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

Hi, Turtles,

Erin, congratulations on that loss this week. Super job!!

Glad you found a helpful physics book. Too bad we don't live closer. My dh is good at that stuff.

Hooray, Judy!! I'm so glad to read your post. You've struggled with this for so long! I knew that you would soon find a time when you remembered to do something else when you're stressed. This is the first step to a new habit. Way to go!!

But, your daughter will go on my prayer list. And I'm sending you good vibes, too. I hope things work out great for you both.

Thanks, both of you, for your supportive posts. It's too easy to get bogged down in what's happening right now and miss the big picture. Erin, your post helped me with that by reminding me that this is just a time of adjustment, not the way things will go for the rest of my life.

Judy, your post reinforced for me what I need to do. You added breakfast and snacks. I'd not really thought about those meals and had a bad afternoon. Did well the rest of the day, though.

I know what I need to do tomorrow. I'm OP right now. I've been craving chocolate, too. Just hadn't had any for a while. I discovered that Ghirardelli baking chocolate is about 2 points (depending on what type) for 1/2 oz. and is cheaper than candy bars. Just don't eat the unsweetened stuff. The bittersweet is like dark chocolate, semi-sweet is like chocolate chips, and milk chocolate is self-explanatory. The white chocolate tends to be way too sweet to eat plain.

A food tip--If you get a Misto (Target, about $15) and put extra virgin olive oil in it, you can squirt it on salads, add some Balsamic vinegar, and have a great tasting salad for 0 points. The olive oil is the same calories as Pam when you spray it from a Misto, so as long as you don't spray too much, it's 0 points.

Another "foodie" thing that's really great because it's healthier than the usual "bread and butter" is to spray a bit of olive oil on a small plate, add a splash of Balsamic vinegar and dip your bread in it. It's especially good with those artisan breads--the rustic country style stuff like Ciabatta, french breads, etc. The points depend on how long you spray the oil.

Have a great day, everyone.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin
272/240/230/135 or so

Hi, Turtles,

Quiet board today.

I'm still OP and I wanted to check in and let you all know that I'm doing so much better.

My writing is going really well, too.

I was really proud of figuring out how to fit in a favorite food that I hadn't eaten for a while. There's a chicken and veggie rice bowl that I love because the spicy peanut sauce is actually spicy. It's not a brand that's designed to be low fat or low cal. It has 10 points for the whole bowl. Well, that's because it's 12 ounces, which is a huge serving. I realized when I was eating one yesterday that half would be a perfect size, if it had more veggies. So, today I thawed it, stirred the sauce in so it was well mixed, divided it in half and added some thawed veggies to each half. I had a perfect 5-point rice bowl.

I'm still walking. I've decided that I really don't want to give up outdoor exercise, so I'm still walking. I can't wait for pool season, too. I'm getting antsy to swim again since the weather has been getting so warm lately. I want to do videos when I want to dance, just for fun, rather than as the main type of exercise I do. I don't know why it seems that when I 'have" to do videos, I don't want to. But I want to when I don't feel as if I have to. So, I'm going to add them in when I'm in the mood.

Talk to you all soon. Have a great day!!

Happy turtlin'! (I like that new face they added.)

Lin
272/240/230/135 or so

Hi, tortoise beings. It feels like spring here today -- in the mid to upper 50s. That's great for Michigan in March!

Judy, HOORAY! Good for you making choices other than overeating when you're emotionally stressed. Because, frankly, how many times in our lives *aren't* we dealing with some kind of stress? So learning those habits is critical. Sounds like you made some headway there; that's exciting. Even if you find yourself occasionally falling back into old habits, never forget to pat yourself on the back for the steps forward you've made.

Mousie, good loss! Glad things are going OK with the relative's visit.

Lin, you know what I see in your post? I see someone who still rebels against feeling like she "has to" do something. (Your comment about the videos.) Is there still a voice in your head that tells you you "have to" eat a certain way or behave a certain way to lose weight? Might that be tripping you up sometimes? Is there a creative way you could tell that voice to take a hike -- that you don't *have* to do anything, but you *choose* to do these things?

The chicken bowl with veggies sounds great. Smart idea.

I'm down this week and getting very close now to my April 17 goal. But I'm not fooled -- I know myself too well. I've lost well the past couple of weeks, but I'm now entering into Hormonal **** soon, so I could easily stall here until April. In any case, I think making those changes I mentioned a few weeks ago is what's doing the trick. In particular, no longer banking my exercise points.

