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.
I decided to get around the stupid computer errors that wipe out my posts while I'm in the middle of writing them by using Word Pad, then cutting and pasting them into the reply box. It gets so frustrating to be in the middle of a post and have AOL shut down completely for no reason other than poor service because we're such a small market.
Lauren, you're doing so well. Maintaining your weight during the most intense holiday month, with a houseful of guests, is terrific!
I hope your new videos work for you. I don't know if this is a possibility or if it would be easier on your back and knees, but have you thought about step aerobics? Or, maybe when the weather gets better, bicycling or swimming? They both are often recommended for people whose knees and backs can't take the jumping around or jogging a lot of people do to ramp up their workout.
About sugar--I noticed that if I eat both servings of fruit that WW recommends, I don't crave it as much. I tried an experiment for a while in which I didn't eat a sweet dessert unless I had eaten all of my fruits and veggies. Often, I didn't care whether I ate the treat or not. I'm not obsessive about it, but I do keep that in mind when I'm dividing up my points. Generally, I don't plan sweets unless I can't get something out of my head. Like the cake I made for my birthday. Or those wonderful low-point brownies. I think I read somewhere that people do tend to crave sweets less as they age, so maybe that's one benefit of being (gulp) almost 50.
Judy, you did great this holiday season, too. Ending up with only one pound more than you started with is absolutely terrific! If you don't believe me, go read some threads in other places on this site or on Dotti's. There are a lot of people with a lot of (unnecessary) guilt over how they did this holiday season.
Your tips are a good reminder for us. I've been trying something new to slow down my eating a little, too. I just take smaller bites. I'm really satisfied with my small portions. I feel really awful when I eat large ones, nowadays. But I wish they took longer to eat. So, I'm taking smaller bites to make the food last longer. When I remember to do it, that is. I think I got in the habit of eating fast when I was a child because mealtimes were so unpleasant. My dad worked graveyard shift and that's about the only time he saw us kids. He used it as a time to mete out punishments for whatever transgressions we had commited since yesterday's meals. Mostly my brothers were the recipients, but I didn't want to listen to people yelling and arguing during dinner. I wanted to be done with dinner and back into the world of whatever book I was reading.
Congrats on "doing" the treadmill. I know that adding exercise is a biggie for you this year. You've got a great start going.
Today it is sunny. My dh says another storm is on its way and should be here in a couple of days. I'm going to walk when I finish this post. I need to go to the grocery store to pick up some veggies for the beef stew with dumplings I'm making for dinner.
I'm eating a bit under points. I banked a couple yesterday. I'm staying off the scale for a couple of weeks because I started retaining water from PMS so early this month. So, I don't really know how I did, weight-wise. But my jeans are pretty loose (despite the bloat), so I can't have gained much, if at all. I'm feeling really good about how the holidays went, generally speaking. There were some blips, but I expect them. We're supposed to have a really wet month, which puts a crimp in my daily walks, but I'm not doing videos until my ds goes back to school next week. Meantime, I'll walk when I can and eat lower in points when I can't. I'm not as hungry when I don't walk, so it usually balances itself out. I miss my walks when I don't get them in, though.
Hope a few of you lurkers might decide to join us this year. We're always happy to have newcomers join us on our turtle journey.
Hi turtles, hope everyone survived New Year! We've three days into it, and I've done...um...a bunch of sleeping. DH tried valiantly not to make me sick, and for the most part he succeeded. There's a residual achiness and fatigue in me, though, that I'm watching closely to make sure it doesn't blossom into the full illness. He says when it started in him it started as fatigue and aches and a blistering headache for a couple of days, so I'm being careful. The're's the potential, though, that it's just the time of the month, so I'm hopeful too! What a weird thing to hope for.
I'm working my way through When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies. Some of it resonates, some of it doesn't. As it all fits with me, though, I'm beginning to see that for the most part I'm not a compulsive eater. I don't binge (sometimes I eat more than I would have liked to have eaten, but not to the point of physical discomfort and not to the clinical definition of a binge) and I don't feel that an foods are illegal. Hard to work into a healthy diet, yes. Illegal, no.
