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Old 04-15-2001, 01:28 PM   #1  
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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
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Old 04-15-2001, 01:42 PM   #2  
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Hi, Turtles,

Thanks for all of your supportive words. It does help me to feel better about all of this.

Judy, I hope you and your daughter have fun imitation good old Martha. And that your holiday is super!

Lauren, enjoy your day off this Easter. I'm glad you're resisting the temptation to slip back into the "diet mode." PMS can cause weird thoughts to go through our head. That's when I start thinking "diet", too. I'm sorry that your job situation is so difficult right now. I'm with you about wishing I could find a way to make money in spite of corporate America. I don't fit into the system very well, either.

I made it through one week, but I'm super tired and still facing a lot of work to get ready for next week, plus finish our taxes. I'm seriously thinking that this is an impossible situation. We do need the money, but I really don't know if I can live this way. It seems as if I have no time for myself and I'm always tired. I know that part of it is that I"m not used to the schedule, but how can I get used to it if I'm only working a few days or a week or two here and there?

I weighed myself this morning, just to check, but not an official weigh in because it's PMS time. I'm exactly the same. That's a surprise because I feel so bloated. So, I think I've actually lost some, but it's not showing up due to water weight gain. My jeans feel loser, too. We'll see when it's over.

I'm doing fine. I'm OP. I'm not planning to count points for Easter dinner. I'll count for the rest of the day. I haven't planned a super high point meal, anyway, except for dessert. It's pretty rich, so I never eat more than a small piece of this tart.

Gotta go.

Happy Easter! Happy turtlin'!

Lin
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Old 04-16-2001, 10:43 AM   #3  
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LIn,
Congrats on the 26th. thread. Good for us. We've got plenty to say. It looks good for you for a weight loss this week. I just reread the fable to get myself in gear. Afraid I was napping through program for more parts of this week than I should have been. Festivities are over and I'm ready to be OP and do what I need to do for myself.
Holidays were really good. My daughter and I did a good Martha Stewart impersonation and made our own Easter candy. The food was great for Easter. Funny story--I thought I'd make WW style foods for Easter because I feel they are so great no one would know the difference. Well, my hubby vetoed that because two of our friends really look forward to fattening foods. Lo and behold my daughter (the Martha Stewart cutie) brought creamed spinach, stir fried asparagus, and a wild rice mushroom dish that were all on WW, all delicious, and enjoyed by everyone. Not once did we mention that they were lower in fat, etc. and no one knew. Next year I am definitely going that route and eliminating the ridiculous calorie-laden foods that get me in trouble. It's all out of the house now and today is going to be a terrific day.
You all take care and be well and healthy.
Judy
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Old 04-17-2001, 01:21 PM   #4  
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Lin, give it time. You'll readjust to the working life. I'm always amazed when I go back to work after a period of time of either unemployment or part-time self employment. I'm amazed by how little time to myself I have and wonder how I ever managed to have a life when I was employed before. Then after a while I adjust and find some of that time again.

Hopefully you'll get a long-term temp situation soon, so your schedule will be more regular. I know a lot of temp companies start you out on short-term, less pleasant stuff until you "prove" yourself a bit.

Glad people had good Easter holidays. Mine was wonderful, just marvelous. But oh, the food! I'm having some trouble getting back on track. Didn't count on Sunday or Monday, and today has been pretty high in points already. But I did exercise this morning -- just pumped one arm and kept the other in its sling.

Work will be very busy this week; I'll check in when I can.

--Lauren
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Old 04-17-2001, 05:56 PM   #5  
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Lauren,
Hi! Glad you're back to counting real soon. I'm having trouble myself, but am OP today. Albeit I'm a little hungry, but busy. I'm back at work after a nice vacation and that does help me keep more on track.
Good luck to everyone. Lin, HI! Annie and Kimmers and everyone who's turtlin' along.
Judy
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Old 04-20-2001, 01:12 PM   #6  
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Hey turtle buds!

Sorry I haven't been around lately - I've been crazy busy. I don't know if I mentioned it , but I'm going to graduate school for Interactive Multimedia Development along with working full time. Usually it's manageable, but my home computer died the weekend before I had a huge project due and I had to spend time fixing it. So I ended up staying up for almost 72 hours straight working on it at night and going to work at my job during the day. Absolutely ridculous. I finished it Easter weekend and I'm only now feeling normal again.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter - I received way too much candy, (my family is SOOO supportive - LOL - my husband even gave me a small box of Godiva, which I shared) but I'm only eating it a little bit at a time. I've had good losses the past two weeks, but I wouldn't be suprised to maintain or maybe even (gulp!) gain this week. I've been only a couple of points over for a few days, but it's TOM, too.

I'm reading the last thread to catch up with everyone - sounds like there's been some challenges in your lives. Good luck with everything and I'm glad to see everyone here.

