[Shopaholic]

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 and hope. We are aware of the distinct problems that come with weighing over 300 lbs.

We want to invite everyone to join us in our journey.
We share laughter and tears.
We share what works for us and what doesn't.
We often use a "Topic of the Day" for discussion.

Motivational Monday
Tuesday Tips
Wednesday Wish List .. and What you are doing to obtain it.
Thankful Thursday
FUN Friday ... don't wait until you lose your weight.
Sit-up Saturdays - any physical activity
Share your Success Sunday


These are not required topics ...just ideas to share. We often find them very helpful. We also share heartaches and fears ... joys and celebrations.

We have several extra threads going on simutaneously such as Monthly Challenges, Weekly Weigh-ins, Recipes, Bios, and more. Please feel free to check them all out.

We have a bi-weekly 2x2 Challenge.
Our goal is to lose 2 lbs in 2 weeks.
We have a long term goal of losing 300+ lbs within our 300+ group in 2005.

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.

[Scooter]

I got TOPS tonight so I will be back later to tell you how it went. I have been keeping up with the posts. Just wanted to say hello.

Scoot

[JuleeCeeS]

I got so excited last Spring when skirts were suddenly "In" again. I saw all of these great A-line skirts in the other stores and figured..."Hey, Lane Bryant will probably have some too." WRONG!!! They almost got it right this year, but all of their skirts were either short and straight, long and straight (which for means dragging on the ground) or some funky bias cut which doesn't sit right on my hips. Straight skirts and fat thighs are NOT FRIENDS!!! I bought some bike shorts which I usually wear under skirts and stuff and that does help...but before I got the shorts, I used to chafe horrible from hose or wearing no hose...OUCH!

I have finally found some really cute skirts this year that are either A-line or just a wider cut. But being 5'4" sucks some days. Everything that says "cropped" is a JOKE...because for me, if it's supposed to be a crop or a capri, it's at or below my ankle bone. I did find some roll-bottom pants that I made a cute length, and I roll up my jeans as well with wide cuffs. But everything needs to be altered somehow or another if I want to wear flats...which I usually do. last season, LB had prefect pants..they were nice twill "capris" that for me came just above my ankle bone and came in a ton of colors. They have just the right amount of stretch and wash well...which made me very happy. I wanted to buy a few pairs of them in black, but I never got around to it.

On the other hand, alst year everything I bought was a 26 and now my pants and skirts are all 24...yay! I remember thinking I was immense for wearing a 10...wow.

I was running errands on Friday and the woman at the counter at one of the stores asked if I had ever considered plus-sized modelling. I was very flattered that she thought I could do that. I'm probably too short though. I used to do it very informally in college for the local LB when they had big sale events. It was fun.

Anyways...just my mid-day check-in and rant. Not sure where my day went...I could have sworn it was 11am last time I checked the clock!

Good luck with WI and everything else!!!

[Shopaholic]

You know what place I love in our area Julee? Catherines. They always have beautiful stuff and good sales. Sometimes it's just a steal. Seriously.

I'm going to go check out a new place called Avenue. Have you ever shopped there?

[VermontChick]

Avenue is a great place to shop for "extended sizes" ...that's what they call it. We have one of them up here, they also have a web site so you can check out the kinds of clothing that they have.

[Shopaholic]

Yeah, I was looking at that yesterday, I saw the cutest outfit. Unfortunately, but fortunately, I have a in-store coupon for 40% one item. It's ok though because I'm a different size at EVERY plus sized store.

[thinthinker]

No time to post really, but wanted to share two bits of information:

1. If you go to "3FC Home" from the top of this page, you will be able to find links to all kinds of Plus Size Clothing sites. When you link through here, there is a revenue generated for the 3FC's website. This money is used to provide all of us with the new server that was just installed as well as other upgrades and give-aways.

