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!!

Crock – Good to hear that you had such a good time on your trip!

Misti – Weigh to go!!! Losing weight on the cruise! That’s fabulous! Your pictures all look so YOUTHFUL!

Val – Haha, I love that NSV…being able to keep up when the tiny young girl couldn’t! I would absolutely love that!

Idril – Good luck staying away from temptation! I’m lucky…when TOM comes, I don’t crave sweets…I just crave FOOD in general, so I just stuff myself with chicken or something…hah!

Nancy – Yeah, it would be pretty horrible if people commented on you when you started to GAIN weight…although, that might have pushed me to lose a lot sooner! I dunno. It’s just they know how hard I’ve been working, and I talk to them about it…I even told someone that I can’t tell the difference…so I figured they’d say SOMETHING…frustrating.

Xena – Way to GO for not eating the cake!!!!

Mel – It’s so fantastic that you were able to find a dress….and in a smaller size!! I hope you have a BALL at the wedding!

Elaine - on that loss this week! You’re doing GREAT!!!!

Annie – WOO HOO!!!! You’re doing so fantastic! And you were so close to your goal!!! You’ll definitely get it this month!!! CONGRATS ON YOUR LOSS!!!! –32 already!!!!!

Ammi – Haha…although it would be interesting to eat a spoiled child, we were eating bratwurst. Quite an adventure. I got my pictures back, and I’ll post some on the pics thread soon…although, I don’t have a copy of the full body one just yet….hehe.

Nancy – WOW!!!! 6 pounds this week!!! That’s fantastic! That’s about how much I’ve lost this whole MONTH. Hehe.

Lilion – Good to see you posting. How are you these days? I may just have to pop over to the Old Hen’s thread, and see!

Vicki – It’s crazy to think that you’ve lost an entire ADULT. So far, I’ve lost a small child! LOL

Julee – Hope you’re able to get her out of there SOON. I hear ya about the friends thing. Once I hooked two of my friends up, I’m no longer good enough for them. Haven’t seen nor heard from them in about 5 months. Real good friends, huh?

Sue – When is graduation? I can’t wait to wear a cap & gown! I didn’t get to for my high school graduation, since I ended up doing homeschooling for my Junior year. (Didn’t have a senior year, as I graduated a year early).



Had an alright day today. Been kinda gloomy, and it’s looked like it was going to rain ALL day, but it hasn’t. Got some pics back from Wisconsin, and worked on my scrapbook for about an hour. Got quite a bit done. I’ve found it to be my new favorite hobby…hehe. Can’t wait to give it to Andrew at the end of the year!!! Went for a nice BRISK 40 minute walk with Mom this evening. I’ve got a lot of minutes for my goal this month, so I gotta MOVE! Hehe…Tomorrow is my 20th birthday, and also a job fair for Whirlpool. They want some customer service reps…so I’m going to try. As long as the people are calling ME, I’ll be okay…I did the whole telemarketing thing once before, and NEVER AGAIN! Well, I’m going to post a few pics over there on the pics page…view at your own risk!

Yippeeeee!!!!!!!!!! No more work for me for 10 whole days! My vacation days start tomorrow and I don't have to go back until 6/12.

Elaine - I would be jumping up and down too if I lost 5.8! Way to go.

Nancy - Nice loss for you too! I bet it feels great to have broken that 50 pound mark as well as knowing that you are going to make you goal to get in the 2's. Yes, you really ARE doing it! Oh, and I wanted to say that on one of your previous posts I really liked what you said about asking yourself, "Is this the best cake I could have?" Because you are right, some store bought cake eaten in a break room at work is NOT worth it. I told that to my WW buddy at work when she was tempted. I just told her, "No, store bought cake is not point worthy!" (Any Seinfeld fans out there )

Well, that's about all I have time for right now. I hope everyone is doing well!

Hi everyone

Patti--I know how that feels girlfriend. It's the worst when the scales don't want to move for you and you're doing everything right. Umm...so okay...I've been slacking in the exercise department, but it's still frustrating. Good luck and tell us if they moved in the correct direction tomorrow.


