8 Challenges That Overweight People Live With Every Day
Travel Is Hard
Whether you’re on an airplane, bus, or even a train. As long as it gets a little bit crowded (especially during peak hours on the train) people automatically assume you’re the cause for some crazy reason.
It’s really being stuck between a rock and a hard place: if i sat down, the people sitting on my left and right would not be comfortable. If I stood up, I could be taking up the standing space of 2 people. This applies to buses as well.
There has been an occasion where I was on a plane and someone looked at me and gave me the fat stare before announcing loudly to the flight stewardess that he wanted to change seats immediately and that he would pay the additional $30 or so to sit at the emergency row. I don’t really blame the guy, by the way.
I wasn’t always this big and if the tables were turned, I might have actually done the same thing — maybe just a little more subtly.
Shopping Couldn’t Be Any Harder
It’s a joke finding big sizes in some places. Every shopping trip I go on, I have to pack whatever that is left of my dignity into a little smile. Changing rooms can be brutal — the last thing you’d want is to see a toe tapping, body-of-a-yoga-instructor kind of person waiting outside while you struggle to get that pair of jeans on.
Most places don’t carry sizes and it gets tiring after you hear departmental store sales girls one after the after telling you:
“Sorry, sir, but we don’t have a larger size than that.”
You smile, say your ‘thank you’s ‘and trot off. When you turn back, they’re already talking among themselves and you watch your self-confidence fly right out the window.
Health? Never heard of that.
Obesity is a serious medical condition that can lead to yada yada yada yada. You’ve heard it many times before. I chose to ignore it until my breathing got so heavy just sitting still it was interrupting my own thoughts.
Grocery Shopping
All those sons of bitches who consistently check out whatever I put into my shopping cart at the supermarket i just want to tell you: I see you.
Shopping for groceries can quickly become a herculean task when you’re faced with that many options, that many…temptations. We take longer than average folks shopping and making decisions because we’re busy fighting the inner demons that rob us of our judgement and push us to the free samples of deep-fried 10 minute easy crispy chicken.
Elevator woes
The elevator is usually crowded with people during peak hours as they rush to go to work on time and you have to go in if not you’d be late too. I pray very hard for the ‘lift overload’ buzzer NOT to go off. Because if it did, somehow or another, all eyes are on you automatically to get out.
Gym Insecurity
Every time i see fit and muscular people working out at the gym, the only thing that goes through my mind is, “What the fuck are they doing here? They’ve already graduated!“
I do feel highly insecure working out at a public gym especially when it’s crowded and you have to ask the fit dudes if you could use the bench press or treadmills when they are clearly hogging it, clearly do not need it. This almost never happens. I’d rather pack my bags and hide under all my layers of stretch marks and fatty tissue than do that.
Small Tiny Hipster Cafes
Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of sipping great coffee and letting the creative juices flow out while i chat with like-minded fellows on the latest happenings in town or argue from time to time if Apple or Samsung are the real deal in leading the mobile phone market but i can’t do that with my balls and elbows being crushed and worrying if my chair is too far back and blocking the only fire escape route in case someone ”accidentally” sets me on fire for mistaking their butter croissant for mine because the tables are so damn close to another.
Relatives, Siblings and Parents
As though you didn’t have enough to deal with in the outside world, you still have to face mum when you get home. Relatives during the festive season Interrogating gently enquiring why you are so fat.
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Obesity is exactly how our teachers and parents said it’d be like. It’s horrible, it’s scary and it can rip your self-worth out like a perverse dentist who truly enjoys pulling out teeth.