Climb The Rope: Being The Fat Kid

OK, I know you've seen it. That scene in the coming of age movie with the clumsy Spokane fat kid or the scrawny nerdy kid in gym class being forced to do some meaningless physical task that is clearly out of their ability to do...

...pull ups, push ups or the worst of all, climbing the dreaded rope.

...push ups, pull ups or the worst of all, climbing the dreaded rope.

The kid is struggling with all of his or her might to accomplish the feat. All the while, the coach is standing there humiliating the poor soul, shouting insults and demeaning remarks while the rest of the class watches and laughs.

Do you recall those scenes? I have always remembered them because I could relate all too well to those kids. I was the clumsy fat kid. I was teased and made fun of all through elementary school. They called me "Emily the Elephant".

Getting Active For some reason, probably a boy, I decided to join the Little League team. I sucked! I couldn't hit. I couldn't catch. I couldn't throw. I wasn't able to run the bases without becoming winded.

I never really thought that there was anything I could do about my weight. I figured that it was just the way I was. I'd never heard of dieting, I was only 8 or 10 years old. I had to just live with being the fat kid and the teasing that came with it. However I did make a vow to be good at sports so the kids would pick me for their teams. So that's what I did, I became great at sports, any kind of sports.

Loosing The Weight & Fat When I was about 13 I went through adolescence and continued with sports and to my delight I lost my weight. It just sort of dispersed and went to all the right places. I felt great and looked great.

Even though I looked great I never quite looked great enough. I was never able to shake the fat syndrome, Emily the Elephant self image. The elementary school taunting stuck with me. It was a constant insecurity but I did a two things that allowed me to subdue that voice of self doubt:

I ate a strict diet of weight loss pills, diet soda, iced tea and lemons I know, not very healthy, and I exercised daily through various sports and kept my weight in check.

It Came Back! Then, at age 19, it happened; disaster for my body. I got pregnant and had a baby. I ballooned! I gained so much weight during my pregnancy it was unbelievable to me. Then I developed gestational diabetes and was referred to a nutritionist to manage it. When all was said and done I was 50 pounds heavier after the birth of my son.

Emily the Elephant was back! She was back to stay. I was the fat kid again. I could not lose weight no matter how I tried. I tried diets, exercise videos, classes, pills and supplements. I lived a very active lifestyle; anything physical and outdoors, rock climbing, mountain climbing, hiking, backpacking, kayaking. I try to eat a healthy diet and have done moderate exercise on a regular basis. I would lose weight and gradually gain it back, nothing has worked.

Now it is 17 years later, my son is graduating high school this year and I still have not lost the weight. Emily the Elephant has refused to go back in her cage.