Hi Everyone!
Terra I will be handing out candy also but NO scary movies! I am a chicken when it comes to those movies. I can still remember the worst parts of every scary movie I've watched. I am glad your feet are better. What brand of shoes did you get?
Betsy we are getting your wind all the way over here in Wisconsin. By to night our trees will be naked! I too toy with the idea that all this weight might actually be all my fault. I am also starting to realize I can not take it back off as easily the second time around.
Fi I know Betsy has said what I feel about your friend better then I could have.
Fi as for your collage it was quite manly I must say.

As for me I am not happy. My pants are getting almost impossible to zip. The fear is setting in. What if I can't do this?
Thanks for being here. I hate feeling scared and alone...

Hi everyone. I'm still around just not posting much. Just lurking. Still on plan but zero results right now. Day by day just hanging in.

Thanks, y'all, for the supportive comments about my Belgian friend, Ignace. Yes, it's true, she's a drain on me emotionally. And that's something I just don't need right now, with sick kittens getting four different medications, some of them multiple times a day. It's not slowing them down much, though, and they're gaining weight like they're supposed to: I'm glad for that. But their level of sexual maturity means it's time for at least one of them to be fixed. So Oscar goes in to be neutered on Thursday, because our vet won't spay Nénu—a much more major operation—when she's still this congested from the cold they've both had since we got 'em.

We have a couple of other big issues hanging over our heads right now. Bob's mother has rapidly worsening dementia—most probably Alzheimer's—which means she's not safe living in her apartment anymore. It's time for her to move to the more central and much more expensive "assisted living" part of her retirement community. That will mean a studio apartment and necessitate giving up a lot of her furniture & other extraneous possessions. Bob and his sister who lives close are on the phone talking about it nearly every night.

And we're facing the issue of whether his mom should just go ahead and do what she's been willing to do for some time: sign the deed for the farm over to us, while she's still competent (barely) to do so. We've been content up 'til now to wait and inherit the property, but if she ends up living for as much as five more years in a grey fog, the farm would be part of the assets the retirement community would draw on. We obviously don't want that to happen. It would be a big step for us, financially & otherwise, to take over full management of the farm, and it's a very hard one for Bob to take.

Meanwhile, his eldest sister, out in California, is facing two terminal illnesses: inoperable lung cancer and severe COPD, from many decades of chain smoking. She has recently (finally!) quit smoking, because now she requires concentrated oxygen plus a nebulizer just to stay alive. She's been "a miracle patient," according to her oncologist, to have made it this far, but her options are very limited. She wants to make it to her second daughter's graduation from med school, next spring I think, but even that is a lot to hope for. She was Bob's most nurturing caretaker when he was growing up, so that's another big load on his mind. Lots of angst—that's the situation all 'round for him.

I'm doing well, mood-wise, but with all of this going on, I don't have much energy. Something as simple as running a couple of errands and going grocery shopping wipes me out for the day. All the gas I have left by evening is enough to do my 600 leg lifts, which I desperately need to keep up, for the sake of my knees. I wish I could've made another collage tonight, but it wasn't in the cards. =sigh= I'm going to be talking to my Qigong instructor on Thursday about this energy problem, that's for sure.

Thanks again, and best wishes to all of you...

And Ubee: you are not alone. We are here for you, every step of your weight loss journey. Maybe you should read a book like Brooke Castillo's If I'm So Smart Why Can't I Lose Weight?, or The Willpower Instinct, or something. But I don't know what will work for you. Reading a book is what I would do, because it would give me new things to try and would buck me up.

Hi Everyone!
shan glad to hear you are still out there in lurker land and staying on plan.
Fi Thanks for your wonderful advice. I love reading self help books. I have it in my Amazon cart and hopefully it will be just what the doctor ordered.
It sure sounds like you and Bob have a lot on your plate. I know you wanted to get a collage in but you set a great example by making your leg lifts a priority.

Today is my two year diet anniversary. Of course I would like my weight to be lower BUT I have stuck with it for 2 years!(Some days more then others.)
Have a peaceful day.