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Old 04-21-2001, 08:03 AM   #7  
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Kimmers,
Great to see your smiling face. You've really been busy. Glad to hear you were OP for that time. Sorry your family felt compelled to give you candy. Tell them flowers are much nicer!
I have an observation to make. For some reason Easter seems to have been harder for lots of us than Christmas. It really doesn't make sense to me and I'm not sure that I am right.
What I do know is that with the program changes here in January and a feeling that I was losing my click at the beginning of March, I've not done what I want to do. Right now I am OP, had a nice chat with my lecturer at WW, know I am committed to a lifetime of eating healthier (like all of us turtles), and want to do this. So, I'm back to doing what I need to do and I am going to make a real effort to not detour as much.
Good luck to everyone who's got the click and to all of us trying to remember what that felt like.

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Old 04-21-2001, 11:13 AM   #8  
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Hi, Turtles,

Lauren, thanks for the encouraging words about work. I don't mind going back to work. But Paul and I cannot handle the commute unless we're both working the same hours. With him working at 7 am and me getting off at 5 pm, we have to get up at 4 and we don't get home until at least 6:30 pm. If there's more traffic than usual or an accident the time stretches to 7 pm and last night we didn't get home until about 7:45 pm! That's too long and we're not getting enough sleep. That worries me because Paul gets these awful migraine-like headaches when he doesn't get enough sleep over an extended period of time. So, I'm not taking work in San Jose unless the company is willing to let me start at 7 or 7:30. A half hour makes a huge difference in the commute times here.

I'm glad to hear that you're getting back on track and managing to get in some exercise, despite your injury.

Kimmers, I envy you your being able to continue with your education. Boy do I empathize with you about the computer. Mine always seemed to go down when a major project was due, too. Hope you let your family enjoy the Easter gifts they gave you. I'm sure they were hoping you'd share. LOL! I adore Godiva and I save points for it when someone in my family gets some!

Judy, I think your observation may have merit. We prepare more for Christmas because we see this whole holiday season looming. Easter seems like just one day. But sometimes those one day holidays can trip us up more because we don't get back on track right away. Some of that old diet mentality gets to us, maybe.

I found staying OP to be easy in some respects these past two weeks, but difficult in others. I spent my exercise time sitting in the car. I don't want to live with a schedule that makes it impossible to get any regular exercise. Food was pretty easy, but by the end of the week I was so tired and getting home so late that I found it hard to get time to plan. I'm back OP now and TOM is almost over. I have no idea how I did this month, but I'd be happy with staying the same because I did have some challenges. But, my calcium may be helping with PMS. It was easier this month than it has been lately. One month isn't a pattern, though, so I'll keep doing it and see how it goes.

I don't have a job for next week. But, I may be able to work here in Salinas after all. Paul may have a line on a car pool. If that works out and I can have the car, I can register with a local agency and look for work here. I can live with that. OTOH, David is planning to move out in June, which is only a few weeks away. With what we save by not having a fourth person living here, I may be able to manage a budget that will allow me to stay home and write without feeling guilty about money. I was amazed at how much we saved on groceries the week he was in San Jose!

Gotta go! Happy turtlin'!

Lin
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Old 04-22-2001, 10:27 PM   #9  
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Hey turtle friends!

Well, I surprised myself and lost 1.5 this week, but my big news is that my husband came with me to the WW meeting and didn't mock it once! He said he even learned a few things. One of the women there has lost 142 pounds - amazing! I was dying to ask her if she had any before pictures, because she must be very close to goal now and looks like she was never heavy. Maybe next time.

Judy, that click is important, but so is just taking the program day by day and doing your best. How did the progrm change in January? Is that when the Winning Points program was introduced? I was on 123 before and I like many of the changes they've made - especially with the fiber. I'm a little math nerd, and I was using the WW formula to eat too many calories in high-fiber foods. Now I'm sticking with the new points finder and it helps. It's going to be hard in the lower point ranges, though. I'm glad to hear you're refocusing and sticking to your plan. Good for you!

Lin, I too adore Godiva. DH got me, among others, four scallop shells with the hazelnut filling. I gave one each to my sister-in-law and skinny mother-in-law and we all were in a trance eating them, they were so good. I've been saving points for them and have not been tempted by other treats, because I know they are truly worth it.

My firm is paying for my classes, otherwise I wouldn't be able to go. They have a limit per year, but it really helps. Doing homework has been a real adjustment!

I know what you mean about commuting and working time eating into exercise time. My goal this week is to ride my bike right after dinner. I get home after an hour on the bus, whip up a quick meal, and we usually just sit in our chairs. But now that it's light longer, I'm going to get out there and ride. DH can come with me, we each have retro-style one speed cruising bikes - comfy and lots of fun. They do give you a workout, especially up those hills!
I used to lift weights in the morning when I was OP a couple of years ago, but I have to get up even earlier now to ride the bus to work and am not ready to commit to it. Maybe in a few weeks. I suppose I could always lift in the evening...but riding my bike is more fun right now. Gotta start somewhere.

