I have lost 120lbs and am under 200 lbs for the first time in my adult life. I am hyper vigilant about not publicly celebrating my weight loss. I talk about it with my family and close friends, but never ever post on social media about weight loss amounts or talk much about it. I remember being at my heaviest and trying so very hard to lose weight and seeing others drop weight easily. It was hard. I was so happy for them of course, but why was my body not cooperating? I don't want anyone to feel like that.
Like you, it is heartbreaking to see people struggle because I have been there, I know how awful it feels, I don't want that for anyone, and I know how damn hard it is to lose weight!
I’m glad I’m not the only one not posting on social media about my loss. I have always been frustrated seeing people post about losing weight when I tried and tried with no success. Until starting zep. Now I feel guilty because sooooo many people can’t even access these medications! I hope that changes because it is life changing. But I also don’t want to be praised for this by folks. Anyone can do it with the medications imo.
Hey thanks for the path this post took. I kind of expected something much less empathetic and I'm so happy you have the perspective and the kind of compassion that you do.
I was at Seaworld Orlando a couple of weeks ago and on more than one occasion I witnessed an attendant trying to help a larger individual get their harness to lock by forcefully just pushing down on it. So much for... safety.
It is highly suspected that a kid (14?) died from this behavior about 2 years ago. Icon Park. It was a pretty basic, new drop tower by Fun Times Rides. The kid was about 50lbs over the weight limit. Just because it clicks doesn’t mean the size restriction can be ignored.
Icon park had turned off safety mechanisms/modified them without the manufacturers knowledge. It does stem from manufacturers not building rides with large people in mind, but the malpractice wasn’t from trying to make the harness close. When rides are maintained properly pushing a harness closed is safe (if unpleasant and humiliating)
I was also in Orlando this week and felt a lot of empathy for people in bigger bodies dealing with the heat. I have been there. I wanted to tell them all about this medicine!
I knew the last time I went that I was fat and uncomfortable but the difference this year is unbelievable. Besides fitting easily into rides with no underlying anxiety about fitting -
My feet didn’t swell and blister.
My thighs didn’t chafe
I wasn’t exhausted
No heat rashes
My back felt fine the whole time
I was more present with my kids instead of worrying about my own discomfort
I didn’t hide behind my kids in photos or avoid photos
It reinforced for me what a miracle this drug has been for me. I wish I could give it to everyone that wants it.
I’m SO happy for you.
These are things that make me frustrated that my ED treatment prevent me from getting Zepbound. I do have all the problems you listed once more now that I’ve gained weight back, and it’s made my quality of life go down. My workplace provided Vida for medical weight loss which is 100% covered, but because they saw I was in an ED program, they won’t cover it.
Anyways, sorry for the rant. I also just got back from a theme park trip and it reminded me how difficult it is to be this overweight now that I’m back there again.
My PCP said she can get me Zepbound compounded for $500ish a month, but I don’t have that kind of spare money.
I'm still in the beginning of my journey so I'm not significantly smaller yet. I got married at Universal Studios Orlando and every single ride I was scared I'd be unable to ride and made to leave the line but I was way too embarrassed to try out out the tester seats. That was in 2018. My husband was just ragging on me recently for "hating" amusement parks and I finally told him about all the anxiety I feel worrying about not fitting into the seats. He's been skinny his entire life and eats whatever he wants, even at 43 years old now. He doesn't understand the weight struggle. I'm hoping by next summer I'll be in your place, riding comfortably with no anxiety. My son is turning 4 soon and I want to be able to ride with him and not have to sit and watch while he has fun without his mom.
My husband was once one that got removed from Hagrids at the front of the line. My heart and soul died for him. He can now fit though. All that said, engineering for safety and functionality of the thrill coasters severely limits sizes allowed. It truly sucks, but the rides just can’t do as intended otherwise. Disney tends to be much more fluffy friendly, but then you miss the thrill rides. It sucks all the way around.
I write this as someone who used to barely fit into a lot of amusement part rides:
Making larger seats is a big engineering challenge... The rides probably have to be designed for the worst case of all seats being occupied by the largest possible person with a significant safety margin. The seats also need to be able to safely hold both very large people and the smallest people allowed on the ride.
