WW Clubs and Groups - Turtle Club #39

Hi, Turtle Buddies,

Here it is - my "official" version of the fable:

The Hare and the Tortoise

A hare met a tortoise one day and made fun of him for the slow and clumsy way in which he walked.

The tortoise laughed and said, "I will run a race with you any time that you choose."

"Very well," replied the hare, "we will start at once."

The tortoise immediately set off in his slow and steady way without waiting a moment or looking back. The hare, on the other hand, treated the matter as a joke and decided to take a little nap before starting, for she thought that it would be an easy matter to overtake her rival.

The tortoise plodded on, and meanwhile the hare overslept herself, with the result that she arrived at the winning-post only to see that the tortoise had got in before her.

Moral: Slow and steady wins the race.

This comes from a book handed down from my grandmother to my mother to me. The book is so old it doesn't have a copyright date or an author/editor's credit.

That fable has been the motivation for us turtles for about two years. Someone on the ancient WW forum mentioned the fable and I discovered it was very motivational for me. I talked about it in posts and other people said that the tortoise philosophy worked for them, too. So, I started a thread for us turtle types.

We work toward accepting that our bodies have a natural speed of weight loss when we choose to live a healthy life, instead of "going on a diet". Many of us have experienced "the diets" as go on/lose weight-- go off/ gain the weight plus more back.

We choose to perservere with each choice we make throughout the day. We believe that choosing to be slow, steady turtles helps us to learn the skills we need to learn in order to not only lose the weight, but keep it off and become the healthiest people we can be.

So, welcome to all who realize that losing and maintaining a weight loss is a lifestyle change. And who want support as we all learn the skills we need to successfully make the changes that will allow us to reach our goals.

Happy turtlin', everyone!

Lin

Hi, Turtles,

There's a post from me and one from Lauren at the end of # 38, on page 2, if you're interested.

Lauren, I have thought about getting a temporary job. I wish I could. But there are health issues that are preventing me from getting any job right now. And until Paul gets health insurance, I can't afford to see a doctor, especially with this reduced income. I don't think the health issues are serious or I'd go to a clinic anyway, despite the cost.

Thanks for the suggestion (and especially the prayers), though. I'm sure, with my retail experience, I could walk in and get a job easily. It would pay really low. David is making what I made 4 years ago because that's how much lower the wages are here vs. San Jose. But if I was physically able to do the job, I would because anything would help.

OTOH--David is willing to give us what he can of his pay for the next couple of months. Which will help a lot. He has expenses of his own to cover and we want to leave him a reasonable amount of spending money. I have great kids! They've turned out to be the kind of people I hoped they'd be. That's good news.

The other good news is that I'm not, at least not at this point, tempted to eat in response to this news. Write in my journal? Yes. Cry? Of course. But not eat. Hooray! That's really a new thing for me. Maybe I've had so much stress this year that I'm learning to deal with it without eating. I'd still like a reduction in stress, though.

Hope everyone is doing well. Talk to you all tomorrow evening.

Happy turtlin'! :D

Lin
272/242/135 or so

Lauren
Congrats on losing another WW pound. This is such great news.
Glad you can get into your wedding gown and also bigtime glad your dh is so supportive. You're really closing in on your Christmas goal. That's just great!

Lin,
You've got my prayers heading your way. Something has to break for the better soon. It's great your son is willing and able to help you out. Take care of yourself, too. I love your discovery of your new attitude in wanting to do healthy things for yourself instead of the punishing feeling of having to do healthy things for yourself. Managing new stress is a sign of maturity and you've had an awful lot of stress this year. Keep on hanging in there. I'm so proud of you that you didn't eat over this latest news.

About me--
I got to WW mtg. today and was only up 0.2# since Saturday morning. I interpret that as losing about a pound or so since I weighed in at 5 o'clock today and I always weigh quite a bit more in the evening than the morning. so, I am pleased. I get myself into trouble when I start with the regrets. I am now at the point where I've lost 20# in WW. A year ago I weighed 2 # less than now and I got my 10% difference key chain. I went on to lose another 3# during the holidays to get my 25# magnet. So, I have to lose a new 5# just to be where I was last January. Ugh!
Well, the good thing is I have turned a poor streak around and am losing weight again. The other good thing is that I could have regained all my weight and I didn't even come close to doing that.
So, I am not going to whine. I am going to celebrate losing weight, turning my eating patterns around, and taking care of myself. Another terrific way of looking at this is that the Turtles have helped me to work through some problem areas, I only need to lose five pounds to feel triumphant, and I am definitely on the right track. Once I get these five pounds off, I'll be ready to start on the next five, etc. etc. Sounds like a plan.
In the meantime the lecturer asked us how many days do we think we'll have trouble with in the upcoming holidays. I think about eight would be my magic number. She said they'll require planning and asked us what we will get in our freezer right now to tide us through when we need a quick, yummy , lowpoint dinner. She always gives us food for thought.

