Baron Patrick

Thanks all! I truly appreciate your comments - and that is so important to me. With that, here is another installment - enjoy!

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It’s the Simple things that Count –

Unless you have been obese, you could never know or even begin to understand the difficulties we have. Things that most people take for granted, are extremely difficult or impossible for the obese person. Watching a “formerly fat” person celebrate because they can simply look down and see their feet is a truly magical moment. Being able to bend down for the first time to tie your shoes without pain, dizziness or getting out of breath can be a major feeling of accomplishment. Discovering you can cross your legs, or fold your arms comfortably is like discovering you can walk for the very first time. Consider the person who was so large they couldn’t fit in an airline seat – and come back to discover not only can they sit in the seat, but have room to spare!
Here is a list that was compiled by a group of wonderful friends on the “simple things” they celebrate in being able to do, or looking forward to being able to perform.


- Sitting here in my desk chair, and my butt not rolling off both sides of my chair.
- Going into McDonalds to get my boys chicken nuggets and not having people look at me like I’m the Anti-Christ.

- Being able to look down at my stomach while riding in a car and have it NOT jiggle profusely, like a big bowl of lime jello.

- Not hiding chocolate from my family because I’m afraid they will get to it before me.

- Never ever hearing the words, “….. but you have such a pretty face…” again.

- Being able to be the girl that sits in the middle of the backseat… instead of the one everyone saves the front seat for.

- Being able to wear a skirt… and not have my inner thighs sweat and blister like some white girl lost in the Sahara without her sunblock.

- Being able to sit down… and not worry about the weight capacity of my chosen seat.

- Being able to run into people from my past and not try and hide behind a bush like Pee Wee Herman.

- Not going on a blind date as the one who “has a nice personality.”

- Tie my tennis shoes with the bow in the middle of the shoe rather than at the inside edge. (You know what I mean)

- Sit "Indian style" and not have my legs go numb.

- Take up links in my gold bracelets so they don't fall off my wrist.

- Wear my tiny 16" necklace with my diamond pendant, the way it was purchased, rather than wearing the 32" necklace my hubby had to purchase for my pendant so that I could wear it around my fat neck.

- Put on a pair of pantyhose without sweating and struggling like I was fighting an anaconda.

- Wear sexy little high-heeled mules without my fat feet hanging over both sides of the shoes.

- Have long red acrylic nails without them looking like they were stuck on pig hooves.

- Have blood successfully drawn from my arm.

- When weighing, put the doctor's scale weight at the 100 lb. mark instead of the 200 lb. mark!

- Have my 19-year old daughter lift me off the ground and swing me around--several times.

- Wear socks without cutting off the circulation in my legs.

- Wear underwear without cutting off the circulation in my legs.

- Sit in my chair without cutting off the circulation in my legs.

- No more foot surgeries.

- Being able to be intimate with my husband, without having to be... creative... because I know I'll get a bout of GERD.

- Taking a shower without some part of my body always touching a cold tile wall.

- Being able to wear cute high heeled shoes..... period.

- Being able to wave hello without a pound of fat slapping in the breeze. (flabby skin I can deal with!)

- Being able to drive my Chevy Camaro comfortably.

- Being able to sit or lay on the floor and get up without doing the "knee, pause, knee, pause, foot, pause, press, stand".

- Not having to hunt for size 10 or 11 inch anklets to go around my "pig hoove".

- Being able to bend over.... period.

- Speaking of periods... nevermind I won't go there.

- Being able to buy a thong that doesn't look like the slingshot David used to slay Goliath.

- The day my stomach stops sweating. How gross is that... do they make belly deoderant???

- Ride a bike without looking like my ass ate the seat.

- Be able to go to the beach with out anyone mistaking me for a beached whale

- Go to my next high school reunion (I was too ashamed to go last time)

- Go hiking without having to stop and gasp for air.

- Take a bath without needing the jaws of life to get me out

- Wear baby doll t-shirts

- Be able to play ball with my girls without going into an asthma attack from my excess weight

- Be able to go in any store, work, restaurant, etc. with my head held high, instead of looking at the floor

- I want my husband and kids to be proud when they say they are with me, not ashamed because I am the largest specimen in the room.

- Being able to walk into a normal size clothes shop,and buy normal size clothes without the people in there looking at me as tho freddy kruger just walked in!

