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 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!!!!

bah, I posted in the last thread at the same time as it was being ended, so here's what I wrote over there:

Dogpal--I know you're feeling down. We all do at times. Heck, here it is mid-February already, and I (just like you) still weigh more than I did before Christmas! It's very frustrating, and I would love to give up and eat my McDonald's and goodies till I drop, but then I remember how I felt when I first started here. I remember thinking that if I'd started sooner, I would be so much lighter by now! If you were to throw in the towel now, just imagine how you would feel in a few months or even a few years when you finally came back and decided to do what's best for YOU and lose the weight--you'll be even MORE upset than you are now because if you hadn't thrown in the towel in the first place, you'd have had so much more progress! Make sense? It's a thought that keeps me going--sure I sometimes feel crappy now, but if I give up, I'll just feel crappier in the future when I'm STILL fat You know I love ya, chica, and we are all here for you just as you have been here for so many of us so many times before

I am hoping to get a chance to get back on and respond to some of the other posts, but I need to leave work now. My BF and I are driving up to Boston tonight to see my brother since he is moving to Hawaii next week. I don't have a laptop and don't know if I will be able to find a computer when I am gone. If I get home quickly enough and pack before my BF gets home from work I will have time to come back here before I leave. If not, I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Shelly-Welcome. I hope you find what you need here.

Lilion – You may not know this, but I am a horrible blusher. There’s a picture someone took at the wedding where I’m looking at my feet with a sheepish look on my face, and a big blush because someone finally noticed that I was wearing retro 1976 blue Nike waffle trainers under my gown. On my list of things to do before I die is to learn to take a compliment.

Dogpal – I understand what it is like to not have friends. I remember in elementary school going to a parent teacher conference with my folks, and after the teacher gushed for a while about my grades my mom piped up and asked, “but does she have any friends?” Sometimes I think that I surrounded myself with fat to keep people farther at bay. Making new friends is one of my husband’s biggest concerns about my moving here. Fat friends have always wanted to stay fat and sabotaged my efforts. Skinny friends just don’t get me. I know that here, you ladies understand me. I’m always here to listen to your problems, I’ve had the same ones.

Hi All,

I haven't had chance to write or even read any posts until tonight. Daren and I spent all day at the hospital. When he was making the units for the bedroom he knocked his thumb. Slowly but surely the thumb started swelling and today it started oozing green gunk. So we went to the hospital and he had to have the thumb lanced. Ouchies. By the time we got home I was worn out, so I slept, then got up made food, and now I am finally here saying hi to everybody.

I can't answer all the posts I have missed individually, but there are a few I have to mention -

Tasha - I am disgusted yet sadly not surprised to hear about your recent experience at the doctors. I, like many of us here have had similar experiences, and it just sucks. Although a lot of doctors are pig ignorant you have to try to find yourself a good new one. Don't let your health suffer because of that jerk!!

Luan - I will defo take you up on that offer for when we come to Vegas, I hope it won't be in the far too distant future.

Nancy - wouldn't it be lovely if I could use my Buddha belly to bring us all good health and weight loss. Sadly I can't, so I just have the embarrasment of seeing how huge it is, lol.

Wyllen - I have done some exercise, I will go over to the exercise thread as soon as I have finished here

Catherine - I still say you could write your book as a two parter, I bet the first volume would be an inspiration to a lot of people even now before you get to your ultimate goal!!

Dogpal - will be sending you a PM, too much for me to say here

Robwen and Shelly

Crock, Kayley, Jill, Sharon, Vicki and anybody else I have missed, I hope all is well and that you all have a great weekend.

Time for me to go watch American Idol now,

Hugs,

Ammi

Nancy - Hope you have a great little vacation!!! Be safe!

Catherine - "someone finally noticed that I was wearing retro 1976 blue Nike waffle trainers under my gown." I take it this was your something Blue?!?! That's fantastic! lol

Ammi - OUCH! Hope he's feeling better!