2. I know that some of you have been doing alot of IMing and that's fine, but I wanted to also let you know that the 300+ group has their own chat room. If you go to the "Chat" link from the top of this page it will take you right to it. Just select the "300+" when you get there and you'll be in a room all to yourselves. We used to set up weekly chats and somehow they fell by the wayside. All you would need to do is post here on the thread a day and time and then see who all shows up. Just a thought and I wanted to make you aware that we have that set up for us.

Ok, gotta run. See you all later.

[j-ann]

All this chat about shopping makes me shudder. I'm 5'2" on a tall day. Petite slacks are a must but try to find them in a 30. Big hips, big thighs, big boobs, loose tummy, short arms and legs ... that's me. I'm back into a 28 in some pants so hopefully I'll be able to find some reasonably priced summer slacks to augment my collection of jeans in 22's to 30's. I don't even try to buy button down shirts w/long sleeves. By the time I find one that will button across boobs and bottom the sleeves are down to my knees. Luckily I have a collection of barely worn 28 and 26 summer shirts, print tees mostly. A few more lbs. and I'll start trying them on.

I fear there may be a shopping trip in the offing before I leave for N.C. at the end of next month. Catherines and L.B. look out .... here I come ... and I'll try not to cry when nothing I try on looks good. That's what usually happens when I go and try things on. I throw a hissy fit in the fitting room where no one can see me then leave in tears and hit the catalogs or online and buy stuff that's too big. Yep, I get depressed BIG TIME when I shop.

Guess I've confessed enough for now. Think I'll go play with the critters and cheer myself up.

[brandnewme]

Firstly, my apologies for not being around for the last few days. Had a family emergency, so I was out of town until this afternoon.

Clothing - I absolutely love LB, and there are a few things on Torrid that I don't mind. There's no plus size shop here, so it makes it interesting trying to find new clothing. And finding scrubs in my size for work.. oy.

I didn't get much accomplished due to being at the hospital for the last 5 days, but.. starting again tonight hasn't been too difficult. I went grocery shopping and stocked up on some stuff that should help me. I'm focusing on something (total fat) aside from calories and carbs, though I do look at those, too. Just trying to shake it up and try something that may work better for me!

[Terri in MO]

Hi ladies!

I'll throw my two cents in about clothes shopping. I gave up on LB stores a long time ago because every time I went in they only had size 18's and 20's in anything I liked. Plus they are great if you're in your 20's or early 30's. I found a CJ Banks which I absolutely love. Expensive if you don't hit the sales but good quality clothes. Sometimes its a bit too school-teacherish. For me, being in the 40+ group, their clothes are great for the corporate business casual world. I haven't checked out a Catherine's in a while. Love Fashion Bug and they do have sizes up to 32. Torrid made me feel really old! I prefer low-key, classic style of clothes - no frills, no ruffles, no bows, no wild patterns.

Today was another great OP day. I'm adjusting to Core and am liking it so far. I got up early again this morning for exercise. Tonight my exercise was to get Ginger out and walk her around the arena for a bit this evening. I was able to trot beside her. It was fun! I told DH that last year, I was not able to do that last year. Its great to see the body improving as a result of the pounds gone. I also walked the dog before American Idol.

I think tomorrow I'm going to get up and do only pilates or other conditioning work and give my legs a break.

Great job to all that PM'd me with losses. Our group total was 26 pounds. Our total for the year is 243. Yes TWO HUNDRED FORTY-THREE pounds gone and its only the end of March.

I'd like to throw down a challenge for the group. Given the number of ladies that we have in this group, I think we can hit the 300 pound mark in this next 2x2 if we ALL get focused and work hard. For the new folks, our original goal was to lose 300 pounds as a group for the whole year. That would mean another 56 pounds gone for the group in the next two weeks. Some of us (including me) have not posted losses in a few weeks so maybe this might help get us all focused and our scales moving downwards again.

Okay, I'm outta here for the evening.

Goodnight!

[Jazzmine]

Terri-I think that is a great challenge...I will do my best to help out!!

Clothes shopping just depresses me. The only plus size shop around here is FB and they never have any jeans that I like. I like some of the dress up clothes, but certainly can't live in them.