Everybody,
Do well. Take care, and keep on keepin' on.

Judy
234/210/199#by Christmas;)

Hi, Turtles,

Judy, it's so good to see you turn around. Being within 5 pounds of where you were last January is a real achievement. A lot of people gain a lot more when they are struggling. I found an old journal and I'm 9 pounds more than last March. But, none of us have regained all of the weight we lost before we got back in control. I consider that real success.

Thanks for the prayers and the good words. I really appreciate it.

Although I'm still within my point range, my food intake is closer to the top of my range. It's PMS. But Mrs. Hyde hasn't made an appearance. I'm not really used to that yet. But since I've been so religious about taking my vitamins and supplements, it seems to be much easier.

I've been doing my walks, too. Today I walked around the outside of the mall, then from one end to the other and back again. I have to walk farther to make my walk last as long as I want it to because I'm walking a little faster. I'm not pushing myself faster. It's just happening.

So, except for the money stuff, things are going well.

Hope all of you are doing well.

Happy turtlin'! :)

Lin
272/242/135 or so

Hi, Turtles,

I'm not sure what prompted this unusual behavior, but I decided to weigh myself this morning. I almost never weigh myself other than on Sunday, and I often forget to do it then. Well, I've lost 2 pounds since last Sunday. So, that gets rid of that gain, plus a pound. I'm really glad to see that happen. :)

But, I had an insight I want to share with you all. This is a real mind-bender, but it makes a lot of sense to me.

We live in a culture that reveres the product. Everything is called a "product" and we spend our time "producing". I once saw a lady being interviewed about her use of a cell phone while she drove her SUV. She said that she was safe because she had a hands-free phone, but she had to use her phone in the car because she had to "be productive" every minute. It was a real testimony to the culture we live in. It doesn't seem to matter what you do to get the product. What matters seems to be that you get it, somehow.

I've been reading and posting on weight-loss forums for about 4 years now. I've read a lot of posts written by people who are struggling. Most of the time, those posts are focused on the goal. Why am I not losing? Why am I not getting my goal? And how can I get it faster? (Fast is good in our culture.)

But the answer is that we have to focus on the process. On HOW we get there. Because when you are working to lose weight and to keep it off, the process you choose determines your success. If you choose a fad diet, you probably will fail because either you can't keep doing it long enough or it doesn't teach you what to do to keep it off.

If we are to be successful in the long run, we have to focus on what we're doing. Can we do this program every day--for the rest of our lives? What aspects of the program are hard for us? How can we tweak things, without altering the program, so that we can make the hard things easy? What can we do with the program so that we like doing it? So that it brings pleasure, not pain into our lives?

A lot of people don't do that. They follow the program in a way that they think will get the result faster, even if they hate what they're doing. Eating foods they don't like or avoiding their favorite foods. Working out at levels that may be too much for their out-of-shape bodies. And so on. But the inevitable result is that they either stop before they get to goal or they get there and gain it back because they don't like what they're doing, so they go back to what they used to do.

What brought me to this insight was that I realized that I'm enjoying doing the things I do to stay OP. This is the first time, ever, on any weight-loss program that I've been able to say that. The key, for me, was to think about the kind of person I am and to find out what my body needs to be healthy. Then combine those things with the parameters of the program.

Instead of thinking of it as a program "I can live with", which implies that it's not really the way I want to live; I'm just putting up with this to lose the weight (there's the result-oriented thinking again), I figured out how to do the program so that it's the way I WANT to live my life. It's my preferred lifestyle, not one I put up with.

As you all know, it's taken me a long time to figure out what specifically works for me. But it's been worth the gains and plateaus and rebellions and difficult times to find out what makes me happy and fits the parameters of WW.

There's another change in my attitude, too. I know that in about two years (unless the pace picks up) I will be at my goal weight. That's something I've not really felt before because I've never been sure that I could keep doing a weight-loss program that long, let alone for years and years after that. That's changed because I'm having fun. I like what I'm doing. So, I see myself ending up with the "product" just because I WANT to do the process.

So that's what I've learned the past couple of days. I hope it helps some of you, too.

Hope you all have a great day!

Happy turtlin'! :D

Lin
272/240 :D /135 or so

Lin,
All I can say is WOW!!!! I love your last post. How wonderful that you're enjoying doing the very things that will make you thinner and keep you healthy. I can't add anything else. And to top it off, you lost another two pounds. Weigh to go!!!
Many hugs.
Judy
234/210/199# by Christmas!;)

Hi, tortoises. I haven't had much to add to the excellent posts you've both been making, so I haven't said much. But I'm getting lots, as usual, from this group.

