Hi, Everyone,

Here's 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 three 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 in order to lose and keep off the weight. Our main focus is to 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.

Lin

Hi, Turtles,

Judy, it's always good to hear from you. Please keep coming here to the turtles and let us know what we can do to support you in whatever you do in your life. You're a great friend.

Erin, there was a time when I majored in Chemistry. One quarter made me realize that while I like science, it wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Give me 20 page papers any day!!
Anyway, good luck on your final exams. I'm sure you'll do the best that you can.

Your clothing purchases sound perfect. Are you going to wear that t-shirt to the movies? Sounds like it would be a great choice.

I finally figured out what I need to do if I'm going to pursue writing seriously and keep up with all of the stuff that "must be done during regular business hours", including (per our approximately 20 page lease) housework. I have to write either in the early morning or late at night.

Well, nothing will turn me into a morning person, so late at night it is. My wonderful sons can choose to give up some of that late night computer time or do more of the housework so I can do my computer stuff during the day. I do a lot of my writing by hand, so I don't need the computer every day, but when I need it, I need it to be available.

I'm looking forward to writing at night, actually. I'm much more creative at 2 am than I am at 2 pm. I've been cooking the simplest of meals and haven't been baking at all lately because I've been focusing on writing. I miss playing in my kitchen and moving my writing hours to the late night will give me time to cook again. I'm looking forward to that, too. So, I'll let you all know how it goes.

I'm doing OK with WW these days, but not great. I'm finding it difficult to get back on track right now. So, I'm writing down the baby steps I want to take to get back OP. Then I'll check them off the list as I accomplish them. I don't want to give up, but I can't get it together all at once. I'm sure that grief is behind a lot of what's going on with me right now. Our culture seems to expect people to "get over it" quickly and move on, but that ignores the fact that healing takes time. So, I'm being kind to myself and doing what I can.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin

Hi, Turtles,

I simply had to post a second note today.

My son won. His portfolio was judged one of the top five out of all of the entrants in the competition. I'm so proud. The scholarship covers 3/4 of his tuition.

We're still faced with housing and everyday expenses and the other 1/4 of tuition, but it will make a huge difference. He will have a lot lower loan when he's done, especially if he can win some other scholarships as he becomes elegible to enter them. Many of them are for students already in college.

So, even though nothing in this post is directly weight related, I so badly need to share some good news for a change that I'm sure you'll all forgive me.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin

Lin, YAY! WOOWOO! I would log in and share that too! Oh how wonderful for him, and what a weight lifted for you and your husband!

Your comment about our society expecting people to just "get over it" is something I have thought about for awhile, having lived in England and seen the difference in cultures. The US is very, very, very harsh. We expect hard work and devotion to said work, and view any time out of the office (with family or such) as "wasted" time--time that should at least be constructive and productive. Yet we expect that we will have perfect families and perfect homes--and perfect attitudes--at all times. Living with a Brit, I'm reevaluating what I find valuable and why. It's incredibly fascinating, but also makes me kinda disappointed in my country. That is NOT to say that I'm not patriotic, I'm the daughter of a Navy man and *literally* grew up saying the pledge of allegiance on the banks of Pearl Harbor. But I can see now why the rest of the world treats us as if we were a "baby country" in that bratty stage, when everything is "mine, mine!" and temper tantrums will erupt if we don't get our way.

Ah, wow, that was heavy. Anyway.

For the week I had 200 points, 3 hours of exercise, lots of veggies and lots and lots of water. I am 1/2 pound less than I was before I got so sick, so I've lost a total of 7.5 pounds in 7 weeks. Effectively, if you take out the 4 weeks when I was so sick and recovering (that cough stayed with me a loooooooooong time), I've lost 7.5 pounds in 3 weeks of effort. Yay! I like this method, I'm going to continue to work with it.

I read all the fitness magazines (except for Oxygen--that one's not a magazine, it's just a long winded advertisement for Hydroxycut) and in Muscle&Fitness Hers this month there is a 2-month planner for a workout blitz. I'm going to do that, with the goal of going to MN over Labor Day weekend and fitting into my Fest dress. It's an aggressive program, but it's balanced and sane, and I should get some great results. Plan on being at the gym each morning, then to summer classes, then studying. Wow. Thank goodness we don't have a family yet! I need to put some muscle back on, and I'm excited about this plan.

