Walk a Mile in my Shoes (and you won't be able to breathe!)

It's my personal opinion that you can't possible understand what a person is going through, if you've never had personal experience of their situation.

I can sympathise with someone who has diabetes but I can never truly understand what it's like to be diabetic because I myself am not diabetic.  In other words, I can sympathise but I cannot empathise.

Unless you've been seriously overweight, you won't understand what impact excessive weight has on a persons body and mind.  For example, I struggle with several normal, daily activities which most people take for granted.

Putting on my underwear, clipping my toenails, tying up my laces.

Walking up stairs, walking to the shops, taking a bath.

Getting a decent night's sleep.

Looking in the mirror without feeling depressed and disgusted with myself.

My knees hurt most of the time and I can't kneel on the floor because of the pain.  If I were to sit on the floor, I would really struggle to get up again and would need assistance.  Realistically, I'm carrying the weight of at least two people on my frame, so it's no wonder that I have daily aches and pains.

I worry what people think of me when they first meet me because I'm fat.  I then wonder why they like me because I'm fat.  My confidence is extremely low and I'm fed up of feeling so negative towards myself.

Every time I think about stepping on the scales and seeing the weight go down, I feel jubilant.  I can't wait to feel and look healthier, to wear normal size clothes, to be able to go out in the garden and help my husband with the weeding and planting.

If you're seriously overweight, you'll understand what I'm feeling - if you're not, you can only imagine...