For the heck of it I went to the store to buy my trigger foods, in quantities as the books suggest. Lin, since you've said you've read them you'll know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I couldn't figure out what to buy, as I buy myself what I want *anyway*. I persevered, though, and bought some Cheetos (buy those regularly, just not as many at once!), some pudding (buy those regularly), some Craisins (buy those), and some PopTarts (buy those). Hmm. I got everything home, unpacked, and felt...absolutely nothing. I wasn't hungry, wasn't tempted to eat anything, went to do something else. So I guess THAT whole theory was kinda screwy for me!
What I'm seeing is that I'm pretty normal as far as eating goes, but I've used food this year to deal with emotions and situations that I couldn't cope with on my own. I'm taking better care of myself and feeding myself well and healthily, and I trust that I will start to lose weight again. And I trust that even if I don't, I'll still care for myself.
With that in mind, I plan to use some WW principles in conjunction with some Overcoming Overeating principles (I know, I know, the disciples of each side would have a fit). Hey, it's not purely either side, but it suits me. So, here's to *my* way.
Lin, very clever solution to your posting problem!
Judy, no worries about mixing up names and anecdotes. I have a friend right now whos name I can *spell*, but I'll be darned if I remember how to pronounce it!
Lauren, behind you all the way in reaching your summer solstice goal. Makes me want to make a goal of my own!
Lin,
Way to go to figure a way around the AOL shutting down on you and sending you half finished posts into etherville! That can be so frustrating. I don't think I mentioned it, but my dh reformatted our computer again, without installing most of our software, etc.
Now our computer has stopped freezing up the way it did and this is much more pleasant an experience to e-mail. And since my at work computer is also up and running, a lot of barriers have been removed.
Mousie,
I really thought the eating due to emotions seemed to fit you from everything you've posted and I think that's a good thing.
Eating disorders would seem more difficult to deal with, while thinking about your emotions and finding healthier outlets than food seems more doable. Trust me, I've been eating from emotional needs since I was 8 which is a long time ago. I still don't have it conquered, but the big step is that I recognize why I want to eat and I have foods that are low point to crunch on if necessary. I actually keep a cabinet of WW foods that are easy to point out and when I *feel* like eating, I open only that cabinet so I won't be tempted to eat other high caloric, high fat foods.
You're putting a lot of time and energy in this search to find yourself and I applaud you!!!!! You'll do it! This is a new year for all of us. In the meantime, feel better.
Lauren,
You have such a nice attitude about your house guests and relatives. I really admire that and I'm going to work mightily this year to soften up where I know I need to soften.
Everyone,
Things go well here. I'm up a smidge on the scale, so I hear you all yelling *stay off the scale* and I will. Knowing that I'm eating within the low range of points and today I'll get back on the treadmill should be enough to give me the confidence that this program works.
Have a great day and keep on sharing these great ideas.
Hello, tortoisean ones. It's a lovely sunny Friday here. Still snow on the ground but none on the streets -- the perfect combination. After I finish this, I want to go for a nice walk to the library.
Our house is finally EMPTY! Woo-hoo! At least until later next week. I think. (Still need to confirm with my friend.) I've been within points the past three days and have been getting in lots of exercise, so things are returning to normal.
Last night at WW I was down a quarter of a pound. Eat my dust, y'all. Am I a turtle or WHAT? Next week I'll be returning to my regular Tuesday meeting -- and fighting the crowds of people who join this time of year. We had triple the number of folks last night as were present a week before.
Judy, very smart to keep point-friendly snacks on hand for times when you want to munch. I just bought some of that Pirate's Booty stuff I kept hearing about over at Dotti's, and I immediately separated it into 1- and 2-point bags. (Turns out the stuff doesn't taste all that great, but I know myself -- I can mindlessly eat even tasteless stuff.)
Judy and Mousie, I hear you about the emotional eating. I do it, too, and what's worse, I'm great at denying that I'm doing it! That's why writing it down is so important for me; I'm just too doggone good at denial. I even lie to myself in my journal! "Oh, that wasn't really 5 points, more like 3 ..." I can feel myself leaning back towards this tendency again. Time to start measuring and counting for a little while. Bleah!
