300+ Support Group- Blah Busters-the month of February

[debkeversole]

300+ Support Group-The month of Of February
WELCOME!WELCOME!WELCOME

We are a group of Men and Women, most of whom weigh or have weighed over 300 pounds at some point. We post here to give or to get support, share our daily struggles and victories. Everyone is WELCOME! We encourage all you LURKERS to come on in and post!!!
WELCOME!

[Zer]

Good idea, Deb, to start a new thread for February! I am designing a plan for my new lease on life. Still working at dropping 200# to become half the size I am today - a size I've been for the past 35yrs. I'm tired of being ABUNDANT (a nice way of expressing how some men see my massive body as luscious) and I plan on seeking out friends who are active. No more lunch buddies, eating as a way of socializing. I plan on finding folks who are busy being active! I'll start at my local senior center, where there are craft classes and a pool table that I plan on using as soon as I can stand for long enough to play a game or two.

A sign posted at the senior center emphasizes that visitors are expected to manage without assistance. I think of this when I have to ask for help being lifted off a chair that is too low for me to rise from. I need to pare down to be a part of the active group of folks who gather daily for exercise classes there.

That's my plan for Spring 2008. Activity! What's your plan for 2008?

[amm]

Marking my spot!

I'm feeling all congested and yucky, too. I guess it's that time of the year for a lot of people.

[dantesmom]

Good morning Gals! Looking forward to a great February with everyone! Since it is the month of love so to speak, lets all practice self love and take care of ourselves the best we can! Have a great day everyone!

[Doing this Again]

[COLOR="Teal"]For the hardest part about going to the gym, is going to the gym. It’s never hard to actually work out once you get there. I just don’t want to do it, so getting over my massive procrastination skills is the biggest obstacle.

I’ve already joined the gym, and I’m thinking of signing up for classes. There’s a water aerobics class 3 times a week; or I could do aqua kickboxing once a week and a deep water running/x training twice a week. It makes more sense money wise to sign up for the one class that’s three times a week, and cheaper than one of the other two. But I really want to do the aqua kick boxing. Just b/c I like the idea of it.

The idea of swimming regularly again is really getting me through the boring part of the year, which for me is just starting. I save all my vacation time for the year until x-mas. Then I take it all at once, added to all the days my office is closed, and travel. There’s a few holidays and long weekends along the way; but they’re just 3 day weekends. Not enough time to travel. All the classes should take me through mid june. [/COLOR]

[pescacat]

Hi-
Zer-I think your spring plan is great and thanks for the support. I hope you get to play pool often! I'm not sure I'd cut out lunch with people but maybe make it picnic/brown bag lunches so you can bring what is legal/allowed and they cna have what they want. Nope, spring hasn't sprung here yet. Today is cold and the sun keeps coming out for a peek every once in a while but mostly it is cloudy. Tomorrow we are expecting rain. There are a few flowers in bloom because being right next to the sea it doesn't get too cold usually but sometimes it does. This winter has been fairly mild from what I can tell. Still, the flowers won't really be trying to bloom until mid march or later.

Amm-hope you get well soon.

Sally-good to see ya and definitely we all need to love and pamper ourselves-this month and every month.

In case some folks didn't go back to the previous month's thread, I will repost what I wrote there this morning (I forgot that Deb is wonderful about starting a new thread each month so we don't have 2 gazillion pages to go through!)

I'm still sick-coughing, sneezing, nose alternating between running like a river or blocked up like the hoover dam. Hopefully I'll be better by the weekend.

I weighed in this morning to see what my total loss is so far for the month of January. The scale said I weigh 319. That's a loss of 32.19 pounds overall since I started on Dec 31. I have no idea what I'll lose by valentine's day but my next minigoal is to be 299 by March 23 and I am going to do my best to lose that 20 pounds (or more) by then! Hubby asked my weight this morning-said that my loss was good-shocked me but I think I'm not going to tell him anything anymore-whether he asks or not. It is none of his business, right?

I noticed hubby didn't run/walk this morning or get on the scale and he messed up 2 pairs of his undies-one sometime yesterday during the day/evening and the pair he wore to bed last night because he washed both of them out-one last evening and one this morning but he did go somewhere in the car for about an hour last night.... before his undies were messed up-I suspect I know what he did and it grosses me out... Oh well not my problem.

Hope everyone has a great day!

--Laura

[pescacat]

Doing-I think you should sign up for what interests you-that's the key to making sure you keep going. I hear ya loud and clear about the hardest part being to make yourself go. It is that way for me too. I recall hearing once that olympic athletes don't really like to work out everyday too-but the discipline they show by going even when they don't want to is what makes them capable of competing at that level and becoming champions. I want to be someone who can say I competed in the race for my life and my health and I won. I wish I knew how to ski-but I have the grace, balance and coordination of a cartoon spider on ice skates. However, I hope one day I do get the chance to ski and it turns out to be fun and I manage to balance myself and go down some slopes (more than the bunny slope)-just to say I did it and didn't break/sprain or injure anything/anyone-especially myself -LOL.

