Thanks everyone, feeling better today. I'm not someone who sufferes from low self confidence but that horrible comment really did burst my bubble why I would take onboard the nasty comments of an obvious neanderthal, I'll never know! Had a wonderful night at a friends party last night, danced the night away (dressed as a pineapple! ) , I did over indulge at supper but I can't pass up a cinnamon oyster.....or two.....okay three back on plan today but my son is turning 4 tomorrow so eek another off plan blip. And that in itself is a revelation too uber like you in the past I've always been very all or nothing when it comes to dieting I'm not sure why its different this time round but I am happy to jump right back on that wagon the next day .... not wait til monday I really do think its the support of being around like minded ladies like you! So thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

Toasted I saw my mum whispering to my dad last night, I know she was talking about my weight. Grr I really do wish she would get a new hobby. I will let her be for now, shes just so sad still so maybe having something else to focus on will be good for her.

laurie trainerboy sounds like a real peach! Yes you do have to wonder whats going on with their life if fat shaming and making people feel horrible is a positive thing for them

Well better go pick up the kids, my husband keeps getting callouts so on my own as usual! Keep up the great work ladies

Toasted - Sure did. Chopped it off to my shoulders. 16 inches (ish)

I think it looks pretty good.



Uber - I was fine avoiding the cookies until your comment! I had to go try one frozen. It was okay, nothing special, and I had my fix for the day. I'll be super happy with my chicken boobies later. Cooking them in the slow cooker with spaghetti sauce, then I'll throw some mozzarella cheese on top and eat it with green beans and a spinach salad. Yummy.

Got my hair chopped off, and my drivers license done, and my car/life/renters insurance transferred to Indiana. Busy day today!

Unfortunately the scale has barely moved the last couple days 282.8 seems to be where my body wants to be right now. Woo-sah. It will come off. It will. It has no choice! The laws of physics are not being broken inside my fat cells.

I'm also noticing a lot of water retention going on, so I'm wondering if this is my little mini-PMS that happens during ovulation. We shall see.

It just needs to go by Thursday!

Jessica - I'm sending out some love to Will and hope that he is feeling better. I hope that you're having a great first week at the new job and that you're also getting enough sleep!

Laurie - I know exactly what you're talking about when you're working hard/late on something and it just feels appropriate to eat high fat/sugar/carbs foods. I don't know if the food manages the adrenaline surge or if it's all psychological... but this is something that I've done for decades and you're definitely not alone in trying to figure out how to manage it.

Jenni - RA sucks!! I'm so sorry to hear that you're struggling with that but it's terrific that you have access to medical care. Understanding what's going on is an important step to getting that help.

MissLoud - That fat-hating shouting out the car has happened to me as well. Of course you know that those guys were complete idiots, but knowing that and knowing that are two different things (for me at least). Keep your head up and don't let the haters get you down!

Uber - I love that you make lists. I also love that I identify with every single thing on those lists. Reading what you wrote and seeing myself in how you're describing your experiences with food makes me see so clearly how hard we are on ourselves. Your comment on eating sugar-free jello and hard boiled eggs also reminds me of those god-awful diet books from the 80s. My mother would buy them and I'd read them and omg. I can't even look at jello without horrible 80s/Jane Fonda/diet flashbacks.

Lotus - Hey hey again!! I hope work is going well!!

Mandy - Amazing job managing cookies in the house! I've got compulsive eating issues so I definitely couldn't manage to live alongside cookies, but putting them in the freezer sounds like a great strategy for managing portions. And excellent haircut!! I think the shorter length really works for you!!

Hai Toasted!! - Have you thought about giving yourself some sort of reward for working during the holiday and hitting 183.5? You're doing so incredibly well and maybe if you're feeling sulky it's a sign that you need to give yourself some attention. I might be projecting, though. I've promised myself some burberry eyeshadows (pale barley!! mulberry!!) once I cross over into the 250s and may very well be trying to drag others down my consumerism rabbit hole. [heh... I wrote that before reading your comment to me about sweetening the pot. Ghostbusters!!]

I saw 261.8 on the scale this morning! It's great progress, but I don't count it unless it's my Monday weigh-in so I'll just enjoy it for that little beam of hope it's providing. I'm using it as motivation to stay on track over the weekend.

I've had a few days off of work and have gotten some distance from the situation there. The family issue that was providing another source of stress just had a massive breakthrough. That combination of distance and partial resolution has done amazing things for my mental health over the past few days and I'm feeling a lot more relaxed.

I'm also feeling a lot surer of myself and I've got to say that the weight loss helps with that. It's not the physical change as much as it is learning how to be an advocate for myself. When I stay on plan, I'm pushing back against years of negative messages and unhealthy patterns. That translates into other areas of life as well. You all are teaching me a lot about being kind to myself and tuning out the negative voices around me. Thank you!!