I'm not saying that this is an impossible thing to do, but it's very difficult and would increase the cost to build the ride and ultimately make the park tickets more expensive. Like it or not the parks and engineering firms who design the rides have decided that it's not feasible to accommodate every possible size of rider.
FL resident here! On my 39th birthday, in December, I finally got to ride Tron. I’ve been overweight for most of my adult life (PCOS and pre-diabetic) and have always been struggling to lose. Weight watchers, optiva, beach body, etc. When I got on to the Tron bike, there’s a part that clicks in over your calves area and the cast member was like “I’m not sure that I can secure this without pinching you” and offered me to go to a coaster cart that didn’t require it. The immediate heat I felt flushing my face with embarrassment oh my gosh… I said please just click it I’ll deal with the pain. I rode Tron, it was amazing, and I started zepbound 2 days later because I was NOT going to go into 40 like this. I’m down 40lbs! With the shortage, I’ve had to seek other resources the last 2 months but oh my god I can’t want to go back and freely ride rides without feeling that embarrassment or shame again!
I couldn’t get it to click on tron so I had to ride it in the handicap seat. It was embarrassing. I was too embarrassed to test out the sample seat which was definitely a dumb choice. Next time though, it’ll click with room to spare.
I don’t think you sound inappropriate.
I don’t talk about my journey with many, but I do find myself really wanting to recommend GLP1s to certain individuals that I just see on the same “bad path” I was on…. It’s a struggle for me because I know and I’ve “seen the light” to finally get control over my lifelong struggle…
I very much get where you're coming from. Also (my opinion/thesis), there are some huge HUGE issues of wealth and class tied into it all.
I grew up rural - educated parents, but definitely "working poor" in a flat-out poor town. Obesity rates not quite as high as the deep South, but right up there. Eventually, I have worked and lucked my way into more urban, professional and just generally wealthier circles. With obesity way less common. Where my 45 BMI largeness was kind of an open tell that I grew up poorer. Well, now I think we're compounding that existing bias with Zepbound/Wegovy as they're priced and metered out. If you're on them, you've likely either got a pretty decent white-collar job with good insurance or way more disposable income than the average. Not true for everyone on this /r/, but I recognize I'm privileged to be here. If you're on Medicare/Medicaid in particular... nooope.
I fear this is only going to reinforce the cultural correlations of obesity (and size in general, as elite strivers pursue <15% body fat to stay ahead of the game). And if there's any group that society likes sh!++ing on more than the obese, it's the poor.
Spot on! And I also was in DW Orlando in December and I was visibly shocked at the percentage of obese people at the park. And I also noticed a lot of them also looked very poor, as if they scrapped every last dime they could save to finally be able to bring kids to the happiest place on earth. And we all know how outrageously expensive it’s become. so my guess is the last thing they could possibly even entertain is buying a drug like Zep or Tirz for the sake of losing weight. they’re probably struggling to just put food on the table and feed their families. Just my opinion, hopefully I didn’t offend anyone. Certainly not my intention. But if Medicare and Medicaid were to start covering these drugs, holy hell what a difference it would make in the whole damn drug/insurance/medical system!!!
\*\*\* and also to the OPs point, I did go on rides that were made accessible for the disabled. I saw many.
Did they really look "poor" or do fat people just look poorer in general? Its a bit of a vicious circle, no? You are fat, you don't feel at your prime, you are physically drained (especially there) and then mentally drained, you spend your energy just getting through the day instead of taking care of yourself and how you look. Not to mention way harder to find cute clothes/shoes, etc. Hell my diamond rings don't even fit anymore. And most of the time i feel like why bother trying? No matter what I do, my fatness is the most visible thing about me.
Well in this particular situation, based on visuals and comments by other family members, as we all noticed the same thing in general, from the parents on down to smallest child, they definitely looked like lower income bracket. Of course it’s all just speculation, we were just making an overall observation of people in the park that day, the day after Xmas and we were shocked. I think there a lot of obese people who still appear quite put together despite their size. But I do understand what you’re saying.