- Taking the kids swimming without all the eyes staring and then looking away quickly when I look their way.

- Sweating...gees i won’t miss that or having to be double jointed to wash my body

- Having to have the largest uniform at work and still it is too small and very uncomfortable.


- Getting my weekly shopping without everyone feeling the need to look into my trolley to see what I’m buying.

- My feet not aching from the sheer weight they have to carry!

- Having just ONE chin oohlala!!!!

- And most of all i am looking forward to having people I have not seen in a while walk past me because they don’t recognize me and seeing what it feels like to be intimate and a guy being able to pick me up.

- Having a seat belt sit where it's suppossed to across my chest and not up around my ear lobes!

- Getting a pedicure and being able to position my feet the right way so the poor girl doesn't have to lean so awkwardly!

- I want to do a kartwheel!

-Play baseball with my kids. slip by someone with out my HUGE a$$ knocking them over.

- Squat down to get eye level with my kids.

- NOT have to wear a girdle everyday because I HATE the feel of butt jiggle!

- I want to say "no thank you I am full".....and MEAN it!

- I want to be in LOTS of pictures with my kids, I shy away from that at the moment because I dislike the way I look.

- I want to ride my husband like a bucking bronco!

- Not having my stomach get wet when I do the dishes

- Not having to clean under the roll of fat under my belly

- Being able to wash my back and butt in the shower without feeling like I am going into a charly horse.

- Seeing my hip bones

- Not having people ask me (and yes this happens more often than I care to say) am I having the baby kick a lot or when am I due. (no I am not pregnant)

- Not dreading situations where I have to sit on the floor
AND being able to get up gracefully when I do.

- Being able to scratch my own back

- Seeing my feet!!!

- Not having to buy shoes two sizes too big to fit the width of my feet.

- Not having my lower back, feet, ankles and legs hurt after walking for an extended period of time.

- Possibly getting rid of the extremely thick caluses on my feet. I think they are caused by excessive weight bearing. Think elephant feet

- Wearing high heels again and not looking like an elephant trying to balance on a pair of stilts

- Having guys look at me AFTER I get out of the car

- Being able to bend over without getting dizzy or lightheaded when I get back up.

- Being able to get into a pair of pantyhose again without hopping, laying flat on the bed and being a contortionist, with the added plus of not have my legs rub together and cause a rash. Oh and by the way why do they think that if you are queen size you MUST be 6 feet tall?

- Not having my pants wear out where my legs rub together, even though the rest of them are perfectly fine.

- Being able to tuck my shirt in!!!

- Not having to pay extra for my clothes because they require extra fabric

- Being able to get a bathing suit and go swimming with my kids

- Being able to fit into a public toilet stall and still be able to close the door and open it to get back out. Or not having to use the handicapped stall for the extra room.

- And finally, being around for my children as they grow up with out worrying about the co-morbidities I have taking me from them too soon.

- being able to jump on my daughters trampoline without feeling like I am going to wet myself because of all of my fat pushing down on my bladder when I jump.

- being able to take a bath and fill the bath tub up more than an inch or two without the water overflowing when I sit in it

- being able to wear shorts, plain and simply, (I don't wear them no matter how hot it is because I am ashamed of how fat my legs are)

- being able to wear a seat belt in the car without having to suck my stomach in to actually buckle it (cops don't like that excuse)

- and last but not least, being skinny enough so that my daughter can give me a hug and actually be able to get her arms around me

- Getting my blood sugar fully controlled.

- Having sex be fun, not work.

- Sitting comfortably in airplanes and movie theaters.

- Not being so goddamn sleepy all the time.

- Playing with my kids outside without getting tired.

- Not feeling like I'm going to die when I get a cold (now I get very out of breath and exhausted).

- Playing tennis again (used to play 25 years and 180 lbs ago).

- Riding amusement park rides comfortably.

- Having my best friends & family stop looking at me with such concern in my eyes everytime I talk about going to the Dr. (no, I am not going to keel over and die anytime soon...)

- Instead of having people say "You would be the most beautiful woman here...." I WOULD BE!!! (well, actually, I AM NOW!)

- Sleeping the night through without waking up with a headache. (I have neck problems that are aggravated by my upper body mass)

- Going on an airplane seats or sitting in an auditorium seats and not taking up 1/2 the "personal space" of the people on either side of me.