Ammi--That's actually a very recent picture of me--only taken about a week ago. I usually dye my hair a shade of red, but I want to do different things so this time I highlighted it with blonde. I am surprised by how much I like it and by how much my friends like it. I've had people tell me that they would have never thought I would look good with blonde but it's me and I can never change it again. The only thing I won't do with my hair is cut it short. I just don't have the patience to do my hair every day.

By the way--I also have to give you kudos because I just love that new picture of you!

I'm so glad that you're feeling strong about dieting this time. It's kind of cool when it "clicks" for you, isn't it? I know that it clicked for me last August and now I actually know that I can do it. A big part of it for me was realizing that I really don't NEED to eat everything on my plate and I really don't NEED to eat a lot of junk. Now when I do I feel sick. Keep it up girl.

Julee--if her hubby took you off then she probably received the letter. Don't feel bad because you didn't do it to be a big meanie. Good luck with the roommate situation. That's a tough spot to be in but it'll all work out in the end.

222 lbs. Girl you are just melting away. I can't wait till I get there. I noticed your goal weight is 140 lbs. I'm not trying to be nosy, but how tall are you? I'm 5'3" and I've set my goal for 150 lbs. I'm just wondering if I've set it too high. I don't know if I set it for 150 because I know I can get there or because I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to reach the 130 that the medical charts say I should weigh.

Annie--your kind words made me feel so good. Thank you. I like reading your posts too. I've just been really busy with my "real life" so I haven't been able to post as much. I read every day, but a lot of times I feel bad if I can't make individual replies and before I know it 3-4 threads have gone by and I just don't have the time to read through them all. Then I feel guilty which makes me feel worse because I know that we all understand--but I still end up feeling bad. All of the people who post here are so nice and I love hearing about how they're doing and they all deserve to be mentioned you know? So that's why I don't post a lot lately.

Let's not even get me started on the guilt that I feel towards myself for setting these exercise goals for the month and not even coming close to meeting them. I just make myself so mad because of it. But if I don't go to the gym in the morning then I know that I'm probably not going to go at all that day. I've found that I actually do better when I don't set an exercise goal for myself--how weird is that? I think I'll still add my time to the exercise thread but I'm not going to set a goal this month. We'll see how that goes. Maybe I stress myself out about it.

How did the final Curves diet class go? Let us know because we're all excited for you.

Sue Marie--have you been sick? I haven't been here for a few days so I'm hopelessly behind. I hope you're feeling better soon. I've got an upset stomach myself right now. I'm pretty sure it's because of the chicken salad sandwich I ate for dinner though.

That filing cabinet sounds like an excellent buy. I hope it's good for you too. I will tell you something if you promise not to laugh. Okay, you can all laugh if you want to--but I just love going into office supply stores and looking at paper and pens and office supplies. I love filing cabinets. I am such a nerd.

Kayley--I told you on MySpace and I'll tell you here too--I love your new picture on MySpace. You can see a big difference in your face. Girl--I wasn't kidding when I told Andrew he'd better look out because you're going to have all of the boys chasing you.

Good luck with your job interview and I hope that you have a fantastic 20th birthday tomorrow. Let us know all and don't feel bad if you allow yourself to eat a small piece of birthday cake. Just make sure you get right back on plan the next day. You're doing so well and a piece of birthday cake will NOT kill you. I'm just making sure you remember that and don't kick yourself in the butt if you want a piece and have it. I know that on my nephews birthday I didn't even want a piece of cake--which surprised me totally. I always allow myself a small piece on the birthdays. I know I probably shouldn't--but that's what I do. Have fun sweetie.

Xena--I hope you have a great vacation. Are you going away or just relaxing at home? Either way, have fun and try to catch up on your sleep. If you're like me then you never get enough so...

Good job on thinking of Nancy while you were in the employee break room. That's one of the things I like about the people here--we tell each other when we think of them and are inspired. I can't word exactly what I want to say so I hope you all get it. I'll bet your WW friend is glad too. You make me proud of you.

Well, I'm going to go to bed now. I'm exhausted for some reason. I'll try to come by tomorrow.

Where are some of the missing people? Jill, Catherine, Maria Lucia, etc? I'm usually on this list and I'm so tired that I know I'm missing way too many people. Check in and tell us if you're alive and well.