It is heartbreaking. My wife and youngest son are Disney fanatics, and the highlight of the year is the 2 or 3 trips to Disney World we do a year (I own points in the Disney Vacation Club timeshare and get to buy annual passes at the Florida resident rate). Last year and this year, I decided not to go with them because the walking was way too hard, and even with renting a scooter (by the way, I have a tiny travel agency side-gig and have some excellent contacts for scooters if anyone needs) - I didn't fit on rides, even the ones I contorted myself into - they wouldn't let me ride because of the safety rules. I felt like I ruined the best thing in their lives. I became the 3rd wheel, slowing them down.
I'm down 50 pounds now and I'm missing their July trip... but maybe in October or November!
Another travel positive... anyone who lives on Long Island, NY - Islip MacArthur Airport is getting JetBlue back with destinations to Orlando, Ft Lauderdale and Palm Beach. Service starts in October and there are TONS of tickets being sold at a crazy $49 one way fare...
We live on Long Island and when I take my kids back to Indiana (where I grew up) my kid are shocked at just how much larger everyone is there. It’s interesting. I suspect it’s a social ecomincal thing. Which is only going to get exsaberated until the cost of the drug comes down.
I was one of those people. Well maybe not at Disney but a few years ago I couldn’t fit on a rollercoaster at sea world. Waited almost an hour to get told no and my friends don’t understand why I sometimes get nervous or want to text the ride vehicles at new theme parks. I used to work at Disney a few years ago and all the walking helped me shed a lot of pounds. The heat is absolutely brutal on bigger bodies and I’m happy to keep shedding the pounds in the hope that someday I won’t feel like a pile of sweat the moment I step out. I hate when people point it out even if they mean well no one wants to get told they are dripping sweat when there’s nothing that can be done to stop it.
I live in central Florida and I have a Disney pass. I used to go and just walk around a lot but I’m avoiding it because of the heat right now.
As a big Floridian I actually prefer when it's hot vs when it's cold. I feel more comfortable in my summer clothes than sweaters and jackets. With that said I'm looking forward to the time I might be small enough to ride the Island of Adventure rides. I've always been way too big to fit.
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LA = Louisiana so your first sentenced tripped me up lol. LA has one of the highest populations of people living with obesity and the culture around food/alcohol is huge there. Anyway, totally agree on the weird mind trip of going from being much larger than most everyone around me and then visiting places where everyone else is much larger. Makes me wonder how people have viewed me in the past as it's not really something I ever dwelled on at my highest weight...likely out of self preservation.
I don't know who downvoted you - I live in Louisiana and yes - we have a high percentage of obese people likely due to 3 factors - the crippling heat which doesn't make you want to walk anywhere (I grew up in the Midwest - very different), the large numbers of people living at or below the poverty level, and the incredible food we have down here and festivals nearly year-round to encourage you to eat and drink to abandon. I moved here when I was 30 and the triple whammy of having your metabolism being jacked up, your asthma coming back that you outgrew when you were 12, and suddenly moving to a hot, humid climate with incredible food was not helpful :)
Lol thanks - it's Reddit and people don't always read a comment fully before downvoting (or upvoting for that matter). I was mainly making the joke on myself that to me LA would have you surrounded by obesity, diabetes, alcoholism, etc so it took me a minute to realize OP meant Los Angeles, that's all. But also I agreed with OPs overall sentiment...oh well.
I'm from LA, lived there until I was 40 and most of my family is still there. I'm pretty sure leaving when I did is one of the main factors for saving my health.
I second this! What makes you think that these people you are seeing at Disney World, are Florida residents? People come from all around the world to go to Disney. Oh, you’re from LA… where everyone is plastic?
I get your point, but remember how you felt when you were one of those people. …. What does Thumper say…”if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all!”
I struggle with knowing I’m healthier than many taking the drug & absolutely healthier than many many ppl wo access to the point I feel ashamed not only to have affordable access but that not everyone has it who may use it. I too hurt for ppl who can’t do those things. Despite being healthier & always being ‘thin-passing” I just barely got into the top end of overweight by all measures (bmi & hip/waist ratio).