Hi everyone....sorry no personals today except Fi...I am so sorry you and Bob are facing such difficult decisions at the moment.
Well, I have stuck to my pledge to walk 2 of the dogs everyday and my knees have coped really well. I was determined not to see half term and the "week-before-the-gym" as an excuse to eat and sit on the sofa. I have been OK with food. I wouldn't say amazing but mostly making healthy choices with the odd moment of madness! (The youngest pup is a bit little to go out at the moment and hubby takes the other one out in case you were wondering!)
My boy and I went to Bristol to see my daughter yesterday. It's about a 2 hour drive and they went to the zoo whilst I had an hour in a coffee shop in peace and quiet! I wanted him to have her all to himself for a while and they had a great time. I was really pleased as I managed to drive and walk around easily....hooray for those improved knees!
Hoping for a swim tomorrow. The pool near us has free swimming for kids during the holidays at set times so outside those times the pool is quiet.

Have a great day/evening,

Ubee ~ Thats cool that you are gonna pass out candy. I like scary horror movies but I dont like bloody horror movies.

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I woke up at 8 a.m. and then I let Clyde outside and then I got ready for my appt. and then I ate breakfast and now I'm just watching King Of Queens while waiting for 11:50 a.m. to come so I can start watching for my bus. I'll get home between 3:30 and 4 pm today. My usual plans for today are to go on my after dinner walk and to work out to my dvd later on tonight and thats it.

Good morning all. In spite of the morning rain, it's gorgeous looking out my picture window by the breakfast table -- mountains, evergreen, fall color on the trees (although leaves are falling fast) and wispy clouds poking down here and there. In spite of having the furnace on, I have opened the door to the upper deck for a little while to get some of that wonderful post-rain fresh air in here. This with a cup of coffee makes for a pretty good start to the day.

Ubee -- We both seem to have been struggling with staying on plan these last few months. You've done far better than I, but I, too, want to get my mojo back. Hope the book helps. And congratulations on the 2 year anniversary. It dawned on me the other day that while I'm not doing as well as I would like, at least I haven't just given in. Mentally, I've made the turn to understanding that this is going to be for the rest of my life. Big difference. We can do this. Are you competitive? I realized that I was the most successful at losing when I would email my niece each week with the week's weight loss. Wasn't a desire to show her up, just didn't want to have to report week and week of gain. Hang in there.

Terra -- Good to hear that the shoes did the trick. I had plantar fasciitis a couple of years ago and bought some shoes designed just for that. I thought it was silly, but they really did the trick. I'm a believer now that getting good shoes is not a luxury, it's a necessity.

Fi -- You and Bob have a LOT of stress in your lives right now. So many major decisions to make. And they're not happy decisions. Do take care of yourself. The tiredness is probably from all of the things going on in your lives so many of which have such negative emotions attached to them. You haven't mentioned Grace being there in a couple of weeks (of course, you were at the farm!). Maybe a visit from her may do a lot to life your spirits. Hope Oscar's surgery goes well.

Donna -- You seem to be doing so well. Could you please bottle it and send it to Ubee and me! The walks, working with the dogs, swimming, and eating well -- all of those things are what we all should be doing. The trip to see your daughter sounds so nice and what a wonderful mother you are to share her completely with your son.

Shan84 -- Glad you've posted and are lurking. Don't know if this helps right now, but I'd be thrilled to not be gaining even if it goes with not losing.

It's supposed to stop raining this afternoon, so I'll try to go into town. I need to get supplies to refinish the four kitchen table chairs -- they're pretty beat up looking -- as well as the family room coffee table which has quite a few areas where Toby decided it would make a good teething tool. Groceries are on the list and I want to look at area rugs for the living and dining rooms. I ate breakfast this morning and plan on having part of a Costco spinach salad with a chicken breast for dinner. If I could eat that way and not have any of the junk, I'd be in good shape (mentally and physically!). The big challenge will be staying out of the Halloween candy. I think I'll put it in the downstairs apartment so it's an effort to go get it. And, of course, just not opening the bag in the first place. Have a great day everyone.