Have a great week, everyone!
Kimmers
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Old 04-23-2001, 12:39 PM   #10  
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Hi, Turtles,

Congratulations, Kimmers, on that 1.5 pounds. Super!!

I understand about getting up earlier to ride the bus. I did that for six months. The kicker about that was that it took an hour to get to work on the bus, but if we had owned two cars so that I could drive, I could have gotten there in 15 - 20 minutes, depending on how many stoplights I had to wait for.

Since I haven't been called for a job this week, I'm going to enjoy my time by making sure I get in the things I missed the last two weeks while I was commuting. Exercise, writing, some work on my web site, catching up on the chores, and some time just for fun. The last two weeks really made me appreciate the time I have when I'm not working outside of the home. I'm going to try really hard to remember that time whenever I'm tempted to procrastinate.

I lost a pound since the last time I officially weighed in. I don't know if it's been three or four weeks. But, whatever it was, I'll take the pound. It lets me know that I'm on the right track. I have 14 more pounds to reach that 10% goal. At this rate, it will be next April before I get there! That's OK, but I do hope it picks up a little.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to getting back to the projects I'm working on. I just wish there were fewer chores to catch up on. My family did their best, but I have a lot of work to do to get things back in shape. So, I'd better get going.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin
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Old 04-24-2001, 11:05 AM   #11  
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Hi, everyone. I've been swamped at work, doing lots of overtime, so I haven't checked in. (Four of us designed and mocked up 50 web screens in two weeks! Yowsa.) I've got a lull now.

The bad news: I've put on five pounds in the past two weeks. I'm having a hard time believing it. Yes, it's TOM, so a couple of those may be hormonal, but still -- I've definitely put on some weight. I'm amazed at how quickly that happened. And no, I wasn't tracking consistently. And yes, I was overeating. It was a double whammy -- coming off of Lent, combined with PMS. Lethal. (Actually a triple whammy, since I also haven't been able to exercise as much due to my arm.)

I've definitely gotten back into sugar mode, too.

So yesterday I tracked, and I was a point or two over. I also worked out. Today I'll track, too. One step at a time.

The good news: I'm not getting laid off this Friday. (We're having yet another round of layoffs -- our third since January.)

So ... I'd love to say something upbeat here, but it'll have to wait.

--Lauren
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Old 04-24-2001, 02:03 PM   #12  
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Good Morning, Turtles,

Wow, Lauren! 50 web screens in two weeks! I bet you're tired!

You know, that 5 pounds may be more hormonal than you think. Last month I put on 4 pounds and was feeling depressed. I shouldn't have weighed myself at that time. I learned my lesson and this month I waited. But the end result of that was that I lost 5 pounds, the four I had gained plus one, in the week after TOM started. I usually average a two pound gain, but I had a weird month. Anyway, keep tracking. Do watever exercise you can. I think it will come back off. You've been doing great, in general.

The Discovery Channel had a TV program about how our bodies work that was really to the point. It showed a man who wanted to lose weight. His first effort followed the "diet" stuff we all know doesn't work. Starve yourself. Deprive yourself of your favorite foods. Lose a lot of water, but little fat. Etc. His second effort focused more on exercise. He ate a more balanced diet and stopped depriving himself. He lost weight and it was fat he was losing. But they said that if he stopped exercising, it would come back fairly quickly. So, when life causes us, due to illness or injury, to decrease or stop our exercise program, we should expect to gain back a little of the weight. The problem comes in when we react by giving up. Lauren, you're doing the right thing by doing what you can. Your arm will heal and you will get back to your regular workout. And the weight will start coming off again.

I'm so glad that you're not getting laid off. I'm sure that's one less stressful thing in your life right now. I hope this is the last of the layoffs.

I'm doing OK. I'm back on track after last night. I didn't go crazy, just had a brain slip. I slipped back and put a portion of food on my plate that reflects what I used to eat. I didn't need all of that food and I was really stuffed after I ate it. I almost left half of it, but I didn't.

I'm wondering if I'm feeling a bit more stressed out about David's impending move to Southern California than I thought I was. My first child is moving out. He doesn't have a definite job, but the company where his friend works needs people and the pay is enough for him to live on as long as he doesn't live alone. It's an ideal schedule for my kid who loves to stay up all night--it's a graveyard shift. I'm feeling encouraged because he's not just running from living with his parents. He has plans for the future. He can be difficult to live with, so I'm kind of glad he's moving out on his own. I just wish he'd be close enough to visit once a month or so.