Vicki

Have a great 20th Birthday


at the job fair.

Best Wishes, Elaine

Kayley, happy birthday! (tomorrow) Wanted to go ahead and say it since I won't have much time to be online in the morning! Hope it is happy and I am so proud of you for all the weight you have lost! Is there a link to your Myspace? I'd like to see the new picture too! Love the new Avatar! Skinny Minny <G>

LOL and my pictures may LOOK youthful but I sure don't FEEL it this week after the non-stop activity on the cruise! All I want to do is SLEEP LOL. But I'll get better and recover... anyway it was worth it!!!

Everyone else... sorry I can't seem to make time to post individually but I DO read it all and think of you and wish you the best of successes!!!

Vicki: I am about 5'4" 1/2. I weighed 140 when I graduated high school. The WW book says I could go as low as 125...but let's not push it. Set your goal at a place where you will be comfortable. My office mate is 5'2" and she just wants to get to 140 as well. She is now 41 and has had 3 kids and is happy to have lost almost 30 lbs. Your goal should be guided both by common sense and good health. I am already getting people asking me if I am done. Still a ways to go. I just think it's odd that SHE didn't unfriend me....but whatever.

Sue Marie: I love Boylan's Diet Creme Soda. I haven't had Ginger Ale in years...yum. I just don't like the Berries and Cream but I do like the Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla. My fave is still Coke Zero. I am on vacation July 10-31...maybe we can get together then. We start taking our Marriage Class on July 9 and that is every Sunday from 10am-Noon until just after Labor Day. We were supposed to start taking it in April but it got cancelled.

Kayley: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! You are so special and your day and your year should be equally so!!!

Xena: Point-worthy indeed. HAHAHAHAHA!

No work tomorrow...gym, lunch date, grocery store, quick meeting. dinner with Jason and friends. Nice relaxing weekend (I hope).

Adieu.

Kayley: Happy Birthday! I love the new avitar picture!

Xena: have a great vacation!

Dolphingirl: No guilt. LOL.

Okay. My last Curves class went so well. I lost a total of 29 pounds and 27 inches there since April 19th. The biggest area was 6.5 on my waist. That one and the 3" on my arms and 4" on my thighs is really in my mind. I love going to Curves. I love 3fc. You are are so awesome! Thank you for being my support system!

Blessings everyone,
Annie

hi all! just popping in... ive been KINDA well behaved. not really, but im trying. im exhausted right now. i had work all day then school then i had to go run a bunch of errands for my work, which i have to finish doing tomorrow before work. its ok tho, i LOVE my job. and my errands were spending money, so that was fun. my new job is at a production company that is producing interactive games for the web and cell phones. its really fun. the people i work with are awesome. and they really appreciate me. so much so that its really only my 3rd day, but they gave me 500.00 in petty cash to go buy food for the shoot days and some chairs (which i have to pick up in the morning). i work in this big open airy loft in down town los angeles, which isnt the best place to work, but the building is cool.

ammi - LOVE the new picture. i love to see you smiling. and 22 lbs!!! CONGRATS!!!

kayley - love your new pic too! and happy birthday!!

annie - im SO proud of you. i know how many times you wanted to give up and look at how well you are doing.

im sorry tasha hasnt been arround. i miss her. if you are lurking, please know that you are in my thoughts.

also, wheres Catherine been?

ok im off to bed. i have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. and i cant wait

Luan

It's 5:30 AM on day one of vacation time. What the heck am I doing up?!?!?! I woke up and 5:00 and could NOT go back to sleep. Maybe I am worried about my grandpa. He is having surgery this morning back home in Iowa to repair a hernia. The doc said it should be an easy surger and he would probably get to go home the same day. What I am more worried about is they are going to also do a biopsy of a lump he found on his scalp. About 10 years go he had a melanoma (very deadly skin cancer) on his foot that he had let go too long before seeing a doctor. He was incredibly lucky because they were able to remove it along with all the lymph nodes in that leg and he has been fine since. I don't think melanoma shows up as a lump, but then again, I am not an expert. But I hear biopsy and my mind goes to the worst thing first. Anyway, I am praying it is something harmless.