Betsy...and others— I have a suggestion regarding the Hallowe'en candy temptations. At least it's what I'm going to do. I haven't bought the candy for trick-r-treaters yet, but when I do, I'm also going to buy one bar of very dark chocolate—it's good for you!—that is just for me. Hallowe'en is one of the VSOs (Very Special Occasions) when I allow myself a break from my otherwise sugar-free lifestyle. The important thing is that I will have a strong division in my mind between the candy that belongs to trick-r-treaters (or Bob, if there's any left over that he wants) and the dark chocolate bar that is just for me. I will probably wait to eat my dark chocolate bar until there aren't any more trick-r-treaters, so I won't be distracted while I eat it very slowly, paying attention to every bite so I really savor the experience. Chocolate with high cocoa content has an effect on the mind: if you concentrate and notice what it's doing to your mood and your thoughts, you enjoy that effect more. And for me, at least, the combo of lower sugar content and eating it slowly means that it doesn't induce a craving for more sugar. I'm a bit sad when I finish my VSO treat, but it's a natural sadness about the passing of the holiday for another year, and I don't mind that little hint of melancholy. Just a thought...

Hi all! I'm new (as of today) to 3FC and also new to the whole forum thing.. I've never joined a forum and now I wish I had done it earlier! I really want to meet new people and help cheer others on as well as be cheered on in the weight loss journey. I weigh 320 lbs currently. Beginning of last year I tried eating clean by cutting out all sugar and processed foods. I lost almost 25 lbs in one month and went on to lose almost 40 lbs total.. then I gained it all back. I am so tired of that yoyo.. I just want to get a grip and lose weight for good! My goal is 160.. from there I will determine whether or not I want to lose more or am content. Thanks for any and all advice and words you may have!

Betsy ~ Yeah now I believe the right shoes are a necessity, Not a luxury.

Bllondy ~ Welcome to 3FC and to this thread.

Oh man, it just about broke my heart this morning when I had to take my six-month-old kitten, Oscar, to the vet's to be neutered. Not so much because of the procedure itself—it's one of those necessary evils of life—but because of his piteous cries about being separated from his sister, for the first time in his life. I felt so bad about it I almost bought some cookies on the way home. Starbuck's is right there on the way back from the vet's, and I could feel my hands starting to tug at the steering wheel. That must be what alcoholics feel like when they go by their favorite bar or liquor store! But I made it home without any cookies.

When I entered the house, I put my coffee water on to heat, and I was going to do my morning Qigong ("chee-gong") exercise, but I couldn't even get started because Nénu ("nay-noo"), Oscar's sister, was all over me, jumping up into my arms. She desperately needed reassurance about her dear Oscar being taken away. I petted her and petted her, and still she kept whining in her teensy little voice. She's right here with me now, rubbing her face up against the iPad as I write.

My Qigong instructor told me recently that I am too much up in my mind all the time, not enough in my body. While it's true I need to be more present within my body, it's not my mind that rules my world: it's my heart. I wonder if most of us who turn to the wrong foods for emotional solace are ruled by our hearts, not by our rational minds which would choose something else to eat. I wonder if most of us are creatures of emotions, above all.

Welcome, Blondy, to the 300+ chat thread. We are a small community here, and a tight one. Don't let our talking about things you don't know about yet make you feel shy: soon you'll catch up with our stories. And we are definitely here not just to talk about weight loss & food & exercise, but also for sharing the unfolding sagas of our lives. When you weigh 300+, you face a long journey back to health, with obstacles and setbacks along the way. So it's important that you have friends to support you who really know you, not just acquaintances giving recipe tips or whatever. When you feel comfortable doing so, please tell us more about yourself and your life. By the way, I love your nickname: I, too, am a blonde—light blonde until my 40s, then honey blonde for a while, and now, at 59, dark blonde streaked a bit with silver, which no one believes me are grey hairs, because they blend in so well with the blonde ones. =smile=

Betsy...your post made me cry! I try so hard to be the Mum mymother wasn't and your words of encouragement really touched me. I think you and Ubee are amazing to keep with it all so long. I have been dieting for about 105 years but only last about 4 months each time! I love the smell of rain and wet leaves too....which is just as well as it is very damp(though mild) where we live!
Ubee....you are my hero! I am really fortunate in that, now my mental health is a bit more stable I can focus on my health and weight when my boy is in school....hence the gym induction next week. Although we don't have much money, we have what we need to get by, my daughter is settling into Uni and my boy enjoys school.
Fiona......being in your body....that sounds like Mindfulness....does anybody have experience of that? I know Halloween is important for you, I hope you enjoy it.
Bllondy...welcome to this group of lovely people. I think I am the only UK girlie here but feel very at home, everybody is so warm and friendly.
Shan....miss you but glad you are lurking!
Terra.....I am totally with you about good shoes!