I've got to say, I'm VERY excited about almost being in the 180s. That's Philadelphia territory for me. (Nine years ago now.) I tried on my wedding dress last night, and it's officially too big. I feel like I'm getting back to normal, that weighing 274 pounds was just a strange detour.

Last night we brought up my spring/summer clothes (they were in a suitcase in the basement) and I tried them all on. That was fun, because I weigh about 40 pounds less than I did last spring. I finally said goodbye to some fall/winter clothes that were hanging in my closet that I've loved but can no longer wear. Periodically doing this helps me remember one of the reasons why I'm doing this for myself.

Here's the kicker: I tried on my largest jeans, the ones I wore at my heaviest. (I'm saving those.) Guess what? I could fit *all* of me into ONE LEG of those jeans!!!! They're a size 28 stretch jeans from Lane Bryant. Wow, was that an eye-opener. Sometimes it's easy to forget just how far we've come.

Here's another sign of spring -- the cats are shedding copiously!

I'll try to check in before my company arrives on Thursday. She'll be here through Monday.

Onward and downward,

Lauren
274/190.5/189 by April 17 83.5 pounds down!

Hi, Turtles,

Computers do strange things, but this is a new one. The heading and the advertisement (of course) downloaded perfectly, but the page is blank. I clicked my mouse and the content showed up. WEIRD!! I'm sure there's an explanation, but I'll just write my post.

Lauren, that's so cool about how you're feeliing about being in the 180's. And fitting into one leg of your pants. Great going!!

My cats are shedding copiously, too. And I can't find a vacuum cleaner belt in this town. The store I bought the vacuum cleaner from doesn't even carry the belt for the model I have, just the one for the expensive models. So, I have to order online or mail order from the company. What a pain!!

Lauren, I also thought it was the "have to" thing, obviously, since that's pretty much what was in my post. But I realized that it's not. I spend almost all of my time inside this apartment. I want to get outside when I exercise. That's why I like my walks so much. But they aren't giving me enough of a workout. When they open the pool and I can swim, I'll find it easy to do both vigorous exercise and be outside. Swimming is a superb workout. In the meantime, my dilemma is how to get a vigorous enough workout without doing inside exercises like videos or circcuit training inside the fitness room??

Anyone have any suggestions?? I'm limited in that my knees can't take jogging, not even on a track. So, I'm limited in how fast I can move when I'm walking outside, especially on the sidewalks. There are no hiking trails, jogging paths, tracks or other dirt or softer surfaces within walking distance of my apartment, so I'm stuck with sidewalks.

However, despite that issue, I'm doing great today. I'm OP. I did the writing I planned. And I had some extra time to visit you turtles since my dh has a meeting on Wednesdays and gets home later.

Have a great day!!

Happy turtlin'!

Lin
272/240/230/135 or so

Hi, Turtles,

I wanted to check in and let you all know that I'm still OP. Very proud of myself for getting it back together so quickly after my last slipup.

I'm eating lunch and then I'm going to take a walk. I need a break from the math. I'm creating the world for my book starting with the solar system. There's a lot of math, but this is fun. I'm learning a lot. And it's going to be very useful later. I can see the possibliities already.

I hope you all are doing well. Looking forward to reading your posts when you get a chance to check in.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin
(272/240/230/135 or so

Lin,
Glad you're still OP. Weigh to go. Exciting topic for the background of your book--solar system, etc.

Lauren,
What can I say? Isn't that a great image of fitting your whole self into one leg of your pants? Lovely. and yes, you're right--life is often stressful and worrisome. If we continue to eat during those times, it'll be difficult to lose weight.

Mousie,
I see you've lost some weight. Is your visitor here yet? I hope all goes well.

I'm having the worst eating time yet since I've been on WW almost two years. Too much is falling in on me and it's really tough. I am eating ever though I know it's not the thing to do.
I have to write about this and get my head straight. every where I turn, I face problems . My life is not always like this, but right now it's pretty extreme. Work is stressful and my darling children are undergoing health and losing job problems--it's pretty much the pits. I know my gaining weight will not help anything, but I'm giving up for a bit. I've been going to a podiatrist twice a week since mid-Jan. and it's eating up a lot of time and I'm not going to be able to avoid surgery. Ugh. Not fun. So I've got a lot on my mind and I've gotta get the food under control.
It's always good to hear that you are doing well and I know I will be too. So==downward and onward I say.
Love
Judy
234/?/199

Lauren, WOW! You must have almost fallen over, standing with both legs in one pantleg. Though, of course, most people would lose their balance that way! But you know what I mean. You must be soooo deservedly proud of yourself.

