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
Note: Check out the end of the last thread. There are a couple of new posts.
hi guys,
All goes well here. I finally am rested up from Thanksgiving . I'll get to WW mtg. tonight and WI on Saturday. Good to know you're all here and working this program. This is a tough time of the year for me, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Take care and do well.
Judy
234/thinner!
Hi, all. It's a cold, gray, late November day here in Michigan. We're supposed to get rain tonight and tomorrow. Rain at just above freezing temperatures isn't my favorite weather. Still, I plan to go outside today, walk to the coffee shop and see if I can't write something.
Last night at WW I was up a pound. I'm still down a half pound on my home scales, though, and I'll stick with those for my numbers. The meeting was OK; we talked about dealing with upcoming holiday temptations. I find it helpful to think ahead about these things.
Got a possible job nibble yesterday. There's a short-term project I'm being considered for. The downside is that it starts in two weeks, and I'd rather not work while family is visiting. (We've got family here off and on in December.) I asked if it would be possible to take Christmas week off. Haven't heard anything yet.
Bought my first pair of size 18 misses (not women's) jeans yesterday (that I could zip up, anyway). They're stretch jeans, or I wouldn't have been able to zip them. But they look great. I also visited Lane Bryant and tried on one of their size 18-20 shirts, and it was big. I realized I'm truly on the cusp of getting out of plus-size clothing. Within a couple months, I'll be there.
Onward and downward,
Lauren
274/201.5/199 by Christmas (home scales, a.m.)
Lauren,
You're so close! Trying on those clothes must have made you feel great. I keep on dragging in this program, but today was another good day. Yesterday was not--although it wasn't horrendous. I asked my dh for size XL for any clothes he'd like to buy me for Christmas. Even if I can't quite wear them, I want to be there and I think that will help. I've got to put weeks together OP, not just days. I also have to shake off Thanksgiving. I think I had a reaction to Thanksgiving yesterday.
Monday was OP and today is Op--yesterday was an eating day where my emotions came into play over the problems of my children and their spouses, etc. on the holidays. Not everything is smooth, but I'd like it to be as good as possible. Right now I have to turn this over to God. Relax, do the very best I can and realize that staying fat will not make the emotions and negative feelings go away.
LIn and Lauren,
I'm in this with you! Let's do this.
Life is a roller coaster inside a black tunnel. It goes up and down, but you can't plan for it because you can't see anything ahead of you. That's my philosophy for the day and it makes me want to put in Roller Coaster Tycoon and build a park with lots of great rides and attractions.
Judy, you hang in there through this tough time. No matter what happens, you will be better off in January if you hang in through the holidays. I know that you know that. I'm just reinforcing it.
You're right about putting weeks together, but maybe right now you can only do days. Be kind to yourself. Every day that you are OP is one day more. Even if they're not consecutive, the damage is not nearly as bad as it would be without every one of the OP days you put together. You go, girl! You are doing it, even if you sometimes feel lilke you're not. Because you're always learning and growing.
Lauren, great to hear about the job nibble. Bummer that it's right when you're having company. Hope it works out the best way for you.
Congrats on being on the cusp of getting below women's sizes. That's a real accomplishment. Way to go!
I'm doing just fine. Today is my birthday and my mother sent me a check. I took Paul to the Olive Garden. I did what I always do at restaurants. I eat what I want, but keep the portions small. I leave or take home a lot of food. I filled up mostly on soup and salad, so I wasn't too hungry by the time the main course got there. I have more than half of it in the fridge. I limited myself to a few bites of dessert. And I have plenty of points to cover that dinner.
I almost didn't have dessert at all because I baked the cake for a very decadent dessert today. I splurge on this (or other recipes that I absolutely love) about once a year. I don't think I've made this since 1999. I get a craving for it once in a while, but it takes two days to make. Anyway, I'm having a small piece. It's so rich that I can't eat more than a few bites, which is enough.
