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 a bi-weekly 2x2 Challenge.
Our goal is to lose 2 lbs in 2 weeks.
We have a long term goal of losing 300+ lbs within our 300+ group in 2005.

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.

The South Beach Diet
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS.../3fatchionadie

(I'll insert some more links in here later that will go directly to some of the most popular books that we've been talking about) In the meantime, 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.

Thanks, Thin, I had no idea that using the amazon link would give 3FC support--and I shop there a lot. I for one will use 3FC to get there every time from now on.

Just thought I'd share something nice but also ironic that I bet a lot of you have noticed. Yesterday I had two friends mention that I was looking good, and ask if I'd lost weight, which was nice and encouraging. But SOOOOOO funny, because when I was working hardest and losing fastest, in the summer and early fall, no one noticed. I've lost just a few pounds since Thanksgiving, but I've had many more compliments. I realized the last time I had a significant loss that the first 20 pounds or so barely showed, but as I got smaller even a few pounds could be noticeable. So I'm trying to use that as motivation to make another big push forward. If I could lose at the rate I was losing this summer for a few months, I'd be getting compliments left and right, I bet.

Hope all you snow bunnies are safe and warm inside and have your power and everything. Windy, windy, windy here in central Illinois.

Sue--I've also considered but always been afraid of WLS. I keep telling myself that if I can somehow produce the sense of a dramatic change, and long-term commitment that WLS would provide, I should be able to lose. Don't know whether that's true or not, but I think that considering the alternatives from time to time is a good way to remind ourselves that our health issues are serious and require attention NOW, whether we want to do WLS or not.

Terri--Thanks for reposting the 2x2... I feel all eyes are upon me! MUST MEET CHALLENGE!

Marcie--Hang in there... just remember, if it happened to everybody, well, that half pound was already there, so at least it's nothing you did wrong.

Hilta--Hope you're staying OP as planned! Keep it up--I will if you will.

Blue--I posted in your Hello thread, but I thought I'd just say here, welcome back, and good for you for starting again, and I'm 3 hrs south of you and sometimes get to Chicago. Hope being at your father's will be helpful.

Gottagetserious--Welcome!!! I find this place really helpful and I hope you will too.

Michelle--Thanks for the encouraging words. I know you're right, and I also know that any time is a good time to get back OP. I did everything I planned to yesterday, so I'm just celebrating that.

I don't believe it. I just wrote this HUGE long post and must have hit a wrong button somewhere because it's GONE! I was just about done too. Gosh, that pi$$e$ me off. I did individual replies and everything.

Well, no time to go back and redo it.

Welcome to all of you new folks and returning folks.

Congrats to all the losers, who are really winners in my book.

We've gotten about 5-8 inches of snow since this morning. The "baby" decided last night to drive to Flint (an hour and a half up north of here) because you know it's best to leave home when you're expecting a BLIZZARD!!! Haven't heard from him other than a phone call early last night before the snow started saying that he'd be home in a few days. Arghhhhhh! He's 23, I've gotta let him grow up! It's just that you'd think I would have raised smarter kids!

I've gotta go. Honey's in here yammering about how much I'm NOT getting done. See you later. Love ya bunches!

Hello Everyone!

Ocean Girl – hmm, you know, I never really thought about that… looking at the fat content. I just figured if I cut back in calories I’d be okie. I’ll definitely have to look into that. Thanks! You have more control than I do… I think I would have knocked that chick out! I am probably the most self conscious person in the world, and it’s hard to hear crap like that, but I usually suck it up and just walk away. Sometimes… enough is enough… I’m with you!

Carla – Hi there! I know how you feel! I, for the longest time, never knew what I really weighed, only that it was over 300lbs. I went online… I believe it was drugstore.com and I bought a health-o-meter. Their site was great. It was actually an ad banner on here at 3fatchicks. I saw quite a few scales that went up to 350, a few that went up to 400lbs, there may have been others that went higher, but I not quite sure. I ordered mine online, the price was pretty decent, of course it was more than the regular ones. I should have gotten the digital one tho… I kinda regret that. I think they had one that did fat count or something like that where it measure your fat in your body. You should check it out you might find a decent scale there. Let me know what you come up with

Angela – yes, definitely scared of it. My mother’s friends daughter, had it done and she died from complications. Uggg… Then a week later my mom goes, maybe you should try it, I’ll pay for it. Like gee thanks mom! Her heart is in the right place, but her mouth is somewhere else I guess… gotta love moms!

