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!

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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!!!!

Good morning Chicks!
Well, first off, the rain is back. I don't like it but atleast it forces me to do a cardio dvd instead of walk & I know I get a better workout with the dvds (I just don't enjoy it as much.)
Last night I went for a "power walk/jog" after work. I really concentrated on intensity. My walk route has lots of hills & I am pushing a stroller too. I power walked & then jogged on the flat spots & even up one of the hills. By the end I was a sweaty mess & sore. I thought it took me 30-40 mins, I get inside and its barely been 20! Geesh! But I know I got my heart rate up good & everything so it will have to do. Just frusterating.
I have been having pain in my legs. Down near my ankle but the front of my leg. It feels like the actual leg bone hurting. A burning type of hurt that gets more intense the longer/harder I walk. It doesn't do it just walking around the house or anything, only when I am out walking for exercise. I figured at first that it was just cause it had been awhile since I had walked & its hard for my legs to carry all this weight but its getting worse instead of better. Any ideas?

hmmm.... had a list of personals but I have to run for now. Will do them later. Have a good day!

Good Morning Chickies!

Doing my morning drop-in and saw we were up to 36 posts so thought I'd start a new thread.

My mood is much improved after all the wonderful support, advice and sympathy yesterday! Again, thank you all!

Not many replies today...

Jilly: Yep! Advice is WAY easier to give than to follow! Probably the reason I, an attorney, don't have a Will yet! I don't think I've mentioned it...but I'm so glad to see you back and posting again!

Lavendel: Jilly and Misti are right on track...you can't go from starving yourself to suddenly eating without a small, TEMPORARY, increase in the scale. Try not to weigh every day or if you must, don't pay any attention to it! Think of it this way...Do you want to starve yourself thin and then have to continue to starve yourself forever to stay that way??? You have to eat to live. Starvation just isn't any healthier than fat. Hang in there! You WILL find something that works for you!!!

Luan: Aren't you going with more people than just the turd to Orlando? Whether you are or not...I think you'll have a blast! No law says you have to stay together once you get there just because you have tickets to the same place...I'd do what you want, when you want, and have a great time! (You'll be able to feel free to flirt with whoever you want too!)

Katt: A weekly menu is a very good idea for a couple of reasons...first, it gives you back the control (or lack) that you need. You have a list and stick to it and no variations, no wondering what you should or shouldn't eat. It's Friday night-what's for dinner? Just look at the list and KNOW. Second, it's a great budgeting tool! DH and I did that for quite a while when we were first getting OP. We'd make a list for the week. Shop for the items we needed to make the meals on the list and not spend every day running to the store for something and end up buying 1/2 the store.

Heather: Have you posted your muffin recipe? I love muffins! I'll check the recipe thread after this and see if it's there.

Misti: My fingers are crossed for you!!!

Well all, must run. Have a terrific day and keep trying!!!

I'm still sick, although I am back at work this morning. I don't want to be here, but all of a sudden I am so busy that there is no way I can just stay home. Maybe if all goes well I can leave a bit early.

But even though I am sick, at least it was a good weigh-in today - down two pounds to make a total loss of 70.

HOORAY And thanks for the welcome back

nonamesleft--it sounds like you may be suffering from shin splints. I used to get those in high school when they tried to make us run a mile or whatever (which I was certainly in no condition to do!). My gym teacher showed me a stretch that sometimes helps. Keeping your heel on the floor, lift your foot and place your toes against a wall (or fence or curb or tree or whatever). Keeping your leg straight, push your body forward without bending. You should feel it pulling in your shin. Do it for a few seconds on both legs. I've been told that an additional cause for shin splints can be shoes that aren't supportive enough, which is why I invested in a pair of Avias rather than my typical Payless shoes

Man, I am bored at work today. I wont' complain too much, though--this job is still a million times better than the other two I had earlier this year! I'm also into this mode again where I am constantly thinking about food. It's not that I'm constantly hungry or even constantly wanting to eat--just constantly thinking about eating. I don't eat again for another hour (I'm trying to eat about every 3 hours), but I've been contemplating for a while whether I will eat my frozen meal or my spaghetti squash (I will eat them both--it's just a matter of which one do I want at 11:30 and which one at 2:30).

