[gggirls]

WELCOME!



We are a group of individuals who weigh or have weighed 300+, or near there. This group was formed to provide a place for others like us to find support, inspiration, and hope. We are aware of the distinct problems that come with weighing over 300 lbs.

We want to invite everyone (roosters as well as chicks!) to join us in our journey. We share laughter and tears, heartaches and fears ... joys and celebrations. We also share what works for us and what doesn't.

We know the thread can move very quickly, and that people often make "personal" remarks and keep a number of conversations going. Please feel free to contribute even if you can't make personal comments all the time.

Finally, we also have several extra threads going on simutaneously such as Monthly Challenges, Weekly Weigh-ins, Recipes, Bios, Photos, Exercise, Info for Getting Started and more. Many of these threads are stickied at the top of the page. Please feel free to check them all out.

We have found this thread to be more than just a support group... we have found it to become a home. We invite you to join us.

I know you'll all agree that we are really thankful for the free services here at 3FC. The sisters offer all of this support and information with no charges to us. There are a couple of ways though that we can help out.

If you are thinking about buying anything at Amazon, why not help out 3FC at the same time? You can do this by clicking on the button for the Amazon "store" in the upper right hand corner of the screen on the PURPLE tool bar. A portion of your purchase price will be given to 3FC by Amazon. It doesn't increase your price at all, but it does help out 3FC. You can use any of the Amazon.com links that you see on the site in order to help contribute to the site.

Also, BTW, in case you didn't know it, you can view the message boards "ad free" for a minimal charge. I think it's $15 for 6 months. A very small investment to be rid of the annoying ads and make your pages load quicker.

There have been some concerns expressed by the powers that be about copyright infringement. So please, if you are directly quoting someone else or printing an article in whole or in part, please give credit where credit is due!!

[JuliaDH]

Good Morning

[RealCdn]

Good morning all. For those in the US, hope that you're having a good long weekend. We finally broke down and bought our usual mess of plants on Saturday. Then I got all the plants from the basement, carried them upstairs, and out to where they'll spend the summer. Yesterday I spent time planting about half of what I need to do. I'm hoping that today I can finish up the planting and tidy up. Of course, then the daily watering begins.

Here's to everyone having a great week!

[azcyn]

morning all..

Happy Memorial Day.

Today we are going to my sisters house. No swimming for me, but it will be fun. Yesterday I went to my aunt's house for a few hours. We were supose to either play cards or do something crafty with her mom. We ended up listening to me cry most of the time. I am thankful I have a great support system.

HUbby got home and made dinner last night. I did manage to eat a decent amount. I am still going to bed early..about 830. And then I am up by 6am.

Dr office is not open today..so tomorrow I will call and ask if I can go see a dermotolgist. I hope they can tell me what these bumps/sores are.

[JuliaDH]

Ok peeps. I am feeling discouraged. I started a month ago calorie counting. I am staying in the range of 2000-2100. I have been exercising. But the pounds have gone up! HELP! Could it be the ratio of protein carbs and fat? I know I am PMSing. But I dont seem to be getting anywhere! I am working on getting everything into fitday to help keep things simple.

[RealCdn]

Julia - how much moving around are you doing? Not just the exercising, but the daily movements. I remember you were doing home childcare during the day, but I'm not sure how much activity that gives you. I've found in the past that if I do really strenuous exercise I tend to veg out the rest of the day (hence burning less calories overall). Pay attention to how much moving around you do. For example, I never sit at the computer now for more than 15 mins. I used to bring the kitchen timer with me - to force me to get up, although now I just look at the time when I sit down and make sure I'm up in about 10 or so minutes. (Of course, this is why I'm online less and less lately.) Usually what type of food has little to do with losing weight. Higher protein, higher fiber foods tend to keep us satisfied better so we eat less, but there's more and more information coming out lately that it really is calories that count. Make sure that your counts are accurate (especially with things like peanut butter, oils, etc.), and wait until after your period to freak out. Seriously, in the week coming up to my period I could eat nothing and still gain weight. Afterwards I'll drop lots of water. So, give it a little while longer and then address it.

Oh, and Catherine - I meant to comment on last week's thread, but that was a great article, and picture!

[JuliaDH]

I have fitday activity set at "Seated, Some Movement" 3,412 cal, then I add in all my more strenuous activites. I did not want to have the lifestyle setting higher as some days I am not as active as others. And I have been patient with my learning curve. But I have been breaking down everything and measuring. If you look at the spring challenge weigh ins you see that it keeps going up. Over the past month. I would not worry if it was just one week. But its been a month. Should I be more patient? I am trying to make every consumed calorie be a valuable one. Not an empty one. I have also felt very bloated with the weather change. But I cant get anymore water into me. 72 oz is about all I can handle with out floating away!

[JuliaDH]

I also exercise in short bursts. 15 - 20 min several times a day. Mostly since I cant get the kids to not interupt for me for longer.

[Misti in Seattle]

I guess my experience has been different than Anne's -- but I find it makes a HUGE difference in losing weight what types of foods I eat. I am a firm believer that our bodies process natural whole foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables -- much more efficiently (since this is what they were DESIGNED to process) than processed foods which contain all kinds of chemicals and other substances. And I know there is a "debate" (which is not my goal to start LOL) but I also am convinced that artificial sweeteners cause cravings and weight gain.

Just for what it's worth.

[DCHound]

I'm with you Misti. For me personally, I can't have carbs. There's no such thing as good carbs or bad carbs, for me. They are all bad. I also can't do anything processed, any more than a touch of sodium, or anything artificial including any artificial sweetners. My body's just too sensitive to all these things. So I have meat, and limited vegetables, and water. That's it. Multivitamins too of course, to ensure I'm getting the additional nutrients I need.

