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 !!!

Hi girlies....

Well.... so much craziness was happening yesterday.... I fell halfway off the bandwagon... I say this because I COULD HAVE DONE WORSE! AND I DID EXERCISE FOR 40 MINUTES!! As I was posting encouragement to Twinkled I was trying to encourage myself. Yesterday, I felt insatiable... I'm talking poking my finger in the peanut butter and lemon curd, I'm talking breaking a cookie in half and gobbling it down like the last piece of nourishment on earth! I was about to cry, but I started to clean up instead. Well, a lot of stressful things were happening... I'm trying to buy a ticket home to NJ to visit my family and the ticket I was going to buy with KLM had the wrong price on it by £100 - those *******s! The website kept saying 'error' so you had to call in and when they searched the ticket, magically the price went up. Also, my ex-boss had the nerves to get the secretary to call me and ask me a work related question when I left there overa month ago on BAD terms with her! Also, the power went out on the whole block while I was searching for flights... the list goes on but I will not bore you...

Anyway, I picked myself right up today. Pushed myself during exercise, remained on plan, and made some goals for the weekend. I even lost a post today )when the computer just decided to shut down) and just took that opportunity to walk away, put the clean dishes away and start the washing up! I wrote in my journal that it is ok to have A BAD DAY. The imortant thing is that I take a moment to realise the consequences, pick myself up, and don't lose nothin' but the pounds!!! YES! EMPOWERMENT!!!!

Well today is 'FUN Friday' and Woo hoooo!!! Hubby and I are going to see the Harlem Globetrotters at M.E.N. arena in Manchester! Yes, just a little taste of home to round out the weekend... lol

Chicks, do well today... get movin,' pat yourselves on the back, and BELIEVE in yourself...

I'm still not OP, still bingeing. I thought I'd take a few days off and regroup. Everything is just too much for me right now. I need some quiet time and time to think.

My problem with losing weight is I am really good and stay OP long enough to lose a few pounds and then I blow it with a binge. I don't know how to end the cycle. It's continuous and has been going on for years. It's not about willpower -- it's deeper than that. I don't know how to stop.

I'll just plan some quiet alone time this weekend where I can think about things.

Sue Marie, I am so sorry about what you are going through. I will pray for you. I firmly believe that if you keep your faith in the fact that you have done nothing wrong, then the truth will prevail. Lean on the truth like a crutch and keep your head high. You have so many people sending good thoughts and encouragement your way that it has to help.

Where I live, a white teenager was found not guilty yesterday of killing a black teenager and they are afraid of race riots. The tensions in my area are running very high for everyone. People are threatening each other and no one wants to see another child get hurt. It's very stressful and upsetting. Issues with our young people are so unbelieveable these days. What happened to the days where kids went to school and we didn't need security guards?!! What a scary state to be in for us all!

Good morning ladies! I have been away for a few days due to an extremely brutal work schedule. Im happy to say im off for three days
Sue: Im sorry your going through this ordeal, i will pray that things work out right.
Welcome to all the new ladies.
I have managed to do well with my eating this week but i missed a few nights of exersise. I plan on making it up this weekend.
I hope everyone has a good day Take care.

Checking in on my lunch hour. Back to work today after being out sick for the last three days. I stayed OP yesterday! Having some difficulty today - just really, really hungry and have already drank almost 64 oz of water. Still think that predinose makes me starve. One thing that keeps me from going off is I have weigh in tomorrow morning and am hoping to stay even or maybe even a small loss. We'll see.
Tashabella - You can do this. Get refocused and start over. Just remember, yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, live for today!

Bigirl27 - Good for you for picking yourself up and forging ahead. Kudos to you on the exercise. I have a treadmill, but lungs still have fluid in them and doc says no walking until they dry up.

I wish all of you a great weekend and a happy productive day!

Good Afternoon Ladies!

Well, checking in after WI and am happy to say it's showing another 2 3/4 down! (I'm calling it 3. I love rounding!) I am always surprised by the scale. (In a good way, thank God!) I'm always thinking that I'll have gained, or at least not lost, and thinking that I've been "bad" too often to show a loss. Apparently, I still don't have a handle on just how much it takes to maintain a weight this high or how many calories I was injesting to get here. But I'm not going to complain. I'd rather be happily surprised than proven right!

Biggirl: Picking yourself up is exactly the right thing to do! We all have days that we slip and fall, the key is to not stay down!
I'm still wondering what porridge is?