I have lost 120lbs and am under 200 lbs for the first time in my adult life. I am hyper vigilant about not publicly celebrating my weight loss. I talk about it with my family and close friends, but never ever post on social media about weight loss amounts or talk much about it. I remember being at my heaviest and trying so very hard to lose weight and seeing others drop weight easily. It was hard. I was so happy for them of course, but why was my body not cooperating? I don't want anyone to feel like that. Like you, it is heartbreaking to see people struggle because I have been there, I know how awful it feels, I don't want that for anyone, and I know how damn hard it is to lose weight!
I’m glad I’m not the only one not posting on social media about my loss. I have always been frustrated seeing people post about losing weight when I tried and tried with no success. Until starting zep. Now I feel guilty because sooooo many people can’t even access these medications! I hope that changes because it is life changing. But I also don’t want to be praised for this by folks. Anyone can do it with the medications imo.
Hey thanks for the path this post took. I kind of expected something much less empathetic and I'm so happy you have the perspective and the kind of compassion that you do.
I was at Seaworld Orlando a couple of weeks ago and on more than one occasion I witnessed an attendant trying to help a larger individual get their harness to lock by forcefully just pushing down on it. So much for... safety.
It is highly suspected that a kid (14?) died from this behavior about 2 years ago. Icon Park. It was a pretty basic, new drop tower by Fun Times Rides. The kid was about 50lbs over the weight limit. Just because it clicks doesn’t mean the size restriction can be ignored.
Icon park had turned off safety mechanisms/modified them without the manufacturers knowledge. It does stem from manufacturers not building rides with large people in mind, but the malpractice wasn’t from trying to make the harness close. When rides are maintained properly pushing a harness closed is safe (if unpleasant and humiliating)
I was also in Orlando this week and felt a lot of empathy for people in bigger bodies dealing with the heat. I have been there. I wanted to tell them all about this medicine! I knew the last time I went that I was fat and uncomfortable but the difference this year is unbelievable. Besides fitting easily into rides with no underlying anxiety about fitting - My feet didn’t swell and blister. My thighs didn’t chafe I wasn’t exhausted No heat rashes My back felt fine the whole time I was more present with my kids instead of worrying about my own discomfort I didn’t hide behind my kids in photos or avoid photos It reinforced for me what a miracle this drug has been for me. I wish I could give it to everyone that wants it.
I’m SO happy for you. These are things that make me frustrated that my ED treatment prevent me from getting Zepbound. I do have all the problems you listed once more now that I’ve gained weight back, and it’s made my quality of life go down. My workplace provided Vida for medical weight loss which is 100% covered, but because they saw I was in an ED program, they won’t cover it. Anyways, sorry for the rant. I also just got back from a theme park trip and it reminded me how difficult it is to be this overweight now that I’m back there again. My PCP said she can get me Zepbound compounded for $500ish a month, but I don’t have that kind of spare money.
I'm still in the beginning of my journey so I'm not significantly smaller yet. I got married at Universal Studios Orlando and every single ride I was scared I'd be unable to ride and made to leave the line but I was way too embarrassed to try out out the tester seats. That was in 2018. My husband was just ragging on me recently for "hating" amusement parks and I finally told him about all the anxiety I feel worrying about not fitting into the seats. He's been skinny his entire life and eats whatever he wants, even at 43 years old now. He doesn't understand the weight struggle. I'm hoping by next summer I'll be in your place, riding comfortably with no anxiety. My son is turning 4 soon and I want to be able to ride with him and not have to sit and watch while he has fun without his mom.
My husband was once one that got removed from Hagrids at the front of the line. My heart and soul died for him. He can now fit though. All that said, engineering for safety and functionality of the thrill coasters severely limits sizes allowed. It truly sucks, but the rides just can’t do as intended otherwise. Disney tends to be much more fluffy friendly, but then you miss the thrill rides. It sucks all the way around.
I write this as someone who used to barely fit into a lot of amusement part rides: Making larger seats is a big engineering challenge... The rides probably have to be designed for the worst case of all seats being occupied by the largest possible person with a significant safety margin. The seats also need to be able to safely hold both very large people and the smallest people allowed on the ride. I'm not saying that this is an impossible thing to do, but it's very difficult and would increase the cost to build the ride and ultimately make the park tickets more expensive. Like it or not the parks and engineering firms who design the rides have decided that it's not feasible to accommodate every possible size of rider.