Vicki - I am going to be doing a bit of both during my time off. I do have a short trip planned to visit a friend. The rest of the time I am relaxing at home. I am glad you have heard the "click". It's funny you use that word. I have been reading Anne Fletcher's "Thin For Life" where she talks about what has made other "weight loss masters" successful in maintaining their weightloss and she said that many of them heard the "click" after trying and failing several times. Her population of "weight loss masters" were people who had lost and maintained at least a 40 pound weight loss for at least 3 years. Girl, you have done so incredibly well so far that you are well on your way to being a master. Just try not to get too down on yourself for not meeting your exercise goals. Maybe that just means you need to set a more attainable goal for yourself. We really do need to cut ourselves some slack sometimes.

Kayley - Happy Birthday! Wow, you are 60+ pounds lighter for your 20th birthday. Just imagine where you will be on your 21st! Can't wait to be here to celebrate that with you too! Hope you have a great day.

Mel - WTG on another pound down. Every loss is a good loss!!! I am jealous of your auburn hair and I haven't even seen it. I just love love LOVE red hair. I have thought about dyeing mine but I just don't want to have the maintenance of keeping that up. Plus I am scared to do it! But I think of Julianne Moore's beautiful red hair and I covet it.

Julee - Yes, we do need to exercise common sense in setting a goal. That being said, I am not sure I have. Right now mine is set at 165. I am really tall (5'11') so that is fairly thin for me. I have been as low as 160 in my life and was wearing 10's and 12's at the time. I was in my 20's then so I decided I'd set my goal a little higher than that now that I am in my 30's. My range according to WW is something like 143 - 172. I can't imagine me at 143. Yuck! Too skinny. Anyway, I plan to readjust my goal if need be the closer I get to it. Sometimes it's just hard to know especially when you start out with a lot to lose. Anyway, have fun in your marriage classes. We had to do that too before we got married in the Catholic Church. My ex-hubby, being the perpetual clown that he was, asked the priest "If these classes don't work do we get our money back?" I was mortified. But, I am divorced now so apparently they didn't work. Maybe I should write and ask for that refund.

Annie - Congrats on the pounds and inches lost! I just love to hear the enthusiasm in your words when you talk about your Curves program. I am happy you are doing so well.

Luan - Glad you are liking your new job. It can make all the difference in the world to actually ENJOY what you do for a living and the people you do it with.

OK, now it's 5:50. Maybe I'll go watch a movie or something and hopefully it will put me to sleep.

AT WITS END! cant seem to get my scales to go down no matter what i do . what am i doing wrong!i do my 70 minutes everyday , i drink 64 oz. of water everyday... when i snack its low calorie and fat free stuff. any suggestions i am ready to pull my hair out over this!

Kayley - Happy Birthday!!!!

You are looking great in your new pics. You can totally see the loss in your face.

Xena, fingers crossed for your grandad's op & that there's nothing else wrong.
Dolphingirl, love your avatar, you have lost so much weight even if it is scary at times, just think how scary it would be if you had'nt!!!
Dogpal, you're a sweetie, I hope the weight continues to come off at a stready pace. How's your back now?
Kayley, you are getting so pretty now that your features are emerging, just you wait, another few pounds and Andrew will be having to beat guys off you!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAYXXXXX
I have been pretty good, except for some ice cream last night, vanilla with cherry sauce and whole cherries on & in it,mmmmm I must stop buying it, I can resist choc, vanilla, strawberry or choc ices, but cherry, well, I have no control over eating it. I will exercise control over NOT BUYING IT, the boys aren't too crazy about it so I'll stick to choc or strawberry for them & NONE FOR ME!!!
Nancy, well I'm sorry about the op, but fingers crossed everything will go well and you won't need a hysterectomy.
I will have to look at the pictures page, I have so little time with the boys both being here and Gareth (the autistic one) being sick in the night AND still being ill today. I have to watch him like a hawk as if he's sick he just walks away and I'm finding it all over the house, uughhh.
At least it's putting me off eating!!!
xxxsharon

Happy Birthday Kayley!