Tashabella: Maybe you'd be less likely to binge if you aren't so strict with yourself. For instance, allow yourself one day every week or two where you just don't worry about what you eat so much. Eat a reasonable amount of whatever you like and don't worry about it. Then get back on track the next day. May not work for you, but I think that's what's keeping me OP. I don't feel deprived.
I have a 10 year old son, and I often think about "the good old days" when schools were the safest place to be. I was shocked when they had a drill in school teaching the kids what to do if someone starts shooting! They taught them to lay down on the floor and pretend to be dead. I was furious that they'd teach little kids this at first, but the more I think about it, the more I realize it may just be necessary. It's horrifying.

Doxiemom: I looked up predisone on line and increased appetite is one of the side effects, as is thirst and mood swings. You may find it harder to lose weight on it. If so, talk to your doctor. Good luck and I hope WI goes well!

Well, I've finished my TINY little WW lunch. I'll definately be looking for food before I go home at this rate. Anyway, I suppose I should go to work now.

Later Ladies!

I read on my homepage that obese workers are paid on average $3 less an hour. It also seems to me that people expect the worst from us. I have endured a number of false accusations in my life, and from the posts I have read lately, so have many of you. Even as the majority of Americans are now overweight, I don't see that changing anytime soon. I actually take special pains to make sure that none of my actions can be taken wrongly. My mouth, I have more trouble with. I wish this was not the way it is for us, but I know I can't change it. I have to admit that is one of the things that I am most looking forward to when I get smaller--being trusted.

Prednisone, and all other cortico-steroids, make weight loss so much more difficult. That is why so many people with Fibromyalgia who frequently are on steroid therapies cannot lose weight. Steroids also give you that "melon head" look where youa re really puffy. I have had friends with Crohn's Disease who over time gained tremendous amounts of weight despite their best efforts because of the steroids.

Good luck to everyone who is struggling. Focus on the smaller picture for now. Take the baby steps. As my WW leader says "Inch by inch is a cinch...yard by yard is very hard."

And if you screw up one day..ok..that was one day. You start over tomorrow. But going OP on Wednesday shouldn't be license to stay OP until Monday.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Thanks BigGirl, Tashabella and Futurediva....

I just wanted to pop in and say hello. The meeting with the principal was cancelled so will have to wait for next week. But, my boss (the teacher who hired me) spoke to him and he said there were not gonna be an reprecussions nor would this go on my employment record or evaluation. I wonder if the boy told the truth??? Oh God I pray he did. I'm trying not to think about it right now, I get major migrains.... ugh

but all is well... I've managed to stop shoving doughnuts into my mouth and whatever else I can grab onto.... STRESS!!!

I'm gonna hit the gym tommorrow... keep myself active.

Take care everyone...
Sue...

Thank you guys for your support.

Yes, steroids will cause weight gain.

I also think I've figured out what's going on with me. In brief, I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and am on Yasmin to keep my periods regular. The Yasmin caused horrible depression, but I can't stop taking it because it's the only med that works to stop the bleeding. They put me on Lexapro to deal with the depression and I just realized this afternoon that I have gained 12 pounds since they put me on the Lexapro (in about a month). I contacted my doctor this afternoon to discuss going off of it!!! Plus, it hasn't helped with the depression -- it's only gotten worse, which also is making me eat. And I'm having trouble with every day tasks like work since I've been on it (I can't think straight -- it takes me twice as long to do the same old things).

Cross your fingers that this is the answer! After some heavy thinking, I'm pretty sure that's it. Nothing else in my life has changed.

I'm going to do some more thinking this weekend and try to pull myself together and get back with it.

Thank you guys so much for being here for me. This has been a difficult time (it sounds like a lot of us are all having trying times right now).

Since I found out I have a heart disease gene, all I can do is worry over losing weight and trying not to die young of a heart attack. I'm putting way too much pressure on myself. I wish the doctors had never told me about it. It seems the more I try to do about it, the less I do -- I am backpaddling, drowning. I need a new mindset.

Sue ~ Try to get that stuff out of your head for the weekend. You don't need any more migraines.

Lilion ~ Yes, I do think being strict with myself is part of the problem. But I feel so desperate to lose weight that I always seem to get caught in the same trap. It must stop though. What's that catch phrase? Stop the Insanity? Yep -- time to do that!

