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.

WELCOME!

Thin, you slacker!! Hehe...I've come to the board like twice to see if anyone started a new thread, and I figured since you were the last person to post you were right on it...heh heh I guess not!! Shame shame!!

Wow, it's been a mad few days, let me tell you....I'm soooo slacking on my exercising, I haven't done ANYTHING since Friday...but as soon as I finish up here I plan on doing that two mile walk..yay go me.

Today and yesterday were so exhausting (part of the reason I haven't exercised, but man if I am going to do these labor intensive jobs then I really need to get used to the idea of either getting up early to exercise, or biting the bullet and doing it when I get home.

I'm so sorry I haven't been doing individual replies, but you are all in my thoughts, really. I need a good foot rub!!

Ok, I need to go do my exercises before American Idol comes on, so I'll talk to you all later.

Good afternoon everyone. To all the new ladies (newer than me) Welcome. You will feel loved here. I have only been here since late Friday night and I can't stop coming in for support and to see what others are doing. You are not alone anymore We are all in this together.

I have already learned so much. I didn't know the importance of water. I have heard it said so many times but when someone is actually been near my shoes weight wise I believe! I have been trying to drink lots of water today. I have a 20 oz. glass and I have drank down 5 of them so far today. I am very lucky in the fact that I love, love, love water. It is my usual drink of choice although not as much as I have been drinking today. I really noticed I wasn't as hungry feeling. Makes sense.

I hope it won't be a problem but I can't weigh except for about once a month. I have to drive 30 miles to my Dr. to weigh in. So I can't weigh in until the end of May or the beginning of June. My scales at home say err on them as I said in an earlier post. I don't have enough nerve to do some of the things to get weighed that hippievanlady had to do. You are all so brave. I fell kind of like a baby in this whole thing. I guess because I have been in my home for sooooooo may years. I will weigh though at the end of May or beginning of June. I see my Dr. then.

Thank you all for your wonderful support and kind words. I am really taking it all in. I read every post that you guys write and I can't wait for tomorrow. I have soooo many things I want to do when I get some weight off. And now, I have some things I can write about how I am going about doing it! to you all!

One caveat about water...TOO MUCH is also bad. Do not make a habit of fluid overloading yourself to try to make up for years of not hydrating enough. When your body is fluid overloaded, your kidneys are not happy and the last thing you want to do is cause kidney problems trying to fix something else.

Thin...good luck finding a dress...you KNOW what I went though...ugh! Never again.

Happy night..sadly I am still here at work until 9....bah!

I sneaked in here this afternoon and wrote a long post and would you believe the electricity went out and I lost it all. Someone must have hit a transformer or something, the whole block was without power almost an hour.

The only thing I said worth repeating was about weighing in. When Dh first had his WLS and wanted to see how he was losing, his doc told him that he could weigh in by taking two cheap scales, (just alike) and place them next to each other and stand with one foot on one and one on the other, and be careful to distribute his weight equally on both of them and then add the two together. It sounded strange, but it worked. Before his surgery he weighed 577, and it was quite a while before he could weigh on just one scale.

Hello chicks! Welcome to all the new ladies. Hope everyone is doing well tonight. Catherine, thanks for the great post, again you give me something to think about). Did well with food and manged to excersise too. Have a great night

Dogpal.... Your post was sooooo inspirational for me. Thank you for being a part of our group. Don't you worry about weighing only at your doctor's. That is just fine. But I also have heard lots of people who weigh on two scales.

Barbg... don't you just hate it when you lose a post... especially a long one. Grrrrr
Good to see your cute graphics again.

Julee... sorry you are still working at 9pm... what time did you finally get off ???

Melissa... who are you voting for on AI ??? I am still supporting Carrie. Homegrown girl.
I think Anthony and Vonzell were the weakest last night. But I want Vonzell to stay in.
I plan to watch all the specials on Paula and Corey... gossip , gossip, gossip.

Kymberly... good to see you posting too. Hope you had a great day too.

That is everyone from this thread. I love all the rest of you too ... just don't have time to go back and reread all the old threads.

I do want to share.... one more day under my belt.
More water too.

