Tricks for fitting

Go with "less unhealthy" options when you eat, especially at fast food. Baked potato or salad instead of fries and grilled chicken instead of crispy. (the crispy snack wrap at mcdonalds has more fat than the big grilled chicken selects sandwich) Drink water instead of pop. Park near the back of the parking lot and walk a little farther. A concious decision to make a few better choices might be able to give you what you need.

^ Exactly, it is sometimes the simplest things that can make the biggest difference. So take that bit of effort, and enjoy your ride on Force/Dragster this summer!

Although I do think more compassion could be exhibited for the struggles of being overweight, it is also wrong for people to complain about not being able to ride. Why would someone complain to CP that they are too big to meet safety requirements? They have no ability to change the persons weight or alter physics regarding the effects it holds towards safely riding. I think people that complain are a very small minority; most understand & accept it the same as I accept I c/n ride inversion rides w/o spending the day hugging Mr. toilet bowl.

Losing wt in the US will always be extremely difficult because we are a nation blessed with abundance. It's like living in Wonka's chocolate factory where everything is edible & being told not to eat anything. Ultimately, you must decide what is most important. The work of exercise & denying oneself, or better health & riding roller coasters. But do not underestimate how very hard it is.

(stepping off soap box)

I'm not saying that its not hard to be overweight, but that is typically something that you do to yourself. I agree, it does take some effort not to constantly eat fast food, especially when its so easy and can be found everywhere. The problem is that you have to realize just how much is too much, which many don't do.

Do some research, though. There are many tasty alternatives to all the fast food we eat. I like Subway because their subs taste good and aren't nearly as riddled with fats, etc. as McDonalds' food is. This is just one example, and I can understand that not all people like Subway. The point is that there are alternatives which can be just as good as all the fatty foods that we eat.

The misconception that healthier foods just don't taste good is somewhat... Stereotypical of food. One thing that got me looking into cooking is how easy it is to make a healthy meal. That doesn't work while on the road, however it helps when possible.

If more people truly started to look at better foods, then I would expect the "fast food" industry to do the same. It is a simple matter of economics, as they do what will bring them money. As such, we as Americans must push the industry into healthier options.

Don't eat constantly through the day, eat three decent meals and maybe a snack, but do your best to keep it all healthy.

What works for some may not work for others, although change is definitely needed.

Krafty said:
Go with "less unhealthy" options when you eat, especially at fast food. Baked potato or salad instead of fries and grilled chicken instead of crispy. (the crispy snack wrap at mcdonalds has more fat than the big grilled chicken selects sandwich) Drink water instead of pop. Park near the back of the parking lot and walk a little farther. A concious decision to make a few better choices might be able to give you what you need.

topthrilldragster4lyf said:

Do some research, though. There are many tasty alternatives to all the fast food we eat. I like Subway because their subs taste good and aren't nearly as riddled with fats, etc. as McDonalds' food is. This is just one example, and I can understand that not all people like Subway. The point is that there are alternatives which can be just as good as all the fatty foods that we eat.

I have an idea.

Wait for it..... wait for it....

COOK A MEAL AT HOME AND SAVE YOURSELF SOME MONEY AS WELL!!!

^ Hence I mentioned that my pursuit of healthier foods pointed me toward cooking. I agree; it costs less, its more personal, and it can even be much healthier.

I used to weigh about 280 lb's and I rode MF and TTD in 2003 and I was fine, and I was huge. I lost about 90 lb's over the past year on the adkins diet and I went back in 2006 and could bearly fit and I only weighed 190 lb's. Im just showing the difference from the two years. My second point is to keep at it. The weight will come off as it did for me. I never thought it was possible but I worked hard at it.

P.S. can't wait for Cedar Point this summer, its gonna be the SH*t

Getting back to the original topic, one tip that can help is seeing if you can find a seat belt that is slightly longer. History has tended to prove that the seat belts are not all the same length. Come May, if people could post if certain seats are shorter than the test seat or longer than the test seat it would let us know what seats should be avoided. I know in 2005, several people said the yellow train seemed to have shorter belts on average compared to the other trains. That may change after the winter rehab. Another tip would be to not carry a billfold, cell phone, Keys etc in your pockets. This is especially true of your back pockets. When I go to park, I only carry my pass, a little spending money, and a car key. Everything else either gets locked in the car or is carried on the ride with another rider.

As far as the comment to just lose weight. Sometimes it's not that easy. I rode MF for the first time in 2005 after losing 90 lbs. It took that just to get to the can barely make it group. When I went to Cedar Point for the first time that year after having not been there for many years (partly because I knew I couldn't fit, partly because we had family closer to Kings Island and went there more often.) I didn't know if I had done enough to be able to ride "for sure". Knowing some of the tips and tricks of how to get the seat belt fastened helped me be able to ride that first time. Since then, I lost a little bit more weight, plateaued, and gained some back again. Right now, I'm about 5 lbs heavier than I was when I ride in 2005 and about the same as I was last October when I was able to ride but it took the ride operator holding on to the one side of the buckle while I buckled the other side with both hands. My goal is to lose about 20lbs before summer but this time it's not coming off as fast as the first time.

