I know I'm fat. I've been fat, and known it, for years. I always thought I got along fine in life though, no matter how big I happened to be.
I realized this weekend that there are a number of things my size is preventing me from doing now that I was able to do before. One of those things is gardening.
I love flowers and my sister offered me a bunch of perennials the other day. I told her I'd gladly take all she wanted to get rid of--then I realized, what am I doing? I can barely bend over long enough to tie a shoe without gasping for breath. How on earth am I going to bend over long enough to plant a bunch of flowers? (Kneeling is absolutely out of the question. I haven't been able to do that in a long time either.)
My dh and I always enjoy having a garden too, or I should say, we always USED TO enjoy having a garden. My living room is full of seedlings that I started, and this year I'm actually DREADING having to plant them. I just know how hard it's going to be trying to contort this body and move flexibly enough to plant what I've started.
I told my dh this morning that I'm not excited about starting our garden this year. In fact, I would almost not mind at all if we didn't plant one. (Almost.)
This is a big smack upside the head for me. I've ignored a lot of little things that my weight's prevented me from doing, but when it comes to something that I might *have* to do in the future--feed us from our garden--that's really bad.
I know I have to keep trying to get some of this weight off me. I'm exhausted just thinking about it though.
I love gardening too and I also had to figure out how to work in the garden for a few hours at a time. I started by buying one of those little work buckets that you sit on, but it was uncomfortable. Last year I used one of those little garden foam pads, but it was pretty uncomfortable also so this year I decided to make my own. I went to the fabric store and bought a small but thick piece of foam, maybe 18x14x 4 inches or so and covered it in vinyl. I havnt tried it in the garden yet, it has been too wet, but hope to try it this weekend. Maybe his will help?
You know what always worked great for me? Milk crates. If you don't have any kicking around, you can always stop by a grocery store and ask if they can spare one for you, or would sell you one on the cheap. They're a good height for sitting on (and not killing yourself trying to get up from), and they aren't too terribly uncomfortable!
Edited to add: This never helped me get over my black thumb, and absolutely hatred for gardening, but when mom said it was time to get out and help... well, it made it easier.
Last edited by neonwildflower; 05-24-2010 at 05:46 PM.
I know where you're coming from! My dream is to one day have a permaculture farm, growing all my own organic crops (and raising livestock!) At the moment though I barely have the energy to watch the grass grow, it's one of those things that "I'll do when I lose some weight.." I started to think, now WHEN will that be!?
A few years ago I would go and just sit on my bottom and scoot from plant to plant. NOt a pretty site but it worked and allowed me to only get up and down a few times.
I'm totally into veggie gardening right now, but never gardened until I lost weight. I didn't even know what to do, and I couldn't physically have done all of it even if I had known.
Use that desire as another motivation to lose weight!!
A few years ago I would go and just sit on my bottom and scoot from plant to plant. NOt a pretty site but it worked and allowed me to only get up and down a few times.
That's what I just got done doing, and no, it was not pretty. Doesn't seem like it would be that much work, but I'm totally exhausted. It's really HOT here today.
I HATE yard work, but there IS a bare minimum that must be done to avoid being *that* neighbor. Ugh!
You can also get a raised box garden in your yard so that you can do all the fun gardening without the plants being all the way on the ground. I'm pretty sure you can buy raised garden boxes, or you could hire a neighborhood teenager to make one for you.
You can also get a raised box garden in your yard so that you can do all the fun gardening without the plants being all the way on the ground. I'm pretty sure you can buy raised garden boxes, or you could hire a neighborhood teenager to make one for you.
We built ourselves some raised beds last year. They were nice, but it's still not comfortable bending over, and if I did get down on the ground to slide along on my rear as was suggested--I'd need a crane to lift me back up.
I've come to the conclusion that this year it will be very MINIMAL gardening--maybe a few tomatoes, peppers, string beans, and lettuce. Maybe next year will be better...
No maybe about it! I believe next year you will have a WAY better garden! I seem to have a knack at predicting how the summers will be around here, and if you're anywhere near Ohio, I think we're in for a hot, dry summer. So your plants will probably do better next year anyway!
My son brought home some seedlings that he started in school with one of his teachers. They were beautiful when he brought them home. But me being so fat and unable to get down to the ground, I just put them on the front steps to the house. It got so hot and humid here for a few days, the plants got burned and have shriveled up. I feel like such a terrible mother, and my son (12) said it's ok. But I feel awful. I hate being like this.
Well, I redeemed myself. I went out and bought some replacements for the ones that died and planted them (with my hubbys help). I told my son what I did and he said, "They were for you, I didn't care if you planted them." Ahh, how much I love my teenage son. lol
I am a single homeowner that, in a fit insanity, had some professional landscaping put in a couple of years ago. Now I have 5 planting beds that, though planted with perennials and shrubs, still need to be weeded, mulched, fertilized, etc. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and wondering how I was going to protect my investment and have found that if I attack it in 15 minute increments, I can actually make a pretty good dent in a day. I take a timer out with me and work for 15 minutes, when the timer goes off I go back into the air conditioning and put my feet up for a bit amd rehydrate. When I stop breathing heavy, I go out for another 15 minutes. At first I was worried the neighbors would think I was weird, but then again if they don't have anything better to do than watch me, then they are the ones with the problem. I'm not done, but I'm on my way.
I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and wondering how I was going to protect my investment and have found that if I attack it in 15 minute increments, I can actually make a pretty good dent in a day. I take a timer out with me and work for 15 minutes, when the timer goes off I go back into the air conditioning and put my feet up for a bit amd rehydrate. When I stop breathing heavy, I go out for another 15 minutes. At first I was worried the neighbors would think I was weird, but then again if they don't have anything better to do than watch me, then they are the ones with the problem. I'm not done, but I'm on my way.
This is similar to what I finally decided to do. I just go out, do a little, go in and sit down for a few minutes, then tackle it again in a little while. I've done that several times this week, and things are getting done.
I now have the flower boxes on my deck planted, the first batch of perennials my sister brought me planted, and now I'm slowly adding veggie plants to our raised beds.
It won't be a huge garden, but it'll be bigger than I first imagined.
Gardening and the LARGE body
