Monday, May 21, 2012

Wrigley Field

Right now, I have some mini-goals set up. One of those is to get back to 314 pounds, my weight when I met Brent.

There is a very specific reason for this.

Brent and I love the Cubs. We love Chicago. We love Wrigley Field.


Wrigley Field, however, does not love me.

Wrigley Field was built lo those many years ago, when the average person was teeny tiny. The "new" seats, installed in the 1960s, are 18", and you can't raise the armrests. They are unforgiving metal armrests that allow absolutely zero wiggle room. Allowing for the armrests, the seats are 16-17" wide, and you are right on top of your neighbor.


When that first picture was taken, Brent had flown to Chicago to visit me for the first time. It was our second time meeting each other, as I'd flown to Albuquerque to visit him three months prior. We went to Wrigley Field the very next day. The seats were tight, so I sat sort of on the edge of the seat and turned toward him a little, much like I'm sitting in that picture.

When we went back to Wrigley last September, I was 356 pounds. I didn't think anything of it. I figured I'd just sit on the edge of the seat again.

Wrong.

Because I had extra weight in my hips and butt - 42 extra pounds - I couldn't sit as far back as I had during that first game. I had to sit so far forward, my knees were digging into the cup rests on the backs of the seats ahead of us. Plus, it was killing my left knee to sit like that, and it was already in pain from being so heavy. I could barely get up from a sitting position at that weight.

Brent suggested we move down so I could sit in the aisle seat and stretch my leg out. It worked perfectly until the bottom of the sixth inning, when some latecomers came to claim their seats. They told us they thought the game started at 3:00, not 1:00. (Seriously?!?) So, we moved back to our original seats in the middle of the row.

Some girls had just sat down in front of us, and I realized I'd be hovering right above them, creeper-style, since I had to sit so far forward. I didn't want to breathe down their necks for the rest of the game. So, Brent located some aisle seats way back near the top of the deck. I was so upset about everything that I cried through the rest of the game. I felt horrible. Ashamed. You think that would have been the last straw, right?

Obviously not. It took me another six months to get my butt in gear, so to speak.

Which brings us to this post.

My dad has always wanted to go to Wrigley Field. I'm very excited to bring my dad to Wrigley. I know how much he's going to love it. We're going to drink Old Style, eat cheesy pretzel bites and hot dogs, and watch some ball. It's going to be a great summer afternoon with my dad and my boyfriend. I can't wait.

We decided on July 14, as the Arizona Diamondbacks are playing in Chicago that weekend. Kirk Gibson is their manager now, and my dad thought it would be cool to see a former Tiger at Wrigley, especially since we have fond memories of seeing him at Tiger Stadium when I was a kid.

If you have no idea who that is, do you remember this picture from the 1984 World Series? That's "Gibby", after he hit his home run that clinched the World Series for the Tigers.


Anyway, this means I have until July 14 to get back down to 314 pounds. I'm sure the seats will be fine even if I only get to 320, but I know for a fact they'll be fine if I get down to 314. I'm 343 as of a quick weigh-in this morning, so that means I have seven weeks and five days to lose 29 pounds. That's an average of 3.7 pounds per week. Right now, I'm losing about 2.6 pounds per week, so I would have to increase my exercise by a few hours per week. Getting to 320 would be the more attainable (and safe) goal, of course. At my current pace, I'll be around 323 that day, so if I step it up, I could easily see 320 or a bit less.

Either way, whether it's 314, 320, or 323, I'm going to be in much better condition than I was when I weighed 356 pounds and had a tendonitis in both knees and plantar fasciitis in my left foot.

Just like the Cubs, I need to step up my game.

2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm nervous but excited! Even if I don't hit it, we'll still have a great time.

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