Cindy - It's an advanced tax course that is 3 years in length. I'll be finishing year 1 of the specialization next week. By the end of it, I'll have had 10 years of education in my field (LOL).

Ubee - Thanks. We won't have too much downtime, but we end early around 3 p.m. on Tuesday. This will be nice since it will give me free time to explore the resort. My stamina is 10000x better than it was a few months ago so I can actually go and enjoy exploring...something I probably wouldn't have even considered had it not been for the changes I've been consistently making over the past couple of months.

Sam - I wouldn't worry too much about it. In the grand scheme of things, having an occasional dinner roll with a dinner isn't terribly unhealthy. Here's my line of thinking:

I think sometimes when we tell ourselves that we can't have something, it just makes us want it that much more. If you're anything like me, you'll deprive yourself of something, fight with yourself about it over and over in your head, eventually give in because you can't stop thinking about what you "can't" have, feel great for a (fleeting) moment or two while eating the food you "can't" have, and then feel guilty and hopeless for giving in to yourself. Then depending on how much guilt/hopelessness you feel, you'll sometimes justify going "all-out" with even more food because you feel like you've already messed it all up. After the food fog clears, you'll then try again using the same method as before (depriving yourself of foods you "can't" have) such that the cycle will repeat itself all over again.

Maybe your struggles are different than mine, but I've done the above so many times that I can't even count anymore (LOL). It's insanity, when you really start to think about it. Recognizing and breaking the above cycle is something I've really been working hard on practicing. I too do much better with routine, but I also know/accept I am not perfect and that food is a natural part of our society...so as long as I consistently think about my choices, I try not to deprive myself when I know I really want something.

The old me would've fought with myself over the dinner roll too and probably would have ate it (and probably something else to go with it) at home too. Now, I probably would have had it at dinner if I wanted it and not have thought twice about it.

I see a difference though between 1 of something and 10 of something, same as I see a difference between binge eating alone and eating something in moderation that you may not routinely eat when you're out in a social situation.

Larry - Very nice bike!

Cindy ~ Thanks

Sam ~ Yeah both of my dad's parents were ready to go too cause they both had cancer but my mom's mom's health started getting bad and then she died.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello Guys and Gals,

Sorry I havent posted in a couple of days but I'm back now. I have cooking class and computer class today I'll be there any time between 9 and 10 a.m. and I wont leave until 3 or 3:30 this afternoon. Tomorrow my friend and I are going to lunch and then we're gonna meet up with our other friend at the theater to go watch a movie. I wont leave the house again until Sunday. I hope everyone has an awesome day.

Larry Nice bike!! My mom has a 1990 Harley Softail. She just recently got a custom paint job on it and some custom chrome. It looks really nice. Will have to post a picture sometime.

Emily You are right about all of your points. Something different about this time losing weight than any other time is that I did not make a big deal if I let myself have something that wasn't on plan. It wasn't until recently when my weight loss has slowed down a lot that I've bee nit picking everything I put in my mouth...Kind of obsessing over it I guess. But you're right I shouldn't make a big deal about it. Thanks for the pep talk, I needed it.

Yesterday was so much needed. DH decided we weren't going to go hang out with his dad so I got a day to just relax after work. He made dinner and I had a nice bath. I actually ended up falling asleep around 8:00 last night LOL...That's how tired I've been with all of the things going on that I've needed to keep up with.

Got on the scale this morning and it looks like I'm still losing even without exercising. Don't know how the heck that's happening but I won't complain that's for sure. I finally feel alright admitting I gained close to 10 pounds when I was in WV. I'm sure a lot of it was water weight but when I got on the scale today it said 223.6, making me only .4 pounds away from my ticker. I'm hoping the scale continues to move in the down position and I get this weight off of me once and for all. I would love nothing more than to be in cute summer clothes next year.....especially a pair of women's shorts!! I've been rocking an old pair of DH's basketball shorts this year because I'm self conscious about how my inner thighs look after losing weight. I guess it's only going to get worse so who knows if I'll ever be in a cute pair of shorts, but here's hoping!

I think DH and I are going to see his dad tonight and will be staying the night with them their last night in town. They're leaving Saturday morning. I'm thinking of planning to get DH up early in the morning so we can see the sun rise. I know that sounds sooo cheesy but I think it would be cool to be able to sit on the back porch of an awesome beach house sipping coffee and watch the sun come up lol...

I hope everyone else is doing well and staying POP!!! Betsy Fi Ubee Missing you guys!!!!

