Hi Turtles...Boy you guys are all so inspiring!!! I am so glad I came to stay!!!
Lin...I too feel I am off program when I delibertly eat something I don't have points for, or do have points for but then that messes up my meal plan casue it eats them up. I did that last night...Someone brought my husband homemade cookies, and they looked so perfect. I didn't need to eat them, didn't have the poitns, and figured.,...hay..I turned down like 6 opportunities to eat junk food (something I am trying to avoid) so...whynot..and did...I don't feel good about it now and that Is why I dont have things like that hanging around..I am glad my kids are out of the house, and when my DD comes home to live in our trailer until she moves back to Kiev..she will buy her own junk food and keep it in the trailer..

Weigh is in about 1/2 hour. I am nervous..Isn't it so stupid to get so nervous regarding this weigh in??? I guess I am just worried cause of the few times I did eat what I hadn't planned on. I really tried hard (and it wasn't hard) and I want that scale to go down...Right now I have this determination that I have not had in a long time...My sister has a motto from OA..."There is no choice." (I know there is a choice witht this plan, but I am talking about eating beond what one has planned) It is a good saying, and that is how I am feeling...I am making good choices but that same stupid feeling comes that says. "you did not lose...you gained 5 lbs" and i know tht is not possible!!! I will report back later to tell yu the outcome.

Yesterday I paid for my dues to the health club..I had to join the 12 month program so I had better go. It is costing me $49.00 a month. My other center was only 25.00 but there were no water programs..Right now I want to start doing some kind of water class every day. I need to go get a few more suits..Maybe I will pick up a size smaller just to give me some encouragement!!!

Well thanks for listening!!!

Kathy/harley

Judy, good points about deliberately making bad choices. I think my "going unconscious" is a form of denial -- I'm not REALLY making bad choices if I don't think about it while I do it. Is that dumb or what??? Well, I didn't get up to 274 pounds by being smart about this.

Kathy, good for you joining the health club -- and with water programs, too. That sounds like fun. Good luck with the weigh-in, and remember to keep it all in perspective. This is for life, not just for a week or two, so the main thing is watching the overall weight curve go down over time. That's one of the problems I personally had with weighing in every week at WW (I don't go anymore, haven't for a couple years). I just got too wrapped up in what my weight was that particular moment in time. Anyway, you're doing great, and we're glad you discovered us, too!

My official weight loss for the past week is 5.5 pounds, which definitely takes the edge off that 9-pound gain. I've tracked all week, worked out four times, and am finishing the week about 2-3 points from where I should be. I'll take that as a win.

So now I'm 3.5 above where I was when I left for vacation, and 4 above virgin fat territory.

I have new incentive to get to virgin fat territory -- a new outfit! I've been drooling over a jacket and skirt in the Coldwater Creek catalog for 2 years now. It recently went on sale, although it's still very expensive, and I finally decided to get it. I decided to order a 1X, which is a little snug for me now in their sizes. But it turns out all they had left was an XL, not a plus size. So I bought it! I figure I won't be able to fit properly into it for another 20 pounds, though I'll know more when it arrives. So I'm going to hang it up in the bedroom and look at it every day. How's that for inspiration? If you want to see the jacket, it's at

Lauren's Coldwater Creek jacket

The skirt is the same cream color as the tank; it's a linen/rayon broomstick skirt.

Onward and downward,

Lauren
274/218/down

Hi, Turtle Buddies,

I love all of your definitions of being "off program". I think the broader persepective we're all discussing regarding the program shows a true commitment to making this a lifestyle, not a diet. And I think that it shows that, long term, we turtles are a very successful group.

Kathy, I think you ought to rethink your idea about totally avoiding junk food. Most of us have found that totally avoiding anything doesn't work, long term, precisely because we eventually are faced with whatever it is we are avoinding and it just looks so good, and we haven't had it in so long, and . . . over points we go. So, most of us plan in some junk food, occasionally.