I hope you get to go swimming all year long and that your vacation for this coming christmas comes together so you can see the places you wanted to visit with your friends. I used to love to swim-never really trained for various strokes-just loved to be in the water and play. I don't see myself as someone who would enjoy laps-too monotonous and solitary for me! Give me someone to talk to and walk or do some other kind of motion in the water or something and I'm there!

Laura

[Hot Tamale]

Hi Ladies!
I'm about 75% back to normal.
TOM crash-landed early this morning...
My kids are still various levels of sick, however, which is awful...
When DD4 is sick it is BAD, and that little girl was up (me with her) at least 5 times last night either throwing up or with diarreah...poor little thing. I gave her ammodium this AM, hope it helps. My "nanny" is still out sick, too - my father and his wife are watching them until 12 when DH will get home for the afternoon.
Only good news to report is this morning I was 301.8...losing right before TOM? You KNOW I must be sick...
More later...

[pescacat]

Cris-Sorry to hear you and the family are not all better-your poor daughter. Hope she is well soon.
Just think, when you're all better and Tom is gone, the whoosh fairy will visit and you'll be closer than ever to your next mini goal! *yay!*

Btw, what did you finally decide to eat yesterday that didn't make you wanna hurl?

--Laura

[debkeversole]

February, 2008 Bizarre and Unique Holidays

Month:

* American Heart Month
* An Affair to Remember MonthOMG my FAVORITE MOVIE! Cary Grant&Deborah Kerr
* Black History Month
* Canned Food Month
* Creative Romance Month
* Great American Pie Month
* National Cherry Month
* National Children’s Dental Health Month
* National Grapefruit Month
* National Weddings Month

Weekly Celebrations:

3rd Week International Flirting Week

Each Day:

1 National Freedom Day

2 Ground Hog Day

2 Candlemas

3 The Day the Music Died - Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash in 1959.

4 Create a Vacuum Day

4 Thank a Mailman Day

5 National Weatherman's Day

6 Lame Duck Day

7 Wave All you Fingers at Your Neighbor Day

7 Send a Card to a Friend Day - obviously created by a card company

i had read that it was also Blah Busters month (thus the title of the thread) but now i can't find the reference

[debkeversole]

for everyone with this ucky sickness


amm, Laura and Cris(and babies) please feel better soon!

WTG on the weightloss!*pats Laura on the back*

[Zer]

See BIZARRE FEBRUARY HOLIDAYS for more reasons to celebrate February as National Blah Buster Month!

[Zer]

Can't think of a thing to write? See Daily Writing Prompts - February for some prompts to start you thinking.

[Zer]

Susan, I posted early this ayem a post/reply that you may miss if you don't peek back to take a look at January's thread for this: 300+ Support Group- New Year-New Beginnings January 2008

[hippiegirl]

I wasn't sure what to post today, so I'm going to use this as a jumping off point...

February 1st is “National Freedom Day.” In your own words, what does it mean to be free?

I'm going to apply this to weight.

I'm working on feeling free now, before I lose all the weight. I was joking in some other threads about how I might take up belly dancing in 40 lbs or so. Several people said I should go for it now, regardless of weight. I think they might be right! Why should we have to wait for the weight to come off before we start living? A big part of this journey for me has been learning to love myself, and yet I find myself putting restrictions where there really shouldn't be any - because of how others would perceive what I'm doing as an overweight person. I think I would really benefit from the attitude of at least trying to do these things now, instead of waiting. I think I get into the mindset of thinking my life will be different once I get this weight off; and I believe a lot of things will be easier once that's achieved. But right now, if I learn to carry myself with more confidence as I am NOW, people's perceptions of me will change anyway. I'm sure we've all known that one overweight chick who had to beat the boys off with a stick, simply because she oozes confidence no matter what. I want to be like that. I've never been thin, but when I weighed less than I do now, I know that I was still attractive and I felt good. I would tell people that I felt good, thought I looked good, etc. Now I've gotten so big that I don't feel attractive ever, but I think I'll start working on that more.

Someone (I think it was in this group) said that they couldn't wait until they got thinner so that they could start doing their hair and makeup and not feel self-conscious about it. I think we should all make an effort to make the best of what we have now, instead of waiting. I'm very guilty of not dressing up or doing my makeup more than once or twice a month. I figure I'm not really seeing anyone that I want to impress, etc. But the truth is, I feel more confident and happier with myself when I've made that effort. Even if it's just swiping some lipstick on (my obsession - I own about 200 lipsticks! ) I'm going to make that a mini-goal this month, in addition to any weight loss I achieve. I will pay attention to my appearance and show the world that I love myself enough to take good care. Hopefully that will translate into them realizing that I deserve respect, since I respect myself.