Mousie, I'm impressed with both your zeal to look inward and your ruthlessness in getting to the bottom of things. That's great that you didn't feel the urge to eat the junk you bought. For me, I still find there are moments when I'll turn to junk if I have it in the house. Not all the time, and I don't binge, but ... for example, last week I realized that if I'd had bite-sized chocolate anything in the house, I would've scarfed it. I was even hunting for it at one point. I'm sure it was due to having the additional stress of so much company and so little time to myself, combined with overeating sugar. Fortunately, I didn't have any in the house, so I turned to a healthier alternative. I still overate, but the results weren't as bad as they might've been.
Lin, thanks for the exercise alternatives. Stepping is out for me -- too hard on my knees. Swimming would be excellent, as would biking. I'm more likely to do exercise regularly if I don't have to go to a facility to do it, so at this point I won't start swimming. But I would like to try biking this summer. DH would too, so that could be fun.
Thanks also for the suggestion about getting in fruits and veggies before sugar. I think I may adopt a modified version of that approach -- eat at least two pieces of fruit before having sugar. I've tried that today already. We'll see if it gets me off the sugar cycle.
Well, best get going. Have a wonderful Friday and weekend, turtle friends.
Boy, do I have a hard time posting! Today my cat walked across the keyboard and deleted the post as I was writing it! She's the cat we nicknamed "Pest" and "Mischief". (Her official name is Smokey.) This is a long post. I didn't realize I had so much going on before I started writing.
Mousie, isn't it a relief to find that you do not have an eating disorder? It's easier to deal with plain vanilla overeating, even though no one would call it "easy". Just easier.
I went through a similar process as the one you're going through a few years ago when the weight loss experts seemed to be saying that if you have a lot of weight to lose, you must have an eating disorder. I found out that I'm not a compulsive eater, either. I just had trouble due to hormones (PMS issues) and, as a child, I never was allowed to trust my body's own hunger/satiety signals, so I didn't know how much food I actually needed. I've been working on those two things ever since.
Since then, I've realized that there are a couple of other issues I had to deal with. Getting rid of the "good food/bad food" issue. Learning that I must eat what I want, no matter what anyone else is eating. My dh wasn't happy when I threw two pieces of candy away after one bite because I detest chocolate with cherry in the middle. I wouldn't have chosen them if the manufacturer had deigned to tell us what was in each chocolate. But there was no way I was going to eat the nasty stuff. He said that he would have eaten them, anyway, and he hates cherry, too. But he doesn't like to throw away stuff like premium chocolate. (This wasn't THAT great. If Godiva is a 10, this stuff was a 5.) His attitude is the kind of thing I had to get rid of so I didn't eat calories I don't want or need just to please someone else. Or because it's a "treat". Or because someone made it "special". Etc.
The worst is that our culture seems to venerate junk food. You're considered "a weirdo health food nut" if you don't want to join in when the crowd's (over)indulging. There's an attitude, promulgated by the food processing companies, that we should eat all the junk they sell, but be thin, too. A lot of people buy into that. When they decide to make an effort to lose weight, they go to a lot of trouble trying to find junk food that they "can eat". I used to eat a lot of food I didn't like as a substitute for the food I wanted. I did that because I couldn't fit the food I wanted into the current version of WW I was following. That wasn't working for me, so I stopped doing that. As you know, I decided that if I couldn't eat, in some amount, the foods I really liked, I wouldn't follow a weight loss program ever again. Thank goodness WW came up with one that allows me to decide what I eat.
The other thing I had to do was to get my mother's weird food rules out of my head. Like "3 cookies is one serving". One cookie is plenty. But as a child I felt deprived if I ate less than three.
Or, "You should eat now because you don't know when you'll be able to eat later" or "because we're not going to be able to eat for a long time." How about bringing food with us so if we get hungry later, we can eat?
And my father's joke grace about "them that eats the fastest gets the most". I had to learn that "getting the most" meant eating more than I really wanted or needed. But sometimes, especially after my brothers became teenagers (one of them could, and sometimes did, eat a whole chicken at one sitting), I was afraid I wouldn't get enough food because they (and my dad) would have gulped down firsts and be on seconds before my mom and I finished putting the serving dishes on the table and got any food on our plates.