For example, I've been potato chip nuts the last few months durning PMS (which is a new thing for me. I never used to be a salt craver). So, this month, I bought some low fat baked chips and I eat half a sandwich and a 1 oz. serving (and some veggies, fruit, etc.). It's really helped me to stay in control much better than when I tried not to eat any. Eventually, I'd end up eating a very large serving of the regular ones.

It takes time to get the scale into perspective. I use it as a guide for long term trends. But I find that I really need that guide. My scale died. It had one of those lithium batteries that supposedly don't ever need replacing. Well, the batteries don't need replacing. You have to replace the whole darn thing or pay a small fortune to ship it to the manufacturer to get it fixed. So, I got an inexpensive, strain-guage scale that uses 9-volt batteries! I'll recheck my weight tomorrow morning. I expect I'll be a couple or three pounds up due to water retention. I don't consider that a weight gain.

Lauren, super contgratulations on the 5.5 pound loss. Way to go! I hope you'll take a pic of you in that new outfit, once you can wear it. We'd love to see you in it.

Your comment about being kind of in denial reminds me of what I do sometimes. I've found that I can't do that if I'm writing everything down, even if I'm not counting points that day. And if I know I'm going to write it down, I make different choices than I would if I'm not journaling.

I took my journal page with me yesterday for my trip to San Jose. I didn't write anything down until I got back, but having it made me think about what I ate and remember that I'd be recording it later. The buffet is an Asian seafood buffet. The sushi was terrific. And they have a ton of other great stuff. We went out to dinner, too, but I only ate about 1/3 of my meal because I wasn't very hungry after the buffet. It all evened out.

Anyway, I stuck to my plan. I took water, calcium supplements and vitamin pill with me. Did a lot of walking because we went window shopping, starting with a really good bookstore. So, I feel really good about how things went during our trip.

I'm struggling with being optimistic right now about my life circumstances. My brother's landlord sold his two houses to a company that wants to build an office building. So, he will not have a place to live starting in October. He's having two surgeries between now and then, so he really cannot look for or move easily. My mom is going to buy a trailer to put on her property for him to live in until he's back on his feet, assuming the surgeries are successful.

Paul still hasn't found a job. I'm extra frustrated because I know that if we still lived in SJ, I could find work that, combined with his unemployment checks, could keep us in our place longer.

I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin

Hi fellow turtles...I did good!!! I lost 3 lbs!!! I can't help be excited cause you just don't know me...I am just the worst eater!!! and give me a good nutritious food plan? it goes out the window after 2 days..but I did it..I stuck to the plan for a week!!! and now it has been one week and one day!!!

Lin thanks for the thoughts on my junk food and I agree with you to a point..I will plan on eating my favorite foods, but what I do not want to do, is eat just anything anytime...I work at a hospital as an admitter...I work around alot of nurses..Nurses like to eat, and some like to bake, so they bring in cakes, cookies, chips, every thing you can think of for no reason besides they want to, and thoes are the times I don't want to eat them...I also have a bad habit of eating alot of fast food, including milk shakes...I don't want to do that much any more either..I just want to change things...I feel so much better when I don't eat sugar...when I eat sugar it makes me want to eat more...If i don't eat an unplanned snack than It is better for me then not. So I am giving up the unplanned snack..No one esp me has ever died for saying "no" regarding a sugary snack.

Lin where do you live??? is your husband a computer person that got layed off during the down sizing??? there sure alot of that going on in Califronia..I met a gal tht is moving her son and his family back to Minnisota. She said the work there is fantastic...Lots of work everywhere..It sounds cold to me!!!!Hawaii had lots of work, mostly in the shops,

Doing well today...On my 2nd 24 oz water...I am getting more use to it. and plan on going to the gym tom...

You all have a nice sunday...

Kathy

Yo - turtle buds!

I'll post more later, but I wanted to say hi and see how everyone is doing - lots of good losses lately and other successes! Very exciting! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with lots of nice weather.

