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 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!

In yet another of the recurrent problems with this site, my post was deleted. No time to redo. Anyone know how to contact the administrator to let him/her know about all the problems?

Betsy— I saw your posting on the admin thread: 'hope you'll get some answers! One thing I noticed is that a few weeks ago they introduced a new version of the site with a whole new look & feel. I hated that version, so I clicked around until I saw a link on the right to "Full Site." That took me back to the old version, and I've stayed here ever since.

What I do is keep a tab open to 3FC in my browser. Even when I close the browser and open it again, the tab is always there. Do you have that option? I haven't had to log into the site in so long I can't even remember. And, as I already mentioned, I'm using a browser with Ad-Block, so no ads...

As for losing your post, did you try choosing "Select All" (Ctrl-A on a Windows machine) and then "Copy" (Ctrl-C)? That puts your text in the clipboard, which is independent of what application you're using, let alone what website. Then, if you lose your posting, you can just "Paste" (Ctrl-V) the text back into a new posting box. That won't prevent your repeatedly losing your posting, if that's what's happening, but at least you won't have lost what you wrote.

'Hope all that isn't annoyingly obvious... =smile=

Hi everyone.

Tootsieroll, thank you for starting the March thread. How are you?

Donna, congratulations on losing again this week. You're doing so great. My weekend cheating has added a few pounds,but I'm working to get those off and keep going. Are there any lambs yet?

Porthardygurl, sorry about the gain. Stress can do that. It will come off.

Sam, it sounds like you love your downstairs neighbors about as much as I love my upstairs neighbors. They are a young couple with a two year old who constantly runs from one end of the apartment to the other on hardwood floors. The parents are also quite heavy on their feet and loud, without regard for those that have to listen to them. I hope you were able to get in some type of workout.

Fi, I'm glad to hear you had a better day yesterday. I hope your session with Mike goes well today. Did you drive there?

Betsy, glad to hear the afternoon snack is working for you. I always have morning, afternoon and evening snacks, depending on how close together my meals are, but they are almost always something with protein, or some fruit or veggies because of the satiety factor. Sorry you are having issues with the site. I don't know how to contact the administrator. Sorry. When the ads started showing up I downloaded Google Chrome with ad blocker, and actually like it much better than Internet Explorer (what I was using). I now use it as my main browser for just about everything.

I used my treadmill yesterday, but was only able to do fifteen minutes before my legs were aching and numb. Yes both. I'm going to use it again later today and hopefully for a little longer.

DH and I are going out to lunch today at Panera (if he ever gets his butt in gear) then we have a few errands to run, including the supermarket. I hate shopping for anything, but love food shopping. I have a chest freezer that currently has enough food in it to feed a small army, yet I keep on buying more. Cabinets are full to overflowing, but every week I need to take advantage of my supermarket's sales. I think it may border on sickness lol. If the freezer ever stops functioning it will be one heck of a block party!

I hope you all have a great day!

I did it i did it i did it!!! OMG I am jumping off the walls today!!!! 221.0 That means that according to my BMI and my weight tracker..... I am no longer OBESE!!!! I am officially just "overweight"!!!! Its been 16 years since ive been in that category. I was 14 the last time i was just overweight. Wow!!!!!! I am soooo happy. I am going to celebrate by going surfing for the first time ever!! Wahoooooo

Betsy It's getting quite annoying with these changes that aren't helping people with being able to post without issues. Hopefully we get it all fixed soon.

Cindy Can't say I'm a fan of the downstairs neighbor. When she first moved in I tried to say hello when I saw her and was going to introduce myself but she turned her nose up to me like she was better than me or something. I don't know but she didn't even say hello back and she looked right at me so I know she heard me. I am a one impression type of person. If you are going to do that to me at first impression then that's it, you don't get a second chance. So I have never said anything to her again after that even if she tried to be pleasant and say hello. Maybe that's cold of me but eff that! It's me, DH and my BIL that are in our place and we are all very considerate on how hard we walk, not being loud after a certain time, and not making noise too early in the morning because we expect that same respect. We know we're on the top floor so that makes it even more to make sure we don't make too much noise. I've been on the bottom floor and it sucks which is why I asked to be on the top floor. She has turned us in multiple times to the front office because of our loudness, ie: me working out, DH playing his guitar and that we stomp around. In our lease it says that we can't be loud after 9PM. Apparently she isn't ok with us being able to live our lives unless it's walking around like a mouse. I actually had to go to the front office and talk to them about this because we got a note on our door right after Christmas and we were out of town. They aren't worried about us they said, we have lived here for 6 years and have never paid late, and if we did we made sure to include a late fee. She has been nothing but rude to the people who run our complex. Talked to them like they were a piece of crap because our toilet over flowed in the middle of the night once, and it was their fault that she got water damage in her apartment. It was an accident and we didn't know it was going on until it had already flooded down the hallway. I could go on about this but I think you get the picture I've painted with this lady.