Got to get working on my Physics, Turtles. I did 4 hours of study yesterday, I hope this pays off.

Keep Turtlin'!

Okay, Turtles, I'm posting twice in a day too.

I was going to study. I really was. But I had a look around my house and realized that the health department would kick us out if they knew we were living this way. Okay, maybe that's a BIT of an exaggeration, but the fact remains that DH is comfortable with (and prefers, honestly) a vastly more lenient definition of clean than I. As I've been studying so much lately I have not been cleaning, and he has not either. To say it has gotten out of hand is putting it mildly.

So. I've been rearranging, vacuuming (!!!), packing away, throwing away, doing laundry, sorting (I even went to Target and got some bookcases and storage things)...I even did the windows (on the inside, I still need to get to the outside). I'm relatively content with how it's coming out. Living with a packrat as I am, I have to be willing to expand my idea of clean (and I'm trying to convince him that HIS idea of clean needs to get a bit more stringent). I have several boxes of things still that have no homes--things like Christmas stuff, random baubles, that sort of thing. But it's vastly improved.

I still plan to study! Really. I do. But I couldn't stand it around here anymore, I had to do something. I couldn't concentrate at all on my studies, I had no 'quiet' place to go. Part of that is the brain injury--I don't do well with visual chaos--and part of that is just growing up in my mom's house. Though you know, DH grew up in his mom's house, and HER house is always immaculate...you just have to wonder, sometimes. Maybe it's a male thing. Sigh.

Anyway. I just needed a break! I still have a great deal of cleaning to do, wish me luck.

Hi, Turtles,

It looks like it was a slow weekend for everyone.

Erin, you did well this past week. Good luck with your fitness program. Hope you fit into that dress.

Hmmm. . . Sounds like you live at my house. My house has been going downhill since my brother got super sick. Getting it back in shape is one of the things I plan to work on this week. I don't have the energy to do a marathon session, so I'm going to do a little each day.

BTW--it is a "male thing". They don't see dirt the same way we do, especially when it comes to the corners, inside drawers and cabinets, etc. If it's not in their face, they don't see it. And if it's not in their face, they see no reason to clean it. That's also why they're always asking us to locate items even after we've told them which cupboard/closet they're in.

I've gained a little weight since the funeral. I don't know how much because I haven't stepped on the scale. But my clothes are a little tighter. I'm not happy about it and I do know some of what's behind it.

It's not just grief and depression, although that's a part of it. It's also feeling like it's a waste of effort. I work really hard and just keep losing and gaining the same few pounds. I've given up weight loss programs in the past because of this.

But I think it's also that seeing my family has made me wonder if it's even possible. Seeing how they've all gained weight has stuck in my mind and drained my motivation. I feel like I'm fighting my genetic heritage and I'm tired of doing it. Regardless of whether I should have been dieting at 9, the reality is that I've been doing things to try to reach a "normal" weight for 40 years and I'm really tired of never getting there.

Yet, I know if I don't follow WW or some other sane program, I slip into less healthy eating patterns and gain weight. That's absolutely not what I want to do. So, I realize that my choices are to get back OP, because it's the only program that I've ever been able to follow for an extended period of time or go buy larger clothes. Guess which one I'm choosing? To get back OP, of course.

But, I'm not sure I will worry about losing weight any more. If I lose, great. If I maintain, great. I'm just too tired of fighting this war. All I want right now is to live a healthy lifestyle and if I lose weight, fine. My goal: to stop gaining weight and to be as healthy as I can be.

I'll keep you posted as to my progress in getting back OP. I ate my usual OP breakfast this morning and have a plan for the rest of the day.

The writing is going well. I'm making a lot of progress in figuring out how the world and its cultures work so that when I start writing about the people, it will be consistent.

Have a great day! Happy turtlin'!

Lin

Lin, my heart goes out to you and I wish I had some words of wisdom. As it is, all I really have are words of kindness. I think you've done a great job, and I think any lesser person in your circumstances would have fallen apart long ago.

