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 (roosters as well as chicks!) to join us in our journey. We share laughter and tears, heartaches and fears ... joys and celebrations. We also share what works for us and what doesn't.

We know the thread can move very quickly, and that people often make "personal" remarks and keep a number of conversations going. Please feel free to contribute even if you can't make personal comments all the time.

Finally, we also have several extra threads going on simutaneously such as Monthly Challenges, Weekly Weigh-ins, Recipes, Bios, Photos, Exercise, Info for Getting Started and more. Many of these threads are stickied at the top of the page. 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.



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 the Amazon "store" in the upper right hand corner of the screen on the PURPLE tool bar. 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 $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!!!!

Good Morning Ladies,

Lisa: I think you packing all your food and scale is a great idea. If you think it will help you with your new program to have nothing around than you did the perfect thing. Good luck!

Erika: Hi hon. Hope dear Amanda is able to get into a surgeon soon. Poor thing. I hope she gets all fixed up and is able to enjoy life again. Hugs to you both.

Well, I'm off to go get my bimonthly mouth torture lol. Time to tighten my braces. They don't hurt much anymore and it is nice that I am seeing straight teeth for the first time in my whole 40 years! The pool is right next to the ortho so no excuses not to go... well, unless they are not open to an open swim just then lol. but, I will have my pool bag in hand.

HOpe you are all doing well and had a wonderful weekend.
Blessings,
Annie

Good Morning Everyone, So I started this new routine with my exercise today, instead of walking on the treadmill for 45 min at one time I have committed myself to walking for 20min 3 x per day. It works for me as far as lifestyle and it ups my time to 1 whole hour per day. I did some research and as far as long term effects it is the same to do your cardio in bursts as it is to do it all at one time. However, it seems as if the metabolic boost three times per day can help for the short term. Can anyone confirm or debunk this? Just wanted to see what ya'll thought on the subject.

Anyway, have a wonderful Monday!

I'm having a horrible time with exercise. I tried doing the exercise bike everyday, but something about the foot pads or they way my feet rest on them sets off my plantar facitis and I hobble for days. I've got my gym bag ready to go, and I'm going to try to hit water aerobics a couple of times a week to start. I haven't gone in a year, so I'll basically have to start over again. I had gotten up to 6-10 hours a week of moderate and deep water before moving. I'll probably have to start in the kiddie pool. It did snow today, so I'll get some shoveling in. I haven't been able to walk in the mall, which is crucial this time of year here, because my feet are inflamed. I'm going to have to break down and buy some really expensive shoes. With plantar, you have to almost buy new shoes every three months as soon as they lose their "spring." I wear crocs around the house, and for choir, and that helps, but I really can't trudge through knee deep snow in crocs. Although I do have a pair of outdoor ones that are 2 sizes too big that I wear heavy socks with on days when everything is frozen so no slush. Himself calls them my clodhoppers. Who else but a Florida girl would wear beach sandals in the snow? The best walking shoes I ever had were a pair of professional volleyball shoes. They were filled with gel and designed to be jumped up and down heavily in, so perfect for a overweight woman walking on concrete. Exercise is so much easier when it doesn't hurt.

DJC i am having to break down my exercise sessions into segements because of severe leg and knee pain and i think the effect is just as good. i am no expert but on me it seems to get my metabolism working all day long.

I notice I am experiencing a lot of resistance to exercising (specifically getting on my treadmill). My little internal voice keeps saying things like :"You will hurt more". So I guess what I have I have is a fear of pain.

I wrote about this in my blog today & what I think I have is a too short vision for my long term goal. If I take the long view - I can see how I will in the future experience less pain as I will be fit and will be putting less lbs on my knee and back.

I was re-inspired today by reading the idea of doing more frequent & shorter durations... but I have to admit - I am still looking at my motionless treadmill - standing there - not treaded on.

I guess I need a little push & a little bit of courage... would anyone be willing to send me a little note of encouragement? I seem not able to self-motivate myself today. (yet)

start of slow and beleive it or not you will come to love your treadmill ... that is what works for me .good luck and givbe it a try!

Good afternoon. I can't see to stay away from here today. lol. I am trying to straighten my office and get things organized again from the tornado I call Joel, DH who lovingly moved the day bed, trundle, all of his Nintendo games and stuff, any thing else he thought should go in here all piled up. lol. I have started on the closet and am half way finished. I hear my email pop with new mail and rush over to see who could be distracting me from my work. lol

Catherine: I have a couple of questions for you if you feel like answering.
1) The pool that I go to is a therapy pool. The areobic classes are all full so I am on my own. I can't swim laps there because they don't allow it, splashing the patients I think. Any way, It does have a deep water area and I was wondering if you could suggest anything for me to do to exercise in that area as I'm on my own for exercising.

