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!!!!

Carrie--welcome to the numbered threads

Andrea--That's the date I joined 3FC over on the left, not my birth date My birthday is actually in July, so my birth stone is the ruby, but I never cared much for rubies. Purples and blues have always been my favorite colors, and in speaking with the jewelers at different stores, the general consensus was that sapphires are a harder stone than tanzanite or amethyst (the other 2 stones I was interested in), so they would be a better choice to reduce the risk of damage since I plan to wear the ring for a very long time

Lisa--good lord, woman, I don't know how you can handle being on just liquids while being out and about. I don't get popcorn or candy or anything at the movies, but if we have a day out shopping and such, I do like to stop for a sandwich or something. You are insanely strong--keep up the FABULOUS work!

Catherine--ha, I've actually been kind of disappointed that I have NOT had anyone to show my ring off to! Jeff and I keep mostly to ourselves, so the only real interaction I have is with people at work, and most of them are away on the "presidential retreat" (tropical vacation for the recruiters, BDs, and VPs that met/exceeded their 2006 goals), so my hand is just itchin' to be thrust under someone's nose

Brenda--not sure if you post in any other sections of the boards around here, but if you have any questions about belly dancing, I know one of our dear moderators, Aphil, is actually an instructor, I believe, and I think she also sews costumes for dancers and such. I know she moderates in the Calorie Counters section of the forum.

Xena--Avenue sometimes has some great deals. I buy all my clothes from Avenue, Fashiong Bug, and Lane Bryant, but without coupons, their regular-priced items don't quite fit my budget, so I make a beeline for the clearance racks in the back

As for me, I had a pretty good weekend. I can't say every bite that went into my mouth was perfectly nutritionally sound, but there was out-of-control eating or bingeing, and I bought lots of healthy stuff when I went grocery shopping yesterday. I had Chipotle for lunch one day last week and have decided to make up my own Chipotle wannabe food for lunches this week. I'll make what they call a "burrito bol"--all the burrito stuff in a bowl with no tortilla. I have some chopped romaine lettuce, some seasoned chicken breast (I actualy found a copycat recipe for their chicken seasoning and just adjusted it a bit with healthier ingredients), fat-free shredded cheddar cheese, fat-free sour cream, guacamole (made my own with fresh avocados), salsa, brown rice, and black beans. Should be yummy!

Jill-- I've been making my own "burrito bols" for a couple of weeks now I guess, without knowing it. Last night, grilled chicken, black beans, brown rice, some roasted red peppers, salsa and a bit of cheese. They are yummy!!!

If anyone has any March exercise minutes to post, head on over to the March exercise thread (no longer stickied). I'll close it out in a couple of days! We got really close to 20,000 minutes!!!!!

Just a quick one... Oh, and my formatting problems are back, so it won't be a very 'exciting' looking post.

Peggy - I just looked at your pics and I can DEFINITELY notice a difference. Your face/neck is showing more defined features. It is hard to tell with the jacket on, but I am sure that you look smaller all over as well. And I LOVE your hair style the way it is in the latest photos. It really suits you.

Jill - Your ring is BEAUTIFUL! Very special design, and I love the mix of stones.
I'm glad your weight is doing the right thing. It is lovely when we get pleasant surprises, instead of the shocks that we are expecting.

Andrea - Your ideas for Easter sound great. It is good to see things OTHER than chocolate being given. I haven't decided what I want for Easter yet, because I don't eat chocolate and hubby doesn't eat much now either. We'll have to think of something different. I have only just worked out what I want for my birthday (Thursday) so my mind is kinda drained for ideas.

Lisa - It sounds as though you had a busy Sunday morning. I love days like that. I am a morning person, so I don't mind getting all my things out of the way in the morning and then resting in the afternoon.
How often do you get to have an 'emergency' meal? I am glad you are able to do something like that for Easter. I am afraid that I would see EVERY occasion as a need for an emergency meal. I just love my food too much. I can't believe how quickly the time is flying by though. It is amazing that you are already into week 4 of your program.

Brenda - The new bed sounds lovely. I hope it is comfortable. There is nothing worse than having to break in a new bed. My back isn't that keen on new beds.
The bellydancing sounds like a wonderful idea! I wish I was more into 'group' types of things, as I think bellydancing would be fun. I may look into getting a DVD on it to try it out. It is supposed to be great exercise.

