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Old 06-26-2001, 02:38 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 06-26-2001, 02:56 PM   #2  
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Hi, Turtles,

Wow, you guys have so much great stoff to say today.

Judy, glad to hear from you. Great job with staying OP.

Lauren, I know what you mean about needing change to shake things up. I do that, too. I usually change things like try new recipes or start using my stickers. Or do a different kind of exercise. Things like that. Glad to hear that you're feeling better about how you're doing now. Wait a few days and reassess. Things always look worse to me at TOM! Once it's over, I get a better perspective on situations.

What a weird situation you have at work! I can't imagine needing to be laid off so I could take a job I really want. Good luck to you.

Kathy, glad to hear things are going well for you, too. I love veggies, now that I'm grownup and can cook them myself. My mom makes the worst veggies in the world! I love a variety of ways to prepare them. Like Mousie, I love soups. I love them steamed. I love salads. One of the best ways to cook veggies, especially if you don't like them very much is to grill or roast them. Steamed veggies can be perked up with a little lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. Remember, you get to count beans and potatoes as veggies, too. I forget to do that sometimes.

Kimmers, congratulation on the 3.5 pounds gone this week. I know what you mean about feeling out of control, but you did the best you could. So, put it behind you and move on. You're right about this being a lifelong process. It often seems as though I get one lesson learned, something else crops up.

Things are OK today. I'm OP and just about to go eat. I hope you all have a great day.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin
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Old 06-26-2001, 04:02 PM   #3  
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Thanks Lin - I appreciate the support.

I wrote a big long post on #30 that ate up all our space (sorry! ) but there are messages for everyone on it if you're interested.

Almost time to go home!
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Old 06-26-2001, 10:52 PM   #4  
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Hi Everyone!
Kimmers,
Please don't worry about your nice, long post. I loved it. Your words of encouragement for me hit the mark and I have a feeling you did that for everyone else too. Good post!
Lin,
Thanks for keeping this turtle post going. It's a huge help. I am OP today, was OP yesterday. Have an agreement with dh not to eat out this week. Made a chicken mole for dinner that was great. Served it over rice. Stopped at a grocer to stock up on fruits and veggies. I am doing this. That doing is a great word.
Congrats to all of you who are losing weight. We've got a nice thing going here.
Lauren,
I came in the middle of your wanting to be laid off so you could take a job you really want. Now, let me tell you--life is strange.
Veep and Lori--hi hope all goes well
Kathy,
Good for you. Veggies are definitely the way to go. The other day I went through the files here at 3fatchicks to see if there were some new recipes, and sure enough there were some lovely ones for vegetables and salads.
Everyone--take care, do this, and keep on turtlin'
Love,
Judy
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Old 06-27-2001, 08:57 AM   #5  
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First, Lin, in my funk I managed to miss that you had lost 8 pounds this month. Way to go! Given the stresses you've been dealing with, and given what you've said is your usual reaction to stress, that's practically miraculous. You're especially to be commended. If I could figure out the ASCII equivalent of a wave, I'd type you one here.

Kimmers, congrats on your loss as well!

Yes, I guess it is weird that I have to be laid off to take the job I want. I've been in consulting so long now that it just seems "normal." Consulting companies make their money off their staff, so when they lose someone to a rival company, it directly affects their bottom line (and increases that of their rival company). If I weren't billing on a project right now, it would probably be much easier to get laid off. Amazing; I go for months with no billable project, then right when I want to get laid off -- I'm billable!

I'm traveling to Canada today and tomorrow (for work, of course), so I'm not sure if I'll be checking in here. I'm bringing my laptop and if I have a decent connection tonight at the hotel I may check in. This group is such a help to me. Kimmers, I especially appreciated your post. Thanks.

I've been doing well pointwise and trackingwise and exercisewise. Travel is always a challenge in those areas, but fortunately it's only overnight. I'll aim for seafood and salads where possible; that helps. TOM just ended, so that has helped too. But I do still feel down and in a funk; not entirely sure why. Probably it's the job situation.

Bye, all, and keep on turtling. The alternative isn't pretty!

--Lauren
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Old 06-27-2001, 05:54 PM   #6  
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Hi, Turtles,

Kimmers, we're the queens of long posts and yours was terrific! I love it when we use up all the space and I have to start a new thread. Somehow it makes me feel as if we turtles are really cookin'!

Judy, congrats on being OP yesterday and today. I love chicken mole! Your post makes me want to get out that recipe and make it again.