Judy, I hear you about wanting to beat yourself up for "wasting" a year, but really, it hasn't been wasted. Not if you've learned anything that you can apply to this journey. As Lin eloquently reminds us, this is first and foremost a process, and it's when we focus on it as such that we find success. That's how I feel about the year 2000, which I ended exactly where I started it. I learned how important vigilance really is for me, and how I just can't let up or stop focusing. For me, that means always writing it down, always always always. That really did sink in finally, and I think it helped lead to my current weight-loss stretch since July.

I'll write more later; got to run out for a little while.

TTFN,

Lauren

Judy, don't beat yourself up for wasting a year. What OTHER things have you done this year? Life isn't all about your weight. If I were being harsh with myself, I'd have to admit that I've wasted the last FIVE years (I've had a huge regain, due to stress this year, and I weigh more than I weighed 5 years ago after my accident). But in that time what have I done? I've moved 4 times, met and married my husband, lived in England for 9 months, gotten certified and started working in a profession I love, and finished 2 years' worth of college classes. Not to mention been in physical therapy for a year, had 5 surgeries, and recovered from a devastating car accident. So, I've had a regain. In all other ways I'm bright, successful, and healthy. I know I'm turning this into a lecture and I don't mean to. What I really want to say is, you are so much more than your weight. Don't ever let that define you. It's part of you, yes, but by no means all of you.

Mousie,
Thanks for the kind words. I guess I'm dwelling too much on the graph I made and the weight gain because I am disappointed in myself. I had made WW and weight loss my top priority this year
and didn't accomplish anywhere near what I wanted to. I continued to go to meetings and I am a merit member which means I have not let my membership stop and then rejoin.
Sooooooo--I am very pleased that I have turned this weight gain around and am losing again. Now I am searching for the key to keeping on doing this. No more silly *trying*. I really don't want to lose a pound or six and then gain back the same amt. or more.I am determined to do the actions that I know will lead to weight loss. I am realistic to know that there will be tough times and plateaus, but I have to keep on keepin' on so that I can
have real weight losses. This is what I am doing and it is what I want to do.
To answer the rest of your questions--I am healthier than I've been, I had a gathering of wonderful friends and relatives for my birthday and learned how much people value me. I look at myself in a new light--as someone I'd like to know--if that makes any sense. I've learned to stop and think before I say something. I've learned that not every thought I have needs to be expressed. I've learned to ask for help and support , even from strangers here at Turtles, who I now think of as my great friends.
So, yes, I am not just the sum total of my weight. There's a lot more here than that. It's just for now I also want to work on my weight and take care of that too.

Mousie, you have accomplished so much in such a short time. You must be very proud. Thanks for posting something that I really hadn't considered because I am so wrapped up in the weight thing! :dizzy:

Hi, Turtles,

I think we're on a roll! And it's happening at the best time of year. The holidays are coming up and we're all pretty much on track with good habits.

Judy, I agree with the rest of the turtles. You can't waste a year because of all that you learned during that year. All of us have spent a lot of time not losing once we became turtles. But we've all kept learning and building our skills and working on making the program fit who we are and look--all of us, including you, are now losing again.

I doubt if we could say that had we just given up once we went off program. Or, if we had left and come back, it would probably be not at the same weight where we went off track, but at a much higher weight, possibly higher than our highest weight. So, you, like all of us, have used your time well. And now seems like a good time to focus on right now and on planning for tomorrow. Especially since tomorrow (or in the near future) we all will face some challenges. What about tossing that depressing chart and starting a new one? I've done that when it felt like time to make a fresh start.

I decided that since I'm going to be doing this forever, I don't want to keep reams of old journals around. So, I'm keeping on month's worth in my binder and making a data base of the meals or days that worked particularly well. Then I'm tossing that extraneous paper. I get buried in paper really easily. It's the curse of the writer.

Speaking of which, I'm doing my writing plan almost every day. On the days I haven't reached my goal, I have done some of the writing I planned. I haven't been talking about it much, but I wanted to let you know that it hasn't just disappeared into good intentions. It's really exciting to finally be accomplishing something I've been trying to focus on for a long time.

I did some Christmas shopping today. We don't have much money to spend, as you all know, and I found a great sale on hardbound sketch books and journals. Full-size (8.5x11) pages, thick, good quality paper. 384 pages per book. $7.99 each. But I got them for about $4.50 each after we took off the discounts. My kids are getting pens and acrylic ink for their sketch books and I ended up with a good supply of journals for my writing. I do all of my first draft fiction by hand. But nonfiction seems to go better when I use the computer. Go figure!