Lin, if the requirement is being outside for workouts, as far as I can see you have two options until the pool opens up: bikes, or speedwalking. Bikes may be impractical if you're in an unsafe area, we do NOT want you getting hurt! As for speedwalking, make sure you're wearing walking shoes (Keds or flat-soled lace-up shoes will not do, get proper walking shoes) and go to it. You CAN go faster--I'm assuming you're not walking an 11 or 12 minute mile? Try a library and see if they have, or can transfer from another branch, a book about fitness/speed walking.

If the requirement is just getting a workout, do you want a cardiovascular workout, or do you want to change the shape of your body and not be too concerned about your heartrate? Let me know, there are too many options to go over for BOTH choices, I need to narrow my lectures down!

Judy, I'm sorry to hear about your foot. Feet are odd, to me. Dunno why, I've just never been a big fan of feet. But it's amazing, isn't it, they're "all the way down there" and you don't think about them much, but then when something goes wrong your whole body is affected. I hope you're better soon. I understand, too, about having your "worst eating time" in response to mega stress. I hope your life lightens up soon. If we can help, let us know.

I'm facing a difficulty, right now: we need to start saving for my school fees next semester and I honestly, really, truly cannot see a way that I can afford to go to WW every week. Yes I know, it's just $14/week. That doesn't change the fact that it's $14 I don't have. So I need to figure out what I'm doing. Maybe going once a month? Since we don't have to pay for missed weeks anymore, and then weighing myself on the other weeks? I don't know, I'll have to give it some thought. Every other week?

Good news is, I'm doing marvelously in class. Not having to work and be 12 places every day is doing my studies a world of good! I got another test back, got another A and turned in another test that I think I did really well on (results on Wednesday). AND! I took a Physics test this morning, and I actually UNDERSTOOD it! I actually knew what formula I needed and was looking for BEFORE I looked at the formula sheet! I'm so excited about this. I guess 2 hours of work a day is paying off! But then, we shall see next week when I get the results.

Family is leaving tomorrow evening. They're taking DH and I to dinner tonight as a thank you for letting them stay because they hadn't expected such a "hospitable welcome" (I don't know if it's different in the UK, I never noticed, but I though that's what you DID for family...?)(I'm not even approaching the idea that they didn't expect it because I'm one of those gauche Americans). Anyway, that should be fun. DH and I don't go out much anymore (saving for school!) so I'm looking forward to it.

Best get going, Turtles, must make myself gorgeous.

Hi, tortoise beings.

My friend is here; it's sunny outside; and it's getting up to 60 today. Life is good.

I've entered hormonal bloat time, so I don't expect to see any losses for a while. I suspect I'm up a bit. I'm also hungry and slightly above my points the past couple of days. I no longer panic about this stuff; after nearly four years, I recognize patterns and just ride them out. I still anticipate making my April 17 goal, and if I don't, it won't be the end of the world.

Mousie, yes, I did almost fall over. I had no idea I had been that big. I'm very good at denial. I'm keeping those pants forever as a reminder of what I'm capable of doing to myself. I truly have to live by my signature motto: the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. For me, that means staying ruthlessly honest with myself about what I'm eating. That means journaling the good, the bad, and the ugly. Way to go on your class! That must feel great, to finally be grasping something that was so difficult at first.

Judy, I'm sorry you're having such a tough time right now. DH is a podiatrist, so I know about foot problems. What kind of surgery will you be having? DH specializes in surgery. He keeps bringing home pictures of the most amazing foot surgeries. I try to be supportive, but I'm pretty much of a wuss. I definitely wouldn't make it in the medical field.

When you say you're giving up right now, what do you mean? Would you be willing to focus on just maintaining your weight for now rather than giving up? As you say, eating won't make any of your situations better. In fact, this time it'll make at least one of them worse -- your feet. There's sure nothing wrong with holding the line right now rather than trying to lose; we've all been there. But giving in entirely to the urges to overeat will just make you miserable, even as you're doing it, and because we care about you, we'd hate to see you even more miserable. There are things that happen in life over which we have no control, like health problems and losing jobs. What matters then is our response to them. You're wanting to comfort yourself in the midst of stress, which is normal and healthy -- but the way you're doing it isn't. (That is, it's normal for people like us, but it's not healthy.) Please don't give up. Maybe you could at least write down what you eat, even if you eat a lot?