OH, and I'm definitely starting to feel a little sore from the WATP. It's in my back a little and especially kind of on the back on my hips (like the sides of my lower back?). that's definitely a place I've never been sore before! But it just means the exercise is working, right?

nonames--i used to get pain on the front of my shins when i was training for a half marathon. my friend that i was training with used to be a personal trainer and gave me this advice: make sure that you stretch before and after working out, holding the stretch for at least 10 seconds without any bouncing. she also had me do an exercise that is really simple to strenghten that muscle: just lay on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor. lift one leg up (so your toes are pointing to the ceiling), then flex your foot and hold for a few seconds, then point your toes and hold. repeat as many times as you want, i started with 10, then switch legs. it really helped me and was easy to do when i was watching tv or reading. i also got some inserts for my shoes so that i was getting some cushioning and support from all the pounding. hope your pains go away quickly!

jilly--i'm new here since you've been back, but i just had to say way to go on the 4:15 am workouts! i do watp dvd's sometimes too, but i don't think i could face leslie and her cheeriness that early in the morning. i have a hard enough time just getting up at 6 for work! i'm impressed!

well, i have the rest of the day off from work today, so i have no excuse not to get to the gym today. i have really blown-off this week. i'm a little afraid to see what the scale says next tuesday, but i guess it is what it is. i'll deal with it then. have a great rest of the day everyone! lori

p.s. my husband and i have been invited to a halloween party. we need couple costume ideas--any suggestions?

Wezi - Just wanted to chime in on the Halloween costume ideas! I love Halloween! My DH and I are going to a costume party too. I'm going to be a widow and he's my dearly departed husband! Simple costumes really. I'm doing old-fashioned because we are medieval enthusiasts and I sew... but all you really need is to affix a fake knife, hatchet or other dangerous object to him so it looks like it's sticking in (my DH is getting a knife in the back) Goodwill is a great place to get clothes you don't mind ruining if you care to make him bloody - and then do makeup to make him look corpse-like. The widow is dressed just dressed in a black dress, with a black veil over your face (just get a yard of black chiffon and cut it into a square - I actually made a little pill-box hat to drape it over), and dripping in jewels is a good touch! You can be an old widow or an Anna Nicole widow...depending on the party.

lilion--LOVE the costume idea! it was cracking me up! i'll have to run that one by him. good reminder about going to goodwill for costume stuff. i made a zombie costume for another boy i nannied one year. we went to goodwill and found a suit that fit him, then i covered it with flour and those fake spiderwebs, so he looked dusty and like he'd been in the ground for awhile. his sister painted his face white with black circles around his eyes and some blood around his mouth, then we sifted flour into his hair and stuck the spiders that came with the webs on him. it was funny! this is my husband's fav holiday, so this should be a lot of fun!

anyway--i just wanted to send a quick note about the receipe posts. i am pretty new and hadn't looked at them until now. if anyone else new hasn't been there yet, you should go. there were so many good things on there! i can't wait to get in the kitchen and try some of these out! *nonames--your taco soup sounds great! and *brandnewme--i can't wait to try the pumpkin muffins and pumpkin ravioli! i'll let you know when we make it!

better run--the poor little puppy is giving me the eyes! she wants to go out! lori

JILLY!!!! I'm so glad to see you back!!! It's wonderful to have several of our previously lost members have been found again! I missed the whole last thread but I'll go back and catch up with you and everyone.

This morning I'm just so excited and really wanted to share! I DID THE WINDMILLS! I DID THE WINDMILLS! ...There's a move in workout class that I've never been able to really do before where your arms swing up & down like jumping jacks, but you're hopping from one foot to the other alternately lifting the 'up' foot up and out to the side. You rapidly do left, right, left, step in and rest for a half a second. It's a killer for hip and thigh muscles, and takes a lot of aerobic energy too. I've always HATED that move and just had to fudge my way thru the best I could. We do FOUR sets of the dreaded things in the current routine. When the first set started today I thought "Gads, I hate these things!" and then I reminded myself that negative talk produces negative results. SOMEday I would be able to do them, and they really are great for my butt, hips & thighs as well as my heart. When the second set started, I suddenly realized that I was really swinging with the motion and putting 100% into them and I was DOing them!!! I wanted to squeal out loud and giggle like a fool! I was DOing them!!!
Then later when it came to the floor work in one hard move I was actually lifting my hip off the floor, supporting myself on one elbow and my feet!
THEN, in the final stretches, lying on my back with my feet in the air, I was actually able to reach ALL the way to grab my ankles! Before I've had to slide my hands up from my calves or just grab my sweat pants at the ankle, but I actually REACHed behind and could grab my ankles!