Mousie, your life has been a real challenge for the past few years. Wow! I admire you for just being here and keeping going. You're awesome.

I'm still OP. Using a few banked points for the pizza we had for dinner last night. Went for a really great walk today. We walked to get the books and, boy, was carrying home 5 of those things a great addition to my workout. We walked fast because they were heavy.

Gotta go fix dinner. Talk with you all later.

Happy turtlin'! :cool:

Lin
272/240/135 or so

Hi,

Just checking in with my weekly weigh-in. I'm down to 238, which is two pounds lower than Friday. Yay!

I think the walking is making the most difference. But I've been eating a little more the past couple of weeks, too. Higher in my range. I think that's due to PMS because it's been a gradual increase as that started. So, eating enough is really crucial.

I got my computer software issues solved. I can shop again! That makes me sound like a real spendy person, but what I mainly want to do is to buy stuff like my coffee beans that don't exist here in Salinas. And the bulgar I use to add fiber and make my meatballs more filling with less meat. And whole grain cornmeal for my bread. And my favorite olive oils and vinegars. And that stuff.

Hope you all are having a great weekend.

Happy turtlin'! :D

Lin
272/238/135 or so

Lin,
Another 2 pounds weight loss gone is terrific! This is just great.
I'm sure the exercise is really helping you a lot.

I also like your idea of chucking the chart. I think I will start a new one as today is a good day to start. I won't throw out my old one, but store it away until I reach goal. so--good thinking about starting over. Downward and onward!
Love
Judy 234/210/199#by Christmas:cool:

Wow, a group I can relate to...I have been OP for 11 months and barely lost 50 lbs. I still need to loose 94 more. Any hints....?
thanks
344-dec.2000
294-nov.2001

Mom4--Welcome! We're a small but tight little group, hope you stick around. :) Any hints? Keep going! Not to be facetious, of course, but that's the secret. Just keep at it. It'll happen, eventually, when everything else in your life lines up and your body is ready for it.

Lin, congrats! You sound like you've hit your combination, and you're flying along. I was going to write but never had a chance that part of your "one pound" thing when you started walking is from bloating/swelling. You might not be able to tell, but when you start exercising the muscles you are using retain a bit more water than usual. They adjust after a couple of weeks, but those first few weeks they're still surprised, and trying to cope with the extra use. I loved Lauren's video information--I want, I want!

Judy, just be sure you tuck that old chart someplace safe and OUT OF SIGHT, okay? You don't need that thing constantly staring you in the face!

I have spent the entire day buried in Organic Chemistry (I hate that class) because I have a test tomorrow. Sigh. I went for a run yesterday so I decided that I could take today off as far as exercising goes. Been OP, though, and gotten some good work done. Fingers crossed, I need to pull my grade up!

Hi, everyone.

Lin, woo-hoo on that loss this week! I'll bet that felt fantastic. :) Pardon me, I have a cat trying to lie down on my keyboard. :dz: What was I saying? Oh, yes -- obviously your efforts are starting to show up on the scales -- what a great feeling.

Judy, well, you're definitely someone *we* all like to know, so that makes perfect sense to me. :) I hope some day we can all meet each other in person. That would be wonderful.

Mousie, what a remarkable few years you've had. Lots and lots of transition. You have such a great attitude about it all, too. Yes, this metabolism video really is great. Unfortunately, I think you have to join the Life Fitness clubs in order to get it; I couldn't find it online anywhere. Maybe e-bay?

Mom4, you're doing fantastic! "Barely" lost 50 pounds? That's awesome. Just think where you can be in another year! This group is dedicated to taking off weight safely -- and slowly. One pound a week average sounds perfect to me. Mousie gave you great advice -- just keep on keeping on, and the weight will come off. What's more, by giving yourself time and focusing on the journey rather than just numbers on the scale, you'll learn the lessons you'll need to *maintain* your new weight in the long run. Welcome!

I've had an OK week. I had a couple of high-point days, but I had banked enough to more than cover it. I've been working out, etc. But I also injured my foot almost a week ago -- not badly, but I've been taking Celebrex to keep it from getting worse. This morning I peeked at the scales, and I'm up 1.5#. I think it's mostly water weight due to the Celebrex, though I also know I don't lose well if I use my banked points. So it's probably a combination. I'm drinking lots of water today, and we'll just see how it goes. Sooner or later it has to come off; it might just be later rather than sooner!

MIL is here for the next 10 days, then it's Thanksgiving (and I'll be cooking), then more family arrive ... it's that time of year.

