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 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!

My official weekly weigh-in at TOPS last night--down 3.75 pounds! That makes 4 straight weeks of losing in a row--hope I can keep up that trend!! Since I started TOPS in the beginning of March, I have lost a total of 22.75 pounds, an average of about 1 pound per week. I need to do something to speed it up...

Alright, back to cleaning like crazy--still have to finish up laundry, vacuum all floors, scrub spots off kitchen floor, clean bathroom, make the bed, go to the store, shower, and do my nails before my parents arrive in about 3 hours

Welcome Catherine: You will sure get the support here. We have all been or are now where you are. It is nice to have other people to talk with that really know what you are going through. Welcom.

Jillybean: Congrats on your weight loss. You go girl. I think I see you on the Rollercoaster with your boyfriend that you bought tickets for! You look so good too.

Blessings all,
Dogpal

Good Morning Ladies!

Just a quickie to say Jilly on your big loss! I had a happy WI too! Down another 3.

There's an office pool apparently going on here, where everyone puts in $2 and whoever loses the most at the end of a certian time period wins the pot. Someone asked me today if I was in on it - another said "Shut-up! If she's in it we'll never win!" Made me feel really good.

Put on my size 20 jeans again last night. The only place they are really tight at this point is the waist! I think they are just uncomfortable because I've worn stuff with lycra in it for so long. I can't wait until they are too big! (I'm just sure I have some old 18's boxed up somewhere to make my next goal.)

Well, must run ladies! Welcome to the newbies - congrats to the losers - and everyone have a happy, healthy OP day!

Brokenbutterfly-Welcome! My name is Catherine also. What part of Candada are you in, and do you like it there? I'm going to be visiting in Edmonton in October, and assume I will need a coat.

Ladies- I am the kind of person who stirs up trouble no matter where I go. I just have that kind of personality I guess. I don't suffer fools, and I expect people to do the right thing for the right reasons. I'm at a place in my life where I am tired of making excuses for myself, and tired of hearing people make excuses for themselves on why they can't do something. As you know, I am a water aerobics junkie now. I take the regular class, and then the deep water class right after it. The regular class has 40-70 people depending on if the snowbirds are in season or not. The deep water runs at most a dozen. Right now is low season, and we had 25 in the first class. Smaller class means you get to know people better. The first class is full of overweight, injured, and elderly. The second class is mostly middleaged women who have always been in shape, the golfing/sailing crowd. There were more than a few raised eyebrows when I started taking deep water, everyone except the instructor who is a proper large broad herself, just weirdly fit at the same time. I started encouraging some of the larger women in the first class to join me in the second class, and some did. The old, "if I can do this class, so can you" guilt trip worked on several, including one who really can't swim and does the laps with two noodles wrapped around her. In all fairness to me, I didn't know she couldn't swim when I guilted her. Deep water now looks like a beached whale party, and the middleaged debutaunts have even accepted us now. We, as overweight people, are now unfortunately the majority in America. We can band together and claim our spaces in life without embarrassment or guilt. The hard bodies in the gyms of the world had better just get used to it. I haven't threatened to sit on anyone since gradeschool, but I am not above trying it now. You can not die of embarrassment, you can die of obesity. People are risking their lives to be thin all over this country. A doctor out in California has had 13 of his gastric bypass patients die in the last year. All we have to risk is being seen in shorts or a swim suit, better that than a coffin. So get out there and get moving, and if someone gets in your way, throw your weight at them while you still can.

Lillion and Jillybean AWESOME! I love hearing about those happy moments. Cheers to a job well done ladies.

CONGRADULATIONS to every looser and every struggler too. Banding together we can all succeed.

Brokenbutterfly: WELCOME. You are warmly welcomed to join our shrinking family.( in weight that is ) We struggle, cry, whine, question, cheer and celebrate with each other here . Inspiration runs ramped here . Please join in and share in the support. You'll see we love to share more than just our weight issues. We all have lives that change as quick as our weight. Get to know us and please allow us to know you too. Listening to our storie may help you find a plan of some sort that works for you. I'm so pleased your here.

Dogpal of mine : I take a gobb of vitamines and trace minirals every day . I also eat lots of veggies and lots of water and I'm still waiting , and waiting , and waiting for energy. I hope it's on it's way here . Lord knows how much I need it. Good luck to us .

So...have any of you ever done "Walk Away the Pounds"? I had started walking a few weeks ago and then just sort of stopped...ironically 2 days after I bought brand new sneakers (I used them once). So my friend told me about these tapes and said she loves the one she got...so I hit up Amazon and found them there, fairly inexpensively. I missed Mr. UPS yesterday but sure enough, he showed up this morning with my 1st tape (I ordered 2) and as soon as he was gone I threw on my sneakers and popped in the tape.

I LOVE this tape..I did the 2 Mile "High Calorie Burn" tape. It cliams to be about 30 minutes but it so does not feel that way. There are 4-5 basic movements, the show you how to modify everything with low intensity, and you don't have to have lots of space for a lot of movement and there is no jumping and bouncing. I also liked walking in my living room with all the fans pointed on me.

