Challenging things about being Overweight.
It’s so hard finding clothes to wear! I went from being a size four to [feeling] disgusting. It’s hard to shop at stores where I used to shop. Now I just wear a baggy sweatshirt to try to hide myself.
Embarrassing
It’s embarrassing and upsetting when I can’t go on certain rides at an amusement park, and when I can’t fit into certain clothes.
Uncomfortable clothes
You get into a very deep depression because you don’t like the way that you look. You can’t fit into normal clothes, and the clothes that you can wear feel uncomfortable.
Being healthy
The hardest thing about being on my diet is when I see my brother eating stuff that I can’t have. Then I just feel depressed and sad. But I know he’s not going to be healthy when he grows up, and I am. That’s all I have to remember to make me feel better.
I think the most difficult thing is mostly self-image– how you view yourself. I guess being overweight can make you less confident. I know that I think about this all the time: “If I were thinner, there would be so many more things that I would do. I would be more outgoing and not afraid to say things or do things.” It ties you down and keeps you from being who you really want to be.
Bathing suit
My weight stops me from going to the beach a lot, because I don’t feel comfortable in a bathing suit.
Being “good”
A lot of the healthy food tastes okay if you make it the right way. It’s annoying, though, when the clinicians say that you can go out to eat but that you have to “be good.” That’s annoying because then you see other people eating regular fried foods, and that makes it hard.
The people around you
I think the people around you are the most difficult part of being overweight. They can be really hard on you. Whether you are fat or not, other people just think that you shouldn’t be overweight. I think that [my weight] makes everyone else uncomfortable, but not so much me.
Compounding factors
Just the everyday aspects of my weight are a struggle. It’s hard to understand– it’s not just that I need to eat less or I need to lose weight; it’s all the compounding factors. I have trouble staying awake, I work slowly, I get out of breath quickly, and I get overheated. You feel like if someone could take away three of those factors, it would be easier to deal with. The hard part is trying to combat all of the situations.
Rewards: Seeing results
When I get weighed and I hear, “Gee, you gained weight,” I just feel sad; I feel depressed. But I have been doing well recently and I have never ever heard anything bad. When I hear something good, I just feel good, good, good.
Seeing results
My biggest motivator is seeing that I lost weight. The hardest thing for me was when a couple of years after my brain tumor I felt like I was putting in so much effort and yet I would gain weight. And to have people tell me they weren’t sure it [weight loss] was possible was very discouraging. You get the feeling of, “Why bother trying?” But I have gotten to the point now where I have seen results and seen that it is actually possible. So any time I get tempted to eat more or to stop exercising, I just think about that and it’s all the motivation I need.
The biggest motivator
Sometimes my grandmother will bribe me with certain things to motivate me. She’ll say, “If you do the treadmill for half hour today, I’ll take you out and we’ll go do something.” But all in all, I did this for myself. I really want to be healthy, and it’s the best thing for me. I think the biggest motivation I have is just myself.
Opportunity to educate
I explain how my tumor caused my weight gain to anyone I meet. I make sure I’m not ashamed of it, but also I explain what it’s like. We tend to look at people and put ourselves in their shoes. There is the typical stereotype of someone who is overweight: they eat too much, or they are lazy. I remember thinking before my brain tumor, “Boy, if I eat this much and don’t gain weight, they must really eat a lot.” So I look at my weight gain as an opportunity to educate people and make them understand how hard it is.
Rewarding exercise
I find certain types of exercise rewarding. If you try to make me run a lap, it’s frustrating. But if you just let me walk and have a great conversation, it’s very rewarding.