Hello ladies!! I just wanted to say hello real quick before I went to slave away at the bookstore.

Dogpal - I'm glad you've joined our group I know what you mean, I usually can only get weighed at the doctor too..the scale I have isn't so accurate but it will do.

2Cute - I think Carrie is the most talented singer there, so yes I do believe she has earned the right to win. As a singer myself, I can appreciate how she has mastered her technique, she's just very talented.

Does anyone else watch House? I love that new show!

Anyways, I wish I could stick around but I can't because I have to go to work. I stayed on program yesterday AND still managed to do my two mile walk after a day of semi-intensive labor (for me!! )

See you all later!

Good morning Ladies,

I hope today is May 4th because its HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!

On AI, I think Anthony was definitely the weakest link. But its all up to how many fans they have that vote. I thought Bo kicked butt last night. Scott has a good voice but his demeanor is such snotty attitude. He can't take any kind of feedback from without getting a pi$$ed off look on his face. I actually voted last night for the first time ever. I'm not sure why I've never bothered to vote before; maybe I figured I'd never get through. I had taped it while we were out to the barn and were watching it at 9 pm. So I'm sitting there thinking I should remember the phone number so I can vote. Then I'm waiting for the show to be over for the phone lines to open. Zooming through the commercials of course. It finally clicks that what a doofus! The phone lines WERE open and had 10 minutes left. I got 5 votes in for Bo and 2 for Carrie.

We spent our evening out with the horses again last night. Now that I've learned a few things about showmanship, I decided to try it on the two girls too. I figured it would be good training for them minding me plus good practice. So I worked all four horses last night which meant lots of walking around and lots of slow jogging with them. Ginger did the best at trotting beside me. The others need rocks thrown at their butts.

Tonight will be a night off so I'll be working around the house. I have to get the weed eating done tonight. I also need to get on the stationary bike too. I've done terrible at that this week. Blame it on allergies and TOM.

Catherine - Those were great tips. And yes, I agree that health insurers are coming around to health awareness and improvements to help reduce future claims. Which I think is related to our continued deterioriation in our health. But they more they pay, the more the premiums will have to go up.

Dogpal - I'm glad that you've found this group and that its going to be able to help you. It does help to know you're not alone and to have someone respond to you in a positive way, helps you to remember that you do have value. Weigh in when you can as you have to work this for what works for you.

Just a reminder that our 2x2 will be ending in a few days. We're a little less than 30 pounds shy of our goal of 300 pounds gone!

Have a good OP Day! to everyone!

Well I missed AI last night..I worked until 9. The thing is....Scott keeps getting pity votes...which knowingly or not Simon gives him like a big old birthday present...Anthony...not sure what keeps him in either. I've been a fan of Bo's since Day 1 so I am pulling for him.

I missed House..which I totally dig, but decided to watch the 2 hour SVU/TBJ special instead...wow...good stuff. Albert Molina is scary and creepy.

OOOOH I tried on another old outfit last night that I've been thinking about wearing to 2 nice affairs I have in a few weeks..and it fits better than it ever did. The last time I wore it was 2 years ago and it was too snug and I was uncomfortable the whole night...but YAY for things fitting. It is a beautiful silk pants suit with pants, a pretty shell and a shirt/jacket over the top. Being silk they are totally unforgiving and have no stretch...but I am so excited that I have something to wear now and don't need to bother getting something else new.

Weigh In is tonight...BF had a rough week lst time and gained but he and I are both hoping that he makes his goal this week...which would make not only 10% but SHAVING DAY!! He promised me that if he got down to 150 he would shave off his mustache and goatee. I thought it would make a nice Mother's Day present. So here's hoping. I think I have had a good week...I hope so anyways. It's not as nice at work to eat lunch when my office manager is away...but she will be back next week so that will be good.

Anyways...have a good day!!!

Michelle, I hope you're still reading. This one's for you!!!

