**Still Day 175**

Confession #5 - I once got stuck in our pool because I was too fat to get out!  (Tonight, I'm confessing about a few embarrassing things I've struggled through while being obese.)  Anyway, at our old house we had an above ground pool with a deck built up to it.  The ladder to get out of the pool was, loosely, attached to the deck.  One day, I decided to take a swim while my daughter was napping.  After enjoying my swim, I started to climb the ladder to get out, and the dang ladder fell right into the pool!!  And then I couldn't get the ladder attached to the deck again!! Below is a picture of the pool we had, but the ladder isn't in the picture because we took it out when we weren't using the pool.

Now, it might look like it would be easy to get out of this pool without a ladder, but for a 280 pound person....not so much.  I could not get out!  I tried pulling myself up and out with my arms, but I just couldn't do it.  I tried swinging one leg up on the deck to get out, but that didn't work.  Yup, I was stuck in the pool!!!  Lucky for me, and for my napping daughter in the house, my husband was due home any minute, so I never did panic, but it sure was a humiliating feeling to know I couldn't get out just because I was fat!  So, yea, my hubby got home to save me before our daughter woke up from her nap, but I never did take a swim again unless there was another adult in the house!

Another time, I was at my parent's house babysitting my twin nephews, and my daughters were there with me, too.  At the time, my parent's house was about 45 minutes from my home.  My parents and my sister weren't there - it was just me and the kids.  Well, my nephew, Luc, threw up all over me.  Of course, I didn't bring extra clothes w/ me, and I was 45 min. from my house, so running home wasn't an option.  I decided to borrow a t-shirt and sweatpants from my dad, while my clothes were in the wash - well, somehow I forgot that I outweighed my dad by about 70 pounds, so when I tried to squeeze myself into his XL shirt, and probably size M or L sweatpants it didn't work....not even close.  I don't know why I thought I would be able to fit into his clothes!  Again, it was a humiliating experience!  I had to hang out, with four little kids, wearing only my bra and underwear, until my clothes were finished washing and drying.  I never went over there to babysit again without taking an extra change of clothes!

What else?  Oh, when I was at my highest weight (in the 280's) my hubby would help me put on my socks and shoes because it was so hard for me to do myself.  I swear, it would feel like I was going to pass out when I tried to do it.  Of course, when the hubby wasn't home I would do it, but if he was there he did it to save me the agony!

Being obese has, definitely, been hard!  I mean, I used to even have trouble just reaching around to scratch an itch on my butt!!!  Thankfully, things are getting easier for me, but I'll never forget those times, which is a good thing because, hopefully, it will keep me from ever going back to being that big again!!