I have had an ok OP day. Not the best, but I am still ok with it. I exercised alot today though. I made it through a 3 mile WATP tape...'made it through' being the optimum phrase there

have a great evening everyone!!

[Shopaholic]

Wow! Already. That makes me so happy. I bet we hit another 300 by the end of the year....600 pounds gone!

In fact, that makes me want to go exercise because I don't wanna let us down.

[brandnewme]

Wow.. count me in for the goal! That's awesome.. you guys have done great, and I'm proud to be a member of such a wonderful group!

Even with all the craziness, I managed to lose a couple pounds. Definitely water weight though - I didn't do anything that warranted a loss. Tomorrow I'm going to start really focusing on it, so I'll have no excuses this time next week.

Today was nice enough that I went outside and walked around for just a short while. Might start walking to work if it stays nice - or at least on the days that I work the day shift. I don't particularly like the idea of walking home after work at 11:30pm by myself :P Have to take it slow though, my ankle is already yelling at me for what little I've done

[QueenB]

Hi all!

My goodness..... I'm still having a hard time keeping up, but how nice it is to see all these beautiful faces!

Well, first things first, to update you on my fil: He is still in the hospital and he has pulmonary embolism. They're not really sure how he got the blood clots in his lungs, but they are giving him blood thinners and meds for pain. I have to tell you I am very concerned about this. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Secondly, I went and got the results on my biopsy today and he found nothing abnormal!! The only thing that really concerns me is why I'm having these amazingly horrible periods. I've always had pretty heavy periods, but for the last 7 months, they've been horrendous. *If period talk grosses you out, you may want to read on down* What has been happening is that I'll "dribble" just enough to be annoying for about 6-8 days, flood for 3-4 and dribble another 2-3. The first time he attempted the biopsy, he couldn't get past my cervix, so he put me on Progestrone to think out the lining of my cervix and told me to come back. After I took the Progestrone, my next period was the worst I've ever had. There was no tampon or pad that could help me. Believe it or not, I had to wear "Depends type" undergarments. That's the only thing that saved me. The only good thing I can say about it was that my period only lasted for about 8 days vs. the 15-18 it had been lasting. But.....because my period was SO heavy and I was afraid of having another one like the one I had last month, I didn't take the Progestrone this month like he told me to. I know. AND.... here I am on day 10, still dribbling. When I told him that I didn't take the Progestrone last month, he was highly ticked at me. From what I understand, my cervix, although the lining is thick, is thick and normal. However, it is presenting a problem when it comes to my time of month. He said that because the lining is so thick, it prevents complete blood flow, which is why I "dribble" for so many days and then once if finally does thin, I bleed heavily, then as it thickens, I finish my period in dribble mode. He said when he put me on the Progestrone, it thinned my cervix lining out completely and that is why I bled so much. He said that if I had of took it this month like I was supposed to that I would have still bled quite a bit, but not as much and not nearly as long. Who knew? Anyhoo, to regulate my periods, thin out my cervix and try to get me on some type of regular schedule, he has put me on the pill. Ovcon 35, to be exact. I have never been on the pill and thought at the time that it was a very good idea. However, after reading some of the side affects, it really concerns me.

YES, I know there are side affects with any medication, even aspirin, but before he prescribed it to me, he asked me... "Do you have any history of blood clots or stroke in your family?" which of course, I answered no. We don't. However, as I was reading the insert, I saw this:

An increased risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) has been attributed to oral contraceptive use. This risk is primarily in smokers (which I don't - never have) OR women with other underlying risk factors for coronary artery disease such as hypertension, high cholesterol, morbid obesity, and diabetes.

Ok, I've read the insert, I know they have to tell you these things, but.....
hypertension, high cholesterol, morbid obesity and diabetes? Ladies, I have ALL these things. So what it's saying to me is that I have an increased risk of a heart attack by taking this medication, right? Soooo, long story short.... (and yes, I know we've passed this point), I am NOT taking this medication till I call him tomorrow and voice my concerns.