I applaud your resolve to just take care of your health, and not center your attention on losing weight per se. Part of the reason I exercise as I do and watch what I eat--and honestly, a smidgen of the reason I am vegetarian--is because of my genetic history. Every single relative I have--parents grandparents aunts uncles cousins, even a great uncle (although he's 81 and it's to be expected)--except for my younger brother is on some form of medication for heart disease/high blood pressure. My father has already had heart sugery (at 51) to place stents, and he has adult onset diabetes. Looking at my genetic history I am terrified about what is in store for me. I mean, I STUDY this stuff. I know what I'm in for. That is why I am so careful about my health, and that is why I applaud you for your resolve to take care of yourself.

Looking at my family, also, we are all 'large' people. My father's mom was 6'0 and I would guess 200 pounds, a very large woman, especially for the time. My mother's father is 6'0 also, and I would guess 180 (he's always been lean). My father is 6' and over 300 pounds, my mother is 5'9" and I would guess around 250. I myself am 5'9, my brother is 6'1. We all have, obviously, the tendency toward fat, but I am convinced that you can have a healthy heart and be heavy at the same time. So I mind my health. Lin, even if you never lose another pound, it's possible to be healthy. And that's really your goal, right? Good for you.

I am at 82 points for 3 days. My exercise program, the first day of it, went really well. I feel good about it. I have been achieving great things--avoiding M&M's, getting myself to a Pilates class last night--with the thought "I want to go to MN". I also found an adaptation of a biceps curl that I can actually do! Yay! It allows for the odd rotation of my broken elbow/wrist. I'm so thrilled about it.

I'm up at 4am this morning, to review for a Physics exam at 8. Speaking of, I'd best get on with it. Break's over!

Have a good day, Turtles!

Hi, turtles.

Our Easter and Holy Week were amazing, marvelous, profound, and sad all at once. A beloved woman in our church died just before Good Friday; her funeral was yesterday. There's no better time to die than Easter. We will miss her, and it was especially hard to see her family's grief, but Christ's resurrection is all about victory over death. By dying, he defeated death for all of us. It was just an amazing week.

I had an experience last Thursday I'll relate, though I have no idea how you'll receive it. Ann (that's the woman) had died very early Thursday morning, but I didn't know it. I was sitting at work, working on a presentation, when I suddenly imagined myself as Ann, coming into the presence of God. I pictured a vast, immense hall, filled with saints and angels praising God, and fillilng the hall was the uncreated light of God. I wasn't able to get very far down the hall; I was overcome. Chills kept running all over my body, and I teared up. All this while sitting at my desk at work. Later that night, I found out Ann had died.

I don't pretend to understand that experience, but there it is. It's been that kind of week.

As for the program, I ate low in my points and worked out six days last week in anticipation of Easter. It worked. This morning I weighed in less than last Tuesday, in spite of all the eating the past two days. I've decided this is how it has to be -- if I'm going to have a big eating day, I need to make up for it AHEAD of time, if possible. This morning I'm back into my exercise routine (did 30 minutes of hard cardio workout). I also wrote down my points yesterday and will again today.

Mousie, I don't know if you'd say being a religion major would be easier, at least not at my school. We had rigorous written and oral exams in order to graduate. All but one person in my class failed the first round and had to do make-up work (I had to do a second orals). It was horribly nerve-wracking. And ever such a useful major, too. Good luck on the science classes; I admire your fortitude.

Lin, I've come to find out that I only lose weight when I'm consistently on program. If I'm on, then off, then on, then off, I just keep gaining and losing the same pounds. I hear you; it's frustrating. But I don't believe it's genetics. The genetics may make us prone to packing on weight on fewer calories than someone else (my husband can eat a great deal), and our upbringing may make us prone to using food for reasons other than hunger. But it's our behavior that dictates our weight. I believe it's more of an effort for me to maintain a healthy weight than for some people, and there are times I don't feel up to that effort. Sounds like that's where you are now. I go in and out of that mindset.

Here's a suggestion: follow the program religiously for the next week. Eat within your points every day. Get a half hour of exercise four or five times during the week. Drink your water. Write it down. You *will* lose weight. There's nothing that encourages success like success. When we just follow the program sporadically, we don't see weight loss and we get discouraged -- so we follow the program a little less. It's my old pattern, too. I have to fight it all the time.

I lost no weight this past 6 weeks. A big reason for that is that I followed the program during the week, but ate too much at various events on weekends (and occasionally a weeknight here and there). I also didn't exercise as regularly as I need to. And I ate far too many carbs. I was getting very discouraged last week and could feel myself sliding away, back into old habits and mindsets. So I went back on program in a big way and upped my exercise -- and I lost about 4 pounds. I gained back one over Easter, which still puts me ahead. I don't expect to lose like that every week (in fact I know I won't), but it gave me the boost I needed, the reminder that this IS possible and that consistency is key.

