had just very proudly told me a few days before that he weighs just over 150 pounds. He thinks it’s great to be gaining weight and getting stronger! (Remember those days?) Then I realized:
I lost him.
I lost 158 pounds in total and that’s about what he weighs. I could no more pick him up and carry him around on my back all day then I could swim across the Atlantic Ocean. I’m not even sure I could pick him up in an emergency situation.
But when I was morbidly obese, I did figuratively carry him around all day long. No wonder I was tired all the time. All that extra weight didn’t just make me look bad, squishy, and unfit. That extra weight was exhausting. Even the simplest activities were hard for me. I remember having to sit down in the mall after just a half an hour of shopping and rest for awhile. Doing work around the house made me tired. Even a relatively simple activities like cleaning the bathroom or dusting wore me out. No wonder I sat down all the time.
Do you ever think about all the progress you’d made in those terms? If you’ve lost 20 pounds then that’s 20 pounds less you have to carry around. Even 10 pounds makes a difference in terms of how you feel.
Do you ever pick up a 5-lb bag of flour and think, I’ve lost five of these? If you’ve lost 25 pounds that’s what you’ve done. Imagine right now how heavy a 5-lb bag of flour is. If you’ve already lost one, two, or ten of those be thankful you don’t have to haul that weight around any longer.
It can be easy to get discouraged with the amount of weight you are losing, or the rate at which the weight is coming off. I challenge you to do this today:
Find things around your house that represent how much weight you’ve lost and pile them up. Take a picture of them, step back, and allow yourself to feel proud. Use that visual representation as an incentive to keep going when the journey feels hard. And if you’ve lost the equivalent of a person, take a picture of yourself with that person, and be proud of that! For comparison, the little guy in my picture weighs about 55 pounds.
How does it make you feel when you compare how much weight you have lost to another person or object? Is it exciting? Diane
Wow Diane!! that is just awesome! It must be so exciting to have that visual and compare it in that way.
I’ve often thought of that. I’ve lost about 30 lbs so far. I will hold a 25 kettlebell and think “I’ve lost one of these!!” I can’t wait to get to 47 and I’ll be able to say I’ve lost an Emily (my youngest)…70 lbs and I’ll have lost a Jacob (my middle) and 110 lbs and I’ll have lost a Lizzie (my oldest)
It’s cool to look at it like that..and you’re right..no wonder you were so exhausted. I try to visualize how I will feel when this weight is “off my shoulders”
Thanks so much for the inspiration!!!!!
.-= Julie Lost and Found´s last blog ..Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder =-.
I do feel excited when I compare the weight loss I sustained for the last 10 years to two 15lbs free weights. I wouldn’t want to carry those around all day long for nothing!I am just 3 pounds away from my original 40 pound weight loss! Our sons weigh the same amount! Mine is 22 now and has trouble gaining weight if you can believe it. He has embraced weight lifting now so hopefully he will fill out.
.-= Susan´s last blog ..My Search =-.
What a beautiful picture! Such handsome boys/men!
I just can’t wrap my mind around what 158 pounds looks like! It is hard to imaging loosing one whole person. YOU look great!
I’ve lost almost 33lbs so far and I thought about that this week when I lugged the 30lb bag of dog food up two huge flights of stairs to our apartment this week. It’s amazing my body did that several times a day before I lost the weight!
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..My Body Has to Do Wha??? ~ Rachel =-.
You might be able to lift him in a fireman’s hold (his belly against your back, his arms over your shoulders with you holding on to them in front of you, and then you LEAN forward lifting his feet off the floor) but you wouldn’t be able to walk very far and you couldn’t go up stairs with him! It is sort of mind boggling to REALLY look at him in that picture and realize that all of that was ‘stuck’ on you. I have helped obese people work with positioning in yoga over the years and it is realizing the SQUISH used to be ON me that is mind boggling for me. REALLY GOOD POST!
.-= vickie´s last blog ..I am sort of at a loss for what to do (if anything) about this stinky situation =-.
Such handsome guys!
Thank you for that reminder. I get a little down on myself sometimes about not making it to goal yet, however, you’ve reminded me that the 60 pounds that I have lost is nothing to sneeze at! My little daughter is 50 pounds and I can barely pick her up!
