Too fat to fly ?

[pinklady2609]

Just watched 'Too fat to fly' on Channel 5 - OMG what happened to the chap at the end (being made to move from an emergency exit seat in front of a full plane of people because he needed a seatbelt extender) was exactly what happened to me when I flew to Barcelona last year - it brought it all back - horrendous embarrassment x 1000 !!!

Am now so looking forward to flying on holiday next August with just a normal seatbelt and being able to put the tray down !! (fingers crossed !!)

 

[carrieb]

I've not flown in 6 years - purely because I knew I'd need a seat belt extension and would have been mortified at having to ask for one!

Can't wait til next summer

 

[Beegee]

That was me too.... I fly a lot with my job so always asking for a seat belt extender... or fat girls belt as I like to call it!

my next business trip is Dec so I am really hoping I can avoid lap belt for that trip. I think being able to put the tray table down may be some way off yet.

 

[goofy07]

I know asking for the extender is so embarrassing

Flew last December and didn't need it after losing 5 stone have had my op and lost another 7 so definitely don't need it now but as for having the table down might still need to lose the other 6 stone before that happens!?!

When the kids were small I always made sure one sat next to me so I could use their table!! Not flying again till 2015 so fingers crossed it will be no extender and table down

 

[Butterfly_lady]

If I was a flyer I think I'd buy my own extender belt, to save embarrassment

 

[AlphaEcho]

Hi,

If I was a flyer I think I'd buy my own extender belt, to save embarrassment

I was in exactly the same situation and also seriously considered buying my own after the embarrassment of having to ask for an extender last year. However, please be aware anyone thinking of purchasing their own - they are technically illegal in the USA (as of about August 2012) as they will not have been tested to FAA standards. So if anyone is thinking of doing this you may find yourself having a chat with one of the flight attendants which could prove more awkward than getting one from them. The FA in my case was really good and was reasonably discreet - it was more my own personal embarrassment than anything else.

Surgery has now happened and the weight has been going down, can't wait for December when I'm back on a plane again - without the need for an extender.

AE.

 

[ThinnerJemima]

AE, long time no post ? How are you doing? Is MR happy with your progress. I'm on the naughty step

Thankfully I have always squeezed myself into the plane seats. Almost had a moment at Chessington once, but I sucked in for Britain:sigh:

 

[AlphaEcho]

Hi,

AE, long time no post ? How are you doing? Is MR happy with your progress. I'm on the naughty step

I'm doing very well thanks, keeping my mouth shut for once keep looking on here but don't think I have been able to add much but will always add something if I feel its worth it.

Haven't seen MR since my last check up in July. Guess I'm due one soon, I'm 70lb down in total since the start of this adventure and feel great for it.

Loss has really slowed down in the last couple of weeks but is still slowly going. I have a personal target of 100kg to get through but it's being determined to make me wait as long as possible and I'm hovering at 100.1kg , hopefully next week when I jump back on the scales I'll be below it.

Little things like that make you so happy and now getting into trouser sizes that I could only dream of a few months ago. The following is no way intended to be a sexist remark but if you feel it is please feel free to give me a smack but I always previously thought shopping for clothes was a thing that only ladies got pleasure from - standing by for a smack - but I'm enjoying buying things from regular shops now and cant wait to go on holiday with my new wardrobe, so tragic

Even though I haven't seen MR recently my GP is still being fantastic and very supportive and letting me have lots of blood tests :cry: only joking, I'm a big guy and don't cry. Waiting for the results of the ones I had done yesterday and may get taken off the cholesterol medication I was on, will have to wait and see.

So how come you're on the "naughty step" what have you been up to?

Thankfully I have always squeezed myself into the plane seats. Almost had a moment at Chessington once, but I sucked in for Britain:sigh:

You're braver than me there's no way in this world will you ever get me onto one of those rides - even if I was wedged in but those days are now behind us hopefully. I have just booked myself on a mule ride when on holiday, this could be a disaster but I'm now a reasonable amount under the maximum allowed weight so hopefully the mule will have a fighting chance, if not it can always just throw me off :wave_cry:

I'm sorry for kind of high jacking this thread but I hope everyone who has recently had their surgery is still in a happy place and watching the weight disappearing.

Regards,

AE.

 

[ThinnerJemima]

AE,
Hey booking a mule ride is the same as plane seat and roller-coaster rides 70lb that's a great achievement. Plane seat & mule all on the same trip, how happy are you going to be! Would love to be at the party at your house when you get to 99.9kg.
Not a sexist remark, I hate clothes shopping, still do. I take my best friend, she makes me try on everything I hate, which I then turn out to love. My credit card physically winces when it sees her.
MR has a naughty step if you don't take your vitamins, get a 'just a little bit' deficient and want to keep losing only a genuine little more weight, but he wants me to put on a little bit. Ever resourceful he has a solution , and I feel that I'm letting him down

 

[AlphaEcho]

Hi,

AE,
Hey booking a mule ride is the same as plane seat and roller-coaster rides 70lb that's a great achievement. Plane seat & mule all on the same trip, how happy are you going to be! Would love to be at the party at your house when you get to 99.9kg.