Don't do what I did -- during that stressful time after my marriage, I gained about 70 pounds in 3 or 4 years, from 204 to my all-time high of 274. It was oh so easy to do, and so easy to lie to myself about while I was doing it. It felt good to eat all that food at the time, but it sure felt awful being that fat.

We care, Judy. Don't give up.

Lin, great job staying OP! Your new story sounds very interesting. An entire solar system! Wow. As for more vigorous outdoor exercise, I echo Mousie's suggestion to speedwalk. When you walk right, with a sort of rolling gait, it isn't hard on the knees. I can get up to a 15-minute mile, maybe 14, and that's a very good workout for me. Mousie, I'm impressed that you can walk an 11-minute mile! Yikes!

Well, best get dressed and enjoy the day.

Onward and downward,

Lauren
274/190.5/189 by April 17

Hi, Turtles,

It's so good to see your posts. I've been wondering how you all are doing these days.

Judy, you are having a rough time. I understand about rough times, as you know, since you read all of my complaints last year. I wasn't as successful at maintaining my wieght as I had hoped to be when I went through all of that stress, but if I hadn't set maintaining as my goal, I probably would have gained a lot more weight back than the few pounds I actually gained.

So, I echo Lauren's suggestion that you journal and try to keep your weight the same until you're ready to focus on losing again.
I also suggest that you start a regular journal. Write just a little each morning or evening about what's going on in your life. Let the words just pop onto the page. You may be surprised to find that ideas for coping will come out, and they won't involve overeating. Take a bubble bath, with candles and everything. Panmper yourself a little. That can help improve your mood a bit, too.

Good luck to you. We hope you will keep coming so we can support all of the things in your life, not just your weight loss. We're here in whatever way you need us to be.

Erin, way to go on that Physics exam. I don't know about you, but I can remember feeling so good when I finally did something that was really hard that the grade didn't matter as much.

I hope your dinner was fabulous!! It's so much fun to get treated out by someone else.

As for your WW dilemma, that's a tough one. I don't go to meetings, partly because of the money issue. But I stopped going to force myself to completely take the responsibility for my choices. My point is that different people have different ways that work best for them. What is it about the meetings that works for you and can you get that without a weekly meeting? That's what I would focus on writing about in my journal if I were trying to make your decision.

Lauren, I love your attitude about noticing patterns and not freaking out over them. Thinking about what you said I realized that when I look back over my journals, I can see patterns, too. It takes time to figure out what to do, and not to do, when those things cycle around again. Persistence gives us time to learn those things.

Thanks for the speedwalking suggestion Erin and Lauren. I do have great shoes, so that's taken care of. However, I'm going to need to replace them in a month or so. I'm wearing them out walking so much.

The answer to your question, Erin, is that right now I'm mainly focusing on cardiovascular workouts, so the speedwalking idea is perfect. I'll let you know when I want to add more variety into my workout. Thanks for the help!!

I'm finishing my lunch. Then I've going to do some errands.

Then it's back to my solar system. I should be finished with the parts I need for my story sometime today. The thing about building worlds is that it's a great way to avoid writing the book. The trick is to figure out what you need in order to tell the story and create that part. Then write some more story, until you need more details about the world and it's culture. Otherwise, you can work for years on building a place in intimate detail, and never write a word of the book and the book was supposed to be the reason you created this place. Anyway, I'm so energized by this project, more than any of the other books I've started over the years. I think I've found the niche I need to explore iin my writing, at least right now.

Thanks to all of you for supporting me in this venture. I need to be able to talk about it a little. It helps to keep me going. And that helps my weight loss because I'm working instead of moping and eating. I've been doing so well with WW since I figured out how to approach this project and have been working steadily on it that yesterday I realized that I needed to eat 3 points to get up to my minimum. (I expect that to go away in a week or so when hormones start their monthly war with my efforts. But it sure was nice to experience that.)

Have a great day!!

Lin
272/240/230/135 or so

Lin, your question about what I got out of the meetings has had me musing all day. Here's what I've come up with:

I thought, at first, that it was the accountability. Someone to "check on me", something like that. But the I realized that I actually resent the fact that I may have gained, and thus be "bad" in the weigher's eyes (not that any of them have ever said anything negative, it's just my guilt I guess). I even more deeply resent that there may be a reason for that gain, but I can't very well stand there and whine and make excuses. So, not accountability.

By now I've been through the lectures, I know how to use the program, I know the cheats and I know the traps. I have all the booklets, even the changed ones. I use my own journal, not theirs. So, not the education part.

I don't really have "friends" there. There are a couple of women I recognize, but none I would socialize with outside of the meeting.

