What's it like being hugely obese?

We make do.

Mountains and mountains of it.

I would think seating would be an issue. When I gained weight I used to feel squeezed in restaurant booths. Also I think you would be afraid of a chair collapsing under you.

It's got to be difficult. I'm still shifting weight that I mostly gained during the pandemic. I'm nowhere near obese, but even I've felt too 'big' for things at times, so God knows how it must feel when you're the size of the person in the OP.

I'm obese for the first time in my life. First the pandemic and I was working out until my gym closed. Then taking care of my mother while she was dying of cancer. Nothing to live for. Don't like hobbies or socializing. Nothing gives me joy. Stay away from sweets though I rarely have some. Feel absolutely fine physically. Still I know I have to bite the bullet and get back to the gym because problems will develop.

OP, you’ve come to the right place to ask the question.

All the doctors offices now have at least one "bariatric" chair that's bigger than a regular chair but smaller than a loveseat.

It’s got to be a vicious circle. Being that obese makes any activity harder, which raises the bar for even doing it. Like, you’re done watching TV but then you’d have to get up. So you keep watching TV.

I was obese for a couple of years in my 20s. At my highest weight, my BMI was around 37. It was not a generally good time in my life -- lots of drinking, lots of partying, lots of drug use. I was a smoker. I worked at a horrible, dead-end job. I was depressed. I ate fast food nearly every day.

My feet hurt, especially the first thing in the morning. I couldn't cross my legs. But the worst part was the near-constant self-loathing. Not only was I fat, but I was trapped in my body, and could never escape being fat. Those feelings undoubtedly fueled my compulsion to keep eating terribly, as food (and alcohol, and drugs) offered a brief respite from the misery of being fat.

I was only at my highest weight for about six months, and then I turned things around, and over the next couple of years, got my weight down to a normal BMI. The thing is, there are people who weigh 100, 200, even 300 pounds more than I did at my highest. That seems like unimaginable misery. They must be in physical discomfort all the time.

It's EXHAUSTING.

[quote] Not only was I fat, but I was trapped in my body, and could never escape being fat. Those feelings undoubtedly fueled my compulsion to keep eating terribly, as food (and alcohol, and drugs) offered a brief respite from the misery of being fat.

That’s the part I don’t understand. Those feelings should fuel a drive to lose weight and shedding even a tiny amount of weight from one day to the next and being happy about that should offer that respite from the misery of being fat. Doesn’t that provide some moment of happiness to see the number on the scale go down? It should provide incentive to keep dieting another day.

Don't know.

Forget about roller coasters.

r10 when you are 100+ lbs overweight, you can either feel better in the moment through food or you can make better decisions, the real payoff you don't see for weeks, months, or even years. It's like saying, "Why do poor people buy lotto tickets, cigarettes, and alcohol! They could be SAVING that money!"

Being fat sucks, just like being fat sucks. Often, they both involve an element of despair. You look for small pockets of relief and often don't have the energy (physically or mentally) to make better decisions.

Let's face it. Losing weight is hard. Eating is easy.

^^^ Being fat sucks, just like being poor sucks

[quote] you can either feel better in the moment through food or you can make better decisions, the real payoff you don't see for weeks, months, or even years.

You can have and see real payoff each day and don’t have to wait weeks, months, years. Any amount of weight decrease from one day to the next is real payoff. I wrote today on another thread how I’m in the process of dieting to be five pounds underweight in preparation for a cruise, so Im experiencing it right now. Each day, I weigh myself first thing in the morning and each day it’s a few ounces less. That’s real payoff and real reward for me cutting back eating to the minimum. It’s an incentive to keep going.

You sound a little smug, r15.

Junk food absolutely does a number on the body & the mind. If you’re overeating from boredom or trauma, it’s a vicious cycle that is very difficult to break.

A poor, fat rich diet leaves one constantly hungry, and obviously wanting more.

I cut off all processed foods about a month ago. It’s amazing how I rarely feel hungry, hence I’m not overeating, & losing weight. I have never gotten to where that poor woman has, in OP’s photo, but when one has a smaller frame, an extra 30-40 pounds is a LOT.

I no longer judge nor look down on persons who are obese. I now understand that under the right (very bad) circumstances, obesity can happen to almost anyone.

R15, am I correct in assuming you’re targeting your mark in order to go hog wild on food and drink, during your cruise?

If so, that’s very difficult on one’s body. Whatever habits you maintain on dry land in order to remain fit & healthy, are the same habits you should maintain while out at sea.

Stealth lesbian thread.

[quote]I wrote today on another thread how I’m in the process of dieting to be five pounds underweight in preparation for a cruise, so Im experiencing it right now.

I was on a two month cruise earlier this year and lost about 10 lbs. While on the ship I ate the healthier items at the buffet and when I went to the dinner restaurants like the Britannia on Cunard the portion size is smaller than at a U.S. restaurant. Gained it back however going out with friends for drinks and eating the cheaper food on the happy hour menu.

[quote] am I correct in assuming you’re targeting your mark in order to go hog wild on food and drink, during your cruise?

Not hog wild, but eating appetizer, entree and dessert for lunch and dinner each day is a lot more than I usually eat, plus alcohol. Today, for example, I had just pieces of roasted chicken for breakfast/lunch, and don’t drink alcohol other than on vacation.

R16, I realize I’m entering the fatties’ den, and they don’t take kindly to being prodded, but the message is sound that you can lose weight.

r22 I hope you are not in patient care or customer service because your bedside manner sucks

The problem is that, for someone 100 lbs. overweight, losing a few ounces each day is like a drop of rain in the ocean. It's really hard when you're following a diet religously and only drop 4 bls in a week when all you can think about is "96 more to go."

I in a similar boat right now. I'm on Mounjaro and have been for 8 weeks. I've lost 5 lbs. where others have lost 10 or 15 in the same amount of time. Having been on so many diets over the years, my body is not responding like it used to in my 30s (I'm in my 60s now). I'm actually eating more than I have before because I have to eat 100 gms of protein. I've been on diets before where I probably had 20 gms of protein on a low-calorie diet. So I have to wrap my head around the amount I'm eating.

Also, at 100 lbs overweight, walking to the mailbox is almost impossible. So telling someone that size to walk is like asking them to do something they, in their minds, can't do.

Watch 600 lb. life on TLC. Those people have to go on a diet BEFORE they can have bariatric surgery! Some will lose 30 lbs in 2 months and STILL need to drop more before they can have the surgery. They don't see 30 lbs and anything to be happy about when they still face an upload battle.

[quote] The problem is that, for someone 100 lbs. overweight, losing a few ounces each day is like a drop of rain in the ocean. It's really hard when you're following a diet religously and only drop 4 bls in a week when all you can think about is "96 more to go."

That’s the mistake, setting the goal to be 100lbs. You should set a goal of 5lbs. After dropping 4lbs, you’re 80% done and only 1lb away from your goal. Once you achieve your 5lb goal, and proven to yourself you can do it, set another 5 lb goal.

R25, the problem isn't the goal but not being happy to lose 5 lbs when you have so much more to lose.

If your doctor says you're 100 lbs overweight, you already know the number. My doctor gave me a weight to shoot for that should get me off by BP and cholesterol meds. I have a considerable amount to lose but I'm happy with the 5 I've lost already. For someone who is much heavier than I am, it's hard to be happy with 5 lbs.

Did you know that because of Arnold Schwarzenegger's BMI it registered him as obese.

R17 is right that junk food stimulates the appetite, triggering a vicious cycle of overeating. A whole foods, low-sugar way of eating can stop the cravings in their tracks. Almost miraculous.