Well, I went down to the college, so that I could go in the lab and work on things for class....and they were CLOSED!! What is UP with that?!?!? UGH! It's a Friday! So, I ended up going to the public library, as I didn't want to go all the way home. It was packed with kids that had nothing better to do than hang out at the library and make a LOT of noise...and make fun of me. I finally did some work, and then left, cuz they were closing early. On the plus side, I cleaned out my car, which has needed to be done DESPERATELY! I found a bunch of clothes and a tire....odd, I know! lol. I'm at Andrew's, and washing some clothes before I go and work out.

Catherine, can't wait to see your book. I agree with Ammi, it could definitely be a two-parter! You have a wonderful writing style. I see nothing but success in your endeavor!

Tasha, I'm so sorry the doctor was such an ***. I realize it embarrassed you, angered you, and hurt you all at once. That's completely normal - I'd have felt the same things. But, you really need to think about your health, and the reason you chose to see him to begin with. You want to change your lifestyle and better yourself. You can't do that if you let your health issues go! I'm not trying to sound strict or mean, but you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, find a new doctor, and at least make sure all the issues you brought to him are not something serious! Your health is much more important! I know you're battling your depression, and it makes it so much harder to pick yourself back up. I understand that completely. But, the sooner you do it, you'll be so much better off. And, as an added bonus, once you get to where you want to be, you can march into that dumb doctor's office, plop your healthy butt down, and tell him exactly where to shove his 'brilliant' advice. In all seriousness, your health does need to take priority.. so please don't let him keep you from doing the best thing you could ever do for yourself.

Dogpal, honey, ya know we love ya. You better not stop posting, because I know you're one of the people that inspires so many others. It's okay that you're having a hard time, because we've all been there. Some of us are still there. If you give up, you'll have that much further to go next time you pick yourself back up - and you will, because you want to lead a healthier life. The only failure happens when you stop trying.

Ammi, sorry to hear about Daren's thumb! Ouch! Hopefully it'll start healing now. Glad to see you posting again.. you've been missed!

Congratulations to all the losers, the movers and shakers, and of course those of us who hang in there, despite difficulties and wanting to give up. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Kayley--WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!! Congrats!! That's wonderful! Yeah on ordering the tickets too.

Brenda--I love scrapbooking...and I also make altered books...which is similar...but like you I haven't had time to do it since the girls moved in with me...so...I'll just envy you on your getaway.

Tasha--I am so very sorry for the ignorance that a man who presumes to call himself a professional showed towards you...and I would certainly join the party knocking on his door. The most important thing is that you find someone who will listen to your concerns and I agree with the others, tell any new doctor upfront what the problem was with this doctor. Set the tone and if they can't handle that then they should tell you. I've never had a situation like that arise with a doctor, but I did with a counselor. Long story short...she told me it was my fault I was raped and I never went back to her. And when I did finally seek out counseling again, I told the new therapist up front what the other counselor had said and why I disagreed. (It's a long copmlicated story...but that's the short version). I'm sending you the warmest most positive thoughts I can Tasha...and hugs.

Dogpal--I'm sorry to see you are discouraged, but I am glad to see you came back. It's not an easy fight...the battle with weight, and you throw other factors into the mix and it can be pure ****...and I know I'm just getting started, I haven't gotten to the point of great loss (this time around) but, I intend for it to be worth the **** I've been through when I get to my goal. I intend to be healthy and fit and that will make it worth it. (My goal will still classify me as technically fat, so I can't get all excited about being a skinny mini...but...) Sending you hugs and I hope that you can find it in yourself to continue with all of us...
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Today has been long, and I'm tired, so I'm going to go I just wanted to say that and night.

Sorry to hear about all the problems and add to them.

I gained a pound and after spending valentines with my brother who would not shut up about how horrible it is to be alone, I am depressed. usually I handle the being alone part okay, but I could not withstand my brother.

