I didn't go to my law school graduation because I was fat and didn't want to face certain people being fat. Luckily my fiancé was having surgery the day before so I used that as an excuse to get out of it. I also didn't have graduation pictures taken (I am a "not pictured" on the photos hanging on the wall now) because I was fat and I hate how my face looks when fat and I realized I didn't have to do them, so I didn't.

Not so much wake up calls as just.. really depressing **** that happened because I let myself get unrecognizable to myself. I'm also getting married and I know I will feel uncomfortable unless I make it to goal weight (just under 2 years away, so not unrealistic for me to get there, either). I had a dream I was at my wedding and feeling fat in my dress. Ugh.

Like everyone else posting here, I have many embarrassing moments. I have had the rollercoaster thing happen, although I have never had to get off the ride. Each time I have had a very dedicated ride operator that forces the belt or whatnot to close/click so I can ride. That is very mortifying as well.

Another time, when I was still in college, I walked into class with my friend who was also overweight. There were other people sitting in the room waiting for class to start, including a woman who had brought her daughter with her. The little girl said "they are really big mommy" as my friend and I walked by. The mother, my classmate, was horrified and tried to tell her daughter to be quiet, but she said "but mommy, their so big." Other people in the room laughed and I tried to pretend like I didn't care.

Oh, and there was another time when I was studying abroad and my class went for a hike. I knew it would be hard for me to complete, but I didn't know how to tell my teacher I couldn't do it. So I fell further and further behind everyone, EVERYONE, to the point where I couldn't even see them anymore. Someone finally realized I was behind, and he waited for me and then walked with me. I was so embarrassed, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. I kept saying I had asthma, but I knew my nice classmate was thinking it was because I was fat. It was even worse when I got on the bus with everyone else in the class, and they had been waiting forever for me. I cut myself off from this class because of my embarrassment, which made all the other travel with them less than fun.

These were not wake-up calls for me though. My super high blood pressure which requires 2 prescriptions has not been either. No, the realization that I will soon be on a plane where I will probably have to ask for a seat belt extender has finally got me motivated. I knew that when I started at the end of August that there wouldn't be a significant change by the beginning of November, but it still got me going. I am still not looking forward to being on the planes (and I will be on a total of 6 throughout my travel). I am already embarrassed and it hasn't happened yet. I have never been on a plane at such a heavy weight, but I do really want to go on my vacation.

I have never maintained a consistent weight loss, so it is a big deal to me that I have lost every week for nearly two months. Even though I know in three weeks I will be embarrassed on planes, I hope I will stay motivated enough so that next time I go on vacation, I won't have to worry about any embarrassment over being too fat for the seats.

Mine is also plane related, unfortunately. I am looking for a new job and interested in relocating. I have a promising lead and am actually interviewing there tomorrow, but...I have to get on a plane to do so.

Now, I have been flying fairly frequently (4+ times a year for the past 6 years), but I have been always cautious to go on SeatGuru to find flights with bigger seats, having a seatbelt extender, making sure that I am not sitting next to anyone if possible, etc.

Except my prospective employer booked the flight for me. And they booked Southwest.



I have always vowed never to fly Southwest, because I have heard the stories. And now I am going to have to fly Southwest today. If they even let me. I might be labeled too fat to fly and miss my interview tomorrow. Even if I don't, I'm sure this is going to be a horrific experience.

That's when I told myself that I needed to do something about my weight, because this is no way to live.

Oh! I can feel your pain when I read this! I'm so sorry. I have flown Southwest before with my hubby who won't normally fly because of his size and I can tell you that when you check in, you can tell them that you need an extra seat and if there is one available (I bet there will be), they will give you a piece of paper to leave in that extra seat letting others know that it is reserved. They also should let you on first.

Good luck in the job search! I'm love to hear about people making big changes like this!

2big - I hope the journey isn't nearly as stressful as you anticipate, and the job offer is top notch! I'm impressed they paid for your flight!

Well it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. on the flight out I had no problem fitting into the seat. On the way back it was one of their older planes and it was a bit uncomfortable and I needed an extender. The stewardess did eyeball me but didn't say anything. The worst part was the guys standing behind me saying they hoped they didn't have to sit next to the heifer in front of them (me).

So my worst flying experience still belongs to American Airlines!

And I think I got the job! It will be a $7/hr raise, day shift, and much lower stress.

Excellent news! Can I go kick those scumbags for you??

I had to fulfill a PE requirement for college so I decided to sign up for personal training. I knew I had gotten quite fat but hadn't weighed myself in a long time so I didn't know how bad it was. So for our first session, I had to go downstairs to the locker room and weigh myself.

I looked down at the scale.

181lbs!!!!

I had to march back up those stairs and tell my blonde, tan, blue-eyed, muscular trainer that I was 181 pounds. At only 5'3". I was mortified, especially so since I had originally signed up with a female trainer who apparently pulled out before the quarter started.