I went to see my wonderful therapist this morning (thank you God for the NHS). We touched briefly on my relationship with food. Do you know what?
It is a symptom of what's in my head as result of my childhood and teenage experiences, so we need to tackle the root cause (ie: the experiences themselves) to be effective. That in itself was enough to lift the burden of guilt and shame ....just a little... about overeating in general and secret eating in particular......so I think it is an approach that will really help!

Not going to manage a swim today as my young man hasn't gone with his Dad...we will walk the pooches later and try a swim tomorrow!
Have a lovely day chickens
Donna

Thank you all, Terra, Fiona and Donna, for making me feel welcome here! I think it's great to share life stories as well as weight loss journeys. Just a quick (as quick as possible!) summary of my life..

I grew up as a missionary's kid in Brazil, South America. I was 4 when we moved there. To me, it's my favorite place. I moved back to the USA for college but ended up only able to afford one year. I moved to Wyoming in 2005 and met my sweet hubby in 2006 and married him in 2007. In 2009 we became involved with prison ministry and have been working at that ever since. He is also the senior associate pastor of our church. I sing in the worship team at church. We are always busy but love where we are in life. I'm 32, he's 35. No kids but I babysit so I get baby therapy still..

I hit the 300s probably around 2008 or 2009. For me, I've always been an emotional eater but I also just love good food and can't seem to be content with just one serving of a good dish. My hubby and I are planning on joining the local rec center soon (he has a side project he needs to finish first) and will make good use of their exercise equipment and weight room. My husband (Rick) is joining mainly to build more muscle and be my personal trainer. Rick can lose weight just thinking about it. Haha.. He has such an incredibly fast metabolism and can get good muscle definition almost overnight.. It's kind of tough being the complete opposite of that. He's sweet and caring but doesn't really understand what it's like to be in my position. SO, all that to say I'm glad I found you ladies!!

Have a blessed day!

Donna ~ Yeah, I'm so glad my shoes did the trick and actually when I wear my old shoes to walk outside they dont hurt anymore either so I'm not sure why they were hurting to being with.

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I woke up at 7:00 a.m. this morning when my alarm went off and I got ready to come to school. Before I left the house I let Clyde outside and I got his food ready for him to eat later on this afternoon and I left the house to start watching for my bus at 7:30 a.m. and now I've been at school since 8:20 a.m. Its now almost 9:30 a.m. Scott was gonna come to school with me today so he could vote at noon cause they have early voting at my school but he wanted to keep sleeping so he missed his chance this year. Maybe he'll get up and go with me next year We'll see. Anyway today I have cooking class and peer support and then I'll head back home around 3:30 or 4 pm. I need to clean my room today and that includes folding and putting my clothes away. I also need to do the dishes and clean the bathroom too. I have lots to do when I get home. I hope everyone has an awesome day. Take Care Everybody.

Good Morning!
It is a chilly morning today and tomorrow we will be needing our winter jackets. I've had coffee but think I need some tea to stay warm.
Donna you bring up guilt and shame. Those are two things I need to give some thought. So many times I do not think about things and just shove the feeling down with food. I do feel guilty for (my perceived) embarrassing my family with my weight and the physical harm I have caused my body. I am ashamed of how I "let myself go." It is not something I dwell on but now that you bring it up it is stored away in my brain.
Fi what does he mean when he says you need to be more present in your body? I am so emotions above all. Good job on resisting the cookies. The kitties will be reunited long before those cookies would come off your hips.
Terra is it my imagination or did your ticker move down? Do you find it easier to stay on track when you are busier with school now?
WELCOME BLLONDY! I love this thread. Everything Fi said is true. I could not have stayed at this for 2 years so far if it were not for the support I get here.
Betsy I am not competitive. I do best when I have to be accountable to someone I know. I've tried it on here but it is not the same. The problem is I find someone but they are only half committed and then give up. Just a reminder in the past that candy going downstairs did not stop you. Maybe next year we should pass out those little bags of popcorn? I just realized once again how much we all have in common... Did you really get all that stuff done yesterday because that was quite a list?

I am feeling more optimistic about weight loss so hopefully actually doing it will come next. Hoping for a quiet day today.
Have a peaceful day.