I lost another 3.5 on Saturday, for a total of 45 pounds gone. Yay! I'll be weighing in on Thursday morning this week and going to Canada for the weekend, so I hope to just maintain next week. We usually do a lot of eating and drinking in Canada, but I'll try to have smaller portions.

My son is leaving Wednesday for a 3-week trip to Europe. He's a student ambassador and will be visiting Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and France. I'm very jealous, but I'm sure he'll have a great time. The only thing I'm worried about is what he'll eat when he's there - he's too picky. That would not be a problem for me if I was going.

Have a great week, everyone!
Kimmers
332/287/269 (2nd 10% goal)

Lin, great job on your day out. And I hear you about how writing it down -- or even knowing that you're going to have to write it down -- makes a difference in whether or not you eat something. It's weird, the games our minds play.

Kathy and Kimmers, way to go on that weight loss! That's great.

Kathy, if something is a "red light" food for you, you're right to avoid it when you're vulnerable. One of my major eating goals is to learn how to eat all foods in moderation. It's tough! Sometimes I can do it, but often I can't. So I find that drawing borders around foods helps. For example, I will eat ice cream -- but I won't keep it in the house. I'll only eat it if I've planned for it (as opposed to someone bringing it to work), and if I go somewhere outside the house to get it and eat it. I buy it in single-serving sizes -- a cone or a dish. Right now, I can't even keep Skinny Cows in the house. (Those are lowfat ice cream treats, only 2 points apiece.) But I'm not telling myself I can't eat ice cream; I'm just allowing it in certain circumstances.

There are other foods, like M&Ms, that I just can't eat right now. I don't see that as ideal, though, and I plan to work on it once I'm less vulnerable. I don't know; I may eventually have to accept that I simply can't eat some foods except in seriously restrained circumstances (i.e., someone hands me a small handful of M&Ms or something).

I also agree with the sugar thing. I find that eating sweets makes me wants to keep eating sweets for *days* afterward. Sometimes it's just not worth it.

Think I'll go have some fruit.

Lin, I'm sorry to hear about your brother's housing situation. That sounds really tough. I guess the bright side is that he'll be near your mom when he needs home care. My husband and I are praying for you.

Onward,

Lauren

Hi, Turtles

Way to go, Kathy! 3 pounds is terrific!

I know what you mean about just "eating anything anytime". That's what got us all here in the first place. And when coworkers bake, it's especially hard because you don't want to hurt their feelings. Good luck! That's a hard situation to deal with.

Re: the not being able to stop with sugary foods or other refined carbs-- One of the WW booklets I did a short time back recommended that I avoid eating carbohydrates by themselves. I should combine them with protein or protein and fat. So, I stopped eating them in between meals and started eating them with a meal. That seems to make a difference in my ability to stop with the serving I've planned to eat.

My husband works in Silicon Valley, CA. He works in electronic hardware--R & D and manufacturing and production. We've searched the web for jobs all over, but most of the jobs in his field say they won't pay relocation. That usually means they won't even consider you if you don't already live there. But, we've sent out the resumes anyway. We've sent out over 90 resumes so far. This week we will probably not be finding many new postings because of the holiday.

Kimmers, super job! 3.5 more. 45 gone is wonderful! Have a great time in Canada. And wish your son a great trip from the turtles!

Lauren, I envy you being able to deal with red light foods at your own pace. Having kids forced me to push that issue. I couldn't keep foods I had difficulties with out of the house all of the time. I had to learn to deal with them. But the up side of having kids is that they (and their army of friends) demolish anything tempting before I could do much damage anyway.

Well, I got my new scale and my old one must have been bad for a while. My new one weighs me at a higher number than the old one. I checked it with sack of flour and it's accurate. I haven't changed any, so the number doesn't matter. What matters is which direction that number moves overall.