Hi everyone.

Ubee, I understand. My downfall is the salty, crunchy stuff. They aren't kidding when the say you can't eat just one. I can't anyway. I stay away from cookies, candy, chocolate - all that stuff too. Sugar is addictive. Heck, food is addictive. I sometimes think how am I ever going to do this, but I am doing it one day, one meal, one snack at a time, and some of those days, those meals, and those snacks are a lot worse than others, but I just don't give up, and I won't. I just have to keep trying because I don't like the alternative.

Emily, I'm sure you will make good choices while you're away. I hope you do find some time to explore your surroundings. Check in with us when you can.

Larry, sweet bike!

Terra, sounds like a couple of busy days. Enjoy the movie and time with your friends.

Sam, I'm glad you're close to your ticker weight again. In July, specifically 4th of July weekend, I gained almost 10 lbs. too and it took me all of July to get back on track and back to my ticker weight. Thankfully I am fully back on track now. Twice in my adult life I have gotten down to 140 lbs. but I got there by starving myself, and even then I wasn't happy with the way I looked. I wasn't very fit and of course as soon as I started eating again I gained everything back and then some. This time I want to do it in a healthy way. I think you read my mind about being able to wear cute summer clothes. I wear shorts now but not in public very often and they're stretchy bike shorts. I'm not so much self-conscious about my fat legs as I am about some ugly scars and discoloration on my left leg from surgeries I had a few years ago. Even if I leave the 147 lbs. to reach my goal that isn't going away, but I have some time to adjust. Enjoy your time at the beach.

I don't know if I have ever mentioned this, but I don't exercise, at all. I don't even walk much. But I have decided that I need to start soon. I'm not going to be able to lose all this weight without it, and I definitely need some toning. I've decided to start once I've lost 50 lbs. so I have 9 lbs. to go. I've found some beginning workouts that I've saved for when the time comes. I don't think I'll have much stamina to start with so that should work for me for a little while. I'm still going to get a treadmill later this year so I will be able to do some walking too.

I hope you're all doing well. Have a good day tomorrow.

Today was kind of crazy. Had so much to get done at work. Got home late, but I did still manage to get in some activity! Feeling pretty tired now though..it's currently waaaay past my bed time for a week night (how sad is that, LOL?!?!). Fortunately, I'm off work tomorrow though.

Terra - Hope your classes went well today! Enjoy your movie...let us know which one you see and what you thought of it. Last one I saw was Trainwreck. I really enjoyed it.

Sam - No problem! We all need pep talks sometimes. Congrats on continuing to lose weight.

Cindy - Will definitely check in when I can.

Sam/Cindy - Re: exercise vs. nutrition....my philosophy is that weight loss happens primarily in the kitchen, and other gains (such as strength, endurance, and stamina) are made through exercise. At the end of the day, you ultimately cannot outrun your fork.

Thus it's logical to me that you could continue to lose weight even if not exercising (if your nutrition is in check) and that you could still be gaining weight even if you are exercising (if your nutrition is not in check) because, when you think about it, exercise is really only a small portion of your total overall calorie expenditure for the day.

If you're overeating, you would have to do a lot of exercise just to burn those calories off. Chances are if you're really overeating (and it's so easy to as we all know!), the excess calories you consumed will outnumber the calories you can realistically burn through exercise in a day. Alternatively, if you're sedentary and eating an amount less than your basal metabolic rate but not exercising, you'll still lose weight. You likely won't see any strength/endurance/stamina gains without exercise, though.

I'm all packed and ready to go bright and early tomorrow morning. I tied up a lot of loose ends today...including sitting in a walk-in clinic for 2 hours re: a lost referral. THAT was quite the unexpected and unwelcomed trip (wrote about it in my blog).

Hope everyone's Friday is going well. Enjoy the weekend!

Cindy ~ Yes I did have a couple of busy days. I had a nice time with my friends at the movies

Emily ~ We saw Home, It was a really good movie. So good that I'm gonna buy it when it comes out on DVD, If its not out already

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woke up at 6:30 a.m. Its now 8:15 a.m. I'm now thawing out chicken to make chicken taco's. I didnt eat anything last night cause I was still full from lunch, I had a big lunch but now I'm pretty hungry, Cant wait until the chicken is thawed so I can start cooking it. We're having chicken tonight too. We are having Shake and Bake Chicken, Pasta Salad and Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits. I hope tomorrow we go to the buffet for either lunch or dinner cause on Sunday's they have dinner items all day. We just found that out a few Sunday's ago. I hope everyone has an awesome Sat. Take Care Everybody.