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head...

[Bea_Jack]

Hi Everyone!

As do many other people, I have a gym membership that I hardly ever use. I must have had it for at least three years (at $35/mo yikes!) and in the past two years, I've only used it once, maybe twice. Hoping to change all that this month.

Signed my son up for an additional karate class, so he'll be there for two hours every Saturday and Sunday starting next week. I told myself that would be a great opportunity for me to go back to the gym (it's a block away) rather than sit in the car for 120 minutes eating and taking a nap.

Hope you all have a great day!

[Zer]

Woke up thinking of Des, wondering where she is and what she's UP TO...and so glad that Des is not doing what I did at 30 - when I got so scared at what people wanted to do with my 180# body that I layered up with fat to hide in.

I'm only now thinking it might be safe to "come out", to shed 200#, to live.

Fat is how I solved my angst at 30. Not bright. Des is so far ahead of me!

[Bea_Jack]

Kim, I can so relate. I rarely retain any information I see and hear on tv - it usually goes in one ear and then out the other. I do, however, remember an episode of Dr. Phil (or was it Oprah) where he says you need to behave your way to success. Kind of like the fake it 'til you make it mantra. All the things that we say we will do once we lose weight, we should do it now! Live the lifestyle of the skinny girl and eventually everything will follow.

I know my skinny me will excercise every day. If I took on her behaviors, I will gradually be that skinny me. So I say go for the bellydancing!!!

[Zer]

Good goal, Kim, to start today treating ourself to the dancing, flirting, makeup and special activities that we enjoy. Why wait to reach our goal weight?

February 1st is “National Freedom Day.”
In your own words, what does it mean to be free?

Freedom to eat healthy food. I'm free to nurture the best impulse in me.

One day I was slowing down as I passed fragrant food at my local big box store and was weighing the possibility of cheating (myself, of course) on my costly diet of the moment - paying someone to sell me shake mixes and weigh me once a week. As my feet slowed down, I heard a warm male voice at my left ear say "YOU ARE FREE NOT TO EAT THAT!" and my head snapped to see what kindly stranger had noticed that I was slowing to make a turn toward a counter offering hot fragrant treats. To my surprise, there was no one within 20ft of me. Not a soul. But I swear I heard a voice!

Spooky, huh?

I picked up pace and marched right out, my feet barely touching the ground all the way out of the store, across the parking lot, until I was sitting in my car just sure as shooting that my very own angel had spoken aloud to me.

[hippiegirl]

Originally Posted by Zer

Good goal, Kim, to start today treating ourself to the dancing, flirting, makeup and special activities that we enjoy. Why wait to reach our goal weight?

February 1st is “National Freedom Day.”
In your own words, what does it mean to be free?

Freedom to eat healthy food. I'm free to nurture the best impulse in me.

One day I was slowing down as I passed fragrant food at my local big box store and was weighing the possibility of cheating (myself, of course) on my costly diet of the moment - paying someone to sell me shake mixes and weigh me once a week. As my feet slowed down, I heard a warm male voice at my left ear say "YOU ARE FREE NOT TO EAT THAT!" and my head snapped to see what kindly stranger had noticed that I was slowing to make a turn toward a counter offering hot fragrant treats. To my surprise, there was no one within 20ft of me. Not a soul. But I swear I heard a voice!

Spooky, huh?

I picked up pace and marched right out, my feet barely touching the ground all the way out of the store, across the parking lot, until I was sitting in my car just sure as shooting that my very own angel had spoken aloud to me.

Wow - that's pretty cool! Glad you didn't ignore your angel!

[debkeversole]

Originally Posted by Bea_Jack

Hi Everyone!
As do many other people, I have a gym membership that I hardly ever use. I must have had it for at least three years (at $35/mo yikes!) and in the past two years, I've only used it once, maybe twice. Hoping to change all that this month.
Signed my son up for an additional karate class, so he'll be there for two hours every Saturday and Sunday starting next week. I told myself that would be a great opportunity for me to go back to the gym (it's a block away) rather than sit in the car for 120 minutes eating and taking a nap.
Hope you all have a great day!

welcome to our group Bea_Jack!nice to meet you!

[eaglesmate]

susan- what an exciting time for you getting ready for baby. I'm so sorry to hear about the suffering from acid reflux, I truly feel your pain on that one. Have you tried prilosec otc till you can get to doc. It works great, nearly as good as prescription strength. Hang in there!

