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Hungarian Midget Woman
  
Location: Midwest | I also got what Banj was saying. I am trying to eat better and start riding more and maybe try yoga.
I know I am not the healthiest possible version of myself and that has nothing to do with weight and everything to do with eating habits. It's easier to order a pizza or grab a bag of chips than cook after a long day... it's all about doing your best to be healthier.
ETA: For example, I ate cake for lunch... probably not the best food choice. lol
Edited by barrelracr131 2015-02-05 3:19 PM
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
 
Location: In the Hills of Texas | From my own experience...I gained a lot of weight after I quit smoking. I found out the hard way that you have to eat good food and actually eat to lose weight. It is very hard for me to eat breakfast but when I would eat breakfast and eat often during the day is when I lost weight. I would rather eat one big meal a day and it just doesn't work so I'm starting back to forcing myself to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. |
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Veteran
Posts: 120
| GLP - 2015-02-05 2:42 PM
Banjomia, I got what you were saying. I'm 185 and 5 foot 4. There, i said it. I have never told anyone how much I weigh, it's scary. I am a fat girl and I'm tired of it. You have reminded me that a healthy me is not what I am and so today I feel motivated to eat a little smarter and move a little more because I am asking my horse to do so today. Will I do this everyday? Probably not, but I AM going to try do it everyday that I ask my horse to. I want to be healthy not skinny, fit not flabby.
Thank you GLP......I'm glad you understood my message and took it the way I wanted it taken. I would never ever judge or say anything bad about anyone overweight. I was just simply pointing out that we are all different sizes and we still can be healthy....skinny doesn't always mean healthy either. |
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  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | This is a great article about plus size athletes.....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/louise-green/-global-message-from-leading-plus-size-fitness-experts-and-athletes_b_6585338.html |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | they have plus sized models that are a huge hit I hear!!!! |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | I have been on both ends of this discussion...Grew up an athlete, did high level gymnastics till I was 14 and my body decided to grow me out of the sport. I had not ever planned on becoming a woman, totally fine with being a "girl" but had not signed a contract for the boobs and hips and Aunt Flo. . My original plan was to win the Olympics in gymnastics, then retire from that and go on to be the first female jockey to win the Triple Crown so I could ride a horse like Secretariat. Between hating my 15 year old body with the added bumps and things that got in the way of my sports I also was very immature and didn't want to deal with boys being boys so I ate. By the time I was in my mid 20's I quit weighing myself, I think the last time I had gotten on a scale it hit 185, I'm 5'8" and I got depressed about the number so I ate. I do know the pants I wore then were 13's and by the time I had had enough of the weight those pants were too tight for me to wear. My little mare I ran HS rodeo on was getting old, she was about the same age as I was and I started looking for a younger horse. Found one and then one day I thought "Why would you spend money on a younger faster horse and handicap her with the same if not more weight than you did the old mare?" My whole life I had eaten what I wanted to and never thought about exercise as exercise, it was just what I did until I didn't compete anymore...I never learned to control my food intake when I quit. Suddenly I had something more important than hiding from boys who had become men and a body I wasn't comfortable with...a horse. I started going to the gym and just did 15 minutes at first on the stairmaster. Did not try to change my eating habits because I knew it would be successful for me. As I lost a few pounds I found myself thinking "Can I go for 25 minutes at a higher level???" My old natural competitiveness kicked in and I found myself adding minutes and higher levels each week again without changing eating habits. 2 months later my pants were too big and I found myself starting to ask myself "Do you really want that candy bar?" If the answer was yes, I ate it and added 5 minutes on the stairmaster. The food choices started to become easy to make as the weight came off form the exercise. Funny thing as the weight came off the old mare started winning again too. In 6 months I lost roughly 55 lbs, again I'm not entirely sure because I quit getting on the scale when I hit 185. When I finally got back on and the scale showed 130 I got off walked around and got on again to make sure it said the same thing, LOL!!!