Well, I'd better get to work. It's getting extremely icky there due to management idiocy and politics; I'm looking forward to the end of this contract and hoping I'll find something better soon.

Onward and downward,

Lauren
274/189.5/174 in September

Hi, Turtles,

Wow, you are so great!! Both of you reminded me of things I haven't been thinking about while I've been rationalizing my current slump. I'm saving these posts for future reference.

Erin, your reminder of what good health is was a huge boost to my motivation to get and stay OP. My genetic history isn't quite as messy as yours, but it's messy enough. There's diabetes and high blood pressure in my family. What's odd, though, is that none of my family has ever had a stroke or died from either of those diseases. We do tend to be long-lived, but I know that my overall ability to live a joyous life depends a great deal on my physical well-being. Living longer is not very appealing if I have to spend it staring at the walls of a nursing facility.

It's good to read in your posts how consistent you've been these days. And it's paying off for you.

Lauren, wow!! I bet your vision felt strange. It's wonderful, though. I wonder if during that time your spirit was helping Ann's or something. God does work in mysterious ways.

I really admire your ability to correctly analyze what works for you re: WW and then doing it. I'm pretty good at figuring out what to do, but not so good at following through a lot of the time.

I agree that genetics makes us prone to gaining weight, but doesn't cause it. I didn't mean to imply that genetics is the reason I'm fat. I meant that I've been feeling tired of fighting that tendency. I've noticed exactly what you said--I need to be compeltely OP all of the time in order to keep the weight loss going. I also agree that success breeds success and that when I do this on and off thing, I do get discouraged.

I'm not happy with what I'm doing right now. It's silly to continue acting this way when I feel awful about it. I've been thinking about how to approach this time in my life and I think I need to go back to planning my food and exercise in advance. When I plan in advance, it focuses my attention on doing the program rather than on whether or not I'm losing weight. That's what I need to do right now. The thing is, that if I can do that, as you said, Lauren, I will lose the weight.

Anyway, I have to go. I've got to get to work. I'm doing some of my writing in the morning and some at night. That allows me some time with my family in the evening and some time to get the dumb stuff done that must be done in the daytime. Plus, some time to cook.

Have a great day. Happy turtlin'!

Lin

Lin, we were actually talking about this monday afternoon in my Physiology class. Exercise doesn't hugely add to the length of your life. On average, the gain is about 3-5 years. What it DOES do is add markedly to the quality of said life. People who exercise tend to be more agile, more capable, stronger, and less prone to other* diseases and injuries. It is extremely rare to find a lifelong exerciser in a 24-hour care facility. They slow down, of course, and are not as strong and agile as when they were younger, but that drop in ability is from a much higher peak. Knowing this is keeping me exercising and determined to stay out of "assisted living" facilities--I HATED being in the hospital, and I HATED that wheelchair. Too much assistance for me, well intentioned/necessary or not. Anything I can do to keep myself out of that sort of situation I'll gladly do. I want to live my life, not be helped through it!

Spinning tonight, I mentioned to Erika that we should have the song "Get This Party Started" for slides because she had another song by the same artist. I ran into Erika the day after her class last week, and she told me she added it for me! So I'm even more excited to go tonight (how do you all STAND me? ).

I went to my Physics exam this morning, got a pencil, scantron, calculator out. He handed out the test. I started it. I went to pick up my calculator, and it WAS NOT THERE. I panicked. Got up, looked around my seat, looked in my bag...he noticed and came to ask what was up, and I told him. He said to just start the test, it was mostly theory, and maybe someone had one I could borrow. He asked the girl next to me and she said sure, so when she was done she loaned me one...that was exactly like mine. Um. I'm NOT saying she took my calculator, but maybe she had the same one herself, and picked mine up thinking it was hers? So now she has two of the same calculator in her bag? I hope that if she does she realizes what happened, and returns mine to me. I feel good about this test, even with the bit of frazzled panic at the beginning. I should find out on thursday how I did.

Anyway. Making mini pizzas tonight after Spinning, found a version of vegetarian pepperoni that I want to try. Yum, I haven't had pepperoni in...almost 8 years.