Laura- WOW great loss for january! girl to be honest you amaze me, I don't think I would have it in me to do as well as you have done with all that you are going through and now feeling sick on top of it. Please be careful and take care of you!

zer- hope you are feeling better soon too!

kim- you are so right about taking time to take care of ourselves now and not putting everything off until we lose the weight. I do good for a while at doing my hair and face and then get lazy for work. I feel sooo much better when I take that extra time. Today however ...Im in a pony tail and ball cap =)

I know I didn't get everyone on this list but hope everyone has a great day! I am back to work today so depending on call volume I will pop in and out.

~Angie~

[Hot Tamale]

When I read how much laura - and several others of you have lost this month I can't help but think we're in some basketball game - Laura, I think, has the most points per game (the totals are THAT high!!!) - she's the Michael Jordan of weight loss this month!! Way to go Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[debkeversole]

HOWDY!**Lola**,Carol/Cori, ZER, Sandytoes,Brenda, cleochatra,Behindthemask/Heather, Jean, Mona, Need2LoseNow, chakwaina37, Laura, NCgrl, alabama sunshine, realityjunkee,Susan, eaglesmate,FiberGal, hippiegirl,Julie_C, Susan, Hot Tamale, Des, Amm Cori, Brenda, Tannie, Laura, Gettin, Dantesmom ,realityjunkee, Doing this Again, Christainsmom,Junebug2,tortpoint,
loweringmycarbs7, Sarah,mslilwatts,Amazon, mycattaz!!
and howdys to London, Jann, Maw, CaroleKI61 ,,Pcola Girl, and Emily and Pattysparkle, See Major,saundra41, charmin315 and KOO
we miss you guys!

Just4Me/Sarah, Kim, and Tannie check in we miss you too!

this is for all our new friends! we are so glad you are here!

(if i missed anyone , i am waving howdy to you too!)

[**Lola**]

Hi Deb. Hi everyone.

Laura you are doing fabulous. By the time you get back in the states you'll be way into the 200s, maybe even below 250.

You are making a great start of a new life for you. I need to get the ball rolling again myself.

On a positive note, I've gotten most of my dental work done that I need. I think I have one more appointment and I will be done.

Then I can think about getting braces or invisilign

[Pcola Girl]

Good Afternoon everyone. What are you up to today? Being good I hope.
I picked up some around the house this morning and put the crock pot on. Making some lima beans for my hubby with some ham in them. He asked me this morning before he left for work to cook them for him so I did. I will not be eating any, not only because they are not low carb but because they do not agree with me.
I have some veggies out I will be cooking for me along with a piece of ham, but not the ham in the beans. I put me a piece to the side.

Our weather is just beautiful here, wish I could get out and go for a walk like I use to do but I can't. I am checking into getting me one of those riding chairs but am not sure if my insurance will pay any on it or not. I want one so I can get outside more. My hubby will take me for walks in my wheel chair but I think one of those scooters would be nice. There are a couple of people around my neighborhood who get out and ride them.

Not much else going on with me today. Think this afternoon later I will get my crafts out and work on making some jewelry. I bought some new shirts last week and one has a little lavender in it and i want to make a bracelet and necklace to match to wear with it.

Who is watching the Super Bowl on Sunday? We will, we are big football fans. My hubby has already given me a list of the snacks he wants for the game, Not none I can eat either but I will find some I can have I am sure..What will you be eating?

See ya all later. Be good............

[behind_the_mask]

[COLOR="Purple"]Wow, there have been TONS of great posts on this thread! I love what so many of you are saying about living the way we want to NOW, rather than waiting until "someday" when we're at our ideal weights. For me, I think that means I need to get back in the gym! I'm one of those people who actually enjoys working out (you'd never guess it if you saw me!), but it's hard to motivate myself to go to the gym because I'm always worried about what all of the skinny minis there are thinking about me... how ridiculous really! Anyway, my goal is to go to my gym sometime within the next week... and then to keep going, at least 3 times per week! WISH ME LUCK!

Laura~ You are doing AMAZING!!! Do you post your menus anywhere? I'd love to follow your example! [/COLOR]

[Zer]

Upper-Arm exercises is an interesting thread, especially for someone whose weight limits activities.

[gettinserious]

marking my spot. back to lurkdom.

[eaglesmate]

hi again! I'm having "lunch" with you all and reading the boards while I munch. I am struggling to behave today as I never made it to the grocery store last night! My local deli to the rescue tho, the little sub shop that we like to order from at work has an unwich, which is whatever deli sub you want put on a lettuce wrap...so lunch at work today is turkey club on a lettuce wrap with some provolone cheese, a giganto dill pickle and a diet coke. I will work on that water this afternoon , desperately needing some caffeine at the moment. I have my s.f jello for my evening sweet tooth for my break at 6 whats everyone eating today? I love to get idead from others if anyone wants to share. I'm off again to read and then back to the grindstone.
~Angie~