This is one more change in a year of many changes. Maybe I need to simply accept that I'm going to be stressed and just do the best I can. Forgive myself my slips and realize that as things settle down, so will my eating patterns. I'm not bingeing or out of control. Just slipping a bit here and there. It's better than I used to do with managing stress. So, I guess I'm making progress. That's the turle motto: Progress, not perfection. Right?

Talk to you all later.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin
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Old 04-25-2001, 11:32 AM   #13  
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Kimmers and Lin,
congratulations on your weight losses. It looks like I'll be down a couple of those pounds I just put on.
I weigh in today, so I'll know for sure.
Kimmers, when the program in WW went from 10% difference to Winning Points, they knocked off two top points from the ranges. I was annoyed because I found it very difficult to bank points and it was the banking points that allowed me the flexibility to eat out and still lose weight, albeit slowly. So--I felt like a spoiled brat.
I wanted my points back. I also knew that WW had changed for a good reason and my weight loss was VERY slow, so it made sense to cut back. I just couldn't get on top of it these last few months and I lost incentive to work the program, I had my year anniversary and was down almost 30 pounds. Then I started putting weight back on. It wasn't fun.
Now I am keeping with the Winning Points, getting the exercise in more often and am determined to get a weight loss somehow. We eat out a lot (Subway, diners, Italian food or Chinese food takeout) and I am figuring out ways to eat this way and still lose weight. For the first time I feel good to be back OP this week. I'm putting it all together. I think I scared myself at the last WI because I was up to a weight that meant I had gained back almost 8 pounds from my lowest weight this year. That was NOT the way I wanted to go. After feeling sorry for myself and yucky, I got myself back OP by doing all the things I tell other people to do. That's another aspect--feeling like an expert because I've figured out things that work, give advice freely, share tips and recipes, etc. But guess what? I needed to do it too!
So long answer--but it's stuff I've been thinking about for a while. I want desperately to be successful. I will do this! It's just not that bad. Some days it's very hard, but other days are doable and I can keep going down that road.
KImmers--good for you for pursuing your graduate degree.. I think it's great that you and your husband are making time for bike riding. What fun! I also think it's great that he went to a meeting with you. There's so much to learn there.
Lin--hope the carpool works out for you dh and that you can get some work you like in Salinas. I checked out your weight loss and it's fabulous. Are you giving yourself a new 10% goal throughout your weight losss trip?
Lauren--feel better, heal well. Good for you for exercising with your good arm.
Let's all do this!

Judy

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Old 04-25-2001, 02:38 PM   #14  
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Hi, Turtles,

Judy, it sounds as if you're getting things back in focus. I'm glad things are working for you. I know that eating out can be a real challenge, but it's fun and worth making the effort to learn how to fit it into the program. I also know what you mean about banking points being a challenge at times. I find that some days I eat every point I'm allowed and other days I bank up to 4 points. I never bank more than that and usually it's only 1 or 2. I use them to bake desserts or eat treats like the Cadbury Creme Eggs my oldest son loves. He thinks they're the best candy in the world, so he always buys them for everyone at Easter time.

About the 10% goal: I took a break from trying to lose weight and worked to maintain the loss I had up to that point. So, when I started again, I decided to work toward a 10% loss. Then I may decide to take another (shorter) break and then do another 10%. Or I may do another 10 % then take a break. This time, though, when I take a break I plan to continue to track points. It was the one thing I didn't do and I should have. I discovered that my body seems to prefer to lose weight in increments. I'd probably have gotten to goal if I had known that in the past. I could have then chosen to maintain after the first time I lost 50 pounds, then when I lost the next 50 I'd have been closer to goal, rather than starting overand just treading over the same ground. And this time would have been the final stretch. Instead, it's the middle of the race.

I'm doing fine and am back OP after my weird glitch the day before yesterday. I'm looking forward to hearing how the rest of you are doing when you get a chance to post.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin
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Old 04-25-2001, 05:16 PM   #15  
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Thanks for the encouraging words, Lin and Judy. And congrats for being OP.

I'm still not quite OP, still a few points over the past couple of days. But I'm writing it down and counting it. I feel like I'm hanging on by my fingernails; I guess sometimes that's just what you have to do!

I woke up this morning sounding like Lauren Bacall; as the day has progressed, I've begun to sound like Barry White. Someone here at work asked me if I was auditioning for late-night radio. This might also explain why I've been tired the past couple of days (that and all that overtime) -- I'm developing a nasty case of bronchitis. Here's hoping it doesn't get worse. Fortunately, my current workload is very light, and I'm taking Friday off anyway.

Anyone heard much about the glycemic index? It tells you which carbs break down quickly into sugar and which ones take longer. Countries other than the US use it to manage diabetes (the US doesn't think enough studies have been done yet). I'm thinking I may take a closer look at that and start managing my carbs accordingly.

Onward and ... onward,

Lauren
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