Gotta run, I have some stretching to do before class, must get to the gym. Bye Turtles!

DEar All,
I headed to SC to see my sisters this weekend. It was wonderful. We had a good time. I was a little edgy at times, but we are four pretty strong personalities and I think we did extraordainarily well all points considered.
I am not going to WW tomorrow, but I will weigh myself.
I have been counting points in my head and watching myself. Even at my sisters, I didn't overdo crazily.
The great thing is that two of my sisters are also getting into eating more healthily and exercising. They are getting into the mode. My sister Cathy asked if a WW she knows at work is right that you can eat the packaged cotton candy for one point. Oddly enough, if it's the size pkg. I'm thinking of, I know the points and one point is correct. That's why WW is so great. It helps clear up misconceptions. Don't think I think cotton candy is a great thing, but sometimes when I am craving something sweet I eat a tsp. of brown sugar and that does the trick for less than a point.
Lin, here are some hugs. You're going to do fine. Give yourself time to grieve your brother and his too early death. This is a scary and sad thing. I know you too well to have you give up.
Lin, in reading over the posts, I just saw the one about your brilliant son and his wonderful scholarship. You must be so proud. This is the answer to many prayers. I am so happy for you and him.
Erin,
Glad that you're cleaning up your abode. I have to get to it here too. I have so many top priorities that I've got to make sense of my time available. You sound wonderful. Good luck with your studies.
Lauren,
That experience with your friend who died was extraordinary. I can't say what to make of it, but it was so real and so fabulous. I believe God lets us know many things when we are open to Him.
As usual, I've got no time. Took a personal day yesterday and flew back to NY from SC. It was great to see my sister looking so well after her surgery. My other sisters and I all had a great time.
Love,
Judy

Judy, I'm so glad you had fun with your sisters. It's really cool that they're starting to pay attention to health and healthy eating too. Finally following your good example, huh?

I occasionally get sweet cravings too, so I have a bag of Dove dark chocolate 'eggs' in my drawer. 1 egg is 1 point, and it's a strong enough chocolate that that satisfies me.

Wow, Turtles, I had a great class but am I going to HURT tomorrow! I can feel the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) building even now, and this isn't that delayed yet. My stomach really aches when I cough or stretch. Something tells me getting out of bed tomorrow is going to be a trick. BUT! I had such a wonderful class, and Erika had us do 2-2 slides to the song I requested (up for 2 beats, down for 2 beats). 2-2 slides are the hardest, you never settle into a position, you're constantly moving. I had a wonderful time, it was fun and I pushed super hard, and I made it.

I came home and had a homemade pizza (9 ponts) for a total of 112 points over 4 days. I'm working on the outline for a paper I want to take to my prof to review (for suggestions) before I turn it in, and then I have a chapter or so of another text that I'd like to get read. Then I can sleep. Up in the morning for Kelly's class and 1/2 hour circuit. I'm feeling really positive about the work I'm getting done, both for school and fitness-wise. My house is about clean (need to scrub bathrooms) also. So life is going supremely well. Now, I can't keep this up for an entire lifetime, but I can push occasionally. I last about 2 weeks, then I need to settle for a bit. But the wonderful things that happen when I push...!

I must get back to work, Turtles, have a good night.

Hi, turtles.

Lin, before I forget again, that's WONDERFUL news about your son's scholarship! Give him a hearty turtle congratulations from us. He must be quite talented.

Erin, I didn't realize that Dove made anything for one point. I'll have to check those out. Or maybe not, come to think of it! Well, we'll see if I could handle having them around. Do you take baths in epsom salts when you work out? Those can work wonders in leeching the lactic acid from your muscles and reducing soreness.

I really appreciate what you said about exercise allowing you to live a better quality life for longer. That's exactly why I'm doing it. I'm getting to an age where the rubber hits the road, so to speak, and I can't get away with living the way I used to. I have a new respect for what it means to take care of yourself.

Judy, glad you had fun with your sisters and didn't kill each other. Interesting that they're also more careful about what they're eating. That had to help.

Lin, I remembered another thing our WW leader said about people who dropped out of WW:

-- They couldn't find a way to make the program fun (or stopped making it fun).