I cannot wait to get my 2nd tape, which is the 3 mile Fat Burning workout. The tapes not only include the walking and other movements but they also bringin upper body movements to increase muscle activity. At one point they use these 1-pound weights...which I didn't have, so I grabed 2 cans of cut tomatoes and used those instead. The cans we a little under 1 lb. each so it's either find the weights (which I am sure are a little expensive) or go to the grocery store and get 2 16 oz. cans of something...at the cost of about $1.00 each.

I am glad that I am back to exercising again. I even feel like I could do this twice a day if I wanted to.

If anyone else has done these tapes, please let me know what your experiences were.

Lilion...wow..we must be on the same path. I just bought 3 new pairs of size 20 shorts yesterday and they felt rally nice on. I also got some pants a few weeks back too. When I was trying on clothes yesterday, I was wearing one of the first skirts I bought when I lost weight...I thought it was a 22..it's a 24 and I love it but it has to go as well. I gave my friend Abby 8 skirts and a pair of pants the other day....wow! But everything I have bought lately has been a size 20 bottom. On top..I am now in an XL. The 14/16 tops I just bought at LB were too big....ack!

Catherine...keep fighting the good fight. if someone doesn't stir the waters a little then nothing will ever change. Women of size need to assert themselves and take part in whatever activities they so choose.

I am so excited for the weekend... I am going to meet SueMarie and her step-daughter at the outlet mall about an hour from here. I am so looking forward to the day out and to meeting her too! Tonight we have a friend's birthday dinner and Sunday is lunch with some other friends. It's going to be weekend of eating but as long as we pay attention to what we choose things are fine.

Have a great day...talk to you all soon!!

So true Catherine, I will try to remember this when I feel the inclination to hide in my dorm room rather than face the world. It's like if we spend too much time wishing and planning instead of living, we'll end up having done nothing at all. And that indeed would be a shame. :

~Rosie~

Hi ladies, hope everyone is good. Just wanted to say a quick hello.
Julee: I havent tried the walk away tapes yet, but i bought two of them a few weeks ago. I am sort of stuck on the richard simmons ones for now, but i definetely need to try those. Congratulations on the smaller sizes, my pants size has decreased, but i am still in a 14/15-18/20 shirt, my boobs are too big, lol. Is it possible to increase your bust while losing wt? it is happening to me!
Catherine, i read your post and thought of myself. I have let my wt dictate what i will do, wear, etc, but honestly, the past year i have changed my thinking majorly. I have come to realize i have nobody but myself to blame if i let others influence my life in a negative way. Im very happy for you and your new beau, i hope everything works out fabulous.
I hope everyone has a great weekend

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome!

Glad to see you spell it with a "C" and not a "K" I'm in St. John's, Newfoundland, to be exact. I like it here. Its not a huge city, like toronto..or Edmonton. But its great. Our weather is so unpredictable though, to the point where I wouldnt be surprised if it snowed tomorrow I'm not too sure about the weather in Alberta, but Id imagine that yes, you will need a coat...at that time of year


Sadly, Im one of those people who hate putting on a swimsuit. Its a shame, swimming has been my favourite activity ever since I was a kid. Im getting very interested in water areobics though. To the point where I put away a couple of swimsuits at work (I work at Penningtons, a plus size store here in Canada). Im going to try them on tomorrow and see. Hopefully I can get back in the water!!

Happy Friday everyone! Gosh, I am so TIRED tonight. It was a long week at work physically and emotionally. We have lots and lots of work to do and on top of that just so many personality conflicts going on at work right now. Anyway, its the weekend now and time to rest up and try to start fresh again on Monday with a new attitude.

Welcome BrokenButterfly. Looking forward to getting to know you better.

Congratulations jillybean and Lilion on your losses. WAY TO GO!

hippivanlady - Thank you so much for this post. You've cinched it for me. I am going to go check out a new gym tomorrow. Currently I am a member of Curves but the workout is getting pretty boring for me. Also, since I am so tall and the equipment isn't adjustable, alot of the machines don't really fit me and I know I am not working my muscles the way I should be as a result. I used to always go to a "real" gym, but since gaining so much weight was too intimidated to go back. I dread talking to some muscular guy or skinny minny girl asking those idiotic questions "Why do you want to start working out?" BECAUSE I A FAT, THAT'S WHY. Anyhoo, the other reason I've been thinking about checking out a new gym is that it has a pool and hearing so many of you talk about how you enjoy your water aerobics has me wanting to try it. So, embarrassment be damned, I am going to the "real" gym tomorrow.


JulieeCeeS - Yes, I have some WATP DVD's. I like them alot. When I work out, I try to do it in the morning before work, so my WATP DVD's are my fallback for when I don't get up early enough to drive to Curves for my workout. I think you will enjoy these DVD's.



Question for you water aerobics people....any suggestions where to buy larger sized swimsuits? I haven't bought a bathng suit in probably 10 years or more. Thanks!