Lauren, you're entitled to a funk! I'm so glad to hear you're back on track. Seafood is one of my favorite restaurant meals, too. I know how difficult things can be especially when you don't really know what's caused that funk. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Lori, veep, Mousie, and everyone else--Hope you're all having a great day.

I'm still OP. I had one of those extra good crying jags this morning. My husband gets really upset when I cry, but I told him I either had to cry or eat and eating was counterproductive. I needed the stress relief. He understood, but he didn't like it, which I understand.

OTOH--he had a phone interview this afternoon. It's not the company I mentioned earlier. The guy is doing some other phone interviews and will call Paul back if he wants to set up a face-to-face interview. We really hope that one of these jobs works out. Thanks for all of your continuing prayers for this situation.

We are really hoping that he finds a decent job long before that severance pay runs out, which will be about the end of August. We have some car maintenance to do and both of us need new glasses and . . . There's always stuff you have to put off in this situation. So, we're really hoping one of these works out and pays at least what he was making at his last job. Better yet, enough to cover the raise he would have gotten if the company hadn't laid off everyone.

Gotta go--

Happy turtlin'!

Lin
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Old 06-27-2001, 07:40 PM   #7  
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Hey Turtles!!! Just a short note to say "howdy doody!!" everyone is doing so good. WE can all be proud of ourselves..Oh we may get in funks once in awhile, but that is ok, we just got to pull ourselves out of it..(with the help of other turtles of course..)

I liked that you went ahead and cryed Lin..I know that sounds funny, but you did good. getting all that emotion out is so good for you...I try to feel my feelings, not stuff them, then when I have had enough...I let it go. I am sure you were doing the same...

I have been op I think..This is still all so new, it is still kinda hard, esp when you go out to eat. Yesterday i was going to have left over chicken breast but dh wanted to eat at his favorite restuant..We both had the steak. I asked for soup instead of potatoe or french fries.( I had already had a small potatoe for lunch) the salad was included and grilled bread...I had 1/2 bread, 1/2 steak, all soup, and 1/2 salad...I did not have dessert as my dh did, and for the second time in 3 days I passed up cake at work...I can not believe my self... Today I got hungry about 3 1/2 hours after I had eaten so I went to the store (had a few minutes before my next patient would come) and got baby carrots, and snow peas and then a cup of coffee. I ate lots of them, and finally filled up enough to make it to luncy...Had WW dinner for lunch. Got hungry at 4:00 but that is ok. I just had the rest of my steak, and will eat vegies in an hour or so... just wanted to say thanks for being here...I love to read all your post and all your encouragements...I am just feeling so motivated..I don't think I have felt this way in my whole life...Thank You!!!
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Old 06-28-2001, 07:35 AM   #8  
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Hi Turtles,
Harley, so glad you're working out something in WW that works for you! Isn't it great? With the freedom of points and the support of 3fatchicks and the Turtles, we'll all do this!
Lin, you are amazing. I say cry your head off if that helps. The stress you have right now needs some venting. Maybe you can cry in a bucket or out of dh's sight LOL so you both come out better after the emotion release. You are so smart to keep OP during this time. Good for you. This could have been a time of huge weight gain and then you'd have to deal with the resulting bad feelings. So, the way you're handling your situation is exactly what WW wants and what you want. Way to go, Turtle.
I'm doing it too. Yesterday I went to the morning WW WI which is what I'll be doing for the summer until I return to work in Sept. The scale wasn't what I had hoped, but it was what I had earned. On a positive note, I moved my scale out of the bathroom where it was too tempting. I hopped on it more than I wanted to and let my eating be determined by what the number registered. Not a good idea. So now I am determined to let the WW WI be the only time I step on the scale. I also bought a spiral notebook and I am taking the next step in journaling. I am using a page a day and recording all I eat. I eat often in tiny amounts and the small WW journal was too tiny. Yesterday I exercised and did some heavy duty housework, so I'm feeling great about that. I recorded that and then I wrote a sentence or two about how I was feeling. Since I know I eat in response to emotions, I am sure this will be helpful. I did eat under points yesterday just because I postponed eating until noon. I was not hungry because I loaded up on veggies with my pasta. My head is in a much better place than it has been for ages. I have the 4th of July planned out and I am creating a plan for a social occasion today.
Kimmers and Veep and Lauren and everybody--hi there--keep on doing this and happy turtlin'.
Judy
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Old 06-28-2001, 11:31 AM   #9  
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Just checking in. It sounds like everyone's holding in there!