Onward and downward,

Lauren

Hi, Turtles,

Welcome, Mom4! My best advice agrees with the advice of Mousie and Lauren. Keep going. 50 pounds in slightly less than a year is actually a very safe rate, especially for a person with a lot of pounds to lose.

I know that it can seem like you'll "never" get there. But, as I mentioned in my previous (and very long post :lol: ), focusing too much on the goal can end up sabotaging the journey. You're doing great.

And, as Lauren said, learning the lessons we need to maintain that goal is so important. One of the main reasons we've chosen the turtle journey is because we're tired of doing this over and over and over again. We hope that by going slowly and deliberately we will learn what we need to do to make this our last journey to goal and then allow us to maintain that goal.

So, again, welcome. We're glad to have you join us on our journey. Be prepared--some of us turtles (especially me ;) ) are very long-winded. But we need the writing to help keep us going, so we don't apologize for our wordiness. Feel free to write as much or as little as you need to write in order to help you on your journey.

Mousie, good luck on your test. Just keep thinking--"I'm not a chemistry major. I don't have to spend the rest of my life doing this. Just get through this class. Pass it and I'm done with it." That's what I always did with the classes I didn't like very much. Mostly general education math and stuff like that.

Judy, I'm so glad my suggestion was helpful. Your suggestion about using a ribbon for keeping track of my measurements is one I'm planning to take. It's TOM, though, so I'm going to wait until the bloat is gone before I start using the ribbon. My plan is to keep it even simpler. I have no intention to ever need the full length again, so instead of marking the ribbons, I'm going to just cut them shorter as I lose the inches.

Lauren, you've been very steadily losing for a while now. Maybe your body is just taking a small breather to adjust to those losses. I know that it's very disappointing when we see those little blips in the scale numbers. But, I'm sure that those pounds will come off, since you're so cool and not panicked (OK, this writer is going crazy. No matter how I spell that word, it looks wrong! That's how I spell, by how words look.) and just keeping on doing what you know is working for you. Write it all down, as you always do, and I know that you will see the numbers move.

Things are going well for me with WW. I'm OP, but today I'm taking a break from my walking. The weather is awful today and my back aches from TOM and I'm really tired. I will probably take a nap instead of that walk. I know that exercise can help with TOM, but today my body is saying, "Rest". Actually, I haven't even gotten dressed yet, and that's really unusual for me.

It looks like we're going to be on our own for Thanksgiving. My mother and my brother will be alone at her house, but because of our transportation issues, we can't go there. Because of their respective health problems, neither of them can drive here. It's really frustrating. But, my family hasn't been all together for several months. I'm so looking forward to having both of my sons home with me and cooking a special meal for them and my dh and me.

Hope you all are preparing your strategies for the food fest of the year. Thanksgiving can be a real challenge since it is literally about food! But, luckily, the main course is actually pretty healthy. I'm not worried because I will be choosing the menu and I have some terrific recipes that my family loves. I also have some I've wanted to try for a long time and since I don't have to take the tastes of my extended family into consideration, I can experiment a little.

If any of you are cooking and need low(er) point recipes, let me know. Or if you have an old family favorite that everyone just "has to have" and it has a bazillion points, send it to me and I'll see if I can make some suggestions that will cut the points without ruining the recipe.

Hope all of you are having a great day!

Happy turtlin'! :D

Lin
272/238/135 or so

Wow, there's a lot to respond to, but here goes:

Mom4,
Welcome, glad to have you posting here. You asked for specific tips to speed up the process. I don't have any. But I can help you feel better about what's happening. So many of us have been through what is happening to you. I think what I want to say is to put yourself in the present. Be happy about the hard work you've put into yourself this past year. Be happy about that lovely weight loss. You must feel and look so much better. Now put yourself in the today. Don't worry about more than five pounds that you want to lose. The next five pounds. After that we'll talk about the *next* five pounds. But for now, let's concentrate on the task at hand. Here at this site we understand that a million things can slow a weight loss. I think the other girls covered the possibilities really well. We also know that staying OP and exercising gets great results. So, I don't have a magic pill. I have talked to two gals at my WW mtg. group who have each lost over 200 pounds. One did it in a year and a half. She was in her late twenties at the time, exercised like crazy, and ate the least that WW allowed at the time. The other one was older, ate full points, couldn't exercise at first because her legs wouldn't allow her to (she swims now). It took her five years. Today they both look great. Of course everyone wants a really fast weight loss, but it doesn't always work that way. I wish you the best of luck. We;re here for support. It sure sounds like you've got a lot to offer, so thanks for posting here.

Lin,
I sure am interested in recipes for the holidays. Do you want me to send you my e-mail address? I think your Thanksgiving with your sons will be lovely. I am so glad you're OP and losing weight. This is just the best!