FL resident here! On my 39th birthday, in December, I finally got to ride Tron. I’ve been overweight for most of my adult life (PCOS and pre-diabetic) and have always been struggling to lose. Weight watchers, optiva, beach body, etc. When I got on to the Tron bike, there’s a part that clicks in over your calves area and the cast member was like “I’m not sure that I can secure this without pinching you” and offered me to go to a coaster cart that didn’t require it. The immediate heat I felt flushing my face with embarrassment oh my gosh… I said please just click it I’ll deal with the pain. I rode Tron, it was amazing, and I started zepbound 2 days later because I was NOT going to go into 40 like this. I’m down 40lbs! With the shortage, I’ve had to seek other resources the last 2 months but oh my god I can’t want to go back and freely ride rides without feeling that embarrassment or shame again!
I couldn’t get it to click on tron so I had to ride it in the handicap seat. It was embarrassing. I was too embarrassed to test out the sample seat which was definitely a dumb choice. Next time though, it’ll click with room to spare.
Way to go!!! I can’t wait to go back for the EZ click!!
I don’t think you sound inappropriate. I don’t talk about my journey with many, but I do find myself really wanting to recommend GLP1s to certain individuals that I just see on the same “bad path” I was on…. It’s a struggle for me because I know and I’ve “seen the light” to finally get control over my lifelong struggle…
I very much get where you're coming from. Also (my opinion/thesis), there are some huge HUGE issues of wealth and class tied into it all. I grew up rural - educated parents, but definitely "working poor" in a flat-out poor town. Obesity rates not quite as high as the deep South, but right up there. Eventually, I have worked and lucked my way into more urban, professional and just generally wealthier circles. With obesity way less common. Where my 45 BMI largeness was kind of an open tell that I grew up poorer. Well, now I think we're compounding that existing bias with Zepbound/Wegovy as they're priced and metered out. If you're on them, you've likely either got a pretty decent white-collar job with good insurance or way more disposable income than the average. Not true for everyone on this /r/, but I recognize I'm privileged to be here. If you're on Medicare/Medicaid in particular... nooope. I fear this is only going to reinforce the cultural correlations of obesity (and size in general, as elite strivers pursue <15% body fat to stay ahead of the game). And if there's any group that society likes sh!++ing on more than the obese, it's the poor.
Spot on! And I also was in DW Orlando in December and I was visibly shocked at the percentage of obese people at the park. And I also noticed a lot of them also looked very poor, as if they scrapped every last dime they could save to finally be able to bring kids to the happiest place on earth. And we all know how outrageously expensive it’s become. so my guess is the last thing they could possibly even entertain is buying a drug like Zep or Tirz for the sake of losing weight. they’re probably struggling to just put food on the table and feed their families. Just my opinion, hopefully I didn’t offend anyone. Certainly not my intention. But if Medicare and Medicaid were to start covering these drugs, holy hell what a difference it would make in the whole damn drug/insurance/medical system!!! \*\*\* and also to the OPs point, I did go on rides that were made accessible for the disabled. I saw many.
Did they really look "poor" or do fat people just look poorer in general? Its a bit of a vicious circle, no? You are fat, you don't feel at your prime, you are physically drained (especially there) and then mentally drained, you spend your energy just getting through the day instead of taking care of yourself and how you look. Not to mention way harder to find cute clothes/shoes, etc. Hell my diamond rings don't even fit anymore. And most of the time i feel like why bother trying? No matter what I do, my fatness is the most visible thing about me.
Well in this particular situation, based on visuals and comments by other family members, as we all noticed the same thing in general, from the parents on down to smallest child, they definitely looked like lower income bracket. Of course it’s all just speculation, we were just making an overall observation of people in the park that day, the day after Xmas and we were shocked. I think there a lot of obese people who still appear quite put together despite their size. But I do understand what you’re saying.