He also said that I am severly anemic and they took more blood today. I'm already taking iron pills but they just don't seem to be working. He said that he'd hate to see me end up in the hospital. I just know that's why I'm tired all the time. If I sit still for more than a minute, I fall alseep.... no kidding.

I don't know. I just feel so confused. I'm darned if I do and I'm darned if I don't.

I do know this though: I did the 1 mile WATP again tonight, thanks mostly in part to all the wonderful inspiration from you gals. Thank you so much!!!

Scooter: Hello to you too and hope you had a wonderful night at TOPS!!

Julee: I need to rant too!! I hate shopping for clothes. No, I take that back. I love shopping for clothes, I just hate the fact that everything is either too small or too long. I can't wear anything it seems. I am pretty short, (5' 2") and regular pants are too long, petites are too short once they're washed and capris just look like my pants are too short. I just can't win!

Thin: Thanks for the info. I SEVERLY need some new clothes. I'm always nervous about buying online though because my body is so funky and short.

Judy: Gosh, I think I've found my twin. Our body types sound exactly the same!! How depressing is shopping?! I usually just wait for my Mom to bring me something absolutely hideous.

brandnewme: Sorry you had a family emergency, hope all ended up ok. Also, sometimes we have to shake up our plan and try something new. Just don't give up!

Terri: Man, you are an exercising machine!! Good for you! Also, I think I'm a little too late for the 2x2 challenge this week, but I certainly do want to participate.

Jazzmine: Awesome job on the 3 mile!! I can't wait to work back up to it!

Well, I'm sure I've missed quite a few, but I'm still trying to get in all the replies I can when we move so fast.

Thanks again for all the support and good wishes, you guys are GREAT!!

Have a wonderful night.

[Jehari]

WOW!! So many posts since I wrote that I can't keep up!!

For those of you that don't know me, I'll give you a short bio and try to answer your questions.

I am 32, married to a wonderful, supportive husband, and have two kids...Zac is 9 and Sierra just turned 6. "We" joined the Army 3 years ago and are in Hanau Germany. I miss Walmart alot!!!

I have been fat pretty much my whole life, save for a few short lived crash diets. My parents started me at Weight Watchers when I was 9. My whole family is fat. EVERYTHING is about food.

I don't know for sure what my highest weight was because I didn't get on a scale for many years. I can only attest to 260, but I'm sure it was more at some point. I decided after trying EVERYTHING under the sun to go and have the gastric bypass surgery. It was my last resort. I was at a point where I didn't care if I died. Since then I've lost 105 pounds. I just recently had the tummy tuck and breast augmentation because all the hangy skin was almost as depressing as the fat was, and my poor boobs deflated entirely!! This is the best I've looked in my whole life.

However, as everyone warns, the surgery can give you the physical tool, but you need to work on the mental reasons for eating. I am STILL battling that. I got the weight off in about 7 months, now I'll spend the rest of my life trying not to put it back on. If this fails, I don't know WHAT I'll do.

Now, remember how I told you all on the last thread that I had all that junk food in the house???? Well, here's a sad example of my eating demons. I knew I had to just throw it out. But "don't waste food" is so deeply ingrained in my brain. I took the first cake, ate a few bites, then threw it away. Then I took out the strawberry pie, ate some of that, and threw it away. Same with the peach pie. It was like I HAD to eat some to make it less of a waste to throw it away!!! I still have one untouched cake on the counter. I didn't want to eat it, but then, for some reason I just can't make myself throw away an entire untouched cake!!! I'll have my DH do it I guess. Sad huh?

Anyhoo, I am stalled at my current weight, and really want to lose 17 pounds to get to my "dream" goal. I've already made the doctors goal. If I got to my dream goal of 135, that would be the least I've weighed since I was 9.

Well, I had something to add to the clothing rant, but I can't remember now. I've written a small novel here already anyway LOL.

It's time here for me to get my kids up and ready for school. Congrats to all of you on the 2x2 challenge!! That's a whole lot of weight lost!!!
I'll talk at ya later!!
Jen