It's going to be an interesting time I think, this year the final flight to my destination is on a small 9 seater aircraft definitely wouldn't have liked to have wedged myself in that this time last year. And as for the mule ride, I kind of wanted to do it last year, but the poor mule wouldn't have stood a chance , I'd have been better picking that up and putting it on my back let alone the other way round. Should be fun though the trip is about 1700 feet down the side of a cliff path right on the edge, hope I get a nice mule and back up again! Getting under 100kg is like a personal goal for me, never seen that side of 100 for more years than I can remember. Once I've passed that figure I don't know where to set my own goals afterwards, maybe every 5 kgs will be reason to celebrate, but everything right now is just great.

Not a sexist remark, I hate clothes shopping, still do. I take my best friend, she makes me try on everything I hate, which I then turn out to love. My credit card physically winces when it sees her.

I agree there but I'm willing to put up with the pain of a few credit card bills, the enjoyment of buying "normal size" clothes far outweighs the pain of paying for them later on.

MR has a naughty step if you don't take your vitamins, get a 'just a little bit' deficient and want to keep losing only a genuine little more weight, but he wants me to put on a little bit. Ever resourceful he has a solution , and I feel that I'm letting him down

I'm going to be in his good books then, I suffered from low Vitamin D a couple of years ago and until my GP decided to do a full vitamin screen on a blood test couldn't work out why I was permanently tired. Result was a Vitamin D level that was extremely low so he put me on a course of very high concentration Vitamin D tablets to boost my reserves. Ever since then I have taken a vitamin tablet everyday and on my last blood test vitamin levels were all good. Hopefully they will be the same this time round when I get the results. I've always been a model patient for MR

All the best.

AE.

 

[ThinnerJemima]

Well, have just done 11 hours in a plane seat, knew I'd fit in ok.... BUT had room on the seat next to me for my hand bag. Spent an overly long time pointing this out to my husband, who promptly lifted the arm rest and relaxed into MY space.

Plane seat AND handbag space - TICK

I may have had 6 months of just about unbearable hell and eating is only possible on an occasional basis, but it's worth it. It's nice to get a reminder once in a while of what this is all about. 18 months down the line and I still don't regret this.

 

[pinklady2609]

That is fantastic - well done you x

 

[AlphaEcho]

Well, have just done 11 hours in a plane seat, knew I'd fit in ok.... BUT had room on the seat next to me for my hand bag. Spent an overly long time pointing this out to my husband, who promptly lifted the arm rest and relaxed into MY space.

Plane seat AND handbag space - TICK

I may have had 6 months of just about unbearable hell and eating is only possible on an occasional basis, but it's worth it. It's nice to get a reminder once in a while of what this is all about. 18 months down the line and I still don't regret this.

I haven't even got to the airport yet, but I already know it's worth it. My planned 11 hour flight is day after Boxing Day and if I can't do my seat belt up I'm going to be very peeved and I haven't got a handbag to worry about

I'm glad it was good for you as you've had a rougher ride in this than me so I'm really happy for you.

AE.

 

[ThinnerJemima]

thanks as a reward to my husband for taking a third of my plane seat, I fainted in a museum today . that'll teach him

 

[grandmafarfaraway]

Just watched 'Too fat to fly' on Channel 5 - OMG what happened to the chap at the end (being made to move from an emergency exit seat in front of a full plane of people because he needed a seatbelt extender) was exactly what happened to me when I flew to Barcelona last year - it brought it all back - horrendous embarrassment x 1000 !!! Am now so looking forward to flying on holiday next August with just a normal seatbelt and being able to put the tray down !! (fingers crossed !!)

I think it depends who you fly with. I've just flown to the West Indies with BA and didn't need to ask for an extension and I thought that I would need to..

 

[grandmafarfaraway]

Hi there.. I think it depends on the company that you fly with. I have just flown with BA and the aeroplane belts were great. I only hope that it's the same on the way home.

 

[pinklady2609]

Grandmafarfaraway - that is true and even depends on where you sit - my experience happened on the flight out to Barcelona for a cruise in the emergency exit aisle seats - on the way home two weeks later (after stuffing my face for two weeks !) I was sat in a normal aisle and didn't need an extender !! Same air line.

Anyway now nearly 7 weeks post op I am hoping that this is all a thing of the past (fingers crossed !)

 

[grandmafarfaraway]

Pink lady.. I hope that I will be ok on the way home..flying with BA from Antigua on Monday night. It would be just my luck not to have a belt long enough. Never mind it won't be for much longer.

 

[pinklady2609]

Oooo Antigua how lovely - lucky you !

Sure you will be fine on your journey home.

And as you said won't be long and we will all be tightening the belts in and putting the trays up and down the whole journey !!

 

[AlphaEcho]

Great memories - Antigua was my first long haul holiday destination about 30 years ago also flying with BA (trip out was interesting to say the least but that's another story), had a fantastic time there and in those days seatbelts and tray tables didn't fill me with horror!

Hopefully at the end of December I will be back to having the same enjoyment I always used to on flights, Virgin Atlantic to San Francisco is going to be the tester without the seat belt nightmare

grandmafarfaraway - enjoy the rest of your time in beautiful Antigua and have a great flight home.

AE.