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 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!
I know you'll all agree that we are really thankful for the free services here at 3FC. The sisters offer all of this support and information with no charges to us. There are a couple of ways though that we can help out.
If you are thinking about buying anything at Amazon, why not help out 3FC at the same time? You can do this by clicking on the button for Amazon on any page in the forum, or by clicking on the button on the main 3FC page at www.3fatchicks.com . A portion of your purchase price will be given to 3FC by Amazon. It doesn't increase your price at all, but it does help out 3FC. You can use any of the Amazon.com links that you see on the site in order to help contribute to the site.
Also, BTW, in case you didn't know it, you can view the message boards "ad free" for a minimal charge. I think it's like $15 for 6 months. A very small investment to be rid of the annoying ads and make your pages load quicker.
There have been some concerns expressed by the powers that be about copyright infringement. So please, if you are directly quoting someone else or printing an article in whole or in part, please give credit where credit is due!!!!
everyone who is new. So sorry that I forgot names but I started a new thread and forgot to look so... Welcome to you all. Please share with us as often as you like. We love to encourage each other.
Sharon: I am so sorry that you experienced that stuff at the Dr. It is scary and uncomfortable enough to go to the Dr. without all that other crap in the way. So sorry. I actually had an appointment one time for a CT scan and walking down the passage towards the CT area at the hospital the tech turned to me and said, "what are you about 500 pounds or so". At the time I was around that and I was so taken aback by his blunt question and that he did it in front of other people. It just knocked me for a loop and I answered him yes and he stopped and said, well you are too big for our table. You'd never fit into the CT scan. I was mortified. I was so ashamed and embarassed etc. I am actually glad that you brought that up what happend to you the other day. Granted it wasn't what happend to me but it was along the same lines and I am going to use this to help kick myself into higher gear to get healthy. You use what happened to you too if you can to just keep exercising. I absolutely mean all of that in a positive and good way. The world is so mean and insensitive and maybe once we get healthier and to a size where they will listen to us we can help other people who are going through the same thing. Also, thank you so much for keeping us up to date on Ammi. Please tell her she is very missed here.
Elmay: sounds like you are going to have your hands full this Christmas. Nothing like jumping in with both feet! Have a great time with all the kids and Christmas!
Julee and Jillybean: you two ladies are doing so well. Don't let a little time of doing less than you want to, to bring you down. I know that you are concerned and that is wonderful but enjoy yourselves and don't be too harsh on yourselves. Jillybean, have fun with you family and friends on your trip!
Catherine: I was talking about you tonight in the swim class. It is so funny. I have never met you in person but I feel like I know you so well. I even refered to you as, "a friend of mine". I was speaking well of you and how you are such an inspiration to me. A lady in the class was telling me that I should really consider gastric bypass surgery and that is how you came up. Thank you again my dear for being such an inspiration. I totally look forward to the day I can look back to the four hundreds and say goodbye forever. About your rings and gowns, how exciting. I hope you take pictures so we can almost be there with you. I know that your love will look at you exactly how you desire him to on your special day.
Catherine ~ You will get THAT look from him when he sees you in your gown. I sew, but I can't imagine making a wedding gown (so much work). I guess if you look at it they way you look at losing weight, you should take it a little bit at a time and you will see progress.
Dogpal ~ Isn't it amazing how some people think "the surgery" is the cure? During the few months I went to Overeaters Anonymous, there was a woman there who was back for help after her second gastric bypass surgery. She was balling her eyes out because she couldn't stop eating and they told her she would die (she was back up to 350 at that point). It isn't worth it! I'm glad you told that teacher that people CAN lose weight without the surgery and told them about Catherine.
I also am somewhat out of control. It doesn't take much. I've been on program for two days, but God yesterday was so bad (I was craving Taco Bell desperately ~ the guy who sits next to me at work was eating it). I stayed on track though. It's so hard sometimes, but I thought about all of you and how well you have done and YOU GUYS kept me on track. THANK YOU!
I no longer have people telling me that I should have bypass surgery, I get people asking me if I had it already. I look them straight in the eye and say, "I did enough damage to my body over the years without rearranging my internal plumbing too." I have real concerns about how people are going to be faring 10 years from now, especially teenagers who are having it done. I don't judge people who feel like they need to do it, it just isn't for me. I told myself that one 600 pound person has to do it without surgery just to prove it can be done. I'm not going through this just for me, I doing it for that one person, who is lying in a bed somewhere who has given up hope. I've been there, and don't want anyone else to suffer that anguish alone. Somehow thinking that I am on a mission, keeps me focused. I keep teasing Austin that when I get to my goal weight, and finish my book, that I’m going to drag him on Oprah. I think he is hoping that she will be off the air by then.
I completely agree about the surgery (and about Catherine being an AMAZING inspiration!). I had co-workers at my last job who had the surgery, and one kept trying to convince me to get it, too. I would watch her (with her multiple pounds of loose skin and extremely thinning hair) take fistfulls of nutritional supplements at every meal. She just recently (in the spring) had to have an entire lower body lift to remove all the exces skin from her legs, hips, and waist. I had to have surgery once to remove a 10-inch ovarian cyst (they couldn't do it laproscopically, so they sliced from my belly button down!), and I will never again do something like that to my body voluntarily!
And, so, here we are, doing it the hard way, but (I believe) the smart way
Less than 12 more hours of work (tomorrow and the rest of today) before I am officially on my Christmas vacation (but who's counting )!