Then I realized it's the formality of it. Having a specific time, specific place, specific process to tackle this every week. When I miss a week I lose my focus, but it's not because I haven't checked in with someone else, been weighed by someone else or anything like that. It's because I haven't taken the time to focus my attentions again.

So, I have the idea of sorta having my own meeting, each saturday morning. Get up, weigh in, sit down and look at the week ahead. Write out a contract with myself for the week--so many times at Spinning, so many times at Pilates, stay below X Points for the week, that sort of thing. Write the contract in my journal, which I carry with me everywhere, so that I always have it to refer to. Then once a month go to WW to weigh in (still want that 10% keychain) and on that formal weigh in day get a reward--a new pair of jeans or a new shirt from Target, a new book, new hair snaps. I can scrimp on lunches and gas money for that once a month treat.

So, opinions on this idea? Good, bad, ugly?

Hi, Turtles,

I weighed myself a day early. I'm down 4 pounds, which wipes out my last little glitch. I'm determined to keep that from happening again.

Erin, I'm glad my question helped. I think having your own personal time to focus on what you want to accomplish each week is a superb idea. The meeting has a built-in flow from beginning to end. I'd like to suggest that you set up a little routine for yoursef.

An example might be to weigh yourself. Then sit down and reflect on how the previous week went. Then decide what you want to accomplish in the coming week. Perhaps reading through some WW materials or forum posts that speak to whatever your challenges will be. That would give you the same structure and formality that you experience with the meetings, but you'd be providing that for yourself. Plus the "lecture" portion will be geared to exactly what you need, rather than what someone else decides would be a good topic to reflect on that week.

The other suggestion is that if you want to have more personal contact with other people, like you do for your meeting, is that we could use Yahoo! messenger and have a mini-meeting online once a week. I'd be willing to do that, if you think it would help you.

I also like your idea of using the WW meeting once a month. That gives you the best of both worlds, I think. Good luck! This is a change for you. Remember that change can take a while to adjust to, so don't get discouraged if you seem to go backwards for a week or two, while you get used to your new plan.

I'm doing great. I'm still eating OP. Getting in my walks.

I was thinking about something the other day that I wanted to share with you all. Over the years I've noticed that I'm much more successful with my weight loss when I follow a little phrase:

Life isn't about my weight. It's about life.

That sounds obvious. But how many people have you read about on the forums who get to goal and don't know what to do with themselves because their whole life has revovled around their weight for so long? Gaining, losing, worrying, feeling bad about being fat, feeling good when they've lost. But after they've been at goal for a while and people stop "noticing" their weight; people stop commenting; it's become just "the way they are"; then it becomes a problem.

They miss the accolades and miss the time-consuming challenges of the weight loss phase. I wonder if that's partly why some people gain the weight back. They can go through the process again and get those same accolades, etc. It seems self-defeating, but our brains aren't always prone to act in our best interest if we aren't vigilante (as Lauren points out to us.)

Anyway, that was really brought home to me as I realized how much easier staying OP has been since I've started working so hard on my book and built a writing routine into my life. WW fits into that routine and I'm not worrying about food, exercise, etc. as much. I do it, then get back to the rest of my life.

I realized that for me it's just as important to have engrossing projects to do as it is to stay OP. That keeps the weight in its proper perspective. It's what I do to promote a healthy body. And life is what I use that healthy body for.

Have a great weekend! (Seems like an appropriate face since we're getting rain only on the weekends these days.)

Lin
272/236/230/135 or so

Wow, Lin, do I have bunches of things to say to you!

First, I greatly admire your perspective on life. I'm so impressed that your writing is keeping you so engrossed. This project obviously means a lot to you, and I'm sure you'll complete it with the dedication you're showing.

I would love to meet and chat once a week! That would be just wonderful. During the week, or weekends? During the week needs to fit around my school/gym schedule, so weekends may be better. Weekends are totally free.

I agree, there needs to get a bit of structure/procedure to the self-meetings. Yesterday I got up, weighed myself, and then...didn't know what to do. So I puttered around and thought about it, then DH and I went to the gym for an hour. He sent me across to the grocery store and he went "shopping, you can't come! Though I'll likely give it to you when I walk through the door" (my birthday is tomorrow, I'll be 27). Anyway, I bought salad stuff and oranges and bananas and broccoli (nothing new, I always buy that sort of thing) and came home and wrote a contract with myself that goes like this:

CONTRACT March 16-March 23

For this week I will:
*Do at least 4 hours of workouts (cardio)(Spinning or whatever)
*Do 2 hours of Pilates
*Record what I eat every day, honestly
*Stay at or below 210 points

I cannot afford to reward myself every week, but I figure on the days I go to WW meetings (once a month) I'll go buy a shirt or jeans or whatever. The jeans I wear are only $20 because they're guys' jeans, so I figure I can come up with money for a pair of jeans and a meeting over the course of a month.