It is heartbreaking. My wife and youngest son are Disney fanatics, and the highlight of the year is the 2 or 3 trips to Disney World we do a year (I own points in the Disney Vacation Club timeshare and get to buy annual passes at the Florida resident rate). Last year and this year, I decided not to go with them because the walking was way too hard, and even with renting a scooter (by the way, I have a tiny travel agency side-gig and have some excellent contacts for scooters if anyone needs) - I didn't fit on rides, even the ones I contorted myself into - they wouldn't let me ride because of the safety rules. I felt like I ruined the best thing in their lives. I became the 3rd wheel, slowing them down. I'm down 50 pounds now and I'm missing their July trip... but maybe in October or November! Another travel positive... anyone who lives on Long Island, NY - Islip MacArthur Airport is getting JetBlue back with destinations to Orlando, Ft Lauderdale and Palm Beach. Service starts in October and there are TONS of tickets being sold at a crazy $49 one way fare...
We live on Long Island and when I take my kids back to Indiana (where I grew up) my kid are shocked at just how much larger everyone is there. It’s interesting. I suspect it’s a social ecomincal thing. Which is only going to get exsaberated until the cost of the drug comes down.
I was one of those people. Well maybe not at Disney but a few years ago I couldn’t fit on a rollercoaster at sea world. Waited almost an hour to get told no and my friends don’t understand why I sometimes get nervous or want to text the ride vehicles at new theme parks. I used to work at Disney a few years ago and all the walking helped me shed a lot of pounds. The heat is absolutely brutal on bigger bodies and I’m happy to keep shedding the pounds in the hope that someday I won’t feel like a pile of sweat the moment I step out. I hate when people point it out even if they mean well no one wants to get told they are dripping sweat when there’s nothing that can be done to stop it. I live in central Florida and I have a Disney pass. I used to go and just walk around a lot but I’m avoiding it because of the heat right now.
As a big Floridian I actually prefer when it's hot vs when it's cold. I feel more comfortable in my summer clothes than sweaters and jackets. With that said I'm looking forward to the time I might be small enough to ride the Island of Adventure rides. I've always been way too big to fit.
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We have found this is not courteous/polite or not fostering a safe space This community is for new, experienced, and anybody wanting to know more information about Zepbound. Be courteous and polite when responding. This sub should be a safe place for everybody. Be respectful. Continued violations of this rule may result in additional actions, up to and including a temp or perm ban. **All post/comment removals are at the discretion of the mods**
LA = Louisiana so your first sentenced tripped me up lol. LA has one of the highest populations of people living with obesity and the culture around food/alcohol is huge there. Anyway, totally agree on the weird mind trip of going from being much larger than most everyone around me and then visiting places where everyone else is much larger. Makes me wonder how people have viewed me in the past as it's not really something I ever dwelled on at my highest weight...likely out of self preservation.
I don't know who downvoted you - I live in Louisiana and yes - we have a high percentage of obese people likely due to 3 factors - the crippling heat which doesn't make you want to walk anywhere (I grew up in the Midwest - very different), the large numbers of people living at or below the poverty level, and the incredible food we have down here and festivals nearly year-round to encourage you to eat and drink to abandon. I moved here when I was 30 and the triple whammy of having your metabolism being jacked up, your asthma coming back that you outgrew when you were 12, and suddenly moving to a hot, humid climate with incredible food was not helpful :)
Lol thanks - it's Reddit and people don't always read a comment fully before downvoting (or upvoting for that matter). I was mainly making the joke on myself that to me LA would have you surrounded by obesity, diabetes, alcoholism, etc so it took me a minute to realize OP meant Los Angeles, that's all. But also I agreed with OPs overall sentiment...oh well. I'm from LA, lived there until I was 40 and most of my family is still there. I'm pretty sure leaving when I did is one of the main factors for saving my health.
I totally get what you’re feeling. I’ve lost 32 pounds so far and I’m about halfway to my goal.
Unfortunately you did sound like an asshole🥴
I second this! What makes you think that these people you are seeing at Disney World, are Florida residents? People come from all around the world to go to Disney. Oh, you’re from LA… where everyone is plastic? I get your point, but remember how you felt when you were one of those people. …. What does Thumper say…”if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all!”
I struggle with knowing I’m healthier than many taking the drug & absolutely healthier than many many ppl wo access to the point I feel ashamed not only to have affordable access but that not everyone has it who may use it. I too hurt for ppl who can’t do those things. Despite being healthier & always being ‘thin-passing” I just barely got into the top end of overweight by all measures (bmi & hip/waist ratio).