Have a great weekend.

Xena, I sew, so that isn't something I worried about too much, but I know Junonia sells all sorts of large size active wear. I got a catalog one time, and they sell swimsuits and exercise gear. I especially like the suits with actual shorts legs. I am embarrassed to admit that sometimes I get a catalog with no intention of buying, just to steal ideas for new patterns for myself.

Congrats to the losers... I have put on 2lbs but I'll admit the past two weeks was stressful so I ate junk food... I am going to get back onto track over the next couple of days....

I now have something else to motivate me for the future, I have decided to go back to College in September to do an Access to Nursing course. If I pass this then next September I'll go for my diploma at University! So I am more determined than ever to drop those pounds.

Nursing is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and I gotta to the stage of thinking if I don't try I am going to regret it so I am throwing myself in there 110%!

Thanks, hippivanlady, on your recommendation I checked out junonia.com and found two suits I am considering. One is a long torso size, which is need and is on sale for 50% off. The other one is not long torso, but the descriptions talks about how it is specificallyfor water exercise. It also looks sturdier than the other one, but is not extra long and costs twice as much. Hmmmm...a conundrum!

Mazarin - good for you going to school. I admire you. For me I know I put alot of things on hold until I lose weight. And none of us should do that. We are how we are right now and we need to live our lives to the fullest anyway, which is what it sounds like you are doing. So, YOU GO, GIRL!!!

I slept in a bit this morning. I was absolutely BEAT from the week. I woke up with an aching back. This weight just affects me badly in so many ways and it needs to go. When I actually do get out of bed my feet hurt and I am so stiff. I am too young to be feeling like that first thing in the morning!!! So my plan for today is to head to Curves and workout as soon as I am done posting here. Then home again to shower and dress and then go to check out the "real" gym. I can feel myself chickening out this morning even though it was just last night that hippivanlady inspired me with her post. But, I am NOT going to chicken out. It helped to come here and read the posts again. So thank, everyone, for being here. You just never know what you will say in a post that will influence someone else in a positive way.

Have a great Saturday and I'll let you all know what I find out at the new gym.

Julee, so glad you're feeling better. I sure do understand how discouraged you felt! Just some things I was thinking about - isn't the human body, even a thin "normal" one, composed of 92% water or something like that? Makes sense that that could change a whole lot. I got up in the middle of the night once for a tinkle run and jumped on the scale. Went back to bed, got up in the a.m. and (wearing the exact same clothes) did the same thing... and I had lost 4 pounds in about as many hours. I BELIEVE in water weight. I think it's there some days just to challange our resolve, dare us to succeed or quit. When I got down to 308 and had 299 in my sights, I really started working hard... and over the next week of compulsive scale watching it went up 6.5 pounds. Every time I staggered off the scale in a daze, wondering "how could this be?!" But I hung in there and it started falling off again. I'm also sure that TOM has a huge roll to play. I don't even bother weighing for those 5 days, but on day #6...

Your success is an inspiration to me. Keep up the great work! Also, if you want to pick up some cheap weights, try the Goodwill stores. I got several and only paid $5 for them.

Catherine (HVL), I'm tempted to steal a quote from you for my tag line! "You can not die of embarrassment, you can die of obesity." We do worry so much what people will think! What if some of the skinny people in the gym USED to be heavy? and who cares anyway? I would love to swim again. When we travel and stay a motel with a pool, I always think about sneaking down after it's closed, maybe at 2 in the morning, and sliding into the water without being seen. Never had the guts. I don't own a swimsuit or a pair of shorts. I went to a wedding today and it was a big deal because I wore a dress and my ankles (if you could call them that) showed.

On the UP side - at the wedding my MIL asked me how much weight I'd lost! I hadn't told anyone but dh that I was on a diet, so i was flattered that she'd noticed.

TREMENDOUS job on the losses, Lilion & Jill!!!

Shadiepurple, I hope you've got some steam in your choo-choo soon! Low energy can really color your day.

Xena - or anyone who's tried Curves - There's a new one close to my house and I was thinking of joining. Anything they've got would be more challanging and interesting than must my treadmill at home, and maybe I'll find a workout buddy - a short one, like me Besides, I LOVE that they don't let men in! (there's that insecurity again.) My QUESTION is, If you have a membership in one, can you use it at other Curves across the country?

Alison, VERY COOL that you're going back to school! You're gogn to do GREAT!
I'm 45 and just last week registered to go back to school myself. I'll be going for my MS in human resources, but I know that to be really employable, I have to shrink (from side to side, not top to bottom.)

Well, I went to the wedding today, ankles and all. I was a little disappointed the dress was still a hair snug, but I'll outshrink it before long I hope. I was down one more pound when I weighed this morning, to 302, and that's a real attitude boost. I have only 1 pound to go until I hit the first 30 lost, 2 more to go to make it a round 300 and 3 more to go to make that first real goal - the two hundreds! Onward and downward!