I don't count the points. I write it in my journal. I deduct every banked point I have and eat at the bottom of my range for a few days. But I'd stop doing WW if I could never make this (or a few other recipes that are similar in that they're high in points, but not all are desserts.) So, I get some exercise making them and I figure that if it slows down my weight loss, that's OK. It's better to have a week of maintain or a small gain and get right back to losing, than to end up bingeing or going off completely because I didn't eat what I really wanted.
I'm dealing with the leftovers by cutting it into individual slices and freezing them. My family can thaw the slices when they want some more. I only want one, tiny piece.
I'm walking a lot faster lately. I'm still walking for about an hour and a half, but covering a lot more ground. It's really great. But there's another storm coming and I may not be able to walk tomorrow. I'd go ahead and walk if my jacket was still waterproof.
We're going to be able to buy that used car from my son's friend. My MIL is giving us enough money to make a down payment and cover the cost of transferring ownership as a Christmas gift. The friend doesn't want all of the money up front, so we're making monthly payments starting in January. The car will keep us going while we save up for fixing ours. The really frustrating thing is that if my dh were getting holiday pay and benefits, we would have enough money to fix it in January. But since he isn't, we have to use that money for living expenses.
However, we may get a portion of our deposit back when we renew our lease. Long story. That will help tremendously with making up for part of the missed income for this month. And maybe allow us to get a few Christmas gifts, too.
So, that's why I'm philosophizing about ups and downs and roller coasters today. I'm hoping that the relatively good news I've had today, on my birthday, is a portent that things are going to get better.
Lauren, you're so close! You must be just beside yourself with excitement.
Judy, I wish you luck, dealing with family and the stress of the holidays, that sort of thing. I'm lucky in that my MIL drives me nuts but she's 5,000 miles away. Doesn't stop her calling at 3am to remind us that international mail takes awhile so we'd best do our Christmas cards early, but anyway. Meow!
Lin, I find it tremendously odd that you very often are thinking about, and writing about, the same things I'm thinking about but not saying. Specifically this time I'm thinking about being kind to oneself.
(warning, this got a little long)
We had a friend here over the Thanksgiving weekend, visiting from England. He was staying in the guest room, using the main bathroom (the one with a tub, that I use. I HATE showers). So, in the interest of not occupying 'his' bathroom for too long and being available if he 'needed' me, I stayed to the master bedroom (that my husband uses) and tried not to be 'busy' for long. So, problem? Oh gracious.
We all know I have a brain injury, from my accident about 5 years ago. Memory was the part that was most damaged. I have a wall chart (like you make for kid's chores) to remind me of if I've had a bath, brushed my teeth, that sort of thing, on any given day. Well, said chart is in the main bathroom, not the master bathroom. And since I cleared out to let our friend have his space, I completely forgot half of it, for the whole weekend! About all I managed to remember, I think, was showers, washing my hair, and taking my pills!
Once he had left and I realized the amount that I had forgotten, I was appalled and ashamed of myself. Then it occured to me to wonder WHY I hadn't just put my foot down, stayed in MY space, and done what I needed to do to take care of myself. I KNOW I need written memory crutches. I KNOW I need consistency. I KNOW I need time to myself (which my baths are). In trying so hard to make sure Friend was taken care of, I completely ignored taking care of myself.
That realization made me stop and think. I tend to kinda float in my own little world, which is a happy way to be really, but it also means that I'm easily steered in the directions that other people want me to go. I rarely assert my own will on others. But why not? I've been wondering what was different in Chicago, when I was on WW the first time. Well, what was different was that I didn't have a husband, I wasn't with my family, I had a completely self-determined job ("here, get this done by a month from now, I don't care when or how you do it")--I was entirely self-controlled. I could spend my time on *me*.
I spent today thinking about this, and thinking about self-care. I ate stuff based on whether it was taking good care of me or not, made decisions about what to do based on whether it would be taking care of myself. It put things in perspective, really. It's painful to look at how I've been neglecting myself, and hard to trust myself to take care of me. But at least I realize these things, right?
