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!

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. 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 like $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!!!!

MsCrockett--I don't know about an elliptical, I've never been on one...but to me, the Gazelle doesn't even seem to be a workout, just watching tv with heavy breathing LOL. I did 45 mins without even realizing it.

Ammi--SOOOO in love with my Gazelle. Put on Sex in the City and watched two whole episodes. I meant to try to do 15 or 20 mins, you know start slow and build up my workouts...it wound up to be 45 mins on the first night I've ever really worked out on it...so I'm probably going to HURT tomorrow LOL.

And thank you, I'm doing okay. (It was my cousins 2 month old son that passed away from SIDS, I wasn't sure if you caught that or not). I'm just still trying to be there for him and his wife. I don't think they are dealing with it, I think they have just sort of put it out of their mind...I can't say that I blame them.... Anyway...I'm just trying to love them and be there.

I'm glad you are feeling better

Kayley--I'm glad your mood improved and woohoo on the (unofficial) WI. Have fun in Chicago for me when you go scope it out before your trip...sighs I don't think I am going to get to go this year. This will be the first time in 4 years I haven't been.
____
Great exercise day...oooh boy will I feel it tomorrow LOL. We took a family pic today, the only one we've ever had with all of us. I'm rather dissappointed with them. Granted it wasn't a professional pic, and it was after I had worked a 10 hour shift with no break and I look like it LOL...and I hate pics in general but...I'll see how they turn out and if I can find a decent one, I'll post it so you can see my angels.
Okay...it's late and morning comes way too early here. I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

hey all!

today was fun - we did foundations. yay!

to answer some of your questions about eyebrows...

ammi - they will never be exactly the same. if they were her face would look funny. the face is not symmetrical. its not meant to be. try to get the innermost side parallel with her inner tear duct and the couter most point should taper out to meet a 45 degree angle with her outer tear duct. does that make sense? i have diagrams...

sharon - take a little eyeshadow thats between your hair color and your brow color. with an angled brush fill it in brushing with the way the hairs grow.

hope that helps.

when im really a pro, anyone that wants to fly me to them i will for sure do thier makeup. i had a happy epiphany today in class. from here on out, any money i spend on makeup or supplies is a tax write off. how awesome is that?

ok i promised myself i would go to the gym today. i only had a .4 loss this week so i need to kick things into gear ( i think tasha lost all my weight along with hers )

happy losing!!

HI & WELCOME to LCHIN & PUMPKIN!!! And any other new members & Lurkers!

Luan * I hear you on the cool write-offs!! "WarPaint", as I call it, is awesome to be able to write off - it's all priced so outrageously, especially the good stuff! I was just thinking today that if this new farm works out I can write off my horse feed & equipment because I use them for giving lessons, which is part of the business. Yahoo!! Cuz I need a new harness & carraige for the new horse, and I will be teaching driving with him.

Everyone, I just read the last 80-90 posts, and I have lots to respond to all of you, but all that comes easily to mind is I'm reasonably certain that my original thoughts were more elaborate, intelligent & personal than that, but danged if I can remember them now!

Nothin' much going on here in Montana in the middle of the night. It's definately "Big Sky Country" even in the middle of the night - I've rarely seen such a starry sky, and Never East of the Mississippi river. I'm perched on a hill overlooking a blanket of diamonds that is the city of Helena. Wish I was sleeping, but oh well. Wish it was warmer out to go walking, but oh well. Glad I got a chance to check in and see what you all are up to!

Ooooo! Somebody mentioned puppies again - yeah! puppies!! My new Dachsie baby is a love and a joy. Which reminds me, I didn't see any posts from Dogpal. Perhaps I'm confused about which thread she's on.

And TeaHoney - I'm not really big on shoes, I only buy what's necessary most of the time (something that coordinates with both my jeans and my truck ) But new sneaks are inspiring. I finally splurged and bought a pair of New Balance good shoes instead of my usual Wally-world specials, and I love 'em! Hope your new ones are breaking in nicely.

Simon the puppy says it's time for a walk, so I'll check in again when I can.

Good health to you all!!!

Good Morning Girls.

Princess~~ That is great that the make up will be a tax write off.. yipppppyy., you sound like you realy enjoy school.... I am glad one of us is...

Ammi~~ Tonight is Will and Grace , here,, so I will tell ya all about it tomorrow.

