Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Soapbox Preacher Amy Steps Up

I am laying here in bed watching the Biggest Loser (even though whenever I watch this show I feel like I should be doing push-ups during commercials or something). And Amanda came on...my least favorite contestant.

For those of you who don't watch, she was picked by America last year to be on this season. IN MY OPINION...she is whiny, and fake cries, and walked out of the gym last week bc "I've always been the fat girl and I am used to failing".

As I was snuggled in my bed with my water bottle, she started again. Because Bob was enabling her whining. And AGAIN she started boo hooing about how because she was fat she missed her prom. Because she was fat she didn't go on trips with her friends. This chapped my hide so much, I got out of bed, stomped into the living room and grabbed my laptop.

Being fat does not stop you from going to prom. Being fat does not stop you from having friends, having a boyfriend, having a life, being in a swimsuit, dancing, laughing. It does not have to stop you from being you. Being fat is hard. It makes all of those things a little harder. But it can happen. You can be popular. You can be a cheerleader. You can find love. You can travel. You can do all that if you CHOOSE IT! I can say this at 225, and I said it at 327. We can choose to be the best us right now...and we just keep getting better! But don't wait until you get to that "magic number" on the scale to find your inner supermodel...shoooooot....let her out!

*Amy steps off soapbox, retires back to her bed, resumes snuggling with empty water bottle*

18 comments:

  1. I get how it is possible for people to be awesome and overweight and cheer like you did. It's not the weight that stop ppeople like her and myself. It's OURSELVES! It's the self hate and lack of confidence in ourselves. So even though you were big as well, someone obviously taught you how to keep on lovin' yourself! All i ever got was "well if you'd just lose weight...blah". So I was reinforced negatively. I can feel her pain. I just wanted topoint out the other side of it, it's not just about the fatness, it's about what's going on inside.

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  2. Amen sister! Preach it! I have always said the same thing! Being fat never stopped me from doing what I wanted to do! It never stopped me from making friends...having a boyfriend...traveling...blah blah blah! You just have to have the confidence to go out there and do it! Amen...and AMEN!

    PS--Biggest Loser is one of my all time favorite shows! I dont ever miss a minute of it! I bet everyone is glad Tracey is gone even though did you see her at the very end!? She looks amazing!

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  3. Hooo, lol that was a good one, but totally true. Being fat is a state of mind as well as body: if you can fix the mind part then the body comes along for the ride. Hope you enjoyed snuggling down!

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  4. I totally agree...my fatness hasn't ever stopped me doing what I have wanted to do, hell backpacking the world at 130 kilos didn't stop me....just slowed me down some what, but no regrets....just watch out world when I am slimmer!
    I don't like Amanda either!

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  5. Its all about confidence and for a lot of people being large affects their confidence - it certainly affected me - i did get to a point a few years before surgery where I was determined that my weight would not stop me doing anything ever again but it is hard.

    Some people have confidence no matter what their size but that is kind of their personality.......I definately do not, but its coming back slowly.

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  6. Amen Amy - couldn't have said it better myself! I am glad that the psycho chick was voted off though!

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  7. That girl bugs me- and I don't even have TV, yet I have seen her whining a couple of times and I think she's insincere, too.

    I'm with all of you- being fat sucks because there's like 10 extra steps to everything and to taking dressing as an example, a size 2 can slip on any number of things and look exceedingly cute without much effort. A size 22 has to hunt just the right purple t-shirt down in just the right cut, has to find jeans and even then, the look doesn't always translate as well as it should.

    But when I see a size 22 gal looking cute I know she's just like any one else and capable of having a boyfriend, great career, etc. The only difference? She probably put a little more thought into it and worked a little bit harder to get there. But then again, maybe not. Maybe she's just born with it!

    (I had a Maybelleine moment and had to indulge it).

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  8. OK Ames - I agree on most of it. But... you're lucky that your weight never defeated you. Never absolutely killed your confidence. Because it did mine just like it did hers, and having zero confidence DOES stop you from doing that stuff. I did go to prom... But I've never had a functional relationship, and I feel like I CAN blame that on my lack of confidence which I CAN blame on my weight... Ya know?