I'm having a great first week at the new job. I'm really excited to get on the floor and start working with customers, but I've got to get finished with training first. Haven't gotten an update about Will since she started him on the meds, but I'm planning on running out to see him tomorrow or Sunday.

Also, back up to 199-200. -_-

Hello ladies, I've been checking this thread for some time now and finally decided to join, I hope you guys don't mind. You all seem so insightful and supporting of each other, jealous! Here's my story, I've been overweight my whole life, lost whole bunch in the early 2000's and slowly regained most of it. After having my daughter 3 years ago, anxiety and meds got the best of me and last summer I ballooned to 232 lbs, my highest weight ever finally decided that I'm done being fat, and started to make small changes, including getting off my anxiety meds. As of May of this year I was able to loose 14lbs. Then I started to kick myself for not being efficient enough with my weight loss progress so started a challenge, as of today I'm standing at 195.6, yay! I have a love hate relationship with food, always had. Here is my reason to joining 3FC, none of my friends are overweight, none! I've always beem the fat one in a group! No one in my life understands how difficult it is to loose weight, they just say: eat less and excercise more. If it was that easy I would be there long time ago! It's nice to find someone who understands the daily struggle. Uffff, feeling better already.

Hi Lulu! Welcome! I think you'll like it here. I certainly do. Congrats on your losses so far!

Jessica - I totally feel your pain. My scale, over the last week, is stuck with the same 3 numbers. 283.2, 283.0, 282.8... It won't move! I think your scale weirdness is probably because of the change in your daily routine. When you settle in and find a rhythm, you will see your scale progress continue. Maybe we both have whooshes in our future.

Martini - Sounds like you're seeing a light at the end of the tunnel for your major stress-causing issues. Stressors? Spell check doesn't recognize that as a word... But I swear I've heard it before! Good for you, and hoping for your weigh in to be positive on Monday!

Day 2 of the haircut. Still loving it. It was so nice to sleep last night without my hair pulled tight into a bun on the top of my head. I bet that's been affecting my sleep... It kinda gives me a headache when it starts to fall out.

Trying to shake the frustration of the scale not moving. It's not easy when I really wanted to hit 50 down by Thursday, and here it is Saturday, and I'm still 2+ pounds away. Unless I get a serious whoosh in the next couple days (which has been known to happen after mini plateaus like this), I'll be close but I won't make it. 282.8 again this morning, after a *really* good day (with the exception of a frozen cookie - which I counted!) yesterday and so much water I felt like I was going to pop. I've peed a LOT, but my fingers are still swollen, so I'm not sure what's going on.

We shall see. It's Saturday, and college football, and CROP walk tomorrow, so we're going to have corn dogs for dinner tonight. With veggies and a salad, but we're still having corn dogs and I don't care that they're bad for me I've been good all week and seen no change, so... Yeah.

Part of me wants to blame the scale and possibly low batteries, but I put the batteries in the scale in May when I started, so I don't know. But it did show me the same number this morning but before *and* after my morning pee... so I don't know. I'll have to order some more.

Hope you all have/are having a great weekend!

Beautiful picture Mandy!

Ugggg it's not enough that I feel like crappo and I am so tired but the scale is stuck at 227 now for 10 days

Just a quick check-in this morning. I am at work, and I need to change that as soon as possible, so I gotta get stuff done!

Seems like the scale is not being very friendly to many of us -- me, Mandy, Uber, Jenni, Jessica -- but Martini is finally getting some love. A lesson, I suppose, that patience really does pay off, because the scale wasn't as kind to her recently as it should have been.

With veggies and a salad, but we're still having corn dogs and I don't care that they're bad for me I've been good all week and seen no change, so... Yeah. Mandy - I am so susceptible to this way of thinking. But you and I both know that the good choices you've made make a difference, even if you're not seeing immediate rewards from the scale. We also know that a single corn dog is not even going to cause a blip with all of the other nutrient-dense choices you're making. Also, your hair looks FANTASTIC. You are gorgeous.

204.4. It's down from yesterday, but not down to what it was two days ago, so it was disappointing. Which is ridiculous, given the bounciness of my weight. But I'm feeling fantastic physically. I ran 3.25 miles yesterday in 45 minutes. The size 16 jeans that I am wearing are threatening to fall off (but the size 14 jeans I have are still too tight to wear comfortably), and I went to breakfast with my hubby and stepsons and felt very casual about eating food that was neither my usual low-cal, nutrient-dense food nor completely out of control food. Things are good.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Laurie - I made them fit in my calories today, just because I've been wanting them the last couple days. I blame college sports, and the fact that I'm a bit of a fanatic. (google LSU and corndogs...)