I love how we are ALL an inspiration to each other, at one point in time or another. At least, that's how I see it. I hear about Catherine, or Julee or Jill or dogpal or Valerie or Ammi or elmay or anyone else talk about their struggles, their successes, and I know there are other people LIKE ME out there who get what this is all about. Tasha posted about the Taco Bell guy and how she resisted and I think YEAH! I can do that too. Now maybe we don't all resist all the time, but think about how many success stories we hear every week.
And the "failures". We post those too. Reading about those is actually helpful too, because it is teaching me how to rework my "failures" into learning experiences. So when I DO eat too much I have something other than guilt and shame to fall back on.
You are ALL an inspiration to me. Thanks for sharing your stories.
You guys rock. Thank you for reminding me why I don't want the surgery. I guess I am freaking out a bit because I am going to see my sister in law who was my size in September, had the surgery in October and has now lost over 90 pounds. I just feel like it would be so much quicker. I know I don't have permission from God about doing it. I have talked it over with Him and He puts in my heart pretty much what Catherine said. There will be one person who needs to know that you can do this without surgery. I want to be helpful to other people. It is just such a struggle at times that I feel overwhelmed. Then I tell you all how I am feeling and bam! You guys help me overcome those feelings. Thank you so much. You are such a blessing to me. I think this is one of the best Christmas gifts I could have is to receive friends like you all!
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted, but my life is one big roller coaster ride right now. I just wanted to say congratulations to everyone who's losing--I'm so happy for you all. I think that I've hit my first plateau--I've been going up and down with the same 4-5 lbs. for almost 2 weeks now. So on some days it says that I had reached my goal weight and then on others I still have to lose a few lbs. It's very frustrating.
I agree with all of you about the gastric bypass surgery. My sister in laws 2 sisters had it and I want my nieces and nephews to see that you can lose a lot of weight without choosing the surgery. I think that we'll see a lot more surgeries in this quick fix society of ours though. The surgery is nice--I guess--but it doesn't fix the problem that causes you to overeat in the first place. Tasha's story of that woman who's over 350 after having the surgery--that's a prime example. That poor lady. She must feel like such a failure.
Well, I have to go--this was just a "drive by" post to say hi and thanks for your inspiration!
Here I am back again, I kind of lost track of you all for awhile there. I wanted to share that I have reached my 10% off goal and my christmas goal as well! I am now going to be working hard to get down to 299 by April 1st.
I hope you are all doing well, I am going to put this in subscribed so I don't lose it again!
You all brought tears to my eyes. The best support system that you can find are within these posts. When I think of giving up, all I have to do is come here and you all pick me up and dust me off and help me realize that we are all in this together. Inspiration is key to our success.
For those of you that are new, welcome. You will enjoy coming here and we will all be there to share your joys and troubles
*sigh* Well, I thought I was getting better -
turns out that I have bronchitis. My chest is all
infected. No worries though ~ I went to the walk-in
and I got some antibiotics.
Dogpal-I had to take a minute to remind you that this will overwhelm anyone if they think about the whole thing. I've been doing this for 49 months. I have at least that long left to go. I can't think about anything except today. I worry about just losing one pound a week. I can lose one pound. I've probably lost a ton over the years. I tell people that the diet I am on is the simplest one in the world. Just eat less and exercise more. Very simple, but not easy. We are surrounded by sabotagers and catty skinny chicks, well meaning relatives who always say, “you have such a pretty face, if you’d just lose weight,” and our own reflections in the mirror. I have not lost 268 pounds. I have lost 1 pound 268 times. I don’t have over a hundred left to lose. I only have one pound to lose. When I lose that pound, I will worry about the next one. In my mind the Holidays are so hard, so emotional, that we need to simply breathe, and endure. I will pray that your holidays are uneventful but satisfying. For everyone I wish that they receive enough. I am learning to be satisfied with just enough, and not more.
I tell people that the diet I am on is the simplest one in the world. Just eat less and exercise more. Very simple, but not easy.
Simple, but not easy.
How insanely true.
I probably can't count the number of ties on all my fingers and toes that I have had someone tell me that if I want to lose weight, I should just eat less (sometimes having used poorer choices of words, but that's been the general idea). If only "they" knew how difficult it really is to "just eat less." I have faced many ignorant people both in person and online who just assume that anyone with a weight problem simply stuffs their face full of candy, cakes, and cookies all day long, and that if they would stop doing that, they would be a normal weight. *sigh* if only that were true...I can live without candy, cakes, and cookies much easier than I can watch every calorie of every morsel that comes in contact with my mouth
300+ And Ready To Try Again...#796
everyone who is new. So sorry that I forgot names but I started a new thread and forgot to look so... Welcome to you all. Please share with us as often as you like. We love to encourage each other. 
I absolutely mean all of that in a positive and good way. The world is so mean and insensitive and maybe once we get healthier and to a size where they will listen to us we can help other people who are going through the same thing. 
Also, thank you so much for keeping us up to date on Ammi. Please tell her she is very missed here.
Have a great time with all the kids and Christmas! 
Hi
I just wanted to say congratulations to everyone who's losing--I'm so happy for you all. I think that I've hit my first plateau--I've been going up and down with the same 4-5 lbs. for almost 2 weeks now. So on some days it says that I had reached my goal weight and then on others I still have to lose a few lbs. It's very frustrating. 
My chest is all