.-= Marisa (Loser for Life)´s last blog ..A Subway Giveaway! =-.
I love this post! Yesterday I was carrying about 20 pounds of water and it seemed like so much, but that was what I carried around all the time!
.-= Lauren @ Eater not a runner´s last blog ..Hello August =-.
wow, how impressive to think you lost one of him…shew thats amazing…and great for you.
I remember weighing my suitcase to return to Germany – the allowance is 20kgs per flight or you pay more. I remember turning to my mom and telling here – TO THINK I LOST THIS AND CANT EVEN PICK IT UP WITHOUT A STRUGGLE.
Never really looked at it this way before. I’ve lost 3 bags of the potatoes I sell. Easier to carry them in now.
.-= John´s last blog ..Not Easy Peasy! =-.
What a great way of looking at it! I guess I’ve lost just over two 5lb bags of flour! No wonder I feel so much better, not having to carry that around all day is amazing.
.-= Carla´s last blog ..Boston trip, Weekend Warriors, and my favorite month of the year! =-.
Wow, thinking of it like that–as a grown boy–really does make your weight loss story all the more amazing!
.-= Tracey @ I’m Not Superhuman´s last blog ..The Wedding Weekend =-.
Diane, that is so cool how you looked at this & what more encouragement than that to keep one going strong!
For me, I focus on how strong I am for my age & the things I can do that some 25 years olds can’t…. keeps me going back for more!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Pure Physique – Book Review & GIVEAWAY =-.
I love this post, Diane. What an awesome way to look at your accomplishment! I wonder what weighs around 53 lbs? LOL, that’s what I’ve lost so far…hmmm
.-= josie´s last blog ..Josie in a kilt? =-.
This is such a great lens on what you have accomplished — I love this. I don’t think about it in terms of what I have lost after I gained my weight. But I do think of these terms in how muuch I lift in my workouts; that is, the weights I use in every day life. In this week’s column I describe doing bicep curls with the equivalent of a small pug in each hand — because I own a couple of small pugs.
.-= Emergefit´s last blog ..Change: Strength, Strength, And The Difference Between The Two =-.
I KNOW! Isn’t it trippy? I recently lost 28 lbs after being on a looooong plateau, and I didn’t think too much about it until I went to pick up my 25 lb dumbells. Holy moly! That’s when it hit me. No wonder I’ve got these great leg muscles under the layer of extra fat.
Wow – what a realization! Very cool!! I was going to say dumbells and noticed rneade above – same here!
Mine was about 20 and it’s like wow – a 20-pound dumbbells is heavy and I used to carry that around on my stomach and butt – oh no!
.-= fittingbackin´s last blog ..Awesome Bham Trip for Baby Emma, New Bag, Happy Toes =-.
WOW. That is so cool! You rock, Diane.
.-= Sagan´s last blog ..Re-cap of the Thirty Days of Yoga Challenge =-.
This makes me think of when Oprah pulled that wagon out on stage loaded with 60 pounds of lard after she lost 60 pounds. It is pretty incredible to think of weight loss in these terms!
.-= Ashley´s last blog ..Weight loss doesn’t have to be expensive =-.
What a powerful post! When I was actively losing weight I’d often compare how much I lost to some other object. It’s a good, concrete way to understand what that extra weight looks and feels like!
I’ve often thought of it. (first let me echo others.. what a beautiful pic of you and your sons!!)
I’ve lost 52 lbs so far, and I don’t think I could carry that now in a bag. I have 190 total to lose.. I’ve often looked at my Hubs.. right now, after losing 50 lbs, I am still twice his weight. (he’s 145, and 8″ taller than me)
When I’m done this fight, I will have lost more than him. scary. humiliating. but it will be exhilerating.
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Sun May 2 – OH MY BLOG!! =-.
Great looking boy (boys!) That is truly mind-blowing, isn’t it? When I’m lugging around 40 pounds of mulch I realize how incredibly heavy it is. I’ve only lost about 25 of that, but it made a big difference in my desire to play frisbee and run after the birdie in badminton.
.-= Larkspur´s last blog ..Vanity =-.