Lin, cry buckets. If that's what it takes, that's what it takes. You go, girl.

I'm expecting my WI tonight to be very high, because it's TOM for me and I tend to hold about 3-5 pounds of water for the first 3 days. Then I drop it all, no problem, but for those days NO amount of water I drink will break it. I've tried, believe me--I drink about 3 liters a day anyway, and when I'm trying to break I try to double that amount.

We rigged up my bike and got DH's rear brake fixed, so we can do Midnight Madness in August. I went out to try it out, and to try out my legs, and I rode about 9 miles in 1 hour. Hopped off, tied my bike on the bike rack, no problem. Had to drive home, right, which is about 15 minutes. So I get here, and I tried to get out of the car, and I had Jello for legs! I was sooooo wobbly! But not sore the next day, which is cool.

We were out yesterday afternoon, and a company called for DH! They are "very interested" in his resume and want him to call and set up an interview today. YAY! This is nice from a money perspective (oh, you can guess how nice!) and also from a WW perspective.

With DH working and out of the house, I can exercise when I want, and eat what I want throughout the day, without him trying to throw me off. And, I think there is a lot of merit to the thought that he may be feeling so insecure right now that he doesn't want me to change, too. When we were in London he was working, and I would go to classes, go blading in Hyde Park, that sort of thing, and then I would fix healthy meals for dinner. He was fine with that and didn't try to sabotage me, so once he has a job here and feels like he's being a "proper husband", I'm hoping he'll feel more secure and let me do what I need to do for myself. I can handle one tempting meal a day (dinner with DH, if he's working). The thing I can't handle is the constant tempting snacks and suggestions!

Keep your turtle chins up!
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Old 06-28-2001, 06:57 PM   #10  
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Hi, Turtles,

Harley, it's great to hear from you again. I'm glad to hear things are going well. It gets easier the longer you do it because you learn the point values of the foods you eat most often. It's funny, too, how sometimes the points fool you. I once was checking out the point count of two flavors of ice cream. Same brand, one was low fat and the other regular. The regular had fewer points!

Judy, way to go on getting rid of that pesky home scale. I've always been a believer in weighing only once a week and on the same scale. There's a web site, Fitness Jumpsite, that has an excellent article on the subject of how scales lie. Unfortunately, I don't have the URL, so I can't make a link. It's not too difficult to find, though.

I also like your new approach to journaling. It sounds like you're adjusting the way you journal to the way you do the program.

Mousie, isn't PMS a pain? I'm facing that right now, too. But it's getting easier the longer I do the calcium. You probably should try getting 1200 mg. daily, if you decide to try taking extra calcium to help PMS. I need between that and 1500 mg. because of my age.

I'm so glad for your dh. I hope this job works out for him.

Things are going about the same for me. My dh hasn't heard back after his phone interview yesterday. But we did find out that someone else was hired for the other job.

I'm OP and I have 8 points banked. I need them because this weekend we're going to San Jose, which means most meals out. It's David's birthday and one of his friends is hosting a lunch at a Sushi buffet. I'm not really worried about dealing with it. Restaurant food isn't usually a problem for me, as long as I order carefully and don't overstuff myself.

I had a couple of thoughts about this program that I wanted to share. First, I've been noticing some minor changes in my appearance. Nothing earth-shattering. But I realized that I need to really look in the mirror every day. I need to make a point of cementing my current body in my mind. Otherwise, I get a shock when I see my smaller self and start gaining weight because I don't look like what I think I look like. Sounds weird, I know. But most people are more comfortable with the familiar and I've been overweight for a very long time. I need to do whatever it takes to get all of my brain on the same page. Part of it wants to see smaller and part seems to want to stay the same. I need to start making some journal entries to work on this issue or I'll end up sabotaging myself.

The other thing is that I now weigh a few pounds less than I did at the beginning of last year (2000). (I found my old journal.) That feels really great. And I realized that for much of the last year and a half I was learning things that are helping me to be more consistent with my weight loss now. I've occasionally been a little hard on myself about the times when I wasn't strictly following the program. But after seeing the lessons I've learned and how they're helping me now, I realize that I needed that time. So, I'm a turtle, but I doubt I'll ever weigh as much as I once did. After all, I stayed within the same range for a year and a half! And now I'm losing again. That's real progress.

Hope all of you turtles, whether posting members or reading members, are having a great day.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin
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Old 06-29-2001, 12:26 PM   #11  
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Great points, Lin, about keeping the weight off for a year and a half. Way to go.