Thank fully she isn't here right now LOL!!! I did end up doing the Turbo Sculpt video last night which was quiet enough so I wasn't jumping around the place. Just finished my protein shake and am going to do a Turbo Jam video since it isn't so fast paced. My legs are pretty sore with the work I've done in the past 3 days. Tomorrow I will rest although it's my errand running day so I won't be getting full rest. DH is getting the sinus headache...We're starting to get pollen here already. I wanted to go on a walk while the weather was pretty but he suggested I stay inside so that I don't have to worry about getting sick from all the pollen. I'm taking his advice only because I know if I start walking I'll end up doing too much and feel like crap tomorrow lol...I was already planning for at least 5 miles.

Anywho! I'm off! Take care all and be healthy!

Hi all. Haven't posted because I'm mad at myself. Back up to 296. My inner old lady is scolding the inner child. I don't know what my deal is. Intellectually I know what to do. Stop eating junk. Stop drinking sodas. Stop drinking sugar with my coffee. Move around. I keep going back to the dumb habits that got me into this situation.

Cindy— I've been wanting to tell you I really liked what you said to Betsy when you characterized weight loss as "a project and a process." The sentence that especially struck me was, "You know when you start a project and it seems daunting, like you will never finish it, yet you keep diligently working at it, and one day you finish it." That took me straight back to a book I read a few years ago, before I started my weight loss journey: 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman. It's a striking little book that's like a digest (what can be said in 59 seconds) of all the scientific studies on about a dozen topics that people buy self-help books about: relationships, happiness, creativity, stress, and so on. The section that I made a beeline for was on motivation, because I felt like my motivation for losing weight, and my will to accomplish it, were both so flimsy, they would blow over in a strong wind. Wiseman lists exactly what people who are successful in accomplishing big daunting projects do. I don't remember all the items, but they include (1) have a step-by-step plan (i.e., mini-goals), (2) go public: tell other people what you intend to do, (3) give yourself rewards for achieving each mini-goal, and (4) record your progress in some tangible way (like in a journal or on a chart). That little list is why I joined 3 Fat Chicks: I needed a place to go public and to post my mini-goals. And it's why I set up the graph on my fridge, updated with each monthly weigh-in and printed out again. I've been kind of slack about giving myself rewards, but I do try to buy some little thing that will make me happy, like a new pair of earrings, when I pass significant milestones, like dropping below 300 lbs. Anyway, Cindy, I appreciate your jogging my memory about that book. I just may read it over again. And by the way, you are rocking your mini-goals, girl!

Porthardygurl— Way to go! That is just AWESOME that you are no longer obese! Do tell us all about your surfing adventure: that sounds like a top-notch reward!

Tootsie— Awww, hon, I'm thinking about you tonight....maybe you should set up a mini-goal, like giving up sodas, or losing just 10 pounds. And then give yourself a little non-food reward after you accomplish it. Just a thought... =caring facial expression=

I don't have time to say much about my day, because it was a busy one and now I need to do my leg exercises, but yes I did drive to my app't with Mike and I drove back again. Not only that, but I drove to my familiar post office on the way home, wheeled myself in, waited in line, and got a collage postcard—all addressed and decorated on the back with cool stamps, for a gal in England—hand-cancelled.

You see, my art is not just collage: it's mail art, a process in which I give away all my originals by putting them in the mail. And getting those pretty stamps hand-cancelled, with the nice round red rings, is a key step in my mail art. Before my Big Disaster in early 2015, I went to the post office to do just that, some 3-4 times a week. Because mail art is a performance art—my waiting in line is part of the art, and so is the collaboration with the U.S. postal system in the creation of the art—which isn't finished until that collage postcard is in the hands of its recipient. And guess what: today was the first time I've been to that post office, in nearly a year! I know all the clerks there, I've even given them little gifts, so when they saw me in the wheelchair, they were all solicitous and sweet, asking, "Are you OK?" and saying "We missed you." =ahhhh=

I just can't say it strongly enough: that little trip to the post office gave me as much, if not more, of a sense that I'm getting my life back as driving my car again. =wide grin=

Whew! All 600 leg raises with my left leg, and then I worked both knees, plus a long round of slow stretching of my poor crooked legs. I am fagged! Now I have ice packs on both knees, and I'm listening to the mighty Led Zep. =mmmmm=

Hello all!!!