Thinthinker – I had the same problem as you throughout this whole week. I’ve started new threads, tried to post and nothing shows up. The funny thing is, I get the confirmation… thank you for posting, then nothing… it’s nowhere to be found, so when I try to repost, it tells me it’s a duplicate post and will not be posted. I do all my posts in Microsoft Word so I can save it and when I run into a problem like that, I just copy and paste it over again I cheated <G>

I had a really good game last night. I bowled my first ever 200!! I’m completely excited about it hehehe I also won 20 bucks in side pots for having the highest score (including handicap) on the entire league.. woohoo! Well with my handicap it put me at 267 for a score. I’m still excited though, winning a sidepot or not… it was a great achievement for me, specially since my average is only 136. *Big Cheesy grin*

Whoo.. okie.. so other than my bowling, last night was a good night for me too. Did you know, my Diet Power program calculated, at my weight and for the length of bowling I did, that I burning… It calculated:

Bowling, including rests between frames for a duration of 120 minutes (2 hours) and a burn rate of 0.01587 cal/lb/min (whatever that means ) that the energy I burned was 695 calories at temperature setting of under 80 degress…

695 calories??!! Holy Cow! Heh… that really sounds wrong. Although I’ve read in some magazines that you can burn up to 240 calories an hour during bowling and in a 3 game series you walk about 6/10 of a mile.

Crazy isn’t it?! I actually bowled 3 hours (6:30 – 9:30) but the numbers it was giving me for 3 hours of bowling was like outrageous! I figured 2 is a good idea of what I burned, specially with the rests in between when waiting for my next turn.

well anyways, I’m still beaming from the game last night hehehe, so I’ve gotta go burn off some happy energy on some DDR. Then it’s off to homework YAY! heheheh..

Lots of snow out east… I will be giving my grandmother in NY a call. I heard they are gonna get up to 3 feet of snow!! Yikes… West coast gets flooded, East coast gets frozen… eeesh!

Alrighty ladies, take care!
Sue…

Food has been so bad
We went to a all you can eat seafood buffet last night. Its my fault I wanted to eat. I am setting here now wanting sweets.

The wind is howling outside it is turning colder but no snow in the forecast thank goodness.

Well I'm off here maybe some hot tea would be nice catch you all later

SueMarie I remember my first 200 game bowled!!! It's a wonderful feeling and it never goes away. Every time you bowl from now on you will try for another 200 and everytime you get it it will be just exciting as the first. Maybe there are some non-bowlers out there that do not understand this, but all the bowlere will. I have not be able to bowl for several years as my knees got really bad and I had to have 2 knee replacements, and now I'm afraid to bowl because I'm afraid I might fall and that would really damage these "artifical" knees, But boy do I miss it.

Spent the day taking my 16y/o niece to her gymnastic meet. Her 14 y/o brother had a big Karate thinkg and my sis and BIL felt like they needed to go to that, but didn't want Lara at the meet alone. She did okay, but not great. Then I had to take her out the the karate place.

I was not able to make good food choices today. I ate a good breakfast, but my only choices for lunch were hamburger, hot dog or nacho's, so I chose the hamburger. Later I bought a cookie and a cup of coffee. Then when I got to the karate place they were having a catered Mexican buffett, so I ate a bit of Mexican food, but I did use restraint and didn't over do it. And I did not eat the cake.

Goooood morning all! We went out to dinner last night with DHs boss and his wife. We went to Ruby Tuesdays and I had grilled chicken, steamed broccoli and half lf my baked potato with a little butter. I left the garlic toast sitting on the plate! It was yummy and I felt great about my choices. I am not sure if anyone else lives close to a Ruby Tuesdays, but they had one menu on each table that had the calories/fat/fiber/carbs listed for every entreee/side item/sauce/dessert....it was very nice!!!! It was my first time there and I was glad to see that special menu!