That attitude stayed with me even after I grew up and was in charge of the food. My guys eat lots more than I do and I had to teach them that I don't eat all that I want at once. I save some for tomorrow. It takes me four days to eat a game hen because I only eat a quarter of it at a time. I used to get really nasty if they ate my leftovers. I'm not as strict as I used to be about that because I no longer have that feeling that this is the only time I'll be able to eat that particular food, another leftover from my mother's attitudes toward food. If they eat my stuff, I just buy the ingredients and make it again. Or wait until we have enough money to eat at that restaurant and order the dish again.
What you have to realize, though, is that my mother was born in 1934. She spent her childhood in the depression and with WWII rationing. So, she does a lot of hoarding and saving and worries about not having enough. She won't part with anything. She has margarine containers leftover from when I was a child that she uses to freeze individual servings of leftovers in. She has more food in her pantry for one person than I do for four people. At Christmas she was surprised that I didn't want to take home a piece of aluminum foil to reuse. I understand why she is the way she is, but understanding it didn't take away my need to deal with the consequences of it in my life.
You're doing really well with learning how to deal with what you need to do to make this work. It's great that you realize that right now, you need to work on other aspects of your weight loss journey and aren't beating yourself up over not losing during this time of exploration.
BTW--the purists be danged! If a combination of approaches is what you need--GO FOR IT!
Judy, I envy you getting your computer running better. We have some plans to fix ours so it runs better, but it's going to be March or April before we have the money saved up to buy the parts. We don't replace computers, we upgrade parts. My dh is a hardware guy and it's cheaper to get the parts and put them in yourself. I do the software and I'm getting to hate that job because the plug and play often plugs, but doesn't play!
Regarding the scale: You're right. You ought to stay off of it. It's not the only indicator of success. Maybe you should think about writing down in your tracker at the end of each day one success you've had that day that doesn't have anything to do with the scale. You drank your water. You exercised. You noticed an item of clothing getting looser. You fit into a smaller something. Whatever. I discovered that, for me, once I stopped focusing only on the scale, the whole thing got easier and I did better.
You also might consider not eating in the low range if you're exercising regularly. That combination has backfired for a lot of people. Exercise causes your body to need more fuel. When I exercise, I'm hungrier and eat higher in my range. Sometimes, I eat over, using activity points. When I can't walk, I eat lower in my range because I'm not as hungry. If your weight loss isn't what you expect, try continuing the exercise, but eat a bit more. Also, remember Lauren't report about how exercise can cause weight loss to stop for a while, but you'll lose inches. That's one main reason to think about other types of success besides the scale. Good luck to you as you add regular exercise to your program. It does help a lot and you'll find, as time goes on, that you miss it when you can't do it for whatever reason.
I was able to take a walk yesterday. It's clear again today, so I should be able to walk again. Good thing. I need to do a few errands again. I'm eating within my range and have some banked points. I will probably need them over the next couple of days because TOM is imminent and I get hungrier the last couple of days before it comes.
Turtles, I have to tell you, you're wonderful people. This is the only place on the net--the Turtle Club, not even 3FC, just this club--where I really feel like I will have help with whatever approach I want to take in this endeavor, where I really feel like my decisions will be accepted as the best decisions for my particular situation. I want to give you all a deep, heartfelt thank you for listening and supporting me. The last year has been hard, and it really helped to know I could at least come here and find friends.
I've made the decision to do WW again, but my way. I'm trying valiantly to do this with minimum pressure and obsessiveness. I'm not going to a meeting, I don't need someone weighing and judging me every week. For now I'll keep a running points total in my head--the recording thing makes me obsessive. In the future I may feel steady enough to journal, but for now I'm more comfortable with keeping it in my head. I will wait until I get hungry to eat and then eat exactly what I'm hungry for (as per Overcoming Overeating) and if I'm actually physically hungry for a lot of points, then I'll eat a lot of points. I will use the idea of points to "check" my hunger--ie, am I hungry enough for this 5-point snack, or can I wait? I'm not going to use exercise points. If I get hungry after a workout, I'll eat. Right now I'm trying to get in shape for a rollerblading camp this summer, so that's my focus, not earning points.
I also am not going to weigh myself for a good long time. I don't want to focus on numbers right now, so I'm just not going to have any numbers at all. At doctor's visits and if it comes up at any other time, then I'll get on a scale. Otherwise, I'm going by my clothes. I want to wear my Fest dress again, and there is a beautiful tooled leather belt at the gym that I want to get for myself. That will wait until next payday, I talked to the people who stock the little shop at the gym and they said they'd order more from the same place so I could choose my favorite.