And like a lot of people that loose weight, I got carried away with it, over exercised then started not eating, etc. etc. Got down to 110lbs and the mare I was running for a friend who we had been doing well together and I suddenly couldn't make a clean run to save our lives. I didn't have the strength to help her or hold her off a barrel, I basically clung and she did her own thing with a 110lb tumor sitting on her.
I'm not the most gifted rider, I do have excellent balance from the gymnastics but I have to work all the time on my timing. I see riders who are heavier than I am who are better riders than I am because of their more natural timing. I'm 50 this year, my body has kind of settled on 140lbs as to where it is most comfortable. My butt and thighs look better in jeans at 130-135 lbs but my knees complain and whine about the running it requires to maintain that anymore so vanity loses this one. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | banjomia - 2015-02-05 2:14 PM Nevertooold - 2015-02-05 1:17 PM willrodeo4food - 2015-02-04 6:46 PM Of course it's going to get testy Cavvy. You should know by now there is always going to be someone like banjomia that is going to judge overweight people and tell them they just haven't tried hard enough to lose their extra poundage. It's just not often you see someone like LMS who has had enough & tells them to kiss hers. I'm with LMS on this one, I know why I'm overweight, I struggle with it every single day. I don't anyone to tell me I need to be honest with myself or judge me because they don't think I'm being fair to my horses.
Hmmmm....I'm not sure there was anything in my post that "judged" overweight people...not even once. I simply stated to be the healthiest version of yourself you can be and that is different for everyone. Furthermore its a little extreme to say that to be the best version of yourself you have to quit your job and exercise 5 hours a day....that's simply borderline childish right there. Your ****ed off because I made the comment that we should all try to be the healthiest version of ourselves we can be and take some time to exercise and eat right? Wow.....not sure how any of that was putting anyone down. Perhaps you should quit trying to read in between the lines....
I'm going to have to go with Banjomia on this one. I am DEFINITELY fat and I was not offended. Simple fact is, if you and your tack total to more than 25% of your horse's bodyweight, you are causing stress and possible pain to your horse. If you're under that then you have nothing to worry about. I don't know about anyone else, buy MY best is NOT working out 5 hours a day and riding 5 hours a day. That's totally extreme. MY best is eating well and exercising when I can inbetween my busy work and school schedule and riding as much as I can. That's my best, because my goal is not to be an NFR qualifier or whatever.
When people are actually mean and judgemental, but being overly sensitive and over-reactive is just as crappy. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Cavy, I feel the same way! You said way better than I could. |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | Red Raider - 2015-02-05 7:34 PM
On May 2, 2013, I walked into a bariatric surgeons office with one major goal in mind. I was basically willing to die on the operating table during a gastric sleeve surgery for the chance to be able to ride horses again.
You see, I'd been heavy all my life and had stopped riding horses some 10 years before that time because I thought I was too much for a horse to handle just light riding much less competing. I never gave up on the dream of riding again though and I figured if I couldn't have that in my life, my life might not be worth living. So I took the risk and had the surgery.
This picture of me was taken about 9 months after my surgery. I think I was down about 110 pounds from my heighest weight of 325 at the time it was taken. This was the first time I had gotten on a horse since 2002-03 when I was in law school and I actually competed in a ranch sorting competition the day this picture was taken. I can't describe how I felt riding that day. It was like coming home -- I didn't feel weird or anything. My balance, seat and everything was pretty much what it always had been. The body just knows what it knows I guess.
Don't ever sell your saddle or give up on your dreams. The cost may be high and the risks may be scary but don't give up on yourself. Keep dreaming and keep riding on my fellow fat girl friends. Don't let anybody take riding horses away from you. If they want to make fun of you and tell you you'll never be able to do it, tell them to go F*CK OFF and get a life. Your working on yours and it's going to be a good one.
 Brought tears of joy to my eyes!!!! |
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 Veteran
Posts: 251
Location: Oregon | I have been watching this thread from the very start and have not been able to post because hearing each of the struggles people have shared have been things that I have been dealing with for the past few years.