Sorry to get so mopey, didn't mean to! You just brought up a tender topic, Lin. I intend to explore it, and see where it gets me.
Wow, what thoughtful posts. I wish I had more time to respond to them, but I'm about to run out the door with a friend for lunch.
Mousie, sounds like you're really hitting on some important stuff. I look forward to seeing how you manage to make more time for truly taking care of yourself. Good for you.
Judy, don't forget to pat yourself on the back for every OP day you have and focus on those days instead of the others. Focus on your successes -- you're having lots of them these days! The holidays truly are a time of family stress. I think it's a good idea to come up with other ways to handle stress right now. I need to make a list of ideas for myself, too, since we've got family coming and going all month. A few ideas that help me de-stress:
-- Pray, meditate, read the Bible (setting aside time to really focus on this calms me like nothing else)
-- Get outside and walk, or do my workouts. (Getting outside is more relaxing for me, though I tend to get a better workout indoors.)
-- Read a mystery novel
-- Snuggle the cats
-- Have DH give me a backrub
-- Take a long bath with magazines (hi, Mousie!)
-- Go out to lunch with a friend -- oops! Gotta hurry this up so I can get going!
Lin, I'm glad you'll be able to have decent transportation again. I hope DH's job settles down after the holidays. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Your approach to eating treats seems very sane. I too would go nuts if I couldn't ever eat foods like that, even if it means slowing down my weight loss.
Yesterday was my first day over points in a few weeks. I had enough banked points to cover it, but I don't lose well when I do that. I was just really, really hungry all day. Hungry and sleepy. Maybe it's this gray, drizzly, cold weather we're having, I don't know. Anyway, today I feel more back to normal.
Got another job nibble for a short-term project, but this one is with the company I actually want to work for. I should find out soon if their proposal is accepted; if it is, I'll have work for a few months doing something I'd really enjoy. Here's hoping.
I need to think of a reward for myself once I hit 199. Any ideas?
Onward and downward,
Lauren
274/201.5/199 by Christmas (home scales, a.m.)
Lauren, your list of de-stressing things is very like mine. Mine are:
--long baths with books, magazines, the Gameboy...
--the computer games Tetris and Bejewelled. Both organizing, put-things-in-place games. I can play for hours...
--warm blankets, warm ANYTHING. I immediately relax when I'm warm.
--long drives (out to the desert and back) with the sunroof back and music blaring. As long as there's no traffic!
--quiet 'sits' with just me and my journal.
As for rewards, well, I've always been bad at rewarding myself. Again, I'm thinking it's part of the take-care-of-me thing. OTHER people can have rewards, and should, but *I* don't really need them. There's this voice in my head telling me that I've gotten enough rewards already, and I'm just being grabby, and really 'doing well is its own reward', and that sort of thing. But right now I'm also thinking, why am I never nice to MYSELF? Why am I so mean to me? Anyway, I was going to give you reward ideas!
Hmm. Well, as you know, if you remember, my reward to myself the last time I was on WW (sigh) was plastic surgery, mastopexy. Which is the best thing I ever did for myself, really, but it's something to be saved for when you're close to or at goal. Besides, that's probably a bigger reward then you're thinking of! Though, getting out of the 200's deserves a bigger reward than usual.
Maybe a weekend away with your hubby?
Professional massage? Day at a spa?
Get a manicure/pedicure/both?
Portable walkman for when your workouts are outside? You never know, music might speed you up!
Just some ideas! I've got to run to class and to the hairdresser's. When you see me again (haha!) I shall have red/burgundy hair again!
Thank you all for your birthday wishes. It was a good day.
Wow, Mousie. You are going through a lot right now. It's often hard to balance meeting our own needs with being kind to the people around us. Most of us tend to err on the side of being kind to others because we don't want them to think we're selfish.
But, I think it's important to figure out what our needs are and make sure to take care of those. Then we end up with enough energy and caring to take care of the people we love. I've found that if I don't take care of myself, I end up resenting taking care of other people. So, I'm always working on finding that balance.
Destressors--good idea to list these at this stressful time of year. Here's my list-- Lighting candles seems to make relaxing activities more relaxing, I've noticed. Or a fire in the fireplace, if you're lucky enough to have one.
Read a good book. (I used to love to do this in the tub, but our tub isn't very comfortable, so I don't do that anymore. Especially with bubble bath.)
Write in my journal.
Prayer and studying for spiritual growth is also one of my best destressors.
Come to the turtle thread and other forums for support.
Write anything.
Cook something, especially soup or bread.
Work on a fun project, like the afghan I'm knitting.
Listen to music, especially music I like to sing along with.
Computer games, especially role-playing games with good stories.
Lauren, I hope this short-term project works out. It could lead to a job offer with the company you want to work for. I'll add it to my prayer list.
Some days are just hungry days, Lauren. And since you had banked points to cover it, I wouldn't worry about it. It's only one day.
Reward suggestions for your 199 goal:
It's a biggie, so I think I'd want something more than my usual rewards of paperback books and little things.
A new dress or outfit. Not a second-hand one.
Shoes
A new hairdo.
Some jewelry, like earrings, if you wear them or a necklace.
Tickets to a show, concert, or a movie.
We all have our wish lists and I'd probably pick something from mine. For me, it's stuff like cookbooks, new computer games, or things for my kitchen to make cooking easier. For example, my current kitchen wish is for a stick blender that I can use to puree soup right in the pot. And Wizardry 8, one of my favorite role-playing series games is out. Things like that cost a little more than I usually spend on myself, and those are my favorite rewards.
I'm doing OK today. Not great because I've caught the cold Paul has been fighting all week. Unfortunately, he has to go to work. No benefits means no sick leave, either. I, at least, can take a nap if I need to. He's been going to bed at 7 pm all week to get enough rest to get through it. I expect he'll really crash and sleep this weekend.
I'm OP, even with my treats because I had a ton of banked points. It's the time of the month when I'm least hungry so I've been eating at the bottom of my range lately. So, I'm happy with how my journey is going these days.
Lin,
Very Happy Birthday to you! I love the way you write and your philosophy for shedding unwanted weight. You make a lot of sense.
Mousie,
I'm sorry you had a tough time with guest in house. You sound like me putting yourself in last place in favor of your guests. Let's not do that anymore. Promise?
Lauren,
Hope you get the job you'd like. That would be heavenly. As far as a reward, all those ideas are great. I'll tell you what I did to reward myself. I bought a silver charm bracelet and a charm for every five pounds I lose. I'd sure like to put another charm on there real soon. That's why these OP days are so important.
One bit of good news--my blood pressure is a little lower than its been and that's a very good thing.
Love you guys--I've gotta run--if I figure out how to destress, you'll be the first to know--no really, I take deep breaths, play new age music and read. Right now time is short for a lot of things, but I'm doing okay. You all keep on keepin' on.
Thank you, Judy, for the birthday wish. I also appreciate the compliment on my philosophy.
I love your reward. You will have a very nice bracelet when you reach your goal. You reminded me of another woman who rewarded herself with a new pair of earrings for every so many pounds. I don't remember how many, but she amassed quite a collection.
I haven't been very hungry these past couple of days because of fighting off this cold. I've been very tired, too. So, I skipped my walk, but I ended up eating at the very bottom of my range. So, I think that, no matter what the scale does this week, I'm doing very well. I'm feeling a little bit better and I think a couple of good night's sleep and maybe a nap or two and I'll be back to normal.
I have a friend who does an open house every year. We have a caroling session that is incredible. People just yell out what song they want and we sing it. O, Come All Ye Faithful--including the verse in Latin. And so on. It's a real tradition in my family to go.
Anyway, this year, in additon to being the musical director of our church, taking care of her teenage daughters, and doing the everyday stuff she does, the hostess is taking care of her mother, who is recovering from surgery. So, I volunteered to prepare whatever food I could and bring it. That's my project for next week. We're working out the menu and I'm looking forward to doing it.
Lin, bummer about that cold. I hope you and DH get well soon.
Judy, I love the charm bracelet idea! I love the idea of having something visible and tangible that reminds you of your successes.
Mousie and all, I love the lists of de-stressing ideas. I also loved seeing everyone's great reward ideas. I'm going to keep them for future use.
I've decided (I think) what I'm going to do. Money is tight right now because of my being unemployed, so I have to pick something a little cheaper to reward myself. I have a pair of earrings that I love and that have a wonderful history. They're shaped like small concave discs, and they're made out of rose gold. I had them made by some Laotian refugees in the refugee camp I used to work in overseas (they were outstanding goldsmiths). I wore them non-stop for years, lost one on a subway in Boston, ended up working back in the refugee camp a couple years later and had *another* refugee family duplicate the existing one.
Then about five (?) years ago, I lost one again in Detroit. Fortunately, I had had an extra disc made when I was in the camp, but unfortunately I didn't have an extra wire made for it (the wire part that goes through your ear). So I haven't worn them since.
So my reward to myself is going to be to replace that wire. It won't be your standard earring wire, because the existing one is unusual and lovely. I'm going to see what it would cost to duplicate the existing one. If that's too much, I'll just buy two new ones.
Long description, but there you have it. I wanted a reward that would last, one that I could touch and see and remember this moment of success for years to come. (Like Judy's charm bracelet.)
And guess what, folks? This morning I snuck another peek at the scale, and it said -- 199.5. It's not official, blah blah blah, but BOY, was I happy to see it. I'll wait until Tuesday to officially change my numbers, but I wanted the turtles to know.
Onward and downward,
Lauren
274/201.5/199 by Christmas (home scales, a.m.)
Lauren,
This is so amazing! Good for you.
I like the idea of your reward for this wonderful loss.
Everyone,
Well, at WW WI this morning I guess it wasn't just fluids from Thanksgiving because although I weighed in in the morning instead of asfternoon, I still gained some weight. Not good nor fun. I only went off program one day, had banked points and really don't know what's happening now. I'm on track still and I'll be heading to daughter's for her version of Tahnksgiving dinner--Thanksgiving 2 she likes to call it.
Wish me well and pray that I do the right thing and shake up a weight loss.
Love,
Judy
234/thinner
I love your reward, Lauren. You can wear those repaired earrings on Christmas. And the number is awesome!
Hang in there, Judy. It can be discouraging to go for a long time without seeing any real losses, but it's so much better to keep going. The losses will come. And you have a great time at your daughter's.
We're getting California's famous liquid sunshine. It's a little unusual for it to rain this much this time of year. My dh took me to the mall for my walk. So, I did get to do some activity. My legs really ache (varicose veins) if I don't do the walking. It keeps the circulation going.
And I'm OP today. I don't know what the scale will show tomorrow, because my eating pattern has been really weird the past few days due to that cold. I'm within my range, but sometimes when you're not feeling well, your body doesn't give up the pounds. So, we'll see.
Gotta go. I want to do some writing before I cook dinner.
Dear Friends,
I had a great time at daughter's with my other daughter, son in law, and hubby. We have a lot of laughs together, and I know I'm really lucky. I ate more than I planned, but by just a bit.
I calculated points this morning and went over total after using banked points by just three points.
I am OP and eating low points today. I am using all the discipline I have to avoid stepping on my home scale. I'll weigh in on Wed.
if I can figure out a way to do that. Otherwise I'll aim for Thursday. My last choice would be to weigh in on Sat. because I don't want to use that as a crutch.
You all take care, and keep on keepin' on. You're doing well.
Lauren, I love your reward for yourself.
Lin, it's great that exercise helps your legs.
Judy
234/thinner/199#soon!!!!!
Turtle Club #41
I also visited Lane Bryant and tried on one of their size 18-20 shirts, and it was big. I realized I'm truly on the cusp of getting out of plus-size clothing. Within a couple months, I'll be there.
I'd go ahead and walk if my jacket was still waterproof.