Personally, I have a problem with this one. There are plenty of times it ISN'T fun. The results are fun, but not the process. Or at least for me. Occasionally it's fun, but if I were hoping it would somehow get fun again, I'd be off program a lot more than I am. What would've been more helpful to me, I think, would be to look at how you stick with it when it isn't fun. Anyway, she asked for ideas on how to make it fun, and she said that for her, trying new foods really helped. It seems to me that helped you from time to time, too. Maybe getting away from your cooking has made the program too mundane for you. Just a thought.

Last night, our WW leader talked about forming new habits and breaking old ones. She said a Lin-ism: "Don't use the word 'try'" because it sets ourselves up for not achieving. She talked a lot about the language we use to talk to ourselves. Another word she said that people found scary: "change." She suggested substituting the word "improve." I liked that. She also had a phrase that stuck with me: "A bad habit is like a soft bed. Easy to fall into, hard to get out of."

This week we are to set a goal for ourselves, a habit we want to break (by replacing it with other behaviors) or a habit we want to make (like exercising). We're to set up a plan of action that's measureable. For some reason, I'm having trouble coming up with something. I can't think of any particular habits that I'm not already working on. At least not weight related ones. Hmmm. Maybe I'll pick a non-weight-related one.

I was down 3.5#, in spite of Easter. I've decided that's a great way to go -- plan ahead for events by eating low in my points and exercising every day in advance. For me, I think the exercise especially is key. Without it, I just don't lose the weight anymore.

Onward and downward,

Lauren
274/188.5/174 before Adirondacks

Lauren, no, I take showers after workouts (directly after) because if I settled into a hot bath I wouldn't be able to get back up! I push myself really, really hard when I work out, and settling into a hot bath gives my muscles a chance to relax...but also a chance to get all mushy and gooey, and I can't get OUT of the bath again. Yes, this is the voice of experience. I'll have to try the epsom salt thing on the weekends (days off formal exercising, I just play on the weekends). Thanks for telling me that.

The Dove thing is a product they put out for Easter (yes, I admit it, I buy Easter candy the day after Easter when it's cheap). It's 6 'eggs' for 230 calories/14 fat/3 fiber. Don't ask me where the fiber comes from. Anyway, I realize that's 5 points for a 6 egg portion, but I count them as 1 point each anyway.

I can see what you're saying about the fact that the program isn't supposed to be FUN all the time. That's missing the point. I think what we're really striving for is to find a way to not have food and what we eat matter so much in our lives. Not have it take up so much space and time and attention. There is a book by Victoria Moran that I recommend for you guys, Fit From Within. Actually, I recommend all of her books, she's a fantastically motivating woman. Anyway, in this book she talks about the basics--choosing healthy food, drinking water, exercising--but she also talks about other things like grabbing opportunites that you come by, and allowing yourself to be beautiful in your own way instead of striving for the standard set forth by society. This book and all her other books have the underlying theme that there is so much more to life than food. Put food in its place and fill up the gaps with actual living, and you should be fine. That is what I'm striving for. To not have food play such a huge role--instead, to have it be something that I deal with for a couple of hours a day, but after that to have a full and interesting life that I'd much rather be living than spending my time obsessing about food.

Wow, that was a long thought. Sorry!

As for habits, I say go for a non-food habit. Try a new activity this week to get out of your comfort zone. Try (this is something Moran talks about in another book) accepting every good thing or opportunity that is presented to you for the week. Try the new Ethiopian restaurant? Sure. Go see that indie film downtown? Sure. My, that color really suits you! Thank you. That sort of thing. It's amazing how many opportunities we're offered that we just reflexively refuse.

I've got to get to the gym, Turtles, I've got a circuit to do today. And Kelly should be back, yay! I'm already noticing tiny bits of changes from this aggressive program, WOW. Cool! My goal still stands for summer solstice. Don't know if I'll make it, but I'll definitely try. And more than that, I've got my Fest Dress goal by Labor Day.

Bye Turtles!

Hi, Turtles,

What great, thoughtful posts you've all written. You gave me great opportunities to be verbose today!!

Erin, your post about exercise gives us the best reason to do it. My dh told me about a research study Dr. Edell talked about on the radio. I went to his web site, but it wasn't posted, at least not yet. The subject was genetics and exercise. The conclusion was that exercise is harder for some people than for others because of their genes. Some people can be super fit (we're talking about cardiovascular fitness) without doing much of anything and other people can work out daily and not reach that same high level of fitness.