Lauren,
I remember when you've *peaked* before at the scale and by the time theWI comes, you're okay. You've also been doing extrememly well and you're my role model right now. These little blips affect us so badly, but let's both try to stay with the reality of the program and remember that in a normal weight loss cycle, some weeks some of us go up at the scale.

Mousie,
I had to take biochemistry in college which isn't as hard as organic chem., and I still shudder. Not my forte. But you've been doing really well with your marriage and coping and weight loss and getting back to school and working. So, egads!! I'm glad you had the day to study and I'm sending you good test-taking vibes to help you through your exam. Good luck!

All goes well here with me. I had another very challenging weekend with food and my kids being here. We celebrated my dh's birthday yet again and that involves food with us. I made a million good choices, had a great day yesterday, have my breakfast/lunch/snacks packed for today and am down a pound on my home scale. I'll weigh in on Wednesday at WW and hope to see another loss. Wish me luck. I love everyone's ideas and focus points on how to work this program. I am starting over today at this weight, forgetting about the amt. of time it took me to get here, and focusing on doing the right thing for myself each day.

love and good vibes,
Judy
234/209/199#by Christmas!!!!!!!;) :cool:

Hi, Turtles

Judy, send me an email and tell me what recipes you'd like. I have a lot of them and would be happy to send you any that could help your weight loss over this often stressful season. My email is in my profile.

I am so glad that you're so positive about this journey right now. It sounds as if you've really figured out what you needed to do. Way to go! I also congratulate you on your decision to forget how long it took to get to your current weight. When I get to feeling that it's taking so long, I'm going to reread your post to Mom4 about the difference between the two ladies who both lost over 200 pounds. It's really inspiring to hear about someone who was persistent enough to reach her goal, even though it seemed to be taking so much longer than the rest of the people around her. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Thanks for the kind words. I am still OP. I did substitute a nap for a walk yesterday, but I really needed it. Today, I was back to my normal routine, including that walk. I've noticed that I tend to eat higher in my range on the days I walk, but on the days I skip (once or sometimes twice in a week), I tend to eat around my minimum points. That seems to be working pretty well right now.

Gotta go! Hope you all are having a great day!

Happy turtlin'! :cool:

Lin
272/238/135 or so

Hello, fellow tortoises. As always, such good posts. Lin, I want a good stuffing recipe with low points. That's my favorite Thanksgiving/Christmas treat. We only have it during those two holidays. I also have a cranberry compote recipe that came from my grandma -- last year I tried using 1/2 sugar and 1/2 Splenda at your suggestion, I think, and it came out pretty good. This year I may up the sugar a bit but cut out the nuts, just let people sprinkle nuts on top if they want.

Judy, there's apparently a great pumpkin pie recipe over on Dotti's (www.dwlz.com) that's a whopping 8 points for the WHOLE PIE. I've heard it's very good. I plan to check it out.

Judy, I loved hearing about the two women who've lost 200 pounds. No one in my WW meetings has lost even as much as I have, so it's wonderful to hear about other large losers -- and such different journies.

Well, I was up THREE (3) whopping pounds tonight at weigh-in! :eek: Don't know what's up with that, but I suspect (hope) it's a combination of Celebrex and ovulation! I ended the week with banked points and 5.5 hours of exercise, so I don't think it's fat. :) I did have a couple of high-point days, though, and I also think (gulp) that it's time to go down a point range. Realistically, I've been eating at a lower point range for a few weeks now, since I've banked so many points.

My foot feels fine, so I think I'll cut the Celebrex out tomorrow. It's giving me indigestion anyway.

Tonight, my WW leader passed out paper plates and had us write down on them what we planned to eat for Thanksgiving dinner. Then she showed us a list of point values for most common Thanksgiving foods. It was a great exercise, because it made me stop and look at exactly what I wanted to have and what it would cost me, and what other choices I might want to make. My "dinner" came to 19.5 points, which is actually do-able for the day. That's assuming, though, that I can figure out a lower-point stuffing recipe! :)

Well, I'm still going to post my home weight numbers for now, which are up 2 pounds for the week.

Onward and downward,

Lauren
274/206/199 by Christmas

Hi, Turtles,

Ladies, look for your recipes sometime tomorrow. I'm working on Thanksgiving dinner plans and recipes today and tomorrow. I haven't made Thanksgiving dinner for a few years, so the recipes haven't been input into MasterCook, yet.

Lauren, since you know that Celebrex and your hormones cause you to retain water, I think you should stick with your plan. You're eating within your range, writing it down, drinking the water, and getting in the exercise. You're planning ahead to Thanksgiving. You're doing just great. Keep going!

While I was walking today, it occurred to me that there is a really good reason why we focus on the goal, instead of on the journey, as I discussed n an earlier post.