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  9. AMEN SISTER! I dont like her either!!!

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  10. Right on! I've traveled, went to prom, got married, had a couple kids, found a career...all while being fat! The only limits we have are those we impose on ourselves (and on rollercoasters...they do put weight limits on those).

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  11. You are so funny. I can see you stomping out of you bed and getting back in and snuggling again with your water bottle. If I were there I would get out "Battleship" and we'd laugh and talk about Amanda, who by the way, annoys me to the point that I stopped watching the show weeks ago. Every point taken in your blog is right! Love! HUGS!

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  12. Hi Amy –

    I wanted to take a moment to tell you that you’ve had a positive impact on my life. I found your blog a couple of months ago and have followed but not commented. Our journeys are quite similar. I live in Jacksonville, FL and had my surgery on November 7th 2008 . I weighed 337 pounds. I now am 225. It’s taken a lot of hard work but I feel so much better physically and emotionally. For me, this has been much more of an emotional journey than a physical one.

    Anyhoo, I’ve been putting off getting out there and dating b/c of one excuse after another: I’m too big. I don’t have any clothes. I don’t feel comfortable eating in front of a man. What if things go wrong?

    My mother has been on my back for months now telling me I’m being ridiculous. Your posts and seeing the great relationship you have with Tracy gave me the push I needed. My mother was right but there’s something about hearing inspiring words from someone who’s been where I’ve been – you – that gave me the confidence I needed. So, I’ve signed up for eHarmony. Who knows – maybe nothing will come of it. But, what I do know, is that I would have continued to find excuses if I hadn’t been inspired by you.

    Keep up the great work! You truly are an inspiration!

    Jami

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  13. Jami-I don't know if you will get to read this...but let me just tell you that I am sitting here on the couch, checking my email, watching Tracey play on his iPhone...and I start to read your post. It just made me cry. I read it to Tracey (I hope that's okay)...and couldnt make it through without choking up. Your words mean a lot to me, as do all of the kinds words from fellow bloggers. I really hope you understand that hearing those things helps me tremendously...and I owe a lot of my success so far to you, and others who read this.

    As for dating...Tracey fell in love with me when I weighed somewhere around 260. I wasn't looking for love. And when he looked at me, he didnt see the fat girl. It can happen. It will happen for you.

    Thank you so much!

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  14. This is where I agree with you 100%. The weird thing about getting fatter is that while I acknowledged the weight and at times hated myself for it, I NEVER let my weight stop me from doing anything. Not from asking out the guys I liked, not from trying out for Banners (shields) in high school, not from singing with my friend's indie rock band when I was in my early 20's and on a postage stamp stage where I could hear jerks make fun of me for looking butch (Um, I was wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a flannel - it was the uniform of 1992-1996. Get over it). I bungee jumped and still braved roller coasters. Sure, as I got to my bigger size, I DID start to worry about the bar not fitting on me or getting stuck, but I'd still try it.

    For all of my downs, I have just as many ups. I don't know why it's hard to recognize that, since there are so many other people who just love to dwell on what they didn't do not because they couldn't do it but because they were too afraid to try.

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  15. You all are very lucky to not have let weight hold you back. Unfortunately I have. I don't want to be noticed so I don't push myself to do new things because I'm afraid I'll mess up and everybody will be like, "Check out that fat girl trying to (fill in the blank)" I was lucky enough to have a thin stage in my 20s and it was awesome. I am just starting this process - had my first appointment in January 2010 - and appreciate the blogs documenting your experiences. They really give me hope that I can be thin again. THANKS!

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  16. I am super new to the lap-band community of blogging, and I am just going through your blog and came across this post. Its funny because I know Amanda in real life. I met her through trying out for the show. She is one of the sweetest, most genuine people I know. She has kept the weight off since the show.

    I find your story to be inspirational.. hence me blog-stalking your page. I am super needy for information pertaining to the lap-band as I am in the VERY early stages.

    Thanks for sharing your stories.

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