Am I the only one?
 

I was having a convo with someone, and I brought up a little "cover up" trick I have and I thought I must be the ONLY one who did it... turns out, I'm not alone! And she suggested I start up a thread about all the things we might think only WE do to cover up things relating to our obesity and/or things we think might only happen to us....

Soooo

Am I the only one...

-who coughs when they run out of breath going up one flight of stairs so nobody knows they're ACTUALLY gasping for air?
-used to ALWAYS tie a jacket around her waist, because it was inevitable her shirt would ride up?
-pretends they were running to class(or whatever destination) because they are sweating so much?
-who's cheap jeans only last about 3-4 months and then explode in the thigh area.
-who doesn't understand why the numbers on women's sizes correspond to absolutely nothing (okay, that was out of context with the original intent of this thread, but it was on my mind... seriously, they mean NOTHING!!)
-who tucks fat rolls down into their jeans and up into their bra band?
-who waits for other people to order first so that I can order slightly less than them to feel less fat?

I have a ton more, but I'd like to hear what YOU GUYS have :p

You're not alone! Some look familiar, some I wish I'd tought of! Am I the only one

- who never finishes her plate when eating out with friends 'I'm full', yeah right, I'm never full!
- who has a snack right before going to family parties
- who always has to work at times everybody plans to go swimming
- who wears really high heels, so she can't join the dancing

The only one I've got is the exploding cheap jeans, that made me laugh!

Am I the only one who refuses to admit to my mother that I am losing weight because if I do, she'll take such a keen interest that it'll feel like she's smothering me like she has done for 55 years and like she's trying to take away even the tiniest thing I could call my own? Issues, moi? Just about to get in the car and drive over, moi? :)

Oh, I can add to this one!

Am I the only one...
* who wore black pants and black shell with patterned jacket to try to look "thinner"
* ate in the car so no one would know - Like I could hide it
* walked to meetings early so that I could catch my breath before anyone else got there
* lied about my weight on my driver's license
* laughed and smiled on the outside while cringing and crying on the inside

"who doesn't understand why the numbers on women's sizes correspond to absolutely nothing (okay, that was out of context with the original intent of this thread, but it was on my mind... seriously, they mean NOTHING!!)"

Haha! I knew I wasn't crazy! I've never been able to figure out how it works and now my favorite store (Maurices) has a weird new "plus" sizing system and now I understand even less (if that's possible). :P


And time2lose I can say you're not the only one to all of those.

Here's a couple:
-who wears baggy sweatshirts/hoodies in the middle of summer trying to hide certain areas?
-who always seems to conveniently have homework/work/other obligations when people want to go out in public?

Oh, so many!

Am I the only one who...

• Used to feel like if I didn't eat a meal at home then I didn't eat so after eating at a restaurant I'd come home and eat again? :dizzy:
• used to pace at the top of the stairs before entering an office area or whatever I was headed to at the top because I was so out of breath?
• used a beachtowel at the gym shower?
• made excuses so as not to have to go to a friend's pool party?
• got gingerly into a car so as not to flip it? :D Ok, so as not to rock everyone in it?
• feared porch swings?

I see lots of cover ups I do!!

I would like to add one:

Am I the only one, to get in bed before dh, and take my clothes off under the blankets (rather than him taking them off, while we are standing LOL)

I've got more:

- Would never wear shorts outside her own home?
- Went through a large tin of body powder every year, particularly in summer, to try to prevent chafing? (And, when looking for more, had to explain the concept of body powder to a sweet skinny young salesgirl who'd never heard of the stuff & couldn't imagine why anyone would use it?)
- When everyone piled into one car for a trip, tried always to get one of the front seats, so I wouldn't be crammed into the back, overspilling onto my neighbors?
- Was always getting those cheap jeans sewn up in the thights & patched, to try to get a little more wear out of them, so they looked like Frankenstein jeans, what with all the zig-zag stitching & dark threads in pale worn places?
- Tried to hide empty ice cream half-gallons & one-pound M&M bags from her trash from her highly observant (okay, snooping) landlady, in case she saw how quickly I went through them? (They were my equivalent of the closet alcoholic's tell-tale "empties.")

Am I the only one who sits with her hand 'neath her chin like she's just having the most profound thoughts but really is simply hiding her double chin with her fingers?

Saef - One of yours really hits me

Even worse, everyone tells you to take the front seat. Even though they would never say why, you know why!

You mean it doesn't work? :dizzy: bummer.

Great thread idea! You are definitely not alone!

Yep, i've done these (or still do ...)

- Coughs when they run out of breath going up one flight of stairs so nobody knows they're ACTUALLY gasping for air?

- Lied about my weight on my driver's license, or other important documents ...