I've also made the decision that I'm not going to go back to work as a personal trainer, ever. I enjoyed the job and I liked working with people, but the pressure and judgment that I got from some members and from other members of staff was crippling. It did me far more harm than good. I'm going to study hard and be a physical therapist (I'd like to work in rehab) but I won't return to the world of fitness.
Thank you so much, Turtles, for listening to me. I feel like I'm getting better now that I've worked these things out, and I owe you all big time for listening. You're the greatest!
Mousie,
You're welcome. I feel the same gratitude. When I first came to this club of tortoises, I was worried I wouldn't be accepted. Wow, was I wrong. Lin and Lauren and Kimmers and you were wonderful to me. Along the way we picked up Harley and I hope she's still lurking because she's great too.
I am so happy to see you work through the difficulties that stand in your way to happiness. I think our real value to each other is that we listen and we don't judge. I know we give invaluable advice, but that's not judging--that's being supportive and helpful. And the advice we offer is done to help spark something in the person receiving the advice to work through whatever is bugging them. After all, who knows us best? We do.
For some of us (I'm speaking for myself) it's been a long journey to determine why we eat the foods and amounts that we do in response to what stimuli--hunger, anger, loneliness, boredom, all the emotional reactions to life--so that we can address the overeating and address more logical responses to the stimuli.
It isn't logical for me to overeat when someone I love is sick. I mean my overeating will in no way cure them, and it will make me guilty.
So, Mousie, I am so thrilled that you've determined how you want to approach your weight loss journey. If you want an opinion, it sounds supersmart and tailored to you. I know you will be successful. I can also sympathize with the personal trainer bit. I think of the horrible letters Suzanne and Amy and Jennifer got when they were having problems with their weight loss. People can be awful. My own lecturer at WW, the kindest most sensitive person in the world shared that she keeps some foods out of her house. A member had the nerve to tell her she shouldn't and she should learn to handle them! My lecturer's thought was, "Yes, I'm handling them by keeping them out of the house."
So, here we all are. Thanks to Lin S. for starting this site and using the wonderful fable that allows us all to travel to the finish line in our own time, slow and steady. Big time thanks, Lin. And to Lauren and to you--it's great to be a part of such a thoughtful group with inspiration and great advice.
Mousie, I think your commitment to following your own program is another great event of 2002. It's going to be a great year for all of us.
What marvelous posts to see this morning. Mousie, I agree with you -- this is my favorite forum on the net, too, and for similar reasons. I love how we keep figuring out what works for us rather than just trying to fit into one mold and then giving up when it stops working. I think your approach sounds very sane. And I hear you about the fitness job -- my mom lost a lot of weight with Diet Center (bleah, retch, ptooey) and then became a Diet Center counselor. It was a disaster. She gained her weight back and felt like a total failure, and then she hated running into any of her former counselees. It was the diet that failed her, but she still felt like the idiot. There may come a day when I could work in the fitness industry, but it won't be for a long, long time.
Judy, I agree -- 2002 feels like it'll be a great year for us, doesn't it? I'm already psyched. This morning I got on the scales, and I lost my Christmas weight plus another half pound! Whee! I don't care that it's not my official weigh-in day, I'm using these numbers in my sig! Yesterday I was STARVING all day, even though I went over points, and I wondered then if I was losing weight. The two seem to go hand in hand for me; I don't know why.
Also, guess who I'm working out with today? Richard Simmons! He's going to be at a local health and fitness expo, leading a one-hour exercise session at 1 pm. DH has agreed to go work out with me, so this should be a blast. I'll let you know how it goes.
WOW! What interesting posts this morning. I appreciate the thanks for my starting this forum. You are all welcome, as are everyone else who wishes to join us.
Mousie, I really like your approach. It seems like a very thoughtful solution to solving the issues you've realized you need to work on. I like your new work goals for yourself, too. You'll be working with people who really need your special talents and your caring personality in a way people who mostly want to look good may not. The fitness folks who care about health wouldn't be judgemental because they'd realize that weight isn't the only issue in health. I know a lot of skinny people who aren't nearly as healthy as I am just because of their poor eating habits or they smoke and their blood pressure is high or whatever.