Everyone ~ have a good weekend!

Good evening everyone!

Brandnewme: I apologize that I didn't remember your birthday the other day. Are you still reading? Anyway, Happy Belated Birthday!!!

Loki: Happy Birthday to you, today! I hope you're still reading and are having a great day.

SueMarie: I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope you hold your head up high, clear your name and show them that you're above all of the accusations! [[[hugs]]]

Esmaurade: The "barbie" is really cute. You're very artistic and talented.

Tashabella: It's nice to see you back!

Doxie: Welcome to you! Glad to have you here!

Somebody mentioned lots of pounds gone. Congratulations!!!

Sorry I've been all but completely AWOL. Lots of stuff going on here. I'm a "showgirl" this weekend for the movie Kicking and Screaming. I was also working today and got to stay and see Monster In Law. Very Funny!

So somehow I managed to be simultaneously OP and Off-P at the same time. We had a dinner tonight with my high school kids and the host parents made the most delicious salmon...it had "attitude"...nice flavors and spices...scarily it had binge potential. So I ask for the recipe and it turns out that the recipe calls for 1/4 cup of sugar. The rest of the spices were OP and olive oil was used...but OMG this salmon was so incredible. They were nice enough to give me leftovers...yay lunch tomorrow. So instead of the salmon being totally Core like it usually it, I had to count a few points for it to be on the safe side. When they designed Core, they did it so that foods with "abuse potential" have to be counted as points...even whole wheat bread. So this will fall into the category.

On the other hand...I stared at a table full of desserts...2 fruits tarts, a birthday cake, homebaked cookies and a Tiramisu cake...and ate fruit. More than half my plate was veggies..salad, edamame and other veggies. So in the end it was a good night.

Tasha: There is another thread for people with PCOS and other similar conditions that make weight loss a challenge. You might want to check that thread out as well. Being told that you have anything heart related is scary. I was diagnosed last January with HBP. I am sure that it was attributed to diet, weight and stress. So the doctor put me on Atenolol and said that I needed to go on a low sodium (1000 mg or less) diet. I was given one handout with some information and nothing more. No referral to a dietician, no nothing. I had a total meltdown that weekend because I thought that anything I put in my mouth would kill me. It can be very difficult to go through something like that without the right kind of guidance and support. Good luck and stay strong.

Fortunately I was able to get my laundry done today after my eye appointment, which frees me up a little bit more tomorrow to run last minute errands and SLEEP before the all-night program.

Have a great weekend...it looks like another 90 degree day tomorrow...YUCK!

Hi everyone. It sounds like so many of us are having a hard time right now. I just want to encourage everyone to hang in there. This too shall pass. Don't beat yourselves up over the falling of op and stuff too much. You can start fresh tomorrow!

For everyone who reported a weight loss, That is wonderful and we need to rejoice with you in that so we have something to look forward to.

I have been doing real well with my program. I have been swimming every day and I am feeling better about myself right now than I have in years. Thank you all for sharing. If we stick together we will come out on top.

Blessings to everyone and have a wonderful weekend If I am not back here to post,
dogpal

Thanks to all who looked up prednisone for me and confirmed that it makes you increasingly hungry. Now, eight more days of the prednisone.

JulieCees - Girl, you rock. Take a bow for standing up to all that food and having mainly fruit and veggies.

Well wishes to all!

Hello everyone!! Hope we are all feeling much better today!!! Sounds like it...

Lilion... sorry, I forgot who asked me that question (and where to be honest)... porridge is oatmeal or 'hot cereal.' Growing up my mom called it oatmeal, my dad's family called it 'hot cereal' and here in England it's called porridge or Rolled Oats. Anyway, I loosely follow a GI diet and one of the commandments is to eat porridge just about everyday for breakfast because it's a slow release carb that is healthy for you, gives you energy, and keeps you full for quite a wile. I have my porridge with fruit conserve, muesli, or banananas... I love it and I would say maybe once or twice a week I go for something else.

I did very well yesterday, Girlies!!! Hubby and I went to see the Globetrotters and there was expensive sugar loaded junk food EVERYWHERE!!! but I resisted.. hubby wanted to grab a quick bite at McDonalds but I persuaded him that I could whip something up in 10 minutes when we got home and I WAS STARVING...

Congrats to all who lost and all who picked themselves up after a fall!!

More later... gotta go.. DH is bugging me to get back to his computer game!!