I'm currently fighting everyday just to lose a pound of two a week. This is an emotional journey. I try to find strength in my hopes to be able to competitively ride again.
I have heard it all, the last one that shot my self esteem down was two ladies talking very near me after I had made my slow run, saying to each other that my horse was to nice for me and that I should lose 40lbs or sell my talented horse. That was the last barrel race I went to over a year ago. I still ride at home and sometimes ride with friends but I don’t want to be seen in public because of cruel people. I’m so embarrassed about my weight and riding I won’t even go take a lesson in any discipline for the fear that the first thing they will tell me is that I just need to lose weight and try again.
I make excuses to my friends when they want me to go to a barrel race with them, like I don’t feel well or my horse is out of shape or she has an abscess. Normally none of these things are true but it’s easier to say then “I think I’m to fat to go”.
My wonderful husband bought me this horse to get my confidence back up. As I had been ruined by multiple dinks that I was trying to fix like I used to be able to do. She means the world to me and takes wonderful care of me. I’m still a fairly balanced rider, but at my weight for my body size I can’t ride like I used to and I have serious fear issues about coming off. It’s been pounded in my head that hitting the ground at my weight I’m more likely to be injured.
I have looked into the surgery option but I’m to “healthy fat” and my primary Dr. (who’s a nutritionist) won’t approve it. I’m currently working with a bariatric Dr that found out my thyroid is off and that I have insulin resistance. I’m starting to feel better but I still feel like I’m fighting a war to stay on my eating plan and to keep working out. I do sit ups every night even though most people would laugh at the small number of them that I can complete, but I tell myself it’s more then I could do yesterday.
I’m very grateful for this thread to make me realize that I’m not alone and that others are fighting just has hard as I am.
Thank you.
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | GLP - 2015-02-05 2:42 PM
Banjomia, I got what you were saying. I'm 185 and 5 foot 4. There, i said it. I have never told anyone how much I weigh, it's scary. I am a fat girl and I'm tired of it. You have reminded me that a healthy me is not what I am and so today I feel motivated to eat a little smarter and move a little more because I am asking my horse to do so today. Will I do this everyday? Probably not, but I AM going to try do it everyday that I ask my horse to. I want to be healthy not skinny, fit not flabby.
GLP you are not fat. You are buxom. Join the crowd. :)
You are also an awesome person!!
Love the idea of the blog btw. |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| run n rate - 2015-02-05 5:26 PM I have been on both ends of this discussion...Grew up an athlete, did high level gymnastics till I was 14 and my body decided to grow me out of the sport. I had not ever planned on becoming a woman, totally fine with being a "girl" but had not signed a contract for the boobs and hips and Aunt Flo. . My original plan was to win the Olympics in gymnastics, then retire from that and go on to be the first female jockey to win the Triple Crown so I could ride a horse like Secretariat. Between hating my 15 year old body with the added bumps and things that got in the way of my sports I also was very immature and didn't want to deal with boys being boys so I ate. By the time I was in my mid 20's I quit weighing myself, I think the last time I had gotten on a scale it hit 185, I'm 5'8" and I got depressed about the number so I ate. I do know the pants I wore then were 13's and by the time I had had enough of the weight those pants were too tight for me to wear. My little mare I ran HS rodeo on was getting old, she was about the same age as I was and I started looking for a younger horse. Found one and then one day I thought "Why would you spend money on a younger faster horse and handicap her with the same if not more weight than you did the old mare?" My whole life I had eaten what I wanted to and never thought about exercise as exercise, it was just what I did until I didn't compete anymore...I never learned to control my food intake when I quit. Suddenly I had something more important than hiding from boys who had become men and a body I wasn't comfortable with...a horse. I started going to the gym and just did 15 minutes at first on the stairmaster. Did not try to change my eating habits because I knew it would be successful for me. As I lost a few pounds I found myself thinking "Can I go for 25 minutes at a higher level???" My old natural competitiveness kicked in and I found myself adding minutes and higher levels each week again without changing eating habits. 