- Going on a roller coaster ride without being kicked off because I'm too big or causing my back to go out of whack (really happened!)

- Oh, to be a freeze baby instead of a sweaty pig.... I live in Minnesota and I'm hot all the time...how wrong is that?

- Being able to scratch my back without using a ruler.

- Shaving my legs without feeling like I just completed an Olympic event.

- Crossing my legs and having my top leg cross vertically instead of diagonally. And, even better, if I could actually touch the top foot onto the floor while my legs are crossed. You know what I'm talking about!

- KNOWING when guys are checking me out its because they think I'm hot and not wondering if they think I'm huge and disgusting.

- Being able to lift my foot up and paint my own toenails. (Angela's!)

- Being able to HOP up into my truck, rather then HOIST myself in it.

- Being able to clean my belly button without losing a finger.

- Being able to see my hoo-hoo.

- Being able to walk between parked cars without turning sideways.

- Never having sweat in my fat creases! (EW!)

- Hold my head up with pride in public.

- Being able to wear a Wonder Bra, find out Victoria's Secret, and be a Fredrick's of Hollywood girl..... What a thought!

- Being able to roll over in one swift movement, instead of several heeves..... that drives me nuts!!!!

- Strutting into a bikini store and buying a black string bikini.

- Wearing said bikini by a glamorous pool in Las Vegas.

- Being able to the chewing gum walk (very wriggly!).

- NOT being afraid to bend over to pick something up.

- Looking into a mirror and NOT crying.

- Being able to tell people that I work in the entertainment industry without getting the raised eyebrows and the "you must be REALLY behind the scenes" look.

- Doing my hair and makeup without feeling like it's a futile effort.

- Stop being deathly afraid of even brushing by a stranger accidentally for fear of hearing the, "jeez, that girl is SO fat!"

- Being able to enjoy a walk without worrying if I can make it to point b or not.

- Going back to horseback riding without turning a thoroughbred into a sway back

- Sex with the lights on.

- Being able to take a long walk around a lake without spraining my ass muscles.

- Going to bathroom and not worrying about breaking the toilet seat.

- Maybe being able to wear tank tops or spaghetti straps for the first time in my life (I have arm pooch....unless after surgery I have too much excess skin, then oh well....)

- No more bruises on the thighs from stadium seating/movie theaters.

- No more worrying I can’t fit in amusement park rides.

- No more breaking plastic chairs/camping chairs.

- Being able to wear a belt.

- Being able to size down your wedding ring...oh ya...

- Being healthy and able to move and play with my kids is the best.

- Not having to worry about how wide seats will be at a theatre or concert venue.

- Not having a fear of flying (not from the actual flight, but the size of the seats).

- Being able to drive without the steering wheel touching my belly.

- Being able to shave off my beard, which is currently trying to hide my face.

- Not fearing to walk in a room with a lot of people.

- Not cringing or averting my eyes when I see pictures of myself.

- Allowing someone to sit behind me in my backseat.

- Not having to wear a shirt in the swimming pool.

- Not hearing creaking sounds coming from a couch or chair when sitting
down.

- Showing my new self to the girl that loved me, but never wanted to go out with me because of my weight. (I can't blame her, but I can't wait to see her reaction)

- Being able to slide into a restaurant booth without moving the table over, and have it be one movement, instead of scooch, scooch, scooch.

- Being able to sit down on the floor and rest my chin, on my knees!

- Dancing..... really dancing... the way I used too... and being able to help my kids learn dances of their own!

- I can't wait to be on the inside of life, instead of feeling like I'm window shopping!

- I want to feel confident enough with my body to try things that intimidate me (dancing, martial arts, exercise groups, etc.).

- I want to wear clothes that my teenagers wish they had.

- I want to see the dimple in my chin.

- I want to ask a friend if this outfit is too "young" for me.

- I want to not feel so darn HOT all summer, well......I want to feel hot, just a different kind!

- I want at least one man that didn't want me before to be dumb enough to try.

- I'd love to travel and actually fit in the clothes native to the country I'm in.

- I want my clothes to stop always falling off the hangers.

- I want to be healthy, active, confident, and effervescent!

- I want my life back.

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Baron Patrick

It Ain't Over Till I Say It's Over-And I Won!
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Top / Pre / Current / My Goal
280 / 263 / 190 / 180


LAP RNY 5/29/07
TT Gym Rat Club Member #19