Take Care All,.,

Good morning everyone!!

Pumpkin, welcome~~I was at 388 11 days ago, today I'm at 374 ~ we can do this!!!

I really want to find an EXCEL spread sheet to track my weight loss, has anyone created one or is there one on 3FC site I can download?? I'd like to be able to enter the weight weekly with the date and maybe some comments off to the side?? maybe something that calculates BMI and subtracts my weight for a grand total? Or is this asking for too much? Should I just create my own? Where the heck did I leave that excel for dummys book, lol. Someone help me please

Yesterday was really weird, I woke up dizzy and felt off most of the day, didn't eat much, went to bed with a headache. Today I feel a bit better and a little bit hungry.

I'm down 2 more pounds from the other day. I know I'll need to get on a weekly weigh in schedule so I don't drive myself nuts with the daily bounce of the scale.

Anyhow, I'm really happy to be here and I'm hoping I'll get the hang of posting and be able to respond to everyone individually sooner or later

Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning!

I'm not really cheerful; I'm just loopy from lack of sleep! We were bad last night and went out to the mega chinese buffet for dinner. I did eat mostly the shrimp and crab and chicken and nearly nothing breaded, but really, it was sooooo covered in butter and oil and I ate WAY too much. The funny thing is, I still see how much less I ate than I used to eat.

Anyway, because I was so full, and tired and lazy, I waited until nearly 10:30 p.m. to do my dreaded evil eliptical. I must report - I didn't do five minutes................................I did SIX ! Best of all, after my six my pulse was only 136, when it was 158 the first time I did it for less than 1/2 the time!

Of course, then DH did his exercise and came in telling me he'd done 12 minutes...10 workout minutes and 2 cool-down minutes. Cool down minutes? WTH are cool-down minutes. I just do my time and get off the darn thing I tell him. DH response, "Well, I work-out harder on it. You do more of a walk."

(At the moment, DH is not DEAR - it's D***ED) I hate him.

The biggest problem however is that doing exercise at 10:30 or 11:00 at night peps you up and then you can't sleep! DH and I got to talking about getting MORE exercise equipment. As much as I need the cardio for weight loss, I desperately need to build up some muscle. I have just zero upper body strength. I can't even do one push-up...never have in my life! Anyway, then we start talking about where we'd put more equiptment as the eliptical is in the middle of the formal living room, but I draw the line at weights being put in there too. That leads to talk of remodeling either my sewing room or his office or both, and what we'd do with them, and...you get the idea. Finally at 12:30 I told him to shut the H**L up and try to sleep. My desire to get up and do 5 minutes on the machine died a quiet death when my alarm went off this morning. I'll try that again tomorrow!

Garnet: Don't think I mentioned how nice it is to see you posting again! Keep up the renewed commitment!

Valerie: I love Montana! My parents were from the NW - I was born in Northern CA - Mt. Shasta, to be exact, and they took us as kids on these month-long family vacations. I remember my parents telling us Montana was big sky country and thinking how right they were! It was just so clear. Seemed to go on forever. The pup doing okay in the truck? I'd think a doxie would be too hyper....all the ones I know are. But I bet she's great company.

Laura and Pumpkin: There are just GREAT ladies here! I'm sure you'll get lots of inspiration!

Nancy: The Show-Me Shape-UP competition I'm in at work converts various activities to miles for tracking exercise. 15 minutes of housework = 1 mile! Sounds like you did some traveling! The extra energy is a huge plus to getting thinner and healthier, no doubt!

Brenda: Great NSV over the goodies! I'm rather sure I'd have eaten at least one! I try not to have them in my house! I didn't even buy Girl Scout Cookies!

Honiangel: 45 minutes on the Gazelle? WOW! WTG! I looked at it when I bought the eliptical - but DH was set on the machine!

Well I'd love to talk to everyone else too, but I can't even begin to think of what to say or have the time to do it. So I'm off for now and I'll be sure to check back later! Have a great day!!!