Reading these threads, most of us have come to realize that MF is not going to change in any measurable way anytime soon. For me, the final nail in that coffin came when Intamin track started arriving for Maverick. If CP was that dissatisfied with the current situation on MF they would have required Intamin modify the trains on MF to allow more riders before agreeing to buy Maverick.

Jeremy

Jeremy, I know exactly what you mean. I have been trying to lose that last 20lb's for the past six months. I weight about 190 right now and I wanna be about 170 to 175 cause I'm six feet tall and I beleive 175 would be good. If i find an easy way, I will let you know.

Vince982 said:

I have an idea.

Wait for it..... wait for it....

COOK A MEAL AT HOME AND SAVE YOURSELF SOME MONEY AS WELL!!!

Better yet, cook a Canadian! They're leaner, and I've heard it said they taste like chicken. ;)

P.S. This post isn't directed at all Canadians, only those whose moniker is Vince982. ;)

I'm a young woman (31) who has always had the tendency to be overweight by 15-30 pounds. I have to work at keeping myself in healthy form.

I love food too much. I eat as a distraction from stress, anxiety and also from boredom, and because it's fun. I also have a genetic predisposition to diabetes from both sides of my family.

I'm not going to lean on a future of insulin or dialysis machines to keep from having to face my food problem and get myself together. No one else should hide behind some excuse in order to not face the fact that they're unhealthy.

My advice: Stp fretting about roller coaster restraints and the fact that clothes don't look attractive on you, and do something about it. It's one thing to accept yourself for who you are, it's another thing entirely to take care of yourself.

Erin

^ Well put.

Brock, I am 5'10" and I weigh 180 lbs. is it really tough for you to get into the seats? I can get into MF with at least 2" to spare.

I have noticed that the belts on blue train on MF seem to fit the easiest, but that may be my own personal findings. As well as for some reason I tend to get the best rides on blue train in the early morning rather than the green train.

You know, it is not always an issue of just weight. I have seen very athletic guys with huge muscles, football player types, who were turned away from MF. Try telling these guys they just need to shut up and lose weight. No, the issue to me are these restraints which are badly designed, which at one point were far more accomodating, but then shortened in reaction to the incident that took place in Six Flags New England when a person died who was not properly belted in. True, this was done to better insure one's safety, but had the restraints on this coaster been better designed, it would not have been necessary. That is why I personally appreciate the design of B&M restraints, which often are more comfortable and allow for more different body types.

I have been to CP many times over the last few years and have seen many people who in my mind are not really overweight turned away from riding MF. (I fit fine for the time being...) I think that is really sad, and I for one will not just sit here and blame it on their laziness to get in shape. That is not always the case. I think one has to acknowledge the somewhat poor design of these seats. *** Edited 3/9/2007 8:11:19 AM UTC by Mikewhy***

I've seen far more problems and delays created by parents attempting to bring thier too short, too small kids on rides or trying to conceal loose articles than I have from bigger people trying simply to get what they paid the same as everyone else for: thrill rides. I'm not excusing the folks who refuse to try the test seats and still waste everyone's time by refusing to stop stuggling to fit when it's obvious they never will. However there are many people who are not really "fat" but are just on the verge of not fitting, especially on MF. An inch here or a pound there could make the difference between a great CP visit and a lousy one. There are some useful trick for those of us who are on the edge of not fitting MF:

Don't wear a belt, fanny pack, or thick pants with full pockets.

Lift up your jacket, shrit, and yes your gut and run the belt under it all.

Before you sit down, make sure the belt is running under that little silver bar and not over it. Also, make sure the belt is let out all the way and not twisted.

This has always worked for me and I've seen smaller guys than me get denied a ride because they were trying to buckle up over a sweatshirt and jacket. You gotta hike it all up and get the belt underneath it all. Looking silly for a few seconds beats the heck out of not getting a ride.

I remember the rants about the ever-shrinking seatbelts last fall. For some reason they were smaller towards the end of the year. On my trip in late September, I weighed less than I had earlier in the year but BARELY fit. I remember reading on a thread that a couple people emailed CP and were told that the seatbelt problem would be addressed during the off-season and MF would be fitted with new belts. As opening day draws near, I'll be very interested to see if we get any new info on that.

Trick on losing weight: When your hungry (or not and just want to eat) CHEW GUM! I dont know why but it works. Crushed ice works well too. Also I just got a stationary bike last night because I fractured some thing in my knee and its the only leg excersise Im allowed to do for 3 weeks. Get one of those and put it in front of your TV. You wont get bored but you will still lose weight.

ZC
*** Edited 3/10/2007 3:55:23 AM UTC by Your mom is to fat to ride TTD.***

Drink a lot of water. I went from 280 to 163 doing that. Now at a more healthy 182. I'm 6 foot 1 inch tall.

MrScott

Ah ha! Water was involved!

lol!

I gave up pop for Lent and in 2 weeks I've lost weight. My pants are loose and people have commented that my face is thinner. I think I will continue life without pop even after Lent has finished becase I'm liking this weight loss.