Hi Everyone,
I'll start off with an intro, I'm a huge Disney fan but love all rides and having a blast at the park with friends and family. We hadn't been to US/IOA since a few years before Harry Potter opened, even though we visit WDW 2-3 times a year. The last time we were there, I was having trouble fitting in seats and had to use the modified seating on the Hulk and others. I kept telling myself I couldn't go back until I lost some weight(6'2",260lb 10 years ago). I was using that as an excuse to lose weight but never did, and in fact I had put on a lot more.
Well, in May of this year, we were in Orlando area with friends and decided to do 3 days at US/IOA. I thought to myself, it might be tight, but I'll just use the modified seating and I'll be fine. I was so excited to ride some of my favourite rides in Orlando and try all the new Harry Potter attractions.
We arrived at the gates early on the first tues in May, and the excitement level was huge, my wife and our friends are all ride junkies and this was our friends first time to US/IOA. Gates opened on the US side and we walked our way to the Harry Potter ride. I really wasn't nervous, I thought for sure I'd fit in the modified seating. I was dead wrong, I couldn't fit, my best friend trying to push the restraint down, nope, nothing, I couldn't fit. Long story, but I'll cut it short, that continued for 3 days, I couldn't fit while I pretended that it didn't bother me while they rode the rides I used to love.
As I sat out front of each ride I couldn't fit on, being a locker for their belongings, I got angry with myself for not being with them, for letting my wife down, for not enjoying the trip with my friends. So I decided to make a change. "When we get home, I'm going to start to diet", We'll I've said that a million times to my wife, so she though I was full of BS. But the day after we got home, I made an appointment at a local weight lose clinic for a consultation.
It took a couple weeks to get in and my wife who looks great, joined me as she wanted to lose 15-20 lbs. After an hour consultation we joined up and left with a plan and some meal replacements. I had ballooned up to 326.2lbs and was embarassed to be on the scale with my wife in the room. Even though she was also the heaviest she had ever been, she still looked great. We started the plan at the end of May and have been following it with pretty much no cheating, unless traveling. Although we don't go crazy, we just make healthy choices, something I didn't do before.
My goal weight to get back to US/IOA before Harry Potter opened was 245, so I thought I'd put that as my new US/IOA goal. We had planned a Disney trip for Oct 12-19 after returning in May, I think my wife felt bad that I didn't enjoy my May trip too much. I knew that Oct was going to be almost impossible to get to my goal, but I was shooting for Dec, we have a big family trip planned to WDW then. I have followed this diet religiously, using that feeling in May of standing out front, being a bag and coat rack, waiting for my wife and friends as motivation. On October 3rd, for the first time in 10 years I was under 245, 243 to be exact. The first thing I did when I got home was order US/IOA tickets. I'm so pumped right now. We leave in a couple days and I'm already packed.
I'll check in as we go along, but it's a little crazy up here in my part of Canada, Wed/Thurs we got a foot of snow and it's our Thanksgiving weekend so lots of family stuff going on. I'll report back on if I fit or not.
I'll start off with an intro, I'm a huge Disney fan but love all rides and having a blast at the park with friends and family. We hadn't been to US/IOA since a few years before Harry Potter opened, even though we visit WDW 2-3 times a year. The last time we were there, I was having trouble fitting in seats and had to use the modified seating on the Hulk and others. I kept telling myself I couldn't go back until I lost some weight(6'2",260lb 10 years ago). I was using that as an excuse to lose weight but never did, and in fact I had put on a lot more.
Well, in May of this year, we were in Orlando area with friends and decided to do 3 days at US/IOA. I thought to myself, it might be tight, but I'll just use the modified seating and I'll be fine. I was so excited to ride some of my favourite rides in Orlando and try all the new Harry Potter attractions.
We arrived at the gates early on the first tues in May, and the excitement level was huge, my wife and our friends are all ride junkies and this was our friends first time to US/IOA. Gates opened on the US side and we walked our way to the Harry Potter ride. I really wasn't nervous, I thought for sure I'd fit in the modified seating. I was dead wrong, I couldn't fit, my best friend trying to push the restraint down, nope, nothing, I couldn't fit. Long story, but I'll cut it short, that continued for 3 days, I couldn't fit while I pretended that it didn't bother me while they rode the rides I used to love.
As I sat out front of each ride I couldn't fit on, being a locker for their belongings, I got angry with myself for not being with them, for letting my wife down, for not enjoying the trip with my friends. So I decided to make a change. "When we get home, I'm going to start to diet", We'll I've said that a million times to my wife, so she though I was full of BS. But the day after we got home, I made an appointment at a local weight lose clinic for a consultation.
It took a couple weeks to get in and my wife who looks great, joined me as she wanted to lose 15-20 lbs. After an hour consultation we joined up and left with a plan and some meal replacements. I had ballooned up to 326.2lbs and was embarassed to be on the scale with my wife in the room. Even though she was also the heaviest she had ever been, she still looked great. We started the plan at the end of May and have been following it with pretty much no cheating, unless traveling. Although we don't go crazy, we just make healthy choices, something I didn't do before.
My goal weight to get back to US/IOA before Harry Potter opened was 245, so I thought I'd put that as my new US/IOA goal. We had planned a Disney trip for Oct 12-19 after returning in May, I think my wife felt bad that I didn't enjoy my May trip too much. I knew that Oct was going to be almost impossible to get to my goal, but I was shooting for Dec, we have a big family trip planned to WDW then. I have followed this diet religiously, using that feeling in May of standing out front, being a bag and coat rack, waiting for my wife and friends as motivation. On October 3rd, for the first time in 10 years I was under 245, 243 to be exact. The first thing I did when I got home was order US/IOA tickets. I'm so pumped right now. We leave in a couple days and I'm already packed.
I'll check in as we go along, but it's a little crazy up here in my part of Canada, Wed/Thurs we got a foot of snow and it's our Thanksgiving weekend so lots of family stuff going on. I'll report back on if I fit or not.
