I'm joining family in December for a cruise on the Fantasy and am working hard to lose weight by then, but am very self-conscious about my size. Are there any places where I won't be welcome or things that I can't do?
OP, we're so mean to ourselves in ways we wouldn't be to others. We wouldn't want our children to say the things to themselves that we say to ourselves. So treat yourself the way you want your children to treat themselves. Does that make sense?
There will be so many sizes of people on the ship and you will find that you don't even notice what they look like. If you interact with people, size melts away (I mean, sometimes one thinks "that person seems unhealthy, I hope they gain or lose the needed weight so they live a long time and keep their awesomeness on this planet longer", but that's not necessarily a *bad* thing, it's just a thought). And when you realize that YOU aren't thinking bad things about someone else's size, you can realize that they aren't thinking it about you, either.
I was talking with a friend who I hadn't seen during my weight loss journey, and she said I looked great, but was really surprised that I had 85 lbs to lose. She said she never once saw my size. She just saw ME. Holy moly. I was so stinkin' mean to myself because of my weight, thinking that everyone saw it. And here she was, a small woman, who never once thought about it.
I do want to say something about YOUR weight loss journey's possibilities. There are a lot of head games when losing weight. It can be VERY hard to really see, to really really accept, our new size. Especially as we close in on goals. I *still* find myself turning to the side at Disney turnstiles. I am a small person right now. I have no need to turn sideways. But there's part of me that still thinks I need to. When I look in a mirror, part of me still expects to see the old me. I am not always surprised, but it's often enough that I know I still get surprised to see this new body.
I read the other day that it takes 1 year to get mentally used to each 50 lbs you lose. This sounds about right, though of course some people go faster and some slower. For me, my loss took about 1.5 years, so I had time to ease into it. But I still get surprised! Got a watch on our last cruise...they had to take 4 links out of it. Shocking!
So even as you get closer, still be gentle with yourself, and try to remember what you have accomplished in terms of goals. Oh and...take measurements now and as you go. Those help SO much. It's painful as heck to even think of doing them at first, but it's so gratifying later on IF you did them!
Yes. Every time I post in this kind of thread, I always get that response from someone. You know what I meant, stop trying to be offended.
FWIW, "normal" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. You meant it in terms of Americans not being the smallest people, on average. You didn't mean it in terms of normal meaning a possibly healthier weight. If DH gets to WW goal weight for his age/height, he will have lost 200 lbs. (the "if" isn't "if he can lose any weight". it's that he's built like a sumo with serious musculature, and it's possible he would need to amputate a leg to get to the weight they state..he might have to get a doctor's note for a weight a bit higher) At some point in there, he'll hit "average American man" size. But, to him and his doctor, that won't be *normal*. Average and normal are different things.
And, when one has worked to get to a healthier size for their body, and when one is now NOT average, to be called "abnormal" can be a bit hurtful. I've been dealing with the "why is SHE here?" looks and comments at my WW meetings for about 6 months now, and I gotta tell ya...that is AS painful, IF not more painful, than my perceived "she's so big" looks I felt I was getting in public before.
So...if you wish to...stop using the word "normal". "Average American" is likely a better way to describe what you are trying to describe.
And honestly I'm not sure what the average American MAN is. A 14 is what we've described as average women. Of course, that's about an 18 in pattern sizes, if not a 20. Ah the nasty side of vanity sizing, when you realize what size you would have been in in the 80s. Current size 14 isn't the same as a pattern size 14, which would be around a size 6 in current street clothes.
Sorry, went off on my pattern vs street sizes, anti vanity sizing, rant. Doesn't apply to men anyway.
But I'm not sure what the average size for men is, anyway. Neither does DH. He wears his pants at his waist, not his hips, so even when slimmer his pants size is still bigger than a guy who wears 'em at his hips...
If you find the showers tight (or don't like the cold shower curtain touching you as you try to move away from the grab bar - consider taking your showers in the Spa. There is no fee, you don't have to buy their products/services - and the showers are much bigger. There is moisturizer, q-tips, razors... in the ladies' room. Lots of towels.
This is such a fabulous idea, and I really want to start doing this. The locker rooms are free, and they are really very lovely. The shavers are cheapie Bic type, of course, but they are there!
Every time I eat my carrot sticks instead of potato chips, I just remind myself that when I get to the cruise, I WILL EAT LIKE A QUEEN!!! To reward myself for my hard work I am going to indulge myself for those 4 days and let myself go without vegetables, hee hee.
Congrats on all counts! FWIW, depending on how long you've been doing WW...don't be surprised if you *don't* go as indulge-y as you think you will. You might surprise yourself by not going wild, and by not being sad that you aren't going wild. Nothing wrong if you do do it...just don't freak if you find yourself saying "no, I'm actually full, thank you" when offered something else at dinner, or an extra drink, etc.
After lots of trial and error with different diets, I found that I absolutely loved the Weight Watchers program. I ate healthier and was supposed to be getting an hour a day of exercise, even just walking, to get my muscles back where they needed to be, so as many days as I could I'd drive to a pretty park and take a walk, or when I felt up to it, go to the gym. I wasn't losing weight JUST for looks; I always felt beautiful, even when I was bald and had gained weight during treatment! However, I was motivated both to be HEALTHY like I needed to be after this amazing new life I had fought for, and to be able to show everyone how HEALTHY I really was after everyone seeing me look so sick for so long. I am now about 11 weeks out from my cruise, and I'm so close to my goals!!! I'm only 6 pounds away from my weight before treatment, and since I've really changed my lifestyle with Weight Watchers, it's just my little personal goal to try to lose 10 more after that. If it doesn't happen, I won't be heartbroken, because my weight will still be in a healthy range...however, if I can do it, it would be an even more awesome success. The cruise has been such great motivation for me ever since August -- yes, we planned it almost a year in advance, so I had time.
I can lift 200lbs and do CPR for 3 hours straight (not happy afterwards, but I can do it). And in between that and my pancreatitis forced diet- I'm seriously Wonder Woman esque. And I totally embrace being bigger.
that's awesome. I can't do close to any of that. I've been trying for 3 years and still can't do a pull up. You definitely deserve the tshirt.
Not that there is anything wrong with it but that would make me self conscious and probably get me arrested 