My mom has lost another 3 pounds this past week...that is great for her. I wish it was working as well for me. But then I need to work it better. For valentines I got a box of splenda low carb chocolates which I ate and I bought a small jar of honey peanut butter which I ate. I dont recall what else went down the gullet but I gained a pound and am thankfull that is all I gained. of course more could be waiting until next weigh in.

At least I felt good enough to work out last night. Did a good job at the gym. I think it was because I got to spend part of the day alone with my son. That always is a good thing. Dont get me wrong we've got issues from the past, some big ones. But he refuses to talk about them and I take psych meds to deal with them, (well, that's not the only reason of course).

Anyway, had a great workout yesterday and took today off. I have been going through my room to see what I can get rid off. Unfortunately I do not have a ride to get rid of the stuff until my friend carolyn has time for me. So all the bags of stuff are sitting in front of the TV where I usually do my WATP workouts.

By the way, if you are thinking about joining the Leslie Sansone walk club, I suggest not to. The site is not up to date on anything except her products on sale. It is mostly a big advertisement. You do get 15% off her stuff but the shipping is high and you can get most of it cheaper on ebay. There is a message board but it is not as active as this one is and not as inclusive. This place makes her boards look like atari compared to x-box. or something like that. Oh and the "free" book you get for joining. They make you mail it back if you cancel your membership. You can get the book much cheaper on amazon anyway.

Woof, was I venting or what?

I hope everyone has a great weekend and Kayley you rock with your NSVs!!!

I’ve got such a lot of reading to catch up on and reply to. I know that we don’t have to do individual replies, but I DO love ‘chatting’, so I want to get back to as many people as I can. I’m a few days behind, so please forgive me if I miss you out.

Dolfingirl – First of all, I LOVE the name. Dolphins are my favourite animal. I am SO happy that my pics are helping people to believe that it CAN be done. I used to see pics like that and dream that one day that would be me… and now it IS. It still puts a smile on my face to see how far I’ve come. Oh, and thank you for saying I look beautiful. I’m not sure I would say that I look beautiful, but sometimes I certainly FEEL beautiful, so that counts I suppose.
Congratulations on fitting into the jeans! That is always a thrill for me. I have a lot of clothes that have been handed ‘down’ to me from other successful ‘losers’. I go through them every few weeks to see if anything else fits and almost inevitably there is something else that I can add to my wardrobe. I have a pair of size 12 jeans that I bought in the US last October that I can get into, but they are not quite as comfortable as I would like, and it is also a little hot to wear them at the moment, but I intend to wear them soon, just in case they get to be too big. I was originally told that US sizes are two below ours, but I think it is closer to 1 and a bit, as I can just fit into our 14s now.
I’m sure you will look GREAT as a redhead. Last time I got my hair coloured I got more red put in and I LOVE it.
Also an enormous congratulations on surpassing the 100lb loss mark! What an amazing achievement! Lots of hugs due for that one.

Ammi – It is great to see you back. I am glad that you have sorted out the computer problems. I get withdrawal symptoms if I can’t get on here to catch up. Your Valentine’s gifts sound gorgeous. What a thoughtful husband! Hubby and I weren’t very inventive this year, so we just went out together and chose something we each wanted. It was still lovely, but I sometimes wish I could think of something wonderful to surprise him with. Sorry to hear about Darren’s thumb. I hope it is feeling all better very soon.

Lilion – Well done on taking the healthy snack. Even though you did indulge a little, at least you provided the healthier alternative, so you are gradually educating those around you. I have provided a couple of healthy morning teas for our staff at school and they are always impressed by what you are able to eat while still being healthy. Oh… have you used the elliptical much yet? I looked at some today, but they seem out of my price range at the moment. I could probably find some cheaper ones, but just haven’t looked enough. I have a couple of cardio pieces though and really wanted something for strength training now.