2 months later my pants were too big and I found myself starting to ask myself "Do you really want that candy bar?" If the answer was yes, I ate it and added 5 minutes on the stairmaster. The food choices started to become easy to make as the weight came off form the exercise. Funny thing as the weight came off the old mare started winning again too. In 6 months I lost roughly 55 lbs, again I'm not entirely sure because I quit getting on the scale when I hit 185. When I finally got back on and the scale showed 130 I got off walked around and got on again to make sure it said the same thing, LOL!!! And like a lot of people that loose weight, I got carried away with it, over exercised then started not eating, etc. etc. Got down to 110lbs and the mare I was running for a friend who we had been doing well together and I suddenly couldn't make a clean run to save our lives. I didn't have the strength to help her or hold her off a barrel, I basically clung and she did her own thing with a 110lb tumor sitting on her. I'm not the most gifted rider, I do have excellent balance from the gymnastics but I have to work all the time on my timing. I see riders who are heavier than I am who are better riders than I am because of their more natural timing. I'm 50 this year, my body has kind of settled on 140lbs as to where it is most comfortable. My butt and thighs look better in jeans at 130-135 lbs but my knees complain and whine about the running it requires to maintain that anymore so vanity loses this one. Wow, good for you. One of the biggest revelations for me when I joined the gym was that it was full of mostly thin, healthy people. I was one of the few over weight. I had the mind set that those on the thinner side of life were the lucky ones and I was on the other side with a body that had to watch every thing that went in it. It was an eye opener that they were not just lucky with the gene pool but worked hard at it every bit as much as the rest of us.
Edited by rodeomom3 2015-02-05 6:52 PM
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 403
Location: Armuchee, GA, NW section of Ga | ME TOO! I had gastric bypas surgery March of 2007. At the time I was a 24-26 pants size, well actually the 26 felt better but I could wear a 24 if it had pleats in front. I was miserable. I hired someone to ride my horses for me because I knew I was too heavy to ride them. My heart broke to watch someone ride my horses because I could not control my eating. I eventually got all the way down to a size 4, only because I could not find size 2's. Now I have finally stabilized at a size 10-12 and enjoy life at age 61. These days I am fit, can out work a lot of younger ladies and care for my horses daily, riding whenever I can. The surgery saved my life, mentally and physically.
Jan |
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Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| janjan1 - 2015-02-05 7:22 PM ME TOO! I had gastric bypas surgery March of 2007. At the time I was a 24-26 pants size, well actually the 26 felt better but I could wear a 24 if it had pleats in front. I was miserable. I hired someone to ride my horses for me because I knew I was too heavy to ride them. My heart broke to watch someone ride my horses because I could not control my eating. I eventually got all the way down to a size 4, only because I could not find size 2's. Now I have finally stabilized at a size 10-12 and enjoy life at age 61. These days I am fit, can out work a lot of younger ladies and care for my horses daily, riding whenever I can. The surgery saved my life, mentally and physically. Jan
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | The whole point of any of my posts is this: do not tell anyone what they should do! You mind you and yours and I will mind me and mine. All of you who have a preconceived notion that you're hurting your horse or the whole 25% rule are taking someone else's opinion too hard! I have my feelings, emotions, and sense of reality! I will never judge someone on their thoughts or emotions to their face or out loud! my opinion s are mine as yours are yours. Live your life. I have been thinking I'm a fixer for other people but in reality I think I'm a realist, so many people fall under other people's beliefs and convictions. Do what is possible for you! The end! Congratulations to those of you who have achieved your goals! I think that is awesome and many people do not realize how great it is to hear someone else compliment them! |
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 Night Chat Leader
Posts: 13150
Location: Home....Smiling M Farms | Not to be a debbie downer, but I have to ask people to think twice before doing the surgery. I have 3 people in my immediate family who have had bariatric surgery and a good friend as well. 3 of the 4 have not lost weight. The one that has lost weight is my mother. She's lost over 100 lbs...but it's going to kill her...of that I have no doubt and it breaks my heart. I can think of twice now that I've saved her life, just happened to walk in at the right time. I'm glad she's enjoying her new look and she loves working out, but it kills me to see her sick day in and day out. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| oija - 2015-02-05 6:47 PM
GLP - 2015-02-05 2:42 PM
Banjomia, I got what you were saying. I'm 185 and 5 foot 4. There, i said it. I have never told anyone how much I weigh, it's scary. I am a fat girl and I'm tired of it. You have reminded me that a healthy me is not what I am and so today I feel motivated to eat a little smarter and move a little more because I am asking my horse to do so today. Will I do this everyday? Probably not, but I AM going to try do it everyday that I ask my horse to. I want to be healthy not skinny, fit not flabby.