I'm doing OK today. I'll proably be a little over points, but not a lot. I'm doing really well for PMS and that's moving in the right direction.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin

Kimmers and Kathy,
What great weight losses. Keep on keepin' on. Kimmers, you've lost so much weight in such a short amount of time. You must be very pleased. You sound all together. Lauren and Lin, love to catch your conversations. Lin, I'm so sorry for your brother. He has enough to think about without worrying about housing as well. And so do you. My prayers are coming through cyberspace for you.
All goes well here. I exercised and banked points for the wedding I attended. Yesterday I was hungry (wedding aftermath) so I cooked and ate a batch of vegetables. That helped a lot. Tonight we'll barbecue and I'm looking forward to dinner.
Life is confusing right now, but I find keeping a more extensive journal and writing my emotions as I start the day helps to keep me focused. I also have been staying off the scale and hoping for a good result on Wed. morning. It's hard for me to stay off the scale even though I've moved it, but I 'm doing it.
I'm really pleased to be a part of the Slow Turtles and you are all helping me tremendously. About 2 months ago I was closing in on 200 pounds and really focusing on that number. Instead, I went backwards, set myself up really good, and have excess weight to lose. Now I am considering having the WW WI just tell me if I've lost or not and maybe I can slide under 200 pounds without knowing it and in that way I can avoid number anxiety!
Just a thought--we'll see what I decide to do on Wednesday.
You all take care. I hope job opportunities come in soon. Good for everyone for journaling and doing what's best for themselves.
Judy
234/211/thinner

Hi Turtles!!! How you all doing???

Kimmers...good weight loss. You are doing a great job...!!!\\
Itry: That was a good thing you did for the wedding...I use to have this habit that says...special occaisions were special so just eat what ever is put infront of me...well as you prob know..thoes special occasions spring up more than we realize so every week we have one of thoes days..it was good you planned and ate accordinaly...

Lin: you have alot of things going on in your life...but you are still doing this program..way to go..just think how easy it will be once all the stress is over...unless you let your gaurd down. and think...let your happy appetite get the better of you..(i know that i do that too. eat for happiness!!)

Well I exercised for the first time in lets say...3 months..It felt very good. I did't get to swim, but plan on that tomorrow. I like the new club very much..lots of group things to join, from water areobics to abs, stretching, just name it..they prob got it!!! So i will take advantage.. I did it for about 40 minutes...15 on two machines and 10 on the step machine!!!

Drank all my water...and then some...I think it was a very good day..

Have a Tuesday!!!

Kathy

Kathy,
You are awesome. Glad you really like the new gym and that you got so much exercise in already. Way to go! You are so right about those "special" days. Last week I had two--an end of the year party and a wedding. Pre-WW that would have been good for at least a two pound gain and I probably would have continued to eat throughout the week. Now with WW I lost a pound this week, weighed in a day early, and am doing this.
Good luck for everyone on the fourth of July. Hey-=it's Independence Day so let's be independent of the snares of parties, etc. and do the right thing for ourselves. I'm bringing a lite cherry angelfood cake for dessert tomorrow and some fresh cherries to nibble on.
Everyone have fun and keep on turtlin'
Judy
234/210/thinner

HELLO FELLOW TURTLES!!! HAPPY 4TH TO ALL OF YOU.!!!

I am one of the unlucky ones..I have to work today...My fault, I didn't ask for it off. Good thing is that it is not the evening shfit. At least I can put some tri tip on the barbie and go watch the fireworks...DD and SIL will be with us...I like spending time with then, since I know I won't see them for a year once they leave.

I am planning a nice dinner tonight and hopefully can stay within my points. I will get myself some skinny cows for dessert and buy the other family reg ice cream, and tell them stay away from my cows...

Had a good eating day yesterday...Went to dinner and had a something I had not tried before..It was called chick Fieta salad with salsa and sc on the side. the funny thing was...it is is stir fried up in Tereiki sauce so you wouldn't think it would be good with the salsa..but it really was..So I think I choose good. it had tons of vegies...and on lettuce and not rice..(not that I am against rice but I would rather eat brown rice If I am going to eat it, and normally resturants do not serve brown rice) (sometimes it is hard to get away from old habits like thinking that all carbs, complex or simple are evil...know what I mean???) drank water once I got home from work, and my boss told me she was not going to go to weight watchers and said I could have her compter do dad that calculates points and keeps them in order...now wouldn't you say that was a good score and nice on my boss's part???