Well I did a long post, hit the wrong button and lost it! It was not helped by the fact that my youngest boy was climbing all over me.
Luan, thanks for the advice, but it doesn't look right, suppose I'll have to practice. Good news about the cosmetics being claimed as 'expenses' makes a change from all the stuff the taxman normally tries to snatch!
It looks like I've lost most of the weight gained on 'holiday', but official weigh-in is Monday. I can't wait to start exercising again, I will take a walk tomorrow and at the week-end I will be doing salsacise and the dynaband upper & lower body sections, as long as hubby takes the boys, and himself out of the way, I hate an audience, especially if they laugh at me or mock my efforts.
Kayley I will try & get hubby to sort out some photos of the jeans, it might be the week-end though, as the boys go to bed 10-15 minutes before he leaves for work, so it's quite awkward. But I will measure the waist (low) and hips, hem width and top of leg width to check they are right for you.
I feel pretty grotty, I fainted yesterday and still feel awfully tired today, If there was a zonbie icon(?) I would use that!!!! if this continues I'll have to see the doc or ring the hospital, I'm not bleeding this time so I can't understand it, they never said that the op would do this.
I have to go but I hope you are all well.
xxxsharon

Well I weighed in this morning and I am down to 324! I made it past my first mini-goal of 325! I am changing my ticker accordingly, and should be able to schedule my reward for the weekend of the 18th - a full body massage! It has been years, and it is something I normally can't face spending the money on, but I definitely think I deserve it. I also hope that it will help my body adjust to the changes I am putting it through. My next goal - get out of the 300's and into the 200's!

We are supposed to be getting 5-7 inches of snow. I drove to the office, chickened out, and drove back home. I am not so good at working at home - I tend to get so distracted. Hopefully I can get some good stuff done today.

Jeff gets a root canal tomorrow morning at 10. This tooth has been nothering him for MONTHS, so I am glad he's finally getting it fixed.

We're driving down to my sister's in Va Beach this weekend because Saturday is Jackie's 6th birthday I'll make sure we pack Jeff a pillow and some pain relievers for the 4-hour drive

Well, my calorie restricting and water guzzling has paid off--my scale said 277 yesterday morning, and this morning, it says 272 What an insane difference in only a day, but I'll take it! That puts me at a half pound loss from last week

On the American Idol front (I saw mention of it in the last thread), my absolute favorite contestant right now is Chris (the rocker-ish bald guy). He's cute, he's got a great voice, he's entertaining, and he just seems like a nice guy. I really hope he wins it all--I think he's better than any of the other contestants, male or female!

Hello All,

Thursday afternoon here, and although there is snow on the ground still, at least the kids could go to school today I didn't manage to walk to the shops still because the ground is so icy. I don't fancy falling. So hopefully things will have cleared up more by tomorrow and I can walk then. If not, well I am desperate for some stuff, so I will have to go in a taxi.

Brenda - how you manage to bake all that lovely stuff and not eat it all amazes me. I tried making cup cakes for the kids on a previous diet, and it was **** trying not to do the norm which would be to lick the spoon, and the beaters etc. When the cakes are done I have no interest in them at all, but the cake mix, that's a whole different story lol.

Congrats to you on being down from last weeks WI, even though you are still up, I am sure that makes sense somehow lol. And a big to your hubby on his 12 lbs loss. I bet he is feeling pretty pleased with himself, and so he should be.

I will comment on American Idol at the end of my post because a few people have mentioned it.

Zelma - I LOVE that photo of you on your avatar, you look so happy. I wouldn't worry about your weight being a little up, you are at a size now where a lb here or there makes hardly any difference you still look amazing

Kayley - glad to hear you are feeling in a better mood today, and that's brilliant about your latest weigh in, even if it is unofficial. Only 7 lbs more to go and you will be in TWO TOWN. That is my first goal, but I am 19 lbs away!!

Amber - no I didn't realise it was your cousins baby that had passed away. For some reason I thought it was your cousin. Death is always so awful, but so much more so when it's a baby. I can't even begin to imagine how distraught your cousin and his wife must be. I pray that they will have the strength to come through this. Do they have any other children? I am glad they have you there for them, I am sure it means a lot to them.

On a brighter note, I am so glad you love your Gazelle Rider, the big question is, how are your legs after that long session on it last night lol. Felicia's husband did similar on his first go on their rider and he had no problems the next day which sounds promising.

Luan - thanks for the tips, I will make sure I tell the girls. Tell you what, if I win the lottery by the time they are both due to go to their proms I will fly you over to do their make up

Crock - I shall definitely be looking out for you for an update on Will and Grace, how many more episodes until they are finished for good? Sorry I couldn't hang around last night on MSN, I was so tired, I had an early night.

