It was a question that made me cringe every time I heard it. Sometimes I just hoped that it was not asked, but assumed.

Although I ate a lot and worked in a restaurant, I did not like going out to eat. At 400 pounds, I could not fit in a booth. Trust me; I tried to fit in one many times. When I was at work, I would size one up and go for it…..only to be denied.

My old boss also knew I could not fit in a booth. He was not the nicest guy, so he would purposely give me reviews and evaluations in a booth. I would have to pull up a chair and sit next to him. It was humiliating.

My wife loves sitting in booths. In fact, who does not like sitting in a booth. They have a ton of cushion and they are roomy. Yet, no matter how far we pushed the table, no matter how big the booth seemed to be, I could not squeeze into one. I was destined for the table.

I used to get insulted by hostesses at restaurants for asking me the question, but it was not their fault. It was my fault. I was the one that could not get in that booth. I could not fit into a booth because of selfish eating. I could not fit into a booth because of inactivity. They did not know. Maybe they thought I could fit into a booth. Maybe they did not realize that I was 420 pounds and the only cushioned seat I would eat out of was in my car….after stopping at numerous drive thru’s.

This was my life three years ago. This was a small dilemma that I dealt with everyday. This was until I realized that I could not be selfish with my food choices anymore. I could not keep on making excuses for being inactive. I could not live like this.

After losing a good amount of weight, my wife and I went out to eat. Before the hostess could ask the questions I said “Booth please.” My wife looked at me funny, but at the time I lost 140 pounds. I was 280 and I squeezed into a booth for the first time in years. Maybe it looked funny to others, but it was a huge moment for me.

Now I have lost over 200 pounds. There is not a booth that can not handle me.

There are millions of reasons to lose weight and get active at Anytime Fitness. For me, sitting in a booth was a big reason.

Tony Posnanski is a renowned blogger, a chef, and an Anytime Fitness member. He writes about weight loss, fitness, motivation and more on his blog The Anti Jared. And don't forget to follow him on Twitter.