The way you plan to use points is really interesting. It's sort of what I've developed, too. I use the points and portion sizes to figure out what one portion would be and I put that on my plate. Then I check to see if I'm still hungry before I eat more. Sometimes, I only put a half portion, if the portion size is really large. My eyes haven't really adjusted to what my tummy has told me it needs. I still, if I'm not weighing, measuring, and considering point counts, tend to put the size portions I used to eat on my plate.
Judy, I really appreciate what you said about our advice sparking something in the other person. That's what I hope people get when I tell tales about my own journey--ideas that can help them, even if they're not exactly what I did. I'm so aware of how individual we all are and how what works for me may not work exactly the same way for you.
Lauren, much congratulations on the weight loss. It's cool to see the numbers with a 1 at the beginning. It's so strange that you get super hungry when you've lost weight. That must make it a little harder to stick with the program because it's like when you've lost, your body tries to put it right back on. I applaud you for hanging in there despite the issues that make it harder for you.
I'm envious! I'm looking forward to hearing about your workout with Richard Simmons. I think he makes it so much fun! I love his tapes.
I got a new journal for tracking my points. It's like the writing ones I got at Walden's, but I had a coupon so it only cost $2.35. It has 384 pages, so it will last the whole year and the cover is my favorite color, purple. Anyway, while I was transferring the info for the past few days, I was pleasantly surprised to note that I've been eating 31 and 32 points each day, despite PMS hunger. So, my activity points, plus som e of the regular points, have ended up in the bank. (I use 123 Success ranges, so mine is 26-33).
I found a great new product in my grocery store. I don't know if they're available nationally or not, but they're tuna burgers, flavored with teriyaki and salmon burgers, flavored with lemon and dill. They're 3 and 2 points, respectively. For me, it's another way to add variety to my lunches. I also found that Van de Kamp's makes breaded fish filets that are baked, low in fat, and really good. The lemon pepper flavor is the best. (You have to cook them in the regular oven, though. The microwave makes them soggy.) They're 2 points each, but a serving is considered to be 2 filets. Since my soup is so filling, I eat one for lunch. I'm always looking for good, low-point, not fake food to eat, so when I find them I love to pass it along.
When I switched my journal to my new book, I was looking over the old pages. I discovered that the holidays left me 3 pounds lower than before Thanksgiving. I'm happy with that, especially since I was hoping to maintain.
My next goal is to lose 10 more pounds, which will put me right at the top of the next point range. But I'm only switching if the weight loss stops or I start to gain. My other goal is to fit into my black jeans. When I can wear them comfortably the ones I have on now will be falling off. Then I'll buy another pair because I need more than one. I live in my jeans!
Here's to 2002--already starting out wonderfully for all of our weight-loss journeys!
Lin, thanks for the food tips. I always value your foodie judgments. I'll look for the salmon burgers and the baked fish. Are the salmon burgers in your frozen food section? They sound wonderful.
Your purple journal sounds great. I use a fat little spiral-bound notebook for my food journal -- it fits easily into small spaces, so I can carry it around with me. (Now that I'm not working, that hasn't been as much of an issue. Hopefully that will change soon.) For my writing journal, I bought a little leather-bound book at Border's, with a Celtic cross on it. I love it, but I prefer to write on slicker surfaces -- these pages are kind of rough.
Good for you, losing weight over the holidays! Excellent!
It is indeed weird that I get super hungry when I drop weight. You're right; it's like my body is trying to keep that from happening, saying "Eat! Eat!" If I hadn't eaten much this week, I might understand it -- but I ate every one of my banked points this week, including my exercise points. I've been following the newer WW program, which means I have 2 fewer points per day than the old one. Wonder if I should play with that a bit, see how I do.
I took my measurements this morning and was stunned to see another inch off the hips and wasit over the past month. The weight loss hasn't been huge, so I was surprised. Another reason I'm glad I take my measurements.
Working out yesterday with Richard Simmons was a BLAST. It really was! Even though there were a ton of us, I still managed to work up a good sweat. He is so much fun, much moreso even than his videos. His talk afterward was very good. He pointed out that Detroit is the third-fattest city in the US. Wonder what the first two are? Anyway, it was such a great thing to do; I plan to go again next year. (He claims he'll come back.)
