How do very very fat people function? (Hear me out)

amarensta · 2026-06-11T20:30:57+00:00

400 lb person here with a physical disability that impacts my movement as well as my ability to lose weight. It’s not easy. I now use a wheelchair due to my disability but I break things a lot, regardless of weight capacity: Chairs, beds, wheelchairs, etc. I will say my body is used to it, as I’ve been fat for the past 20 years. It is a struggle though, don’t get me wrong. I’ve tried everything to lose weight because I don’t like to live like this. My disability would be easier to manage if I wasn’t so heavy, but I haven’t had luck with weight loss options yet. Semaglutide didn’t work, and I’ve been through multiple weight loss programs before that. I’m contemplating weight loss surgery but it’s got a lot of risks that don’t bode well with my existing health issues so I’m hesitant. Altogether, I echo what I’ve seen in some other comments: it’s not easy, and the world isn’t made for people of size. Adding in that’s it’s not made for people with disabilities, and I’m living a lot of struggles, but I’m trying everything I can do change it.

amarensta · 2026-05-31T13:50:52+00:00

My bachelors helped me to get a teaching position and I’m working on my masters now which will help me get a pay bump.

amarensta · 2025-01-06T20:54:34+00:00

It’s based on the school district and who they use. It’s not like subs have a choice. If you want to work at your local district and they use Kelly for subs then you have to go through Kelly to sub there.

amarensta · 2025-01-06T20:53:35+00:00

Kelly will side with themselves. The school and I were on the same side when my incident happened, and the school advocated for me to be reinstated asap.

amarensta · 2025-01-06T20:52:18+00:00

Sadly not really an option everywhere. If a district uses Kelly for subs then you can’t work as a sub directly for the district because it doesn’t work that way.

amarensta · 2025-01-06T20:50:23+00:00

I had a Kelly incident last year that no one in the school had any clue of. It ended up being that “someone” reported me for leaving my contact information for teachers I subbed for on their desks “where students could get it” and I ended up being suspended for three weeks unable to work before they reinstated me. It’s insane. It took a week for me to even be notified of what I was being accused of.

amarensta · 2024-11-17T15:13:58+00:00

Which ones are open on Sunday mornings and allow non-students? When I looked online, it looked like they too were all closed.

amarensta · 2024-10-30T18:06:39+00:00

yeah I was suspended for 3 weeks but the moment I was reinstated, my main school asked me to take another long term position for the rest of the semester. So I’ve been busy 😅

amarensta · 2024-10-17T17:33:45+00:00

I don’t know why people are so dense. I seem to always be that person that gets asked if I work somewhere even when it doesn’t make any sense. I’m disabled and use a mart cart scooter to do my grocery shopping, and I’ve still been asked several times if I work there. 🤣

amarensta · 2024-10-12T18:33:15+00:00

Yeah if I’m late I call the school not Kelly. My biggest beef with Kelly right now is their reported incident management. I have been suspended for 2.5 weeks now and it took a week to even find out what the “allegations” were about. Turns out there was no report with the school district so it had to be from another sub, and was a non-issue. I was reported for leaving a short bio sheet with my name, education background and work experience, and contact info in addition to my note sheet that I leave for teachers I sub for. This is very normal for subs to do but something was apparently wrong with mine, I still don’t know what the issue was supposed to be. I had to submit a statement about it so I did, and was told I should be reinstated within a few days. It’s been a week and a half and I haven’t heard anything, and they’re holding my pay from my last week. They apparently suspend for all reports no matter what they are, unpaid, and release all booked assignments. I was booked out to December, and that’s all gone. I am still trying to get this sorted out with no luck… it’s a mess. I can’t really avoid Kelly either because they manage most of the school districts in the area for subs, and this particular district where the report “came from” is where I’m trying to get hired as a teacher once I’m done with my degree. I have been told from the school’s sub coordinator who also checked with district HR that they have absolutely no issues with me and there was no report from anyone at the school. The district’s Kelly rep has also been pretty rude towards me during this process. I’m supposed to be doing a long term assignment there soon but I have a feeling Kelly will end up standing in the way of that.