My comment was made more in light of the fact that if being good isn't making the scale move, then being bad shouldn't make it move (more than water) either.

Feeling pretty guilty I've had gronala pb&j and half a hot pocket and Carmel's and its only after noon. I think this pain and fatigue along with no scale movement has taken a toll hopefully I can get back up and start again

Lost some water weight this week, 5lbs! I am doing a happy dance for sure, but I have a looooong way to go. I can do this, I will do this. The only person that can get in my way is myself.

Hi all! Just wanted to check in. I'm still around, just been busy at work, and by the time I get home, not excited about being at the computer. Only 4 more work days until hunting season and a much needed vacation. So ready to be away from work. I have to admit to a little bit of slacking lately. It takes a lot of preparation to get ready to go hunting/camping for the 6 days, so that's been on my mind more than anything. I'm not giving in completely, but just not being as diligent as I probably should. That's ok. Kind of ready for a break, even though hunting is very physical and active. I think that doing something else will be nice for a week. I'm still going to work out next week, but I also don't need to be sore and tired going into hunting. So anyway, I may not be as active posting here for a while.

Glad that everyone is doing fairly well. Welcome to the new people!!!

Pink Hurricane - lol I was telling myself 'I can do this' in the mirror this morning, (cra-cra!!) and then I realised I am doing it!!! So yes the scales aren't where you want them right now and it seems like such a long way to go. But if we keep doing it the weigh will come off, it really is that simple

Jenni - I'm going to quote myself from a couple days ago, because I totally get the "guilt" caused by snacking when you're supposed to be "being good" as my MIL puts it (I hate it when she says that! Eating ice cream doesn't make me "bad" ugh!) And also because I need to remind myself of this today, because as often as I say it, I'm still feeling twinges of guilt for having corn dogs for dinner (even though I had a bunch of veggies with them)!

Diane - Enjoy your vacation! I've never been camping in my life. Hubby loves it. Maybe now that we live out in the sticks I'll have opportunity for it. And I don't blame you for not wanting to be on the computer after working all day, I wouldn't either. Glad you stopped by, though!

Pink Hurricane & Miss Loud - I totally get the "long way to go" comment. Sometimes when I'm feeling down about it, thinking UGH, I still have over ONE HUNDRED pounds to lose... It seems like There's no way I can do it. But I am doing it. Almost 50 pounds already. It's a long road, but you have to start somewhere! Pink Hurricane - I love that first week water drop, it's so motivating. Glad you're back!

Jessica - I know you're watching the scale go up and down, but from where I'm standing you're doing great! You're juggling quite a bit when it comes to the new schedule, new job, two jobs, Will, etc. Being able to do that and maintain is such a triumph in and of itself.

Lulu - Hello and welcome!

Mandy - You don't think the slow down is because of sodium? Or it's hormonal or something? I know - I really, really know - how frustrating these slow-downs are, but we've both been there before. Nothing for it but to stay on plan and wait it out. In the interim you've got all the sympathy and understanding I can send your way. Hang in there!!

Jenni - See above. Slow-downs stink but they're part of it.

Laurie - Massive kudos to you for doing so well with going out for breakfast. You're in such a good place right now and it's so good to see!!

Pink - Water weight is still weight being lost. Congratulations!!

Diane - I hope you have an absolutely wonderful camping trip! It sounds like it's going to be a lovely vacation!

Über - Hey Ms. Awesome!! Hope you had a great weekend!!

I'm trying to mix things up a bit with dinner and am trying something new. It's a Japanese dish that directly translates into "parent and child" - chicken and lightly scrambled eggs over rice. If it doesn't work out I'm going to be super sad because I had a massive, inedible failed experiment on Friday (involving fake soy "chicken" and seaweed... don't ask) that was one of the grossest things I think I've ever made. No vomiting, though, so that's a plus.

Things are fine with being on plan. There's some free-floating tension that means I'm getting a bit munchy/snacky. Luckily, that has translated into eating an extra apple after dinner or snacking on tangerines.

How do people deal with using food as comfort? I find that crunchy foods are emotionally soothing for me. In the past I've eaten chips. Now I eat a super crunchy apple that allows me to stay within my calorie range. I've heard some people say that any and all food eaten based on emotional reasons should be avoided (the apple is as bad as the chips because they're both emotionally motivated). I've heard others say that it's about making better choices and not about eliminating emotional eating. Right now I'm fine with my apples, but I do want to break this pattern of looking to food for things it's not supposed to provide. How do you all think about these things? Do you even think about these things or is this a sign I need to get out of my head?