Xena - It is amazing how some good weather can make you feel so much better. We are looking forward to a lovely warmer week here and I already feel better than I did last week when it was cool and damp.
I am glad you were able to get the capris. I loved buying clothes when I was losing weight, even if I didn't get to wear them for long, because it always made me feel better to wear a smaller size and people commented more when I wore something that was more fitted, instead of being baggy.

Carolyn - Your efforts in the garden sound fantastic. I wish I had more room for a vegetable patch. We have quite a small back yard and it is mostly paved. I have been thinking for a while that I may try to grow some things in very large pots, but I'm not sure how that would work. I love going to my mum's and having freshly grown tomatoes and oranges. I eat SO many vegetables, that I would imagine it would have to be cheaper in the long run, but I would need a LOT of pots to keep me in enough veggies.
I hope you had a lovely time in Pendleton. I love going to places with an interesting history like that. Western Australia is so 'young' that we don't really have too many places with much of a history.

Katt - You must be getting SO excited about the opening of your shop. It sounds like you will have a lovely assortment of goodies. I will have to send you a PM so I can look at your stocks. I would imagine it would be hard work setting everything up, but I am SO envious of you for being able to work for yourself. I am not really game enough to do something like that. I have been thinking lately that I would LOVE to work in a bookstore, particularly in the children's section, but I don't think I would ever be game enough to actually own my own store.

Michelle - I am glad Alex came out of his ordeal fine. I am sorry that DH is still awaiting results, but I still think that it is better that it is caught early, as there is a MUCH greater chance that they get it all. I know that I was scared silly when I was told that I had cancer, but the fact that the doctor could cut it all out was such a relief. Yes, there is the chance that it could grow back again (mine was a 'rare' type that does this) but she still says that she will be able to cut it out if it does grow back, so I am not as worried as I was at first. I truly hope that your hubby's results are great and you have your minds eased.

Oops... I'm not sure what happened to my 'quick' post. I just tend to get a little carried away.
Things were a little better at school towards the end of last week (after I did a LOT of crying on Wednesday afternoon/evening) and I had a good weekend (birthday shopping), but today the whinging started again. Still... only 2 more days with the kids, then one day of Professional Development, then just over two weeks off. Mum wants me to go and visit, but I'm not sure what I'll do about that yet, because I think I want a TOTAL break, but I know that she is lonely at the moment. I'll have to decide some time I suppose.

Sorry that I missed a lot of people, and WELCOME to all of the new people. I hope those who have been a little quiet (like me) are just too busy to post at the moment. I also hope that you all have a wonderful week.

Take care,

Zelma

good morning everyone!

Nothing new here other than the fact that I LOVE bellydancing~! OMG it is so fun and what a workout!!! my midsection is screaming at me this morning. I slept pretty well on my new bed. In fact slept in and now I am behind on the stuff I was "supposed" to do this morning. Now I just have to wake up hubby and get him moving. We are going walking at the track today or swimming. I havent decided yet. My sore muscles are telling me that a swim would be marv.

We arent only missing ammi, but where did annie and val go???

k, i have to run for now. I'll try to get back in a bit.
Brenda

G2L200 - How exciting that you've found a new exercise that you love! And bellydancing! It sounds so exotic. Congrats.

My weight has played **** on my knees and I miss miss miss walking for exercise so much. I do enjoy swimming, but in the winter that means a pool and that's not always easy to schedule.

Does anybody have any happy weight loss related knee improvement stories to share and give me hope?

Hello! I am alive! I think...it was a LONG weekend! I'm almost glad to be back at work where I can get some rest - almost!

I've been so rushed lately! My friend is finally almost completely moved. She really just has some boxes that can be moved by car and cleaning to do at her old place. I'll probably try to help with that tonight. We helped her on Friday and then I made and hung her bedroom curtains on Saturday and made her a shower for the clawfoot tub in the apt she's renting out of PVC pipe and a portable shower hose. Turned out really cute if I do say so myself, but consisted of climbing a ladder and balancing on the edge of her tub (something I couldn't have done a couple of years ago) and working over my head for hours and my sholders are screaming! Then I did yard work when I got home, including digging up hostas to give to a friend, planting my new honeysuckle vines and mowing the horribly overgrown yard and hand-pulling weeds!

Definately got my work-out yesterday. Good thing, since I overslept an hour this morning and missed the elliptical, although I fully intended to get up and do it! I was so late I didn't even get to do the park and walk 1/2 mile I usually do when the weather is right.