- Wore a lot of black because it apparently makes you look thinner

- Wears a sweater in the middle of summer trying to hide certain areas

- Sits with her hand 'neath her chin like she's just having the most profound thoughts but really is simply hiding her double chin with her fingers

Immediately upon sitting on couch pulls throw pillow onto lap to block view of abdominal rolls?

Caryesings, yes! I've tried to hide behind pillows so often, and behind other people when somebody takes a picture!

I also wore heaps of black and jeans, I never had to match things, as everything I owned matched! How times have changed.

Ha! I thought I was the only one who did that. :)

How about keeping candy in my purse, keeping my purse in my lap, and "sneaking" pieces into my mouth one by one so that "nobody would know I was eating candy."

Eliana, I used to eat after a restaurant too. Another handy uber food "rule" was that food scarfed standing up, eaten alone, or eaten in the car, even if meal-like, was not "a meal."

The FRANKENSTEIN JEANS!!!!!! OHHHMIGOSH, I wore frankenstein jeans all through high school... sew them up... patch them up... duct tape them from the inside... you name it I've tried it. *sigh*

Oh.. and the pillow thing. I didn't even REALIZE I was doing it until I read it. But I'm right there with you. :)

Am I the only one who:

-Keeps there hair long because you were told fat girls look bad with short hair. (I happen to think short hair is cute)
-Feels like everybody is watching me when I go grocery shopping for healthy foods (makes me think everyone is saying "There is no help for you, your just fat)
-Wears turtle necks to cover up that double chin
-Wears big baggy jackets to cover up all the fat rolls
-Always has shoes break because of having to much weight in them
-Broke a chair when I sat down, then everyone looked at me (you know what they were thinking)
-Has a sports car but refuses to drive it because you feel like a giant in it and you think everyone is starring at you (so you drive your husbands truck to work everyday)
-who has trouble finding a belt to fit

These are a few that I wanted to add that happend to me

These are so spot on, and it makes me sad to think about it, most of it is just automatic.

I always stand at the back of every photo or shove my biggest purse in front of me. I have about 20 pairs of pants, all black. I do use a beach towel in the locker room. Would never eat anything like junk food in public, have to hide it at home and then bury the wrappers, even from my husband who has always eaten healthy foods. The one about being asked to sit in the front seat is particularly humiliating, it has happened a few times. How about boarding an airplane like Southwest and all the passengers either giving you a dirty look or obviously trying to arrange themselves so you won't sit next to them.

Lord I can't wait to be thin again.

Am I the only one...

I used to put on a shirt and if it was too tight, I would pull on it to stretch it out because I didn't want to admit that it was too small.

I told my friend the other day, I was so proud - I'm 7 pounds away from away from my drivers license weight! LOL

Am I the only one who never really got into sizes larger than 18, but just wore stretchy unknown-sized pants instead because they were "more comfortable"? Who knows what size I really wore? I was in denial.

Oh, I totally do that.

I also only buy "tunic tees" from Lands End because other t-shirts are so short they show my belly if I raise my arms the least little bit.

And I refuse to let my BF put his hands on my stomach when he's holding me. I actually admitted to him the other night I can't sleep that way because if he's touching my stomach I feel like I have to suck it in, and can't relax enough to fall asleep.

If I am wearing a shirt or sweater that isn't long enough to cover my belly, I often wear a coat over it, even when I'm not cold. Inside. All day.

Am I the only one

- who wore slip-on shoes because it was both too much effort AND too humiliating to tie shoes with laces?

- who had to buy a watch with an "extended" band because my wrist wouldn't fit a regular one, and just noted to others that she detested pressures of any kind on her wrist? I do wear my watch loose, incidentally, but most people don't have to get extra-long watchbands to make that happen.

- who wouldn't wear a bathrobe at home because it was dangerous? Gapping was not to be thought of. Instead, loose sweats and huge tees, always, around the house.

I can relate to so many of these!

Coughing at the top of the stairs to cover the fact that I was gasping for air! Especially when I started intentionally taking the stairs. OR, I would find a drinking fountain and get a drink while gasping LOL

Wearing a fleece jacket in a really warm room, while claiming to be cold, because I don't want to take it off and risk exposing my rolls

Would never in a million years sit in a playground swing for fear of breaking it, not matter how much my children begged or how reinforced it looks (proud to say I am over this and have been on the swings with my children now).

I buy "tall" tops even though I'm only 5'2" because they give me a longer torso which makes me look thinner (I think). I won't buy anything that hits above my hips.

I also kept my hair loooong thinking it thinned out my face. I only recently cut it because I hated the upkeep.

This discussion reminded me about my Driver's License so I checked. Mine says 215. Of course when I put that on my dl, I probably weighed 280. Think I should get a new one and put my weight down as 163?? :devil:

Love this thread!
 