Lin,
I love how carefully you've gotten books for yourself to write in in the new year. I've also been reading your comments in the general WW posts--especially the one to jumperhop--and find your philosophy very interesting. I agree with you and yet I found that making food substitutions has been the biggest help for me in WW so far. I have gotten used to lighter bread and butter, lighter syrups, etc. and have found them to be a great aid to me. I did make a LF, FF macaroni and cheese that I had to throw out because it somehow tasted like macaroni and air--not worth the 4 points a serving it was going to be.LOL. Again, I think it is amazing how different folks float different boats and this program can work for all of us as we learn how to use it best for ourselves.
Isn't it great that you lost weight since Thanksgiving? When else would you have accomplished this terrific feat? Weigh to go.
Lauren,
Whatever you're doing is really working for you. How fabulous!
Glad you got to see Richard Simmons in person for a workout. I think he's terrific and sincerely committed to helping people lose weight. Isn't it wonderful that you continued to lose inches this month. And for heaven's sake, you lost weight over the holidays--as we wrap up the holiday season here at epiphany. This is just great.
Mousie,
Thanks for putting your heart on the line with your great comments to this site. I think such honesty and warmth gets all of us off to a good start.
Everyone,
I had a tough weekend following an excellent week. I ate up to my points on Saturday and over my points using banked points on Sunday. Today I plan on using low end points and so far, so good. This kind of eating comes close to Wendie's Plan and I'm hoping to see a weight loss this week. I also have to get back on the treadmill, but had been too tired to do so over the weekend.
Onward and downward for us all
Judy
234/208.5/199soon!!!!!!
Thanks again, guys, for being so kind. I was not nervous about putting my heart on the line, as Judy said, because I trust all of you, but it's still an outreaching, anyway!
Lin, are you sure I'm not your doppleganger? (or however you spell it?) We both live in CA...we're both picky eaters...both married to IT guys...both developed the same WW approach, independent of each other...both journal and write...does this mean when DH and I start our family we're going to have boys?
My neck muscles have been spasming dreadfully in the mornings lately, to the point that I can't even lift my head fully. I think I need a new pillow. I had to skip the spinning class this morning, no sense in making a bad problem worse! So I'll make it to the gym later. I'd love to go out on my bike or on my blades, but with my head movement restricted I'd really rather NOT be out where I could be hit by something or someone I didn't see fast enough.
My "birthday" yesterday was lovely. DH, my parents, my SIL, my nephew and I went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. My nephew is 2 years 10 months, and the happiest kid you've ever seen. He was lots of fun, we ran around the park (literally) waving at animals for 3 hours. Then they went home (tired) and DH and I went to feed giraffes. Giraffes have 18" BLUE tongues! Too cool for words, really. "Birthday cake" last night with my family, and lots of sleep.
I've been doing a lot of emotional work and a lot of soul searching these last few weeks, and I really noticed the positive effects yesterday. I was happier and more peaceful than I have been in a long, long time. I feel like I'm rebuilding myself, and I feel like I finally have a foundation I can depend on. My center of balance is back inside me now, instead of being determined by the outside world. I'm going to be gentle and understanding about it, but I feel like I can work toward some of my goals now. And amazingly, I feel like I can achieve them. WW is part of that, but more than WW my goal is to regain my athletic, healthy body, and regain my respect for myself.
Oh, I forgot to tell you, Turtles! I got my final grades! YES, I passed OChem! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Got a C, which granted isn't the BEST grade, but darn it, I passed, the credit counts, I never have to look at it again! A in Piano, B+ in Philosophy, B in Kinesiology and Physiology. YAY! Now to tackle Physics (Electricity) and Microbiology this semester!
Lauren, congratulations on inches lost! That must make you feel so fuzzy.
Judy, I wouldn't stress about the weekend. Obviously, if you were tired and hungry, your body needed rest and fuel. So, that's what you gave it. Works for me!
I'm going to try to loosen the muscles in my neck, this is absurd. Here's hoping.
Yes, Lauren, the burgers are in the frozen food section. I don't know how they lay out your stores, but out here the frozen fish stuff is in a separate freezer compartment, in a different part of the store, from the rest of the frozen food.
I haven't tried the tuna burgers, yet. I think they're made from fresh, not canned tuna. So they should be really good, especially with teriyaki sauce.