I'm committed to getting back on track this month! I HAVE to start getting up and on the elliptical in the mornings again and getting on that darn Bowflex in the evenings! And journalling! Wednesday is WI for me and I will log it and start again and journal every bite instead of trying to keep it in my head. Not the best time to start, as we're going to St. Louis for our anniversary this weekend and will NOT be eating OP....but maybe if I'm more conscious of it I'll do better than I would otherwise.

I hope you and yours are all doing well...I'm sorry for no replies, but I missed so much on the last thread it isn't really feasible. to you all and Hello!

Oh and Jilly - LOVE the ring!

metechic i had to get me a good knee wrap and wear that for several days before my knee got better... i also had to cut back just a tad on my treadmill till my knee got better.

I was able to start a mild workout this morning, though I can't do anything like stomach crunches or the like yet, because I am not even two weeks out from banding surgery. I'll have to check on that when I go to my appointment on Thursday for my check-up. In the interim, I am walking when I can. Some chilly weather is supposed to set in here around Thursday--ugh! Then again, weather tends to get rather goofy around here in early April, and it never fails to drop in temperature right before the Pirates home opener anyway.

I find that glucosomine and chondroitin supplements are great for the knees; I've taken them for awhile now--I call them my "knee grease." They really do help me move better, and I always recommend them to anyone with knee trouble, especially with pain and stiffness. The best thing is that they can be found at almost any vitamin or drug store.

Good morning/afternoon/evening!

Not much going on here. I just got back from walking and did about twice my usual amount - I finally dug out my MP3 player and loaded it with music last night, and I found that really helped with my stamina and willingness to keep going. 2.45 miles was my total. I'm cramping really bad today, took some Pamprin and amazingly, the exercise seemed to help, too.

Finally, after weeks and weeks, we got some rain yesterday! We certainly needed it and it helped wash some of the pollen away.

Now I have to go clean up the house, get my hair cut and figure out what I'm going to cook for supper tonight ...

Hope everyone has a great day!

Just popped in real quick. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day with doctor appts and Spring cleaning. I don't know when I'll be able to get on tomorrow but will try. Went out for my walk this morning and can back sneezing my head off ( it rained here yesterday and when anyone mows right after a rain I get the sneezes, watery eyed, running nose ). Today started some seed for the up and coming garden and planning out what to put in the flower bed out front. I think for my evening walk tonight I'll take my dog Lucky with me ( that is if she'll behave herself ) she loves to chase anything that blows in the wind. LOL


Well I did really good on Friday ( my daughters 8th birthday ) stayed true to my portions and I did have just tad bit bigger piece of her b-day cake ( made it with Splenda this time).

Well I'm out of here got more errands to run and a house to get ready to clean tomorrow.

voodoo, annie, ammi we are missing you guys on here!and misti where are you kenya?

Hi, I'm ok, just been busy! I've been reading everyone's posts but not had time to 'say' anything!
Jilly LOVELY RING!!
I'm worried about Ammi too, not seen her on MSN or had any emails.
I've been mowing the lawn & other gardening stuff over the wekend as well as walking round a cmplex of waterways & old train tracks, feeding ducks & enjoying the scenery.
I hope you're all doing well & happy.xxxxxxx
xxxxsharon

Just thought I would pop in to say hello. Thank you everyone for your welcoming messages yesterday. This is a wonderful place to come and post and I am looking forward in getting to know everyone. This is a really warm and caring atmosphere..thank you.

This is my start of week 3 being OP. I gained 4 pounds that was sooo undeserved. I just started exercising and my water hasn't been like it should so maybe that is why..I am giving it my 100% this week. I am thinking about checking curves out..I joined curves about 3 years ago and really liked it. I had to quit because they moved upstairs (no elevator) and my knees did not like the stairs at all!!! I broke my knee about a year and a half ago and now have arthritis in it..so with my weight, bad knee it sure doesn't like the stairs..I am hoping when I get down close to 400, my knee will warm up to the idea of stairs. I know with curves there will be a few machines I cannot do but last time they just had me do other exercises in place of those machines so that might be an idea. Like Bob from the Biggest Loser always says: Eat less, move more, hehe.

Well sorry for being so long winded..just a quick hello to you all and have a wonderful OP day!

Carrie

Hello everyone, Just thought I would introduce myself. Love this forum! I have been here since Wednesday reading my heart out, and love all the support here! My name is LeeLee, I am 24 yrs old and have just begun this journey in Feb, losing 20lbs. Since switching from 6 week body makeover to straight calorie counting on Wednesday Ive lost an additional 7lbs so Im really happy!

Anyway I just wanted to say hello, I feel like I know you all already from reading your posts

LeeLee