Hey all, Well, May is here. Finals week. Summer! I still have to work--my book revisions are due June 1, and I have to present a paper at a conference in June, and I teach beginning in June. But as of now, I don't have to be in the classroom for 6 weeks, so my main work is WRITING and I can schedule my days exactly as I want (well, for the most part). This is why summer is usually my best time for weight loss. Given that I've regained some weight recently, I'm hoping to find I can make a good push again, like I did this time last year.

Thin, Lilion, and everyone else who's offered kind wishes and hugs: Thanks a million! You guys are the greatest, and it's so nice to know people care.

Shadiepurple, Kechara, Dogpal, and anyone else new I've missed: Welcome! I've been here a year now and find it's very, very helpful to keep me on track. Until this tragedy 5 weeks ago, I was either losing or maintaining all year--and even maintaining is better than gaining. And I really believe without this group to come back to, I'd still be off track. So stick around--try not to disappear if you have a bad day (or even longer)--know that we're here when you want us.

Michelle--HAPPY BIRTHDAY! My English friend's family sings a birthday song that goes like this: Why was she born so beautiful? Why was she born at all? She's no bloody use to anyone, she's no bloody use at all. Boy, the English are affectionate, huh?

Terri--Sounds like fun with the horses yesterday. I think I'll sit the 2x2s out until I've relost the weight I regained, since it wouldn't be fair to double-count it into the 300 pounds for the year.... in fact, well, if I don't relose them, technically I should tell you to subtract them from your total, shouldn't I? But never fear... this weight is going bye byes.

Hello My Lovely Losing Ladies!

It is a truely, amazingly beautiful day here in our lovely Missouri state capital! 70 degrees and not a cloud to be seen in the blue, blue sky! It's the kind of day that really makes me want to play hookey and lounge on my patio and enjoy the sunshine and gentle breeze...ahhhh.

Instead, I'm here, getting ready to listen to people who drove 100 miles to gripe over $500.

But on the up side, I'm wearing a skirt that didn't fit three months ago. I went thru my closet last night and tried on things I thought might fit. I have three skirts that were too tight that now fit perfectly. My two nicest skirts don't fit - THEY'RE TOO BIG! I actually had to change twice this morning, because I was trying to dress up since folks are coming in person for their hearing (about 90% do it by phone) and the outfit I tried on hung on my hips! That gives a girl a lift!

I realized today that this Friday will end 11 weeks OP. While I've had the occasional "naughty" day, I've pretty much stayed OP the whole time. I think I may have to celebrate on May 18, which will mark 3 months OP. Maybe buy a nice "transitional" piece of clothing...something I can take in later!

Well, I came, I read, I bragged! Now I have to be judicial!

Later, ladies!

Good morning everyone
I'm off to the Doctor's office and to a staff meeting soon but I thought I'd check in and say hello. Thank you all for the warm welcome.
In regards to exercise, yes I have been including that in my plan. I am very lucky, the home that I manage has a pool in the back yard. It's still pretty darn cold this time of year, but 5 minutes in and I'm all warmed up and it will be summer soon. It's on the small side, so not great for lap swimming but it works just fine for treading water/aerobic type exercises.
I am feeling a bit waterlogged atm from all the water I've been drinking. I've been trying to get up to the 64 ounces a day...I think before I started, I was only drinking about 32-48 ounces of liquid a day, and probably only 1/2 of that being water, so it will take some getting used to.
Anyway, I've got to run....have a great day and I'll talk to you all soon.

I practically had the pool to myself today. It is rainy, and the geriatric patrol doesn't go out when it is raining. They have enough trouble driving when it is sunny. I don't know how I'm going to survive until Monday. They are draining the pool and doing a whole overhaul thing. It won't be open again until Monday. I am kind of surprised at how excited I have gotten about this deep water aerobics class. I wish it would take off as much on the bottom as it is taking off on the top. My bottom half is so much more buoyant than my top half, that I have to fight to keep from going caddywhompus. Just burns a few more calories, I hope. So far no one has complained about always seeing my butt bob to the surface. It also gives me the opportunity to check out the bottom of the pool. (I had to get prescription goggles because I am so nearsighted I ended up in the men's locker room my first time there). I "rescued" 3 bandaids and an earring from the bottom today. I hope the lifeguard was able to find their owners.