Yesterday I had 30 points, lots and lots of veggies, and enough treats that I didn't feel depressed or angry. As DH said yesterday, "If you want the body you had in MN back, then eat like you were eating in MN. Don't eat like me. Your weight is not an issue to me, but it's obviously an issue to you, and since it is we'll get it dealt with." He prefers me heavier, actually, and in the past has sabotaged me repeatedly, but now has accepted that I am not happy this way and I'll be much more fun and much more adventurous once I'm comfortable in myself again. That being the case, he's willing to help me. Finally! DH is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful man, but he's set on getting his own way and it takes endless effort to get MY own way. But I've held fast on this one, and he's willing to let me have my way just to make it not an issue anymore.

As I said, he's a wonderful man, we just don't see eye to eye on this issue.

Anyway! I'm all set! Navel oranges are coming back at a more reasonable price (there for awhile they were $3.99/lb for the scrawniest, saddest oranges you ever saw, now they're back to $0.99/lb for nice ones) and I've had two since shopping yesterday, must go buy more for the week. It's my day off the gym, need to wash gym clothes so I'm ready for Spinning in the morning. I probably should also check my schedule and see if I have any tests tomorrow...hmm.....

I can't respond to you all right now, but I can say I'm reading your posts and they're great.
I got to WW on Saturday morning and was up even more than I thought. I'm taking this 'wed. off from work because too much is piling up on me and I'll go to WW in the morning and feel like a regular person.
Today dh went grocery shopping for some perishables like fruit and veggies. I made a veggie chili and a veggie Indian chickpea type dish. They'll be great for lunches this week. I am not giving up. I have easily gained ten pounds in two weeks in the past and I will not do that. The weight I've gained will just have to come off. That's all.
My WW mtg. helps me. I have a nice group of women I always sit with. I participate majorly! I'm not shy in front of a group and I think I've got lots of good suggestions. Part of the reason I make myself crazy is that I am vocal, but I'm not losing any weight. Then I get embarassed. Embarassment is certainly part of negative emotions and doesn't help weight loss.

Lin S. Congrats on losing 4 pounds. That's fabulous. I remember you saying that your life is about life, and not about your weight. Absolutely! And when we make weight loss a priority, it's easy to also make it our whole life. That doesn't make sense at all. I'm working on being prepared, journaling, etc. keeping weight loss a high priority, and still trying to have a life.

Mousie, I think Lin's suggestions of an online mtg. should work.
For my part, I can continue to give you guys a synopsis of the main points of my mtg. WW has a lot to offer. And a lot of *food*
for thought.

Lauren,
You are inspiring me. I like to read of the times you had, how you gained more weight than you wanted to and how you are working so hard now to get it off. It's great to know you.

Everybody do well.
I'm close to being back on track.
Love,
Judy

234/lots/199

Hi, Turtles,

Erin, I sent you an email about meeting online.

Happy, happy birthday. Do you have any idea how old it makes me feel to know that you were born 2 years before I got married? Enjoy yourself!!

You have a great dh!! And I love your attitude! You're doing great and you will get back to the person you prefer being.

Judy, I'm so glad you're determination is coming back. You will get that weight off and get back to losing new weight. If you're close to being back on track, it's only a little while before you're there.

Thank you so much for your synopses of your meetings. You have such a great leader that your reports are extra helpful. They jog my memory about things I sometimes forget to consider.

I hope things are getting better in your life. I'm praying for you and your family.

I'm still OP. It's funny how things balance out. I had a couple of low point days, then yesterday I ate at the top of my range. And today, I'm a little lower. I noticed that it's really important for me to pay attention to how hungry I am. When I do that, it's easier to stay within my point range. So, things are going fine.

I don't write on the weekends, other than taking notes on ideas that pop into my brain. But I've been bouncing ideas off my family. They know people who will be able to (and willing to) help a struggling writer understand the science and make it work.

So, my book is going really well. I know I'm on the right track. I had a dream about a different story. It's going in my file of things to write later. But when I dream about stories, I know that the creative part of my brain is awake and ready to go.

Have a great day. :

Lin
272/236/230/135 or so