That’s so amazing Diane! It really puts it into perspective, doesn’t it?
I lined up 2 cans oils for our business that weighed 50 pounds each and stood by them to see what 100 pounds looked like.
No wonder we were so tired lugging all that around!
.-= Lori (Finding Radiance)´s last blog ..Name that breed! =-.
what handsome guys, mom! you’re a fortunate woman. you’re right… comparing yourself to others can be self-defeating. i’ve lost 30 pounds but it doesn’t sound very dramatic when you consider the phenomenal accomplishment of others. but… those bags of flour tell a different tale! i think of it every time i open the pantry, and it makes me feel good!
.-= Nancy B. Kennedy´s last blog ..Daniel Greenlees: His ship came in =-.
WOW! That is amazing when you look at it that way. It must be so hard for people with a lot of weight to lose. Funny how boys love to gain weight! Its a great picture!
.-= sian-girlgetstrong´s last blog ..Gift Guide: Fit Fashion for Mother’s Day + Giveaway =-.
I can’t lift as much as I lost either. The closest I got was 95 pounds, and it wasn’t a pretty moment.
It’s certainly motivation to keep from going back!
.-= Cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last blog ..Starting the Day Out Right =-.
HOW ENCOURAGING!!!
Yes, I’ve held up a lb of butter and thought, “Hmmm….I lost 2 of these this week!” What a great idea to pile the stuff up and take a photo! 
GREAT JOB ON LOSING YOUR SON! HEEHEE! Er…well, losing the same WEIGHT as your son!
You are such a blessing & encouragement!
.-= Amy´s last blog ..…the weekend… =-.
I have done this real comparison a few times. It still amazes me, really makes you realize just how strong you are having lugged all that around.
.-= Dawn´s last blog ..Good Weekend =-.
Isn’t it unbelievable how you can carry around so much excess weight but not be able to pick up the same amount of weight?
The body is amazing.
.-= ‘Drea´s last blog ..From Sluggish to Restored in Two Steps =-.
That is amazing
Great post!
Love it! That’s such a great comparison! When people complain about the rate of their weight loss, I hand over a 5# fat glob I have in my office. It really lights them up!
.-= Nicole, RD´s last blog ..Not bitter sweet… =-.
Diane,
Thanks so much for sharing such poignant stories. Your site continues to inspire me and others toward a healthier lifestyle. I will always be grateful to you for caring enough to think about so many others.
Warmest Regards,
jerry
Diane, this was a really thought provoking way to look at it. I am sure that it was an epiphany that shifted your perspective. A perspective that is already so wise.
I have thought of that, Chickadee is about the size of my loss so far, and I’m aiming for about the size of Beansprout. Which means I’m around halfway. It helps me to quantify the weight in a useful animate form. Because excess weight is so useless.
It doesn’t make me hate it, it does help me understand the physics and chemistry of what is supposed to be going on. Which motivates me for some reason. I like logic!
.-= JourneyBeyondSurvival´s last blog ..Here We Go =-.
I remember posting on my blog showing four bags of sugar when I lost 20 pounds. I guess it’s time to do it again and add another 10 pounds of something.
It feels great to see that visual and realize I carried it around every day.
Just this morning as I was working out I imagined the two 3-pound weights I was using to be all I need to reach my challenge goal. It looks so little when I see it apart from my body and kind of made it seem more easily attainable.
)
Great post. I’m going to do some collecting and see what I can come up with for a post with the picture.
Wonderful reminder of how far you have come! I actually weighed my suitcase the other day and it was almost 50 pounds. As I tried picking it up, it amazed me how heavy it was and that not too long ago, I carried around this extra 55+ pounds on my body. Crazy!
.-= KK @ Running Through Life´s last blog ..New Half Marathon PR (And I am Back!) =-.
Great article and I know what you mean I’ve lost 50 pounds so far and that’s shy 5 pounds of the litte guy and I feel much better and I get around much better. I can only imagine how I will feel when I lose the rest. And I do what you’re speaking of for comparison sake, I use 5 pound bag of potatos for example or 1 pound of butter to visualize what I’ve actually lost in real weight. Keep up the great job, by the way great looking family
)
I lost over 100 pounds and I one time tried to pick up two 50 pound weights and walk around the gym for a bit. I couldn’t do it. I can’t believe I used to do that every day.