I am new here. DEcember 2014 i weighed 360lbs, by september 2015 i weighed 293 lbs....then i went on vacation and i got very lax on my diet and fitness routine...and now i weigh 320....and im having a hard time getting back on track....anyone have any helpful tips on getting back on track with weight loss....

Rayne: Don't do what I did. I lost 35 poundd last year, emotionally ate, now I'm back up to 296.
My winning formula from before: Make small changes-each one adds up to a big change. For instance, I weaned myself off of sugar by taking out a 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until I was just using creamer. Replace one soda with a glass of water, then a couple of days later, replace another soda with water. Keep repeating until the liquid calories are gone. Even sugar-free sodas aren't good for a person because studies show that they increase cravings. I allowed myself a treat so long as it fit in my calorie budget-No food was off limits so long as I controlled portions. That being said, there are certain food items from my childhood -specific brands- that I can not trust myself with. I didn't bring them into my house.

It's easier not to put the calories in to begin with, but exercise is still important. I've found that exercise dampens my appetite. I started slowly, moving a little, then gradually increased my movement. I like the Leslie Sanson Walk At Home videos. I like the gym for weight lifting, but prefer not to have people staring at me while I'm doing cardio. There for a while, I was living at the gym and missed my spouse and kids.

Tootise: I havent had a single Soda since 2014 when i started. and i have been using just creamer in my coffee for about 4 months now... my problem is the fitness part im just not motivated...i dont know why....i used to love working out but lately i just dont feel like doing it. The apartment complex where i live has a fitness room...and they just put a lot of brand new equipment in there so i kinda been a lil itchy to get down there...but everyone in the office can see in there...and im not comfortable with that so i have to go either before they open or after they close...i just gotta bite the bullet and do it...i feel the first time i get back at it ...all the motivation will come with it....plus i dont really have anyone to talk to. my husband has lost 100+ pounds and he just keps telling me what im doing wrong...its annoying.

I just kind of fake it. There will be a lot of days when you don't want to. Just tell that annoying little kid "I don't wanna" voice to shut up, and just do it. Yeah, I quoted Nike.

Sorry to read about your husband. Guys don't understand. Everyone's journey is different. What works for him may not work for you. That being said-if what he does works, maybe you should try to copy him. There's no shame in that.

Don't worry about what people think. I know that it's difficult, but I've found that I'm the one that's self conscious. Some people will be *******s-no matter what-whether you're skinny/fat, plain/pretty, they will make fun of you. I've found, for the most part, others are kind, and willing to lend a hand when you need it. Remember that some of those people in the office could have been fat, but they reached their goal, so they might know how you feel. If you're going to be lifting weights, bodybuilding dot com has free training schedules and nutrition plans. I got through most of Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainor. I never expected to be cut, but muscle does help burn fat, so I figured it couldn't hurt to try. I really liked that plan. I felt strong. I quit because I was living in the gym.

RayneStorms— You might want to take a look at what I wrote to Cindy yesterday, especially the short list of key features of successful longterm projects of all kinds. Mini-goals are important! If you can, try not to hold your whole future weight loss in your head. For 300+ folks, it's a long journey, so think of it as like a long hiking trip, or a road trip, where each day has so much going on that you don't obsess about the eventual destination. Focus on the process, one day at a time, and give yourself little non-food rewards for accomplishing each mini-goal.

And above all, make use of this community. Post every day if you possibly can, whether things are going well, or not. You will find the people here (all gals right now) to be amazingly good listeners to any kind of issue at all, not just weight loss. All issues that affect us emotionally affect our eating and exercise behavior, so nothing at all is off-topic.

And when you feel comfortable with doing so, tell us more about yourself: how old you are, what you do for work, family issues, husband issues, hopes & dreams, whatever comes to mind. We look forward to getting to know you, because the better we know you, the more supportive we can be. =smile=

I'll say it again: posting every day, or nearly every day, makes a BIG difference. You don't have to respond to us as individuals (called "personals") until you know us better, and have the time and the mental space to do so. Nor do you have to reply to everyone, ever. Look at what other people are posting to see the range of possibilities. Just say what's up—in a sentence or two, or at length. We want to hear all of it.

Good luck!

As for myself, I'm hoping to make a collage today, despite the fact that the upstairs hallway is so blocked with crap from the window installation, I can't get my wheelchair down to my studio. =sigh= But I've carried some essential supplies downstairs, and have stacks of magazines to clip images from, so if my mood stays chipper, I should have a new artwork by the end of the day. It's been a while since I made one, so I'm itching to get at it!

Just popping in for a good morning. Will write more later. I've got a hair appointment to get a much needed cut and, of course, I overslept this morning. Have a great day!