Didn't get to exercise and then get wet in the pool ....It was very hot here...considering we had hard rain showers here last week. I heard rumers that it was 115 but I think it was 111. Today will be the same... I will have a meeting on Thursday with one of the trainers to talk about the machines and an exerceise program..I can get a fitness profile and they can tell me how much fat is on this old body which might be good, then I could do it in 6 months to see if I have improved.

Well I have prob bent your ear enough...Thanks for listening..

Kathy

Hi, Turtle Buddies,

Happy Independence Day!

Judy, I hope you get past that 200 pound mark without further sabotaging yourself. I think you have a great strategy planned. Great job on that pound!

Kathy, your newfound commitment to exercise is awesome! I don't envy you the heat. Where do you live that it gets so hot? I hope you're really being diligent about that water what with the heat and the exercise. I'd be too wilted to move much, so I admire your dedication.

I had a leader once who commented, when discussing special occasions, that we could have ten of them a year or ten days off or whatever it was. That really spoke to me because it made me think more carefully about what really constitutes a special occasion for me. I realized that I have fewer than ten days each year that I consider special enough to warrant more of an indulgence. Today isn't one of them, so we're celebrating, but not with fancy, rich food.

I'm marinating beef ribs to broil. (I'd rather BBQ, but we had to give up our barbecue because charcoal isn't allowed in our complex, only gas. And, as you all know, I cannot afford a new barbecue right now.) We're also having a salad, corn on the cob, garlic bread, and watermelon. I will most likely steam some frozen veggies, too. Our biggest splurge is on Martinelli's sparkling cider. For me, that's a splurge because I rarely drink anything but water.

I'm doing OK. I'm probably going to end up today either at the top of my range or 1 point over. That feels like a miracle, since it's PMS. I've been feeling a lot less like Mrs. Hyde and I think it's the calcium. I really hope so and I hope this isn't a fluke month because I would be so much more consistent with being OP and with losing weight if that Mrs. Hyde would go away and I could stay myself all month.

The really hard thing for me right now is that my new scale weighs almost ten pounds heavier than my old one. The stupid number makes me feel like I'm going on about the fourth or fifth time around for these same ten pounds. I know, in my head, that it's not the same ten, but those numbers really can play head games with us, anyway. When I get back to the bottom of this decade on the scale, I'm giving myself a small treat like a paperback book or a new coffee mug!

Talk to you all later.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin

Happy 4th everyone!

Thanks for all the congrats and good wishes - you're all so great. My boy was off on the big bird to Europe today and I've been having kind of a hard time this week. I know that he's going to have a great time (and so are we), but I'm going to miss him.

I've also been having a hard time WW-wise - since Saturday, I've had one 44-point day, two over 50 points (including today) and two in the low 30s. (My range is 29-34.) And we're not even in Canada yet! Not good at all - I planned on having the 44-point day, but the other two were the result of poor planning, and in the case of today, some emotional eating. I'm going to do my best to stay within points tomorrow and to not go overboard in Canada. I did write everything down, so I feel good about that. I haven't been getting a lot of formal exercise this week either, but I have been doing a lot of running around, so hopefully - who knows. I'll find out tomorrow and next Saturday.

Lin - don't let that scale bother you - you're doing awesome. Your 4th menu sounds delish. I need to remember what you said about special days - there always seems to be a reason to celebrate with food.

Kathy - Eating out is a real challenge for me, sounds like you did a good job. I don't know how you can stand that heat. If it gets up to 90 here, people start freaking out. Enjoy the gym - I'm happy you're finding what you need there.