.-= Cynthia (It All Changes)´s last blog ..Mini-break =-.
I haven’t thought in those terms in a while. I seemed to think about how many 5 lb sacks of potatoes I’d lost earlier in my journey – it’s almost overwhelming now, though! And to have lost 158 pounds!!! That’s still just mind-boggling to me!!! Amazing.
.-= Chad´s last blog ..The Weekend =-.
LOL I remember a similar situation when my parents and my husband and I were sitting and talking about how over the last year between the four of us had lost my niece (who is 8), youngest nephew(who is 11) and son (who was 2 1/2 at the time). Its amazing when you put it into a perspective like that.
.-= Pam´s last blog ..Introducing…. =-.
comparing always puts it in perspective unlike any scale number could ever do. If all else fails, and you cannot find a person, try to find an animal that weighs approximately that weight and tell yourself you lost that.
.-= Diane´s last blog ..Sick =-.
I like it when I make the comparison, but I’ll have to admit recently when someone said, “125 pounds? Wow, you’ve lost more than I even weigh” I was a little miffed. Maybe it was the tone though….
First you have handsome boys, that is a great photo of the three of you.
What an amazing thing to think you lost a person! I think it makes me feel sad not excited about the weight I have lost just because I wasted so much time being over weight and agonizing over it. I need to work on changing that thought process.
.-= Tami@nutmegnotebook.com´s last blog ..Shopping Spree and Mothering =-.
What handsome boys you have, Diane!
I definitely think of my weight loss (with a jaw drop, usually) in terms of household items of people. I lost the weight of nearly both my daughters, combined. I lost an industrial sized bag of flour, five sacks of potatoes, the suitcase weight limit of the airport before additional charges, and a few snow tires.
It definitely excites and motivates me, what an incredible feat I have worked to achieve! I try to remember this whenever I want to get down on myself about ‘slow’ losses or some pregnancy gaining. I am doing WELL, and my body surely is healthier for the load I’ve dropped off of it!
.-= Taryl´s last blog ..Quickie! =-.
Holy…COW. You’ve lost a 13-year-old’s equivalent in weight! HOLY WOW. That’s amazing.
Every day in the gym when I strength train, I look at the dumbbell with the amount of weight I’ve lost, and I know for sure that it takes me both hands to remove it from the rack and I sure as hell can’t lift it very far from the floor.
I’ve still got a ways to go but I’m proud of my progress so far.
You and your family look happy
I hope you guys had fun at the zoo. Any pandas?
.-= Jess´s last blog ..Weigh-in #13 =-.
truly inspiring and amazing.
you lost him and regained you.
I actually lost what my daughter is TODAY. RIGHT NOW. Id never considered it that way!
.-= Miz´s last blog ..Blog Botox… =-.
your post made me think of the day years ago when oprah lost like 60 lbs or something along those lines, and dragged a wagon of fat onto the stage.
it is pretty wild when you look at weight loss as losing a person, so to speak.
I’ve lost about 40 pounds – the weight of my 5-year old! This is a GREAT way of looking at it.
.-= Yum Yucky´s last blog ..Tasting! Crystal Light Pure Fitness =-.
I’ve lost about 105 – 110 lbs depending on the day – or an average sized woman who’s about 5’1″ – 5’2″. I hope she is enjoying herself now, as I sure wasn’t enjoying having to carry her around all the time!
.-= Quix´s last blog ..Bang, Bang, (we are the) Warrior(s)! =-.
Wow, what an amazing loss! I love the idea of taking photos to represent the weight lost, it’s really great to be able to see it in real terms. These types of photos can be just the right type of motivation needed to empower you to keep going, too!
It’s crazy how the comparison really hits home! Really puts things into perspective
Ok, so I have lost your younger son then!
Funny for sure how I used to carry that extra 50 lbs on my frame but now, I can’t carry a 50 lb weight at the gym. No wonder I was so tired all the time too.
Went through my dresser today and ended up donating all my shorts and pj’s. Guess a summer shopping trip is in the works now.
.-= Karyn´s last blog ..Part of the anger and hatred… =-.