GLP you are not fat. You are buxom. Join the crowd. : )
You are also an awesome person!!
Love the idea of the blog btw.
Girl, you crack me up! Wish we lived closer than opposite ends of Texas!  |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I just wanted to thank everyone on this post. I just walked for 30 minutes and made a better choice for supper tonight! I think I will come back to read this post for motivation to keep me going. BHW is a truly special place! |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | janjan1 - 2015-02-05 7:22 PM ME TOO! I had gastric bypas surgery March of 2007. At the time I was a 24-26 pants size, well actually the 26 felt better but I could wear a 24 if it had pleats in front. I was miserable. I hired someone to ride my horses for me because I knew I was too heavy to ride them. My heart broke to watch someone ride my horses because I could not control my eating. I eventually got all the way down to a size 4, only because I could not find size 2's. Now I have finally stabilized at a size 10-12 and enjoy life at age 61. These days I am fit, can out work a lot of younger ladies and care for my horses daily, riding whenever I can. The surgery saved my life, mentally and physically. Jan
Wow that is amazing! Congratulations! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 403
Location: Armuchee, GA, NW section of Ga | I wanted to wade deep into this conversation once again only because I really didn't get into the surgery part deep enough. First let me say that weight loss surgery of ANY type should be carefully considered and thought about a long time before or if ever doing this. It is NOT the answer for everyone. And it must be remembered that the surgery is only a TOOL. You must follow the recommendations of your medical staff, the doctor, the dietary staff and the pharmacy. IF you follow their suggestions, you might actually lose the weight. BUT you might gain it all back too. And you could actually die. I have personally known several people who have lost it all, and regained it all PLUS. You can and will cheat. You will see what you can get away with, it is human nature. I can testify to that. I also know a fellow nurse, yes I graduated with her even, a young lady with two small kids, who did not follow her doctors orders, and she just had to cheat, and she paid the ultimate price. She burst her sutures and died before they could save her. Shame. My own SIL had the surgery and only lost alittle weight. Shame too. She found out how to cheat and didn't follow dietary. Also know a long time RN, who had fellow medical professional staff who paid for her to have her surgery. Sure she lost it, but gained back all 300 pounds PLUS, and ultimately had a stroke and died in the nursing home she work in for so long. Shame too. When I had my surgery I had the fortune because my DH had it the following month. We went through this together. He went from a size 52 down to a 38. He was a insulin dependent diabetic. He was totally cured, so no more being a diabetic. He stabilized at a 40, BUT he too had problems. His kidneys failed and we are now getting ready for a kidney transplant within the month. So guys, there are potential problems. Do your research, this can work, but like everything else it can fail too. Above all remember this is only a tool, a TOOL to lose the weight. You must follow the rules and sometimes even the rules fail.
In ending this rant, I will say, I still have all my size 6 jeans, just because I have a goal to get back down to that size I hope. I know that nothing tastes as good as being a smaller size, and maintaining that size. But if I can't reach that goal, then I will be happy too. At my age, there are other things that take first place and I can be happy accomplishing them. Set goals, strive for them but look at the whole picture of your life, be reasonable in setting goals, and be happy above all.
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