The word is ATTITUDE!

We have a very positive attitude toward the goal we want to reach. We make lists of why we want to reach that goal. We make lists of affirmations to use to convince us that the journey is worth it.

Yet implied in those words is the sneaky feeling that the journey itself is negative. Something only worth it because of the goal. It doesn't have it's own worth. We put up with it. We complain about it. We whine because we have to do it. We moan because we want to lose the weight, but we just "can't stick to the program." We can't seem to stay motivated. Well, that's all bad attitude. And it causes sabotage and regaining the weight.

The attitude we have when we start a weight loss program can vary from enthusiasm all the way down to gritting our teeth and forcing ourselves because we hate ourselves and we can't stand the way we look and we just HAVE to do SOMETHING. So, we join WW.

And often we fail to reach or maintain our goals, starting over and over again. But the points system is so flexible that we can make the journey itself a positive experience. Something we want to do every day. And by making small changes, for example-- counting our points starting with dinner (one of my best "tweaks"), we begin to create a positive attitude toward what we're doing. And anything we feel good about, we want to repeat.

So, I realized, in hindsight, that the reason things are going so well for me right now, despite the other issues and stresses in my life, is that I have tweaked the right things in the program so that I feel positive about it. No more whining because I have nothing to whine about.

The last thing that made the biggest difference is a change I made a long time ago, but I've realized recently how powerful it is in my ability to make this program a positve lifestyle. I don't talk about it. (Except here, of course.) I don't tell anyone that I'm on WW. And no one ever notices or makes comments about what I eat or don't eat. They don't give me unasked for bad advice. And my standard response to people who want me to eat more than I want to eat or different things from what I've chosen is, "Oh, I really can't. I'm so stuffed!" And then I change the conversation." What makes it so powerful is that if they don't know you're on some kind of program, they have no expectations about what you're going to do. It makes things so much easier.

Anyway, I just noticed that since I don't feel so negative about being OP, I'm not having problems staying motivated to do it.

So, I don't know if this is permanent, since nothing seems to be in this life, but I sure hope so. I love being this way. I was so tired of being depressed! :D

I hope you all are having a great day!

Happy turtlin'! :)

Lin
272/238/135 or so

whoops--I just lost a nice thread reply. oh well.

Lin,
Are you going to cut and save the ribbon pieces? Just curious.
I love the whole bit you wrote about attitude. In the long run, that's what keeps us happy.

Lauren,
I'm sure the weight gain is temporary and you'll see a correction this week. Glad to hear your WW lecturer is the plan and prepare type. I like that nice practical approach. I am planning ahead to for the day and the day after Thanksgiving as well.

Everyone,
I lost another pound this week and am thrilled! I feel like I've made a turnaround and I can do it. I had to realize how many challenges I had and prepare better for each one.
Now for Thanksgiving, my Dad is coming out for several days. Then my son and his wife and baby will be here from Wed. through Sunday. Then it's back to work for me. There will be nine of us for Thanksgiving. That's a nice, manageable number and I'm looking forward to it. I have to figure out dessert points because I do want a sliver of two things. Just have to calculate how to get it. I am also seriously considering banking at least 10 points for Thanksgiving and hopefully a few more for Friday because I love leftovers. Starting now I can really help myself out by planning well and leaving some points in the bank each day.
Good luck to everyone.

Judy
234/209/199# by Christmas!!!!;) :cool: (My weight is WW for the first number, and home scale for the others)

Hi, Turtles,

Judy, I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to save the pieces. I'm feeling as though I want to put the past in the past. Think of it as gone, totally, forever. Can't even tape them back together if I regain. ;) That's why I always get rid of my large clothes. It would really be a pain to have to buy new clothes in those sizes again! :lol:

Congratulations on that pound! It's so super to see you moving downward again. You're doing so well at rising to the challenges you've been given. Bank those points. And enjoy your Thanksgiving.

Remember--it wasn't Thanksgiving or any other one, single meal that made us fat. It was a constant pattern of eating more than we should. So, if we do our best, but still end up a point or two over for one day, it's not the end of the world. It's one day and we can eat a couple of points less the next day and move on. We can and will be successful through this holiday season. We all picked up our motivation and got great attitudes right at the time when we need them the most.

One thought I always remember at holiday time--one of my leaders once told us what I said in my previous paragraph. She followed it by saying we could have any ten days every year to be off program. Her point was that it isn't the ten special occasions and holidays that would be a problem. It was the rest of the days, if we eat as if it were one of the ten freebie days.

BTW--Judy, I need, if possible, to have you send me your regular email address. There isn't enough space in the PM for three recipes and my usual wordy, but, I hope, helpful comments. I believe my email is avilable on my profile, so you can email me there with your address, if you don't want to put it in a PM online.