Happy Monday everyone! I am so proud of myself; I went on a half-day HIKE yesterday with a group! And I kept up! Most of it was steeply uphill as well. This is the first time I've done something like this since elementary school. I felt, well, normal. Like, I didn't feel anyone was staring at me thinking, wow, that enormous woman can't do this, what's she thinking? It was weird and nice all at the same time!

[CatherineM]

Julia when calorie counting and having trouble losing weight, I double check my labels. I will often eat similar things each day, and had misread a label on something. I thought it was so many calories a cup, and it was per half cup, that kind of thing. I can also get into the habit of eye-balling portions when in a grove, and my eyeballs get bigger gradually. When I start over, I measure everything again, and usually find my problem food.

[voodoo1]

Hi everyone!!! It is a holiday here in the UK too, & we went to Sherwood Forest (yes, that ONE!!!) Steve took pics of boys standing near the Major Oak (of legend) though not too close as it's fenced off to protect it. We walked for miles & I had a healthy lunch + water. They had ice creams I didn't! Will try & post pics when Steve finds out how to get them off his phone & onto pc, I refused pics as I looked even fatter (rather felt fatter as jeans were very tight today-post TOM bloat?) with a wobbly 'tyre' over my jeans. It's raining now & looks like there will be thunder later.
xxxxxxsharon

[dgramie]

Ever weed a garden with a weedeater...?? our grass has gotten away from us and hubby took it and went down the walk ways between the rows. It did a pretty good job, now i get to sit and actually get the grass out from under each plant. Its sure is hard when you start a new garden area. The area we always used before is so easy to keep the weeds out of. Maybe in a few years this will get easier. On a positive note we have tiny squash on the plants and tiny tomatoes and bell peppers and zuc. Still no sign of blooms on the cucumbers.

[RealCdn]

Julia - I'd be really sure that you're getting the calories that you think you are. I know things that I can easily be off with that make a big difference are oils, butter, nuts, hummus, and such. I would leave it until after your next period before you do anything.

Misti - I actually agree that a 'clean' diet for lack of a better term is the way to go. I don't buy any commercially available 'light' products. And I have (although weekly doesn't hit the frequency) the occasional Crystal Light and/or diet soft drink. High sodium items can result in water retention, and days after I've lifted weights I usually also retain at least a pound of water weight. I'm one of those insane people who cans their own fruit, makes their own jam, bakes bread (higher protein ones), and last year started smoking turkey and making roast beef to slice for lunch meats. Ha ha - I even learned to make beef jerky back in April. Although a lot of things can affect weight loss / water retention... no matter what type of diet you're following I truly believe you can lose weight. It eventually boils down to calories in vs calories out. I resisted this for a long time, but I'm really beginning to believe it. I can drop a few pounds quickly going really low carb, and gain them back even faster going high carb. However, I do think in the long run that shouldn't affect people as long as they are creating a deficit. I'm lucky in that I seem to need about 3000 cals to maintain my weight. So at 2000 cals I have a fairly decent loss. However, the weeks that I pick a little more at this, or grab a few extra grapes, or don't weigh my portion of hummus - those are the weeks I don't lose well. Although I don't think you really need to weigh everything, it's a pretty good experiment if you're not losing weight. I mean, can we all tell the difference between an 8oz apple and a 6oz one? (I'm getting good at it, but I'm amazed sometimes when I doublecheck something that I'm not always right.)

Catherine - you're so right. I caught myself a while back eyeballing something that I was way off on. It's sneaky, isn't it?

Well, I was going to type more, but my 15 mins are up! Back outside I go to finish tidying up. Hope everyone is having a good day.

[Realist]

Happy Memorial Day all,

It was an odd weekend here. DH and I ate like pigs yesterday, I was feeling very bingy and not well for the most part most of the day. TOM arrived last night, so I suppose that was part of the not feeling well, and another reason to binge. My weight was way up today, so I am not too pleased about that. Shame on me.

Other news...my dad was taken to the hospital the other night (just found out late yesterday from my brother). My mom and dad were on vacation, in a hotel, and my dad was going to go down to the car for a power bar as his blood sugar was feeling low. Apparently my father fell (not lucid) three times on his way to the elevator (my mom wasn't aware he had left the room). LUCKY, they were rooming next to a EMT, the guy heard the ruckus outside and helped me dad, and my dad was able to tell him his room number so the guy woke my mom. His BP was slow low they couldn't even get a blood sugar reading. Off to the hospital he went, with a low heart rate (maxed out at 48) and low BP (when he normally has a high BP). The let him go and he saw his Dr at home, and tomorrow he will be fitted with a heart monitor or some sort, trying to track some data to see if he needs a pace maker. He is aging rapidly it seems, which is sad. I am my father. Our sense of humor, body shape, sarcasm, work ethic, you name it, I am my father. I am sure my hormones aren't helping, but it makes me feel listless.

More confusing/disheartening news is about my brother. He is supposed to visit in July or August. He is my favorite brother. He has a habit that my DH is very against (and he has every right to have that feeling, since it is illegal). I am unsure how to keep him for his habit while he is visiting (and he is bringing a friend who also has the same habit), but I know I must because DH is pretty ticked about the whole thing (again, he has every right). I worry this is going to cause some major issues. I texted my brother today to tell him, and he didn't reply. Not a great sign.

I guess that is it for me. I haven't walked in a few days, and I know I need to. Hopefully I feel better tomorrow to get my walk in pre-work. Time will tell.

Hope you are all well.
Angie