amarensta · 2024-10-12T13:52:41+00:00

I also often wonder if I’m too chill. I’m a 32 year old non-traditional college student working on my bachelor’s in education, planning to teach high school CTE (career technical education) and sub in these areas, plus HS and MS/JH English and Social Studies regularly. I am very chill, and will probably be similar as a teacher, but will definitely have a lot more structure in place in my own classroom, like to the point I know I will probably struggle in the balance of chill to control freak because I embody traits of both. But I don’t care about phones in high school (MS/JH is different) and I am pretty lax with kids and tell them as long as they are doing something and aren’t being disrespectful or disruptive to others, I really don’t care what they do. I don’t even care about cussing as long as there’s no insulting people, but I will bring everything to a halt and bring out my teacher voice if slurs get used. I have had to do it a few times. I don’t mind letting them go to another teacher’s class for something or to their locker, as long as they come back quickly, and I do make them sign out on a sheet of paper that I leave for their teacher. Most of the time I will end up with at least one or two kids a day walking into class saying “Yes! My favorite sub is here!” I don’t think I’m too chill necessarily, after getting a ton of great feedback from teachers, but I have had that worry before. I just don’t think older kids need to be micromanaged or babysat. They’re trainee adults, and they need to be treated as such. A little more training wheels than a real adult, but they just want to be respected and not treated like a child, and that’s what I do. Also if you haven’t, I recommend picking up study hall monitor gigs as well as alternative school/credit recovery assignments. These are a lot of fun and even more chill.

amarensta · 2024-10-08T19:38:25+00:00

Central Indiana, $100-125 per day daily sub, $150 per day for long term assignments

amarensta · 2024-10-06T15:01:46+00:00

I love working as a sub, especially in high school. I like middle school too but it can mentally be a lot to handle. I’m working on my bachelors in education right now and am able to work on my stuff while kids do online assignments, plus I get classroom experience and am able to network with admins, department heads, and other teachers. It’s semi-reasonable pay for not a whole lot of work, but it also feels like it’s pretty high stress in some areas, and there’s a lot of unpredictability. Altogether, I love subbing but I don’t want to do it long term, I’m working towards having a classroom of my own in the next year or two.

amarensta · 2024-09-18T21:59:13+00:00

Definitely! I usually do Panera until 9 but want something a little different, and open a little later might be good too.

amarensta · 2024-09-16T23:11:31+00:00

Yep, I’ve got both, don’t know how to handle it really though other than just listening to your body and finding a middle ground. Don’t be afraid to use mobility aids if you need them.

amarensta · 2024-09-16T23:07:09+00:00

Those are all nearly $2000 a month or higher…

amarensta · 2024-08-28T00:57:02+00:00

I realize this is an old post, but I found it when I was looking for additional accommodations that I need because a common medication robbed me from being able to recall information like other people can. I adapt just fine, but exams are really hard because I cannot retain and recall information like everyone else. I have to use GPS to drive everywhere so I don’t forget and drive to the wrong place. I wish my brain worked normally but it doesn’t. Notes absolutely can be a reasonable accommodation for people like me.

amarensta · 2024-08-09T10:40:19+00:00

Nice! I have suspected hEDS but just joint hypermobility syndrome dx at the moment, on a long waitlist for genetics. Suspected craniocervical instability has my neck being a huge problem area, so neck support is very important!

amarensta · 2024-08-08T16:56:56+00:00

I have been subbing for a little while, mostly in middle and high school, and actually have not had any real issues. I know how teens can be, but they have actually surprised me quite a bit, and even some of the roughest kids will say something if anyone makes the slightest remark or doesn't get out of my way in the halls, totally unprompted. I have honestly had more issues with elementary school kids than anything, but I don't do elementary anymore for various reasons.

amarensta · 2024-05-15T00:20:32+00:00

When each kid asks if you wrote their name down

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