For Thanksgiving, I decided to look for my recipes from an old Bon Appetit magazine. They had American Regional Thanksgiving dinners as the theme one year. One of the regions was the Southwest and my dh has been after me to try their spicy turkey and stuffing for a long time. Since I don't have any traditionalist relatives to cook for, I can try new recipes this year. And the best part is that if I can't find my copy of the recipes, they're on Bon Appetit's website.

The not fun part is typing them into MasterCook so I can get the nutritional info and figure out the points and then revise them to keep the flavors, but lower the points so I can eat them without totally going off program. (Did I tell you I hate paperwork? Of course I did. :lol: )

Today I ended up walking for almost two hours. I was super hungry by the time I got home. I realized that since I always walk between my midmorning meal and lunch, I need to make sure my soup is in the fridge, already made. I ate the last of it and I realized how much I rely on zapping it and eating it to take the edge off my hunger while I prepare the main part of my lunch. So, I'm constantly learning how to make this program work its best for me.

So, things are still going OK, as far as WW goes. The rest of my life is pretty much the same old problems. My dh is getting really depressed, though, and I'm worried about him. It's that the company didn't hire hime after three months, as they originally intended to do. They still intend to hire him, but they're in "cost-cutting" mode and are waiting until after the holidays to do it. Saves them paying holiday pay and benefits. The ironic part of the tale is that part of his job is to fix one of the things that costs them a huge amount of money every year. You'd think the least they could do is hire the person they expect to fix their problems!!
Anyway, some prayers and good vibes for my dh would be greatly appreciated.

Hope you all are doing really well today.

Happy turtlin'! :cool:

Lin
272/238/135 or so

Hello, tortoise beings. I've been somewhat distracted of late, between having MIL here and dealing with a sick kitty (turns out to be a urinary tract infection and something called "crystals" in her urine -- nothing lots of antibiotics and special, expensive food can't cure, apparently). Snickers had her first pill ever today, and let's just say it was not a positive experience for anyone. :dz: At least we got it down, and we're all still in one piece. Only two more weeks of this to go.

Have been right OP in my new range, though, which feels good. My exercise has been a bit decreased, just walking for 30-45 minutes the past couple of days with MIL, which has been nice because of the lovely weather and the company. But my foot is acting up again since I got off the Celebrex, so tomorrow I may just go back to the aerobics. For whatever reason, those don't seem to hurt my feet as much as the walking does. Go figure.

I've also been making a lot of trips to the bathroom myself, either out of sympathetic pangs for my kitty or because my body is flushing out those extra 3 pounds of liquid. I hope it's the latter!

Lin, thanks so much for the dressing recipe. It looks great. I want to figure out a way to keep the regular bread version lower in points, too, since I'm not a big cornbread fan. But no doubt the cornbread is healthier.

I love what you had to say about attitude. It really does make all the difference -- in so many areas of our lives. It's an area I really struggle with. I recognize that often it's my own attitude that does me in, especially regarding work. I just really dislike working in most corporate environments, and it's hard to make myself positive about it. I also had to catch myself doing some negative self-talk today about my writing ("I'm not cut out for this, I'm not even interested in pushing myself to do it, why did I ever like writing, etc."). Had to stop that one cold, since it's our attitudes and self-talk that become self-fulfilling prophecies.

I also loved the "10 days off per year" comment. A perfect turtle sentiment, and one that keeps me sane for sure.

We'll continue to pray for DH. Very few companies actually hire this time of year because of end-of-the-year budget constraints. January should be much brighter. I'm pretty sure I won't get a job until then, though I'm sending out feelers now (and being told to get back in touch in January, by the way). It isn't about your husband or me or the quality of our work or capabilities; it's about timing. Here's hoping January looks better for both of us.

Judy, so great to see you doing so well!! :) Cheers and hooray on your loss this week! I'm especially impressed by how you handled all those events by planning ahead and then sticking to your plan. Boy, that makes all the difference. I can feel your new enthusiasm in your posts; it's just wonderful. I plan to bank for Thanksgiving, too -- good suggestion to also bank for the day after!

Onward and downward,

Lauren
274/206/199 by Christmas (home scales, a.m.)

Hey, how did we get to two pages like this? Weird. And our old turtle threads have 3 pages??

Anyway. Just a quick check in to let you know that I did lose the weight that I gained last week, plus another half pound so far. I just had to peek this morning to see. :) It was the Celebrex.

Now I'll wait until Tuesday before I get on the scales again.

Onward and downward,

Lauren

Hi, Turtles,

I'm starting number 40! See you there.

Happy turtlin'! :D

Lin