I'm so happy! Who wants a big wet kiss?!?!

OK Maybe not. But you just never know what you can do until you really try. Sometimes several times!

There's a woman in my Curves 6-week challenge who always has excuses why SHE can't lose weight, why this or that won't work for HER, why she HAD to have those choc chip cookies, and why SHE can't exercise or ... Let's face it. She's not trying. She comes to the group to have a captive audience of people to complain to, but everyone, including myself and the instructor, has gotten tired of trying to encourage her because she doesn't want or hear encouragement. She's putting nothing into her weight loss effort and everything into her "look at me, poor me" whining. Everyone, including her, has very real challenges in this adventure. If it were easy we'd all be skinney-minnies, but c'mon. Anyone who's ever lost 3 pounds knows that it takes a effort and commitment and positive thinking. But I think of her when I'm making my own excuses to myself about why I'm not already working on my treadmill or why I've missed a workout class or skipped Curves or haven't done my workout tapes. I know that I have that whiney whah-wah-wah side in myself... and I've been feeding that side (and feeding it WELL!) for the last 30 years or more. But I can't stand the thought of giving in to it any more! In a scary way, she's actually motivating me.

Vallie, there's the bright side and there's the dark side. Pick one!

You know, it just occurred to me this moment (one of those It's-so-obvious-why-didn't-I-think-of-it-before thoughts) that if I'm depressed, what in the world makes me think that eating more, skipping exercise and Staying Fat will make me LESS depressed??? No, this other plan, the new one we're all working on, this "LifeStyle" thing - THAT's the better plan and the pathway away from the blues.

SHUT UP Valerie, you're blabbering again. Thinking out loud (or in type) isn't always a good idea, but since it's already written, I guess I'll post it.

Valerie YOU ARE NOT BLABBERING!!!!! Your comments about being depressed & eating MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!!! THANKSxxxxxx
I will post tomorrow, there's so much to do & so little time. BTW Ammi is fine, or almost fine now AND WE ARE MEETING UP NEXT WEEK in The Mumbles!!!! (near Swansea, South Wales) I am so excited!!!!!
xxxsharon

hahah Valerie that was funny! I am the same way with people! They actually motivate me as well.

Hey guys
On my way out the door to work... ugh this working two jobs are hard on the system even though it is only a PT second job. On the bright side, less time to eat!

Sharon ~ Thanks for the update on Ammi. How cool that you are going to meet up! Is this the first time that you have met?

Jilly~ Nice to see you back again.

Ammi~ I finally got over to update my blog! *L*

k... times ticking! I have to go make money so I can do some Christmas shopping over the weekend. <sigh> I wish it grew on trees!

Brenda

Hey everyone~

Just getting on here real quick. I have been doing really good staying OP today. I find I am having a problem eating enough. I am going to start planning meals more so I can keep track of how much I am eating. But the good news to report is I got in 40 minutes of exercise! As some of you know I have really been struggling in the exercise department. I won't meet my workout goal for Oct. But I am going to try to get as much exercise a day as I can in Oct. I am getting into a routine and its really helping me stay OP and getting exercise in. I even did a few slow crunches. Talk about feeling muscles I haven't used in forever. Really felt the burn!

Jilly~Welcome back!

Sharon~thanks for the updates on Ammi!

Well I hope to do personals tonight or tommrow. Hope you all are having a good day! Stay OP!

Michelle

so moving on, and back OP. today is pretty good. i froze my SFFF pudding for 4 hours so its not frozen but EXTRA cold and yummy. other than that just planning a casting for saturday, getting ready for oktoberfest (all my flex points), and next weekend doing a horror film. im excited. i havent done prosthetics for film yet. i cant wait!!