Me too, and it's really a first for me. I obviously need to watch myself very carefully (can you say JOURNAL, JOURNAL, JOURNAL), though, because it looks like I truly could gain it all back fairly quickly if I stay too long in unconscious mode.

Also, that's great about banking points for the weekend. I love going out for sushi; it's so low in points. Have fun!

I've exercised four times this week so far. I plan to go for a long walk downtown to the used book store tomorrow, too. I've had mixed success with my points; I was over yesterday and the day before, mostly due to eating out while traveling. I could've stayed within my points yesterday, though, and didn't. But I did write everything down.

I snuck a peek at the scale (I know; I'm not supposed to weigh in until Sunday), and it has me down 4.5 pounds. That's mostly due to TOM ending, I'm sure, although that's an unusual amount of water gain for me. It's probably related to all the overeating I'd been doing, too. In any case, I'm relieved that half of that nine-pound gain seemed to be water.

Well, work is heating up again and I'll be here until quite late tonight, so I'd better get to it. Have a great Friday, everyone

--Lauren
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Old 06-29-2001, 01:59 PM   #12  
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Lauren - Just wanted to let you know that some people at Dotti's are missing you! There is a thread in the Daily called "I miss someone..." and a couple of them are inquiring about you. They wanted me to tell you Hello (since I knew you posted here at 3FC)

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Old 06-29-2001, 02:34 PM   #13  
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Hi, Turtles,

Lauren, what you said about gaining back weight quickly if you remain in unconscious mode too long is one of the worst aspects of being overweight. We all go through so much to lose a small amount of weight, but it flys back on twice or more times as quickly.

Congratulations on getting back in the habit of journaling. And exercising four times this week. And going down that 4.5 pounds. Don't you think it's possible that some of that may be fat, since you said that you don't usually gain as much water as that? I bet it is and you're back to losing again.

Hi, Tara. You're always welcome to post here, if you're so inclined. I love Dotti's site, too.

PMS is being a pain, but not as much as it has in the past. So, I'm continuing to record and get in that calcium. I'm OP, but I may end up using a couple of my banked points today. I'm sure it will work out in the long run.

Speaking of being OP, there was a thread on Dotti's asking what you consider being off program. I found the answers to be very interesting. For me, being off program is totally ingoring my desire to make positive changes in this area of my life. I consider myself OP when I'm doing at least one thing towared my goal, especially since my recent realization that there's so much more to long-term success than just staying within my points, drinking water, and exercising. Those are the main "things we do", but if we don't deal with the rest of it--how to cope without turning to food for comfort, how to deal with body changes, how to live this way every day, etc., then we end up back doing the yoyo dance because we haven't learned the lessons and skills we need to get and keep off the weight. All we've done is diet. At least, that's how it feels to me.

Hope all you turtles are having a great day.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin
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Old 06-29-2001, 07:03 PM   #14  
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Tara, thanks! What a surprise! I had no idea I'd made so many cyber friends over there. What a supportive group.

Basically, when my work and my life heat up like this, I whittle down my online time to just the Turtles and maybe the 100 club, and I let everything else slide. When I have the time, I love to go to Dotti's and to Wendie's sites. They're both great and full of wonderful people. Wish I had more time.

Hey, if I get laid off soon and don't get hired by this other great company, maybe I will have more time. We didn't have our big layoffs today, but management finally confirmed that we will have very big layoffs in July. I expect to go then. I told my project manager today that if she had to let someone go, I'd volunteer.

Lin, I *really* like your take on what constitutes being off-program, and I completely agree with it. Being off-program doesn't mean eating some particularly fattening food, or mindfully going over my points. I agree with you -- it means "going unconscious," or just not trying to get or stay healthy anymore. I guess that's why journaling is just so key.

--Lauren
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Old 06-29-2001, 08:14 PM   #15  
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Lin,
I had participated in the OP discussion and then lost it in cyberspace. To sum up my feelings, I'm off program when I ignore WW suggestions and eat out of emotional needs. It's not a forgetting or a mistake. It's purposeful and hurtful. WW is just not that bad a lifestyle choice and it has great consequences. When I am off program something big is happening in my head and I am successful when I stop, analyze what is happening and then write about it. When I am not successful, I eat.
Hey Lauren, congrats on the weight loss. I am so happy the gain seemed to be temporary.
Everybody--take care and keep on turtlin'
Tomorrow I have a NY wedding to go to, so I'll have to plan my food carefully.
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