2) about Crocks shoes. I bought a knock off pair and I thought they would be great for my camping weekend because water etc. Well, by the end of the weekend my feet were hurting so badly from lack of support for my huge weight. Are real crocks better than the knock off brands do you know? How is the support in them?

Lastly, not a question, just hope you are feeling better! hugs.

patti: have you made a Dr. appointment yet? I know that Ammi would be asking so I will channel her and let you know that you need to do it!

Shadie: Congrats on -12! That is awesome. Keep up the great work.

Cheekcheek: Good for you getting inspired. I was too. Now lets go do it! Good job.

Blessings all,
Annie

Well, I would and I do! I wear my crocs all the time...even out in the snow if I have to go outside with the dogs, etc. for a short period of time. I love my crocs!

Annie-before I was able to join a class, I had to do the same thing. I went to the deep end and just water walked at first. They may not let you do laps, but go back and forth in the deep end. One direction go as if you are riding a bicycle, then go back like riding it backwards. Backwards is much harder. Move your feet like you are using your foot to drag a sock out from under the bed. You can bicycle with your arms in front of you too. Then do like you are sitting in a lawn chair, not using your legs, arms only dragging the water out of the way. If they have those water weights, you can do those too. Try doing jumping jacks underwater. See what makes the least amount of splashing but the most aerobic work out, and just do it a million times.

As for crocs, I've never owned any knock-offs. There's an office right behind our bus stop where a woman works who is about my size. I noticed her wearing them once when she was outside for a smoke break and I was waiting on the bus. I asked her if they supported her weight well enough, and she said only the real ones. She had tried knock-offs too, and they just weren't made of the same material. I'm not allowed to ever be bare foot, and wear a pair of the Aspen model in the house all day, everyday, and they haven't broken down yet and I've had them 4 months anyway. I also wear them for dress shoes. They are black and don't have the holes, so they are more professional looking. I pack them with my church music, and put them on before practice. Between practice and mass, I am standing almost non-stop for 2-2 1/2 hours. That would normally kill me. I find I can tolerate the standing with just a little foot pain and virtually no back pain. It's miraculous to me. I have an outrageously high arch, a size 11-12 foot that is so narrow that my heel is a 7A. My shoes could double for skis, all crushed down with 400 lbs. There is something sad about wearing the same size shoe as your 6'5" husband.

Annie no i i= havent made an appointment yet i was trying to wait til i have to go get my presciptions refilled but if i have another weekend like this past i will have to go i think. but id o appreciate the concern shown me! and i will go soon i think,. i own a pair of crocs and i love them lots.. i own a pair of knock offs too but the originals are the best!

Annie I'm a huge fan of crocs- I own 4 pairs in different colours and that's all I wear. I love them!! They are super comfy. I did buy a knockoff pair and they went in the trash bin the very next day- the plastic was too tough, not at all like the real thing. I say go for it- they are totally awesome!!!

Hello again Ya'll,
Thanks for the encouragement, the short segments are really working! Not so intimidating I think. I am lucky enough not to have pain from exercise but I can empathize I am glad to hear I am not the only one trying it. Forty to sixty minutes of exercise at once seems so darned daunting, no matter how many craft shows are on the TV

I think you just have to find what will work for you. When I am unmotivated by will alone I just tell myself that five or ten minutes will do. Of course, I never just stop, I almost always finish.

Once again thanks for being here to all of you.

I will be thinking positive thoughts for those of you in hard spots right now.

I am new and don't know Ammi, but I will light a candle for her Mama anyway. Just know she'll always be there for you. That's what Mama's are for, in life and death just the same.

Hey everyone-

Well we did all of grocery shopping last night. We have no junk food in the house! And I was really careful in what we bought because I also now have to watch the sodium. Like a regular slice of cheese had 250mg of sodium and the pepper jack only had 120mg and the fat/cal were the same. So at least I could cut out some sodium. Like I said its hard because even some of the healthy food is LOADED with sodium. Anyways, I think tonight DH and I will try out the workout room if its not full. They only have three machines but I figure maybe no one will be in there around 10pm. But I may just get up early at 5 am to work out before DH goes to work. Its nice the workout room is open 24 hours a day.

**Also I hope its ok to post these. I always talked about the polar bears in Barrow, AK where I used to live. Well my friend in Barrow passed on these pics to me of a polar bear right off the shores in Barrow. The bear was on the pack ice. And a whaling captain took his pictures out there. They were out in a boat looking for whales. (they hunt and use bowhead whales) Its sort of creepy because we were on the beach shores a lot. I hope they load right..I am off to go try to load them on the picture page sticky.

I hope you all are doing well. Take care and stay OP.