They did some mouse breeding and discovered that mice who were able to work out at the top level for a mouse when bred with similar mice, produced babies who could work out at that level with less effort. And when they did the opposite, bred mice who couldn't achieve at that level with similar mice, their babies couldn't reach that level no matter what they did.

The study's point wasn't to prove that exercise is pointless because your genes decide it all. That's not true. It was to show that each person needs to have a fitness plan that is the best one for them. Just as with eating plans, one exercise plan does not fit all. So, we each need to figure out what is the best plan for us.

And we need to make sure we don't have unrealistic expectations about fitness, just as we don't want to try for an unrealistic weight goal. Not everyone can acheive the same level of fitness, just like not everyone can weight 110 pounds. What I wonder is how a person chooses a fitness plan that's right for her?

Dove eggs have 3g of fiber because they're dark, bittersweet chocolate. The fiber from the beans is still in it after processing. When they mix it with milk to make milk chocolate, the amount of fiber in a serving goes down to zilch. And that's one reason that the dark chocolate is the stuff they say helps prevent cancer, in small amounts. (This info courtesy of my chocoholic dh who was ecstatic when they finally decided that some chocolate is good for you.)

Judy, so glad your time with your sisters was fun. So glad that you're feeling better about what you are doing these days. I miss your posts when you're gone, so keep posting. Your wisdom has been so helpful, as has your faith in my ultimate ability to succeed.

Thank you all, from my ds, for your congrats on his scholarship. He is very talented. It's nice to have parental prejudice validated by someone else.

Lauren, congratulations on your weight loss. I know that's a superb achievement for you because I don't think you've managed to lose over Easter in the past. Way to go!!

I think that "fun" isn't really the word your leader was looking for because of the connotations behind it. We tend to think "recreation" when we hear the word fun. This program feels more like work than recreation, but work can be enjoyable, if you're doing something that appeals to you. I think the key to "fun" is to figure out what aspects of the program you enjoy the most and emphasize them in some way.

Nothing we do, including our favorite hobbies and recreation, is 100% fun every minute. There always is a part that you do because you want the end result. My mom likes to do needlework, but she complained to me once that she hates the initial organizing of the different thread colors and prep that's involved. But she does it because she wants to do the needlework. So, we do the parts we don't enjoy to get the result.

But, maybe, like me, you like new recipes and new foods. I agree, Lauren, that for me, not cooking much has taken a lot of the motivation to stay OP out of my life. And I have a plan to fix that. Or maybe something silly, like my stickers, puts some enjoyment into journaling and helps you to keep that part of the program up. Or maybe, like Erin, you actually enjoy exercising and so you vary your activities more and that makes it more enjoyable. I think rather than "make it fun" a good slogan might be "emphasize what you enjoy the most".

My other least favorite word with regard to weight loss is "only". As in I "only" lost .5 pounds this week. Or I "only" exercised X days, so I didn't do as well as I could. There is "only" one place that word belongs and that's in the I "only" gained .1 pound because people drive themselves crazy over a gain of a few ounces that is probably a little bit of water retention.

But you're right in saying that "try" is my biggest icky word and not only in weight loss. It's my biggest icky word in all aspects of my life. When I try to do anything, I never quite get there. When I just do it, I usually manage to figure out a way to succeed.

Erin, I loved what you said about seizing opportunities and putting food in its proper place in our lives. For a cook, though, food seems to be more important, but it's the preparation not the eating that takes center stage. That's why it's so important for me to focus on cooking. When I cook a wider variety of foods, I don't overeat as much. It's when I get into the "grab whatever's easiest" that I get into trouble.

And, of course, I'm in definite agreement about the opportunities and living life. As I said before, my life isn't about my weight. It's about life.

Anyway, I do have a plan for getting back OP. The first part is to have a definite time to go for those walks or swims. The pool is open and the weather is finally warming up a little. I need the routine of going at the same time every day. If I do that, then I start missing it when I don't go.

The second part is to divide my journal page in half and plan my food on the left side and put any changes I make when I eat on the right side. I'm giving myself two stickers. One for the planning and writing it down every day and the other for following the plan or, if I must make changes, choosing to substitute foods of equivalent point values.

Gotta go do that walk!! Happy turtlin'!

Lin