Judy - mmmm fresh cherries - yum! We're stopping at a berry farm on our way home on Sunday where we can pick our own - there's nothing like it! I think your attitude about the magic number is right on - sometimes I find myself sabotaging my efforts if I get too focused on the numbers, too.

Lauren - your new outfit is really pretty! How exciting to get something you've been wanting for so long. Great job getting back OP.

Everyone - enjoy the rest of the week and you've inspired me to try harder for the rest of my week.

Thanks,
Kimmers
332/287(hopefully that won't change too much tomorrow)/269 2nd 10% goal

Hi, everyone. Sounds like a bunch of you really planned ahead for the Fourth -- way to go.

I was about a point over yesterday, and the day before; the days before that, I ate high but stayed within my points. I'm learning that I don't lose when I do this. So today I'm going to aim a bit lower. I really want to mix it up a bit -- eat high, then low, then high. I have a hard time eating low in my points these days (the bottom of my range is 24, which I almost never hit).

Lin, I would feel pretty demoralized about the new scale, too. I know it's just a number, etc., but still. When I got my new scale, it was five pounds heavier than my old one, and that was tough enough. I remember one occasion where I was so discouraged about my slow weight loss, I actually dug out the old scale and weighed myself on it, just to see that lower number! Mind games, but it made me laugh.

Judy, you're doing great. You got my mouth watering over those cherries! Michigan is a major cherry-producing state, and they're in season now. I have some in the fridge at work, in fact.

Harley, yeah, it can be tough getting over the "good food/bad food" hurdle. Sounds like you're getting there, though.

Kimmers, are you getting extra exercise to cope with the added eating? That can help. Plus the exercise can help with the stress or emotional upheaval. I'm preaching to myself here, since I've only worked out once this week -- which might be why I'm eating more! Hmmm ...

--Lauren

Hi, Turtles,

Kimmers, I understand completely about the double-edged feelings when your almost or just grownup kids aren't there. You miss all their good points and not their annoying ones. "They move out just when they start to really get to be interesting people" is a wry old saying on the subject. My oldest has been staying for a few days each week with friends in San Jose since we moved to Salinas. But he's going to be gone for two weeks this time, since he's housesitting. Then, it will only be a week or so after he comes back and he'll be moving to southern California. He's not expecting to come back after that--except, as he says, to visit his cat (who misses him dreadfully when he's not here). It's the hardest part of parenting, I think, letting them go. Good luck with dealing with this. I know you can stick to your plan.

Lauren, maybe you should try eating one point lower than you have been for a few days or a week. Then one point lower than that until you're eating mostly where you want to eat. If you go in steps, it should be easier, I think.

You are in a difficult situation. I may be way off base, but this is something to think about. It's can be hard enough to eat within the range we're allowed, but when you have to set your range lower because you don't lose at the higher level, your emotions may feel cheated. We all feel that it's bad enough that we have to plan what we eat and follow a specific program. But then, to find out that your body wants less than other people your size in order to lose weight, well, that feels like you're cheated even more. That may make it harder, from an emotional standpoint, to stick with the lower number of points you've discovered you need in order to be successful.

I had a revelation about this today. I really don't want to have to cut my points down very much. I'm eating well and having some points left over for special foods now and then. It seems as though it was the special ones that got cut when I lowered my points in the past because I don't want to cut the foods that are necessary for my health. I know that exercise will allow me to eat a bit more. But I do need to deal with this issue as time goes on. I may use the method I suggested to you and go down one point at a time, if my weight loss stalls.

I'm doing OK. I'm sticking pretty close to the high end of my range. Today, though, I got super hungry fairly soon after breakfast. It's PMS. What I wanted was more breakfast and what I ate was oatmeal and a banana. I figure it must be a real need for food, since I wasn't craving salty foods or chocolate. So, I'm choosing real food, writing it down, and counting the points. I've weighed myself a couple of times this week (which I normally don't do) to test my new scale. I'm staying the same, so I figure I must need the extra food. (It's only been a point or two each day.)

Hope you all are doing well.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin