Good morning Turtles! I wish we had a Turtle icon...that would rock.

Anyway! I've planned my day and am content with what I have lined up. It's all within Points and healthy, "good" choices (veggies, protein, fruit) and I feel better knowing that I made these decisions ahead of time. I've walked to Panera Bread (about 1.25 miles away) and back this morning to get fresh bread for my hubby's lunch, and stopped at the grocery to get Kraft "Free" salad dressing for my lunch. I'm planning another long walk on my treadmill tonight while watching "The Biggest Loser". I didn't watch it last season, and I want to give it a try. Now that Celebrity Fit Club II is over, I need another series to follow and inspire me!

Right now I feel like I need a light snack--I'm extra hungry this morning! Then I'm going to go hop in the bath to get ready to go to volunteering this afternoon. Hmm, what to have...?

Hi Turtles,
Mousie, thanks for keeping us up to date on your activities. You're doing great. I think I may just check out Biggest Losers to see what it is all about. Right now I am glowing because at my WW WI this a.m. I lost 1.8#. In September I have lost 6.4# and I am very happy. My Halloween goal was 7# and I'm almost there. I have some big challenges coming up this week that I'll write about later. In the meantime, here's a and for all of us for trying hard and getting it done.

Bandit and Mousie, I am ever grateful for your posts. They help me feel like I am not alone.

Love,
Judy

Whoops--In the spirit of accuracy, I made a mistake in calculating my weight loss. Since Labor DAy I have lost 5.6# and am well on my way to meeting my Halloween goal. This is great and I need to keep it going. Yay! I need to lose less than 2 pounds and that will be the least I have weighed since 2000. At that point I will be in virgin fat territory and chomping at the bit to break 200# Let's all do this!
Love,
Judy
234.6/211.2/thinner into onederland

Fantastic loss, Judy! It must be all that vengeful treadmill punching.

You're so close to your Halloween goal, too, wow, virgin fat! You don't know HOW much I'd give to be in Virgin Fat territory...yipes! That's like...ow, since I was last here, 109 pounds from here!

I've had a good day again today...so far! I've still got dinner to get through. My best friend--who is notorious for bingeing on heavy, fattening foods--is on her way over to temporarily install her fishtank (her place is being exterminated). So dinner may be a challenge. I've got 10 points left. Wish me luck!

Tomorrow I'm planning to have another good day (I plan to have good days every day, right? ) and then friday is weigh-in. Fear me!

Turtles, you have to check this site out! http://www.sueandpaul.com/gmapPedometer/

It's great, you can set it to your city and zoom in, and map out any walks you take. It tells you distance between any points! I've mapped out my entire neighborhood, now...I've been plotting!

Alright, Turtles, I gained 5 pounds during my week in Minnesota. I'm down 1.5 this week since I got back, so I'm up a net of 3.5. Okay. I learned a lot about myself and my habits while I was in MN, not to mention about my life in general. So it was worth it, and I will do better next time.

Hi everyone:

Sounds like you are all doing well so that is great. I have been really busy up here with bf problems and not knowing what to do, etc. Dating new people is exhausting and sometimes I don't feel up to all that is required to start up something new.

Anyway, I have gone out for a few drinks, dinners and I was up 1.4# at my ww mtg on Tuesday so I was disappointed with that. I have not had a good last few days with meals & actually had chinese last night.

I really will have to plan & focus for the rest of the weekend even though I have a birthday party this afternoon. Will have to behave. I hate this 2 steps forward & 1 step back all the time. As soon as I get in a few good weeks, then I seem to sabotage myself.

Anyway congratulations to everyone who has lost weight, drank their water, planned their meals, counted their points & got in some exercise!!!

Bye for now.

Dear Turtles,
Well, it looks like the recent week was tough on most of us. I went out to Montauk Point on LI for a family get together. Dh and our kids and their spouses and their kids were all there and I had a great time. Trying to juggle 11 personalities and work around kids' schedules and naps, etc. could have been a disaster, but although there were a few glitches, we really had a good time. Trying my very best and getting in a lot of walking still finds me up about 1 1/2-2#. I WI tomorrow, so I'm doing my best to eat right and get on the treadmill. It would be great if this was water weight and I lost it by tomorrow morning. It would also be interesting if pigs could fly. LOL

In any case, Mousie, good for you for analyzing the way and why you eat while you were in MN. You're right that these are all life's lessons and it's great when we can apply the learnings and incorporate that wisdom into our lives!!!! Wow--that sounded good. Glad you've knocked off 1 1/2# and by now I'm sure even more is gone. Good for you.

Bandit, boy do I feel for you. First of all the two steps forward, one step backward is why we post at the Turtles site. For some of us the path is slow and steady and we still falter. Check out all our latest e-mails for that proof! In any case, keep on thinking of why you broke off your relationship with your boyfriend, keep your head on straight, and try and see the big picture. I'm sure that getting back into the dating game is tough (especially while trying to lose weight), but you can do it. You're right that having a plan will help you big time. I hope you made it through the weekend in a way that pleases you and we've got our Wed. WI coming up and that will start a new week.

Gals--I've gotta get on the treadmill. YOu all take care and keep on chiming in. I know this helps all of us.
Love,
Judy

Hi Turtles,
Today was my WW's WI. I gained .6# this week. This also broke my winning streak of losses every week. However, I am being a big girl and doing a lot of positive self talk. I was away on vacation and this was a very tiny gain--especially when I used to gain a pound per day whenever I was away. I am getting into the habit of the treadmill and am increasing my time on it. I am also enjoying yoga once a week. I am making a huge effort to lose 2+# this week to keep myself on track. I know I can do this and today was an excellent day as far as exercise and food.

Good luck to us all. Let's keep this going.
Bandit, how was your WI? I hope it was good.
Mousie, how are you doing? for all our efforts.

Love,
Judy
234.6/211.8/thinner into onederland (I just realized that if I work real hard I can be in onederland by Christmas)

I'm struggling a bit right now, Turtles. Ironically I'm not struggling with limiting my eating--I'm struggling with eating enough. Something about the trip to MN and the regain, I guess, has swung me back into behaviors I have worked really hard to stomp this past year. I am seeing my therapist on monday, though. I figure that I have resources, and it's a strong thing to use them...right? Anyway, I am putting a lot of effort into holding on and not getting any deeper before monday.

So far this week I've dropped 1.5 pounds. It's not official til friday, though.

I'm really trying to focus on veggies and protein (a muscular body needs more protein) and on not exercising too much. Tonight I walked for 45 minutes and lifted weights for 20.

0.6 pounds is a tiny gain, Judy. It's...what...half a trip to the bathroom? I'm sure you'll get that right off. Remember to keep punching that treadmill! Show it who's boss!

Bandit, I agree with the idea to plan your weekend. When I'm planned (and stick to my plan!) everything is okay. It's when I'm flying by the seat of my pants that things go pear-shaped.

Dear Mousie,
Thanks for the encouragement. It's much appreciated.

As far as not eating enough, would it help if you commited to eating a certain amount of food each day and wrote it down beforehand? Once written down, the thought of what to eat and when would be off your shoulders. I remember your issues with exercise and how you are able to exercise for a very long time and expend a lot of energy. Take some deep breaths, think about your visit to your therapist which is coming up very shortly, and feel this to help you out. We're all pulling for you!

Ps. My treadmill doesn't like getting punched so often, but you should see my arms! Yahoo! Whoever thought treadmill punching could be so beneficial?

Bandit, good luck with your planning. I know you can do this.

As for me, I had a very good day yesterday with food and exercise and I dropped the weight I put on over vacation. I am aiming to lose 2+# this week to keep on track and I really am putting effort into doing that.

Let's keep on keepin' on!
Love,
Judy
234.6/211.8/thinner into onederland

Woohoo Judy! Talk about learning new and better habits! I knew you'd be right on top of it. And treadmill punching contributes to sexy arms...hmmmmmm, I'll have to try that! I wonder if it beats lifting?

I'm trying to commit to eating something every 2 hours. Not much, things like light yogurt and applesauce, or half a sandwich, or a banana with peanut butter. I'm planning it out and it does help me stick to it...the problem is when I, like yesterday, miss a rotation. Then the mental voices start. Those are the ones that tell me that it's okay, it was just 3 points, I can eat them later...next rotation comes around, how about we do X (generally exercise) first?...get to the next rotation and it's too much trouble to cook anything, why not wait til DH is home and then combine them all...next rotation and 12 Points at once is way too many, maybe just one or two...next rotation and there's virtue in being hungry, it's good to be hungry for a long time, let's see how long I can be hungry for...you get the picture.

You'd think, with such restrictions and limitations and so much exercise, I'd be thin. Doesn't work that way. I limit myself and work out hard, and expect my body to perform, and finally get so desperate that I binge on whatever I can grab, or I justify my cravings with "yeah, but I've only had 8 points today, and I've exercised, so I can eat everything I want". By this time I've set my body up to expect that it's not going to get more fuel for the work it's being required to do, so it better store everything I give it.

See, that's what bugs me when people have conversations about "starvation mode" and the fact that it doesn't kick in til you're at like 800 calories a day, and therefore I can have no experience with it. Starvation isn't so much about how many calories you're taking in, it's about how much you're expecting your body to do with the fuel you give it. You restrict, your metabolism turns down, you overeat relative to how much you were eating, and your body stores the excess. That's how you diet your way up to 300 pounds. Trust me, I've BTDT.

The real problems start when you begin attaching virtue to hunger (as I have done) and the little voices start plaguing you, and you start using food to avoid and deal with other things happening in your life. I'm getting help, though, and I'm really working hard at figuring out why I believe what I believe. I'm trying to learn new beliefs.

Wow, Turtles, didn't mean to dump on you! Let me know if it makes you uncomfortable to hear me talk about this, okay?

Anyway. I'm up in the early morning because I woke up with a bad headache. I've taken some Excedrin and hope it kicks in soon! I'm going to go plan my day, and I'm going to do my best to stick to my plan. Fruit and veggies and protein, with a side order of guilt.

Nah, I think I'll leave the guilt out of it. Or at least I'll try!

Hi turtles - sounds like everyone is doing pretty good.

I missed my meeting this week - the weather was really bad & by the time I got home I was running late so thought I would go next day. But, mom & stepdad asked me to go to casino so I went & lost money, had buffet & felt guilty about overeating & missing my meeting. So, it has not been a good week.

I will definately have to do better. My problem, as you all know, is that when I falter I go overboard and when I am OP I am really good. So, right now I am trying to get my butt back on track. I don't do moderation very well, at all.

Anyway, keep up the good work & talk to you all later.

Alright, Turtles! I stuck to my plan the whole day yesterday, and I felt good. I had to take a snack to my volunteer position, which felt a bit awkward, but I just kept telling myself that this was something I needed to do for myself, it was part of taking care of myself, and I was okay. I knew that if I waited until I was home again to eat the voices would start again. (Wow, sound kinda psychotic, don't I? ) So I ate when I needed to eat, and I made it through the whole day.

For the record, 36 Points and 10 veggie servings (and yes I got dairy and water). I had 7 planned 'meals' that were about 2 hours apart. Right around the 3-hour point it starts being too much effort and too much hassle to eat anything, and right around 5 hours it starts being a game, a test of my strength and resolve of character. So I'm on an every-2-hours schedule right now.

I have tomorrow (today, friday) planned already. So I'm feeling comforted. I'm not feeling too optimistic about the weekend, but thankfully DH understands and I have no other commitments until I see Mike monday. So much of my life revolves around food...but I'm getting better. This is just a little glitch, when I've needed to draw back and focus for a couple of days. Then I can shift gears again, once I'm stable.

So anyway. Here's to a good friday!

Dear Turtles,
Mousie, I'm so proud of you. You're doing the right thing for yourself. Bringing food wherever is a must. My aunt used to eat food in church when she had to, so bringing a snack to your volunteer site is absolutely the right thing to do. You've got a complicated situation working for yourself right now and I'm sending : and a because I feel this is really tough for you. I also know you can do this.
I'll write more later. You can never reveal too much here. I know it helps to get our junk out so that we can be more peaceful and pursue the actions that will make us healthy and fit. You can do this and you are doing it. You just had a setback with the emotions out in MN and are readjusting to your life back home. Don't let those voices start! It is not virtuous to starve ourselves and eating a bit every couple of hours is the way to go. I am very proud of you. Keep it up Mousie.
Love,
Judy