Dogpal – It is SO wonderful to see that you decided to stick with us and let us help you through this difficult time. I am glad that you are ready to start again. As the saying goes… we are only failures if we don’t learn from our mistakes… or something like that. And you have learnt that the horse may buck you off now and then, but you have to just keep getting back on and showing the horse who’s boss! I have decided that this needs to be my attitude from now on. I have to remember that I control the food, instead of the food controlling me. That is a VERY big lesson for me. I’m not sure that this makes a lot of sense, but it made sense when it was rolling around in my head. Sad huh? I truly hope to see many more positive posts from you. And in the moments when you can’t be so positive, I hope that I am around to support you as I know you would support me.

Sharon – I really like your new avatar. What a great pic! I hadn’t thought of putting my pic up as an avatar. May have to look into that. You were asking how the weather was in our neck of the woods. Well, we are finally seeing a little bit of summer and our summer officially goes from Dec 1 to Feb 28/29, so this touch of summer is a little late in coming. We had our coldest December on record and our coldest January in 20 years, so a few hot days are welcome. Mind you, we get a couple of hot days, heading to 90/100F, then it cools down to 75/80F again. Weird! I hope your boys settle down soon and you are able to have some peace around the house.

Julee – Well done on staying mostly on track at the party. I have to agree about it not being fair that we are faced with temptation around TOM. I didn’t have cravings like this before my periods came back, now I am not sure I’m the same person at that time of the month. Aside from getting ‘fractionally’ sensitive, I also get the munchies something wicked! That is totally new to me since I started on my new lifestyle. I hope that I can stay as strong as you were. Oh, and well done on the NSV with the clothes. I hate it when I forget that I have something that will fit ‘soon’ and I don’t get it out again until it is too big. What a waste. I have started to hang things up in the wardrobe just before they are ready to fit, so that they are there as a reminder to me.

Heather – I’m pretty sure that most people didn’t really notice much of a change in me until I had lost quite a lot of weight. In fact, most people have really only been making comments in the past 6 months. Mind you, I’ve also had people say that they didn’t want to comment in case they were wrong and it would upset me. Perhaps that is what is happening with you too. People may actually be noticing, but not wanting to say anything. I ended up just telling people, and then they would say that they were sure that I was getting smaller, but hadn’t want to say anything. After that, I started getting a lot more comments. Keep up the great work and trust me, people will definitely start noticing and commenting. Once they do, you’ll never get tired of it.lol

Kayley – I am VERY impressed with your Valentine’s surprise for Andrew. He must have been SO surprised… and VERY happy! Well done! Also well done on the 80 for the test. I used to HATE tests, and didn’t always do well in them. I would have loved an 80! Great NSV on the inches lost. That is amazing! No wonder you are fitting into all those smaller clothes. Your old ones must have been almost falling off you.

Catherine – Your achievements never cease to amaze me. To see how far you have come shows just how strong you are. Thank you SO much for sharing your journey with us. I am another person who will be eagerly awaiting your book. People have told me to write a book about how I lost the weight, but I have nothing to tell compared to you. I love reading of your progress in your new home with your new hubby. You sound SO happy, even though you are freezing your tush off! I am certainly glad that my Canadian baby decided to move down here to be with me instead of the other way around. I’m not sure I could have coped with the temperatures. Mind you, we went to Calgary during their summer and it was absolutely delightful. Perhaps we could just summer in both locations.

Christine – Sorry to hear about the problems you have been having with the feeding tube. It must be great to have found the good deals on the bars. I missed why you have to have the tube, but I can’t imagine it is the easiest of things to get used to or live with. Will it be something you have to use for a long time, or is this just a short-term solution? Sorry if that is too personal a question, but I am curious about people on here and want to learn as much as I can. Just let me know if it is something you don’t want to talk about. I honestly won’t mind.