Countess - good job on another 2 lbs down. Be careful though, maybe the speedy weight loss is what is causing your dizziness.

Not sure if there is anything on here to download re - spreadsheets, I hope you can find something though. Have you tried DWLZ?

Lilion - 6 minutes on the eliptical AND after a lovely chinese meal the night before, I am impressed

Nancy - congrats on meeting your first mini goal, I bet that feels awesome. Sounds like you have a fantastic reward set up for yourself, that full body massage. I think I need to figure out a reward for myself too for when I get to under 300 lbs for the first time in years. Maybe a trip to the hair dressers to get my hair done. Maybe a new hand bag, I LOVE hand bags and am constantly on the search for the PERFECT one. One that looks good, holds everything I need it too, and is easy to get into etc.

Jill - I hope Jeff is ok after his root canal work. Funnily enough of all the things I have ever had done with my teeth, the root canal didnt bother me at all. Removal of an impacted wisdom tooth, well that's an entirely different matter lol.

Well done on the water guzzling and seeing those scales drop 5 lbs. See, this is why I just can't weigh often, look at the crazy difference in just a day for you. I shall happily stick to my monthly weigh in

OK now onto American Idol. I haven't learned them all by name yet, but I agree that the bald rocker bloke has a great voice. I also like the guy that Simon said had probably the best male vocal of any of the pop idol contestants ever! Then again I like the grey haired guy. Oh I think right now I like too many to choose from. I need to hear them sing some more to decided. Out of the girls, there are about 5 that I really liked, again, got no idea of the names lol.

In previous years I was most upset when Ruben beat Clay, and when Carrie beat Bo, but I was thrilled when Fantasia won. I didn't watch the Kelly/Justin one. Have I missed a year? Anyway I hope this year that the one I choose DOES win lol.

As for the voting being world wide that would be amazing. I would vote internationally using the phone if I could. Problem is that they show the two shows, boys then girls, or visa versa, and the results all together one after the other on a Friday night here. So even if we could vote it's too late by the Friday. Oh well at least we can watch if not vote.

Ok I better make a move now, can't wait til tomorrow, American Idol night

Hugs,

Ammi

Thank you Zelma for the lovely birthday wishes...the day has gotten off to a very nice start. Jason got me a beautiful siver heart pendant necklace...he told me he wanted to "give me his heart"....lord I love that boy.

The scale said I was up a little..but the size 16 (regular not plus) velvet jeans I tried on this morning didn't care...yeah..they fit...tightly..but they fit and they should stretch some. They are brand new...my friend bought them and forgot she had them...so now they are mine..plus a 2nd pair in size 14....I'll try them on in a few months.

Tonight is Girls' Night dinner at the Cheesecake Factory..which does not pose a problem for me..since I know what I am getting. I may or may not indulge in a cocktail....I deserve it!

Enjoy your day

Luan..we'll do lunch soon in Burbank...I'll swing on by! I'll be needed someone for makeup in November...who knows!!

Oh well... so much for my good intentions of getting home early yesterday and posting lots of individual replies. Not sure what happened, but my plans went by the wayside. We have a long weekend this weekend, so there shouldn't be any reason I can't catch up then.

Ammi - THANK YOU!!!!! I needed to hear something positive like that. I know that I've had people tell me at school to not lose any more weight, and that is great to hear, knowing that they think I look fine as I am, but it is also depressing because I know I have to still lose a little to get to the 'healthy' weight range. To have you remind me that a few pounds here or there really isn't the end of the world at the moment is something I need to hear. I have to get it into my head that I WILL get to my target, but I shouldn't stress about these little 'side-steps' as they occur. I sometimes forget just how far I have come and how much healthier I already am. Maybe I need to forget the 'official' healthy weight range and just accept that I am pretty healthy where I am. Something to ponder. I am going to enjoy my day today, remembering your words. THANK YOU AGAIN!

Julee - It sounds as though you have a perfect day planned. What a gorgeous present... from an obviously gorgeous man. I hope the remainder of your day is lovely and you have a fun evening with your friends.

Congratulations to everyone who has seen those dreaded scales heading in the right direction. It is such a wonderful feeling and gives you a strong sense of accomplishment. You deserve all the pats on the back you get.

Catch you all over the weekend.

Take care,

Zelma