So funny...glad I'm not alone...

• Who selects the thickest and/or darkest material for shorts/capris in the summer so my "sweat" marks would not show through in the most embarrasing areas?
• Who places empty wrappers/food containers in a plastic Target bag with other stuff before putting in the garbage (so my husband won't know what I had)?
• Who kills herself on the elliptical to ensure she's going faster/harder than the skinny girl on the machine next to her just so she doesn't look like the slow, sweaty fat girl in the gym?
• Who, all of sudden, becomes the best hostess, serving food and drinks at her own pool party to avoid having to go into the pool around guests (and I loathe cooking or hosting parties)?
• Who declines many party invitations just so people will not notice the 5 lbs I've gained in the last few weeks?
• Who hates summer so much, just because it's uncomfortable to constantly be sweating when you're not moving?
• Who avoids traveling just in case she's on a full flight and feels "squished" in the seat and always has to have the armrest or she won't fit in the seat?
• Who takes the stairs at work because (like the gym) will be damned if she's the token fat girl taking the elevator…
• Who has to wear Spanx shorts under all skirts and dresses to avoid sweating and chafing...
  * Who would iron a shirt or sweater to stretch it out to fit properly (although it never is done well...it always looks too blousy because I over-ironed it)...

Oh I do that too, wear a jacket in the middle of summer just to "hide" my huge body. And the one about the driver's license, my weight is listed as it was when i was in high school, which was 130. Oh I want to be that weight so much now. And I also stretch my shirts before I put them on because I can't stand the too tight feeling.

Am I the only one...who doesn't dry their clothes because the dryer causes them to "shrink". (Yeah that really happens to clothes that you've had forever, so embarrassing)

Yes! I use the "low heat" setting on my dryer because otherwise my pants get too tight. It takes forever to get them dry that way, though.

Oh, thank you! This has been a major problem for us and I couldn't tell him why!! :o

Mine's 160!!! :rofl: Someone somewhere along the way should have said, "Honey, now come on."

But congratulations to you! It's taking me a long, long time to get my license weight!

... Often had a safely pin securing the space between buttons on her blouses & shirts, because otherwise they'd gape open too much from being tight on the bust?

... And ultimately stopped wearing tops that buttoned, partly because of that reason, and also because of how tight shirts were around the hips, even if they somewhat fit up higher?


[Can't believe my feeling of incredulity in the dressing room, after I'd lost about 50 pounds, when I risked trying on a shirt that buttoned down the front -- & it fit me right. No gaping. No pulling. And I returned to the very adult & formal world of tops that buttoned. So glad to be back!]

This thread is reminding me of so many things! I would wear a sleeveless shell under shirts and then wear the shirt open like a jacket. One of the biggest joys in my life right now is wearing shirts that button!!! My dressing style has changed completely.

when I am gasping for air, I close my mouth and breathe only through my nose when people pass me. I don't want them to see how much air i need.

I thought I was the only one too!

Wow, I've done a lot of these things! I have a couple more to add:

- Always wear bike shorts under my skirts and dresses .... even to formal or professional places.
- Sometimes don't zip up my skirt all the way (because I can't!) and wear a big top

Haha, I've done quite a few of these myself.

Though, I don't cough when I'm gasping for air I used the "yawn" cover up! xD

I still don't like having my belly touched. I have a feeling I'll NEVER like it. :(

Am I the only one ...

- who is still relatively small chested, even though the rest of my body is large? This requires me to buy a skinny girl's bra and use an extender. I hate the way my bras feel! :(

- who will not wear a cap sleeved shirt. I am very self-conscious of the size of my arms, so I search and search for shirts with the "elbow sleeve". They are hard to find!

- will only wear "fat girl shorts" AKA capris in the summer. I went to an amusement park in them the other day and I burned up in those stupid things!

- photoshops the fat away on my pictures? Okay, I can't erase the weight entirely, but I do put shadows under my chin which hides the double chin or shadow the side of the face which slims it some. I always leave the original as is though, so my children don't wonder who that woman was. :D

....who hasn't worn my wedding band set for years?

....who wore only men's t-shirts

....who cut the tags out of her clothes so I wouldn't have to face the truth

....who got stuck in clothing trying to put on too small sizes and had to cut or rip them off

(Wow....reading these is a little depressing)!

Great thread!

I've done the pillows thing and standing behind people in photos- as if my fat face wasn't a dead giveaway that I was obese.

Worn lots of black.

Obsessively tanned because a tan makes you look thinner.....lol...so they say.

Kept my hair long to frame my face in hopes of disguising fat cheeks and double chin.

In the past I would go into a fast food place with food selections written on a piece of paper as if I were ordering for multiple people.