Have a great day all...and stay warm!!!

Good morning all

Mornin' Ladies,

You New Englanders stay in and keep warm. The storm is over here. We got about 14"of snow on top of the foot that was already on the ground. Hard to believe 10 days ago it was 60şF and green here. Thank God is "light" snow, easy to shovel.

I'm off to dig out paths to the bird feeders and get them topped off. The pointers will be happily watching from inside.


Brrrrrr!

I am soooo dumb sometimes.
I kept checking my mailbox to see if anyone had posted. I have an email sent to me when someone new posts. (It only shows once even if 10 people posts.)
Well... no one had posted since who knows when. I wondered what was going on?
I finally thought DUH !!! It is a new thread. I felt sooo stupid.

Anyway... now I don't have time to post. But I had to say hello. I will be back later.
Oh... Although I LOVE SNOW ... I am glad I don't have it here.
"Keep warm to all of you snowmen. Brrrrr

Hi Gang -

Just popping in for a quick HELLO! We are digging out from the white stuff here! Yesterday we got about a foot of snow. Everything was pretty much shut down last night. We spent a couple hours this morning with the snow blower and shovels and have our driveway and sidewalks cleared. Now we are getting ready to settle in and watch the EAGLES game!!!

I hope you are all having a great weekend!
Barb

GO EAGLES!!!

Hi all! Just checking in briefly. #1 Son is degragging my computer, whatever that means, and so I'm in the basement on Honey's computer. Gee, I thought mine was sssslllloooowwww! Yeesh!

Went out to some friends last night. The roads still weren't plowed even when we came home at midnight! Don't know what the road crews were up to, but we didn't even see ONE truck on the road. They must have all been on a coffee break...at 7:00 AND midnight! Or maybe they were just in hiding.

Sorry to just check in and back out again, but Honey's desk chair doesn't "fit" me "ample self" so I'm relegated to a very short post or a sore back. I choose the short post.

I'll get back later when MY 'puter is back up and ready. Love ya bunches!

Its Sunday. Colder than blue blazes. Thank God for the neighbors
they plow out our driveway. We live about 1/10 mile from main road.
It sure is nice that we don't have to worry about it. My husband
worked for ODOT (Ohio Dept. Transportation) for 20 years. He
used to clean out our neighbors driveways when he was younger.
He dug basements and set up modular homes, so we had our own
equipment.
I guess its now their turn to return the favors. We really appreciate it anyway
Once again trying to stay with my program, drinking water and etc.
Maybe my slider will go in the right direction this week.
To all stay warm, and walk the losing path.

Wow its interesting to read the posts about snow from Hilta, Thinthinker, Barb, J-ann and others while I'm getting over a few very hot days here and a case of sunburn! I have been AWOL because I went on an unplanned trip to Brisbane (about 450 km north of here) to look at suburbs (I may be moving there in around 6 months). It was so hot that we drank about 6 litres (about 210 oz?) of water each day plus the other drinks we had.
(Share your success Sunday) The most exciting thing for me is that we went to Sizzler (this large all-you-can-eat place) where I used to go years ago (and really 'pig out'). What was exciting to me was that this time when I went I ordered a steak with mushrooms, baked potato instead of fries, and when I went to the "salad bar" which is usually groaning with pasta, fried potato skins and lots of other things, I automatically thought "ok now to get some salad to go with that steak ..." and loaded my plate with lettuce, carrot, cucumber etc. I didn't realise until I got back to my table that I had automatically made good choices and I didn't feel deprived at all. This sort of stuff is even more exciting to me than actual change in the numbers on the scale, because I feel like I'm actually changing my attitudes which will last long term! So it was a good night for me
I am heading to the pool and then the dietician this morning (first weigh-in since Jan 4th) so I better get ready and go. I hope to have more time to read back a bit and answer some posts later! Have a great day everyone {{hugs}}

Leanne