A great day today. Down another 2 pounds to 248. :D:D

Bad weekend food wise...why do I do this to myself??? I need to move forward not go in reverse!!! No more excuses I've planned for the week and prepped and I'm pushing on!!!

Going to bed early so this day can just end. Tomorrow is a new day and I'll be a new me...not quitting...I've gotten this far there's no way I'm giving up!!!

Hi all,

Was too tired to post yesterday. I am having a better week so far. Stayed 100% yesterday and went to the gym too. Got a message from my friend and weight loss buddy that lives in GA that she hasnt been doing good for a couple months so we are getting back on track together. Yesterday I did cardio and arms. Tonight just cardio and DH said he is going to go with me! I really hope he does. He keeps complaining about how fat he is but I'm not sure if he's really ready to do something about it so I don't say much when he makes comments like that.

It looks like it's been quiet here.
I hope everyone else is doing ok. Take care!

Hello? Not sure if I am doing this correctly... As much as I'm familiar with the internet and social media, I don't think I have ever posted to a message board....

I am new to this. Both the above and losing weight.

Can anyone see this?

Hi everyone.
Welcome sassyfluff! Yes you are doing it right. Jump right in and tell us about yourself when you feel ready.
I am alive and hope to be back posting daily soon. I am so close to getting my routine back.
Miss you all. Stay healthy.

Thank you for the welcome Ubee!!! After doing some probing on the net, the 3fatchicks support forum seems like the best fit for what I am looking for.

I have fallen in the 320-330lb range from 2009 through 2014. My partner and I moved in last year in 2014 and all of sudden 330lb became 335lb, became 346lbs and well that was it for me. From one day to the next, we decided to change our lives. Literally.

We weren't eating out but we were definitely cooking up some high calorie meals and snacking and junking and rice. LOL. So we stopped; We both have begun eating better (there was absolutely no need for our 2800+ calories a day).

Its been two weeks and the scale has begun to show me a drop, mostly water weight, but now the real battle has begun. My first mini-goal is 330lbs, my next 315 lbs, and so on...

I have been doing really well in regards to cravings and sticking to a healthy fruit and veggie and protein filled diet with small amount of carbs. Almost solider-like, without bending or breaking. For now, I have changed my eating and once some of the weight comes off, I will start exercising more. Maybe at 315lbs?

It feels good reading some of your posts because people in the 300+lbs range, I believe fight a different battle.

And it feels good to know that there are others, like me, who have decided to change their lives... I guess that's it for now...

Hi everyone.

Sassyfluff, welcome. I'm glad you found us. It isn't usually this quiet here. Everyone must be busy. It sounds like you're doing well so far. I am doing a very similar diet as you, and have decided to start exercising once I've lost 50 lbs. That day is getting closer.

Sam, glad to see you back on track.

Ubee, happy to see you too. Looking forward to seeing you more often.

I am alive and well also. Staying mostly on plan but I've been very tired lately and my long workdays don't give me a lot of time to do everything in the evening that I want to do. Trying to find a balance because I want to be able to post more often.

I hope you all have a great day tomorrow.

Ubee Missing you darling!!

Sassy Welcome to the group!!! You are definitely not alone in this journey. Keep posting! We are a tight knit group here and you'll fit right in!

Cindy Thanks for checking in hun! I worry when people don't post but I know all too well that life gets in the way sometimes. Work stinks sometimes doesn't it?

Yesterday DH went to the gym with me!!! I am so proud of him!! We did 20 mins on the treadmill. He did one leg machine and one arm machine and 10 mins on the elliptical. I would have liked to gotten a better workout in for myself but I knew he wouldn't be able to keep up with me so I just did what I could in the time that we had.

Tonight I'm taking a rest day. I was wanting to go by myself to the gym but my cousin is in town and she wants me to go out to dinner with her and my grandma. I'm not looking forward to it because I really don't feel like eatting leaves for dinner but I know that's all I'll be able to eat. I need to stick to my guns and stay on track. We're going to McAlister's deli, its a sandwich shop here but they also sell soups and salads. I'm thinking about getting just their side salad so I don't eat much and eat an actual dinner when I get home. I'm really not looking forward to this. I would have rather just come over for a visit. Why does family stuff always have to revolve around food?

Hope everyone else is well! I'm at work so I better get back at it. Take care all!