One Happy Skinny Camper!

OK Folks, I just got back from camping out at Montgomery Bell State Park here in TN and let me tell you how much fun I had! My family and I went there for something called the Pagan Unity Festival (PUF) so the whole weekend was packed full of community building, shopping at vendors booths, and taking lots of classes, discussions and seminars on pagan topics of interest. So that in itself was fun for me! The best park of the whole weekend were the little nuances that I had never really thought about before... *Hiking without needing to "rest" or use any kind of walking stick. *Helping to "blow" a fire, to feed it oxygen without passing out and falling into the flames! *Eating at a "potluck" and being able to "try" everything that you want and fini****! LOL! (Heck, when your "serving scoops" are the size of regular teaspoons, why not indulge!) *Using only ONE plate when going through the food line instead of balancing two or three! *Being able to use one of those fancy "fanny packs" that holds all of your stuff and water bottles and actually being able to use it as a belt without "extending it" by any means! *Being able to get up off the air-mattress & sleeping bag without so much of a creek, crack, or groan and NOT needing to ask someone to "help me up." *Having people I have known of worked with in my volunteer actitivites not recognize me until the second or third day! *Being able to "help others" with their own weight issues.... news of my surgery spread through camp like a wildfire and I spent most of my weekend answering questions, showing my scar or telling my tale and offering adive to those looking to get approved for their own surgeries! Oh and the best expierence I had was when hubby and I crawled into our sleeping bag. We have these huge "fat man" size cold weather sleeping bags. They are made for folks 300 lbs and or 6 foot tall and up. We typically lay them out and zip them up together into one bag and then lay on our queen sized air mattress and go to sleep together. Well even with the large sized bags, it was always a tight fit and kind uncomfortable for me b/c I hated "touching" hubby while sleeping b/c he sweats like crazy! So anyways, this time we crawl in and we could have fit a whole other adult in there with us! (That would have been interesting....lol ) I was so excited! Matter of fact there was so much extra room that hubby could crawl around inside the bag while I was in it! Hehehe..... Sometime Sunday morning our son even crawled into the bag with us (the temp in our cabin almost dipped below freezing last night....eek) and even he commented that there was soo much extra room in the bag! HA! HECK, I am ready to head back out to the wilderness and really go camping! I felt like I was cheating having a cabin with a small amount of electricity! WHOO-HOO! Brightest Blessings for a Wonderful Day~ Jamie M. aka Lady Autumn Weight- 257/194/146 BMI- 44.1/33.3/25 Height- 5'4" Total Weight Loss: -63 lbs. Surgery Date- 1/19/05 Visit my OH profile or stop by My Weight Loss Journey Website at: home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-LadyAutumnsWLSjourney

That is awesome Jamie. I can't wait to go camping in our pop up camper, maybe this year I will be comfortable sleeping with my DH in the same bed. I always made him sleep in the other bed with our son for fear of tipping the camper or something if we both slept in the same bed. Kim

LOL! I totally understand your concern. We used my MIL's camper once and I was so afraid the little support arm that held up the sleeping section that poped out of the side of the camper would break off and I'd be on the floor, outside when I woke up! LOL! I used to sleep on the recliner inside instead! And I hated the air mattress could halfway through the night hubby would have to refill it to make it firm again. I was so embarrasing. Those days are long gone now! YEAH! Brightest Blessings for a Wonderful Day~ Jamie M. aka Lady Autumn Weight- 257/194/146 BMI- 44.1/33.3/25 Height- 5'4" Total Weight Loss: -63 lbs. Surgery Date- 1/19/05 Visit my OH profile or stop by My Weight Loss Journey Website at: home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-LadyAutumnsWLSjourney

It sounds like you had so much fun. I love camping can't wait to go again. Stephanie