Luan – What a wonderful grandmother you have! Did I miss what you are going to school for? I tend to forget these things, so please remind me. I would love to go back to school to learn dietetics, but I’m not sure I could afford it at the moment and I also don’t know how I would go studying when I am getting used to a new grade level at school. Good luck with your studies! Have a wonderful weekend in Vegas! We almost added that to our trip last year, but would have only had one full day and a couple of nights and didn’t know if that would have been worth it. We want to add it to our next trip though, which will be in quite a few years time.

Kc lynn – Last year I lost 10lbs a month for almost the whole year, and that was after already losing about 50lbs, so it should be possible for you to lose at least 80lbs in the 8 months, but I couldn’t be sure of the 100. You really will have to add quite a bit of exercise to reach that goal though I think. By the end of the year I was exercising twice a day almost all days. Good luck to you.

Andrea – I can totally relate to being ignored when I was bigger. Well, of course that was if the people weren’t laughing and pointing at me. I am positive that I get more attention in stores now than I did when I was bigger. I’m sure it isn’t my imagination. I hope that they pay some attention to your feedback, although I wouldn’t hold my breath for something like that to happen. Ignorance doesn’t seem to be able to be altered by bringing it to the attention of the ignorant.

Brenda – Congratulations on the jeans fitting now. I can just hear the scream of delight from here. I would have been dancing too. When do you find out the results of the sleep apnea test? I probably missed you posting about that too, knowing me.

Wyllen – Well done on being able to fit into the 20s. I understand what you are talking about with being depressed about the sizes in stores. I was SO thrilled when I got into lower sizes, but then I found out that some stores don’t stock past a 14 (10/12 US). I used to think that the smaller sizes in most stores were 16 or 18. When did this change sneak up on me? They must miss out on a LOT of business, as many Aussie girls/ladies are a 16/18, if not higher.

Garnetfairy – Sorry to hear about your depressing visit with your brother. I have to admit that I find every excuse under the sun to not visit my parents, because somehow they manage to bring me down on most visits. If my dad isn’t spending most of the time grumbling at my mum, they are both telling me I have done such a great job at losing weight, “but look at ‘so and so’ and how enormous she is!” Then they go on about how she just has NO self control and eats WAY too much… and so on and so forth. Well, this just clearly shows me what they thought of me when I was bigger. So, I just don’t need to be around people like that, so I don’t visit. Is this an option with your brother? It may be easier to have a break from him for a while. Great to hear that you had a good visit with your son and a good session at the gym. At least you had something to make you smile.

Well, I have NO idea whether I have caught up or not, but I’m sure I’ve bored everyone enough with my droning on and on.

My big news for today is that hubby and I went out and got a home gym for me. It was supposed to be a birthday present, which isn't until early April, but I just couldn't wait and hubby wanted to get me one early. I can’t believe how excited I am to get this thing. If someone had told me a year ago that I would be excited about getting a piece of exercise equipment I would have laughed at them. I just really want to start doing some strengthening work and try to tone up a little, so this will be perfect for me. It will also add some necessary variety. I read about a few of you doing strength training and I think that is what I have been missing. Hubby just came in to tell me that he has it all put together, and I really want to try it out, but it is very close to bed time, so I may leave that novelty for tomorrow. I certainly don’t want to get muscly (sp?) but I do want to tone up and get fitter. I can have a free hour with a trainer coming to my home to show me how it works, and I am pretty sure I’ll call him early in the week. I don’t really want someone watching me workout, but it will be of benefit I think.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Take care,

Zelma

Kayley ~ You are doing great, I am so Happy for you.. WoooooooooHOOOOOOOO U give me something to look forward to as my journey goes on.

Good day yesterday, stayed on plan and No cravings... so far so good.. lost another lb.. that makes 12 in less than two weeks.. the slower weight loss is coming as I move to Phase II Monday,, Bit I am eatng right and If the weight comes of in a 1lb a week,, or 2 lb a week,,I am doing this for life . so a loss is a loss.......................... Take Care everyone.