I love to travel! I enjoy going to visit new places and learning about different cultures. I have been blessed and have been so fortunate to have traveled since I was a child. My parents instilled in me a wanderlust for this activity. My husband enjoys traveling too, thank God!
Being morbidly obese makes many things difficult. How can you enjoy something so much and have such anxiety? First, I had anxiety because I was afraid that I would not fit in the seat. You begin to panic. You do not want to attract any attention nor do you want to bother the other passengers. Secondly, I could not drink any beverages because I began to worry about fitting in the small restroom. I once took an 11 hour trip and I did not eat or drink anything because I did not want to use the bathroom. My third reason is the panic that I felt about the seat belt. I did not know if it would fit.
I had a very embarrassing moment when a flight attendant yelled from the back of the plane towards the front and asked for a seat belt extension. I wanted to bury myself right there. At that very moment, I decided that I would “borrow” the seat belt for future travel. I could not bear another embarrassing moment. I used that seat belt many times.
I have now lost 115 pounds. I can do so many things that were impossible before. I can tie my sneakers. I can shave my legs. I am wearing a size 16 instead of a 30 plus. My ring size has gone from 10.5 to 7.5. But can you believe that I just had a terrible anxiety attack because I had to ride a plane. I kept thinking that I would have to wear a seat belt extension again. For the first time, I had not brought my “borrowed” seat belt extension. My brain still thinks that I am at 350 pounds. I am even afraid of clothes shopping because I feel that I still need a size 30 plus.
Well, we are now on vacation and had to board a plane…was I shocked when the seat belt not only fit, but I had 8 extra inches. To place the cherry on top of the cake; I went clothes shopping and purchased two size 16 dresses. Yeah me!
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