So good to hear that you've lost more inches. Woo Hoo!
Wish Richard Simmons would come out here! It sounds like a real blast! Glad you had a good time. Would you have predicted a year ago that you would be attending an exercise session for fun?Boy, have we all changed this past year!
Judy, I hope you didn't get the impression that I think it's "bad" to make food substitutions. The point I was trying to make is to make them carefully, choosing those we really enjoy and will continue to want to eat once we reach goal. It goes back to the mind set of, "Is this a diet or a lifestyle?
What I was suggesting is that we guard against substituting food we don't really like because once we reach goal, we have a tendency to stop eating that particular subsitute. When we replace the subsitute we don't really like with the real thing, it increases the calories we're eating. Sometimes that can be a large number of additional calories, which can cause our weight to creep back up.
I was talking about not saying, "I'll stop eating this or that until I reach goal." People do that because they think it will help them lose "better", which usually translates as "faster". Long-term, it's better to eat the foods we know we'll be eating at goal from the get go. That, IMHO, is how we learn to maintain our weight loss, even while we're still in the losing phase.
I've read a lot of posts from the most successful people on the various forums and most of them say the same thing. Make lifestyle changes. Make choices for forever, not just for today. This advice is from the folks who have lost and kept off the weight they wanted to lose.
Mousie, that's too funny! Doppelgangers, huh? I don't know about the boys thing. They run in both my family and my dh's family, so I was pretty sure I had little hope of getting a daughter. But I wouldn't trade my boys for a girl any day. They're two cool people.
Happy birthday! It sounds like it was a lot of fun!
Congratulations on your good grades. Way to go!
And on the success of all the hard work you've been doing the past few months. It's hard to do what you've done over the holiday season. Great job!
I'm OP. Using a few banked points to cover the trip to take my youngest son back to SJ yesterday. I miss him, but today there is no one in the house but me. It's a real treat to be alone for a few hours after the whirlwind holidays. And I've managed some walking every day for a while, now. The weather has cooperated by staying dry, even if it's still cloudy.
Hope everyone has a great day!
Happy Turtlin!
Lin
272/235/225 (immediate goal)/135 or so (ultimate goal)
Mousie, hope your neck feels better soon. I've had that, and it's not fun. Does heat or ice help? Heat usually helps me, along with anti-inflammatories. Maybe you could get a massage. And WAY TO GO on those grades! Woo-hoo!
Judy, hang in there -- today is a new day. That's what this journey is all about -- just keep on keepin' on, turning back around whenever we need to. You're doing so great.
Lin, I agree about not putting off eating what we really love until we lose the weight. What a recipe for disaster! At my WW meeting last week, everyone applauded this one woman who has lost 85 pounds in one year. She gave loads of advice throughout the meeting. But it turned out she was doing exactly that -- putting off eating "good" food until she dropped the weight. The other night she had her first cheeseburger in a year, and "Boy, was it good!" Everyone applauded, but to me, that's the kind of behavior that got me in this mess.
And I agree with Judy, too, that finding substitutions that I enjoy has been extremely helpful. I now find I prefer lowfat or nonfat frozen yogurt to premium, fatty ice cream most of the time, for example. I've learned to seriously enjoy fish and rarely eat beef. I prefer Smart Pop to fatty popcorn. And I love Splenda in my herbal tea. These are habits I can stick with. I save my "treats" for special occasions or when we go out to a very nice place to eat. Then I'll have the creme brulee or the flourless chocolate torte -- something really, really good.
This morning I think I finally figured out how to do my Paula Abdul workout without hurting my knees or my back. She does a lot of twisting on the balls of your feet, but that doesn't work well on carpet. Today I paid attention to what moves made my knees hurt, and that was the primary culprit. So I'm modifying the steps rather than ditching the whole workout, because I really love it. Fun music, great dance steps, really gets the heart rate up. I've discovered that I really love to dance, and if I stick with it, I can learn the moves.
Looks like next week I'll have a 20-hour work gig with the company I want to work for. It's just short term, and it's not my major field of interest (I'll be troubleshooting a web site that doesn't work on Macs for some reason), but I'll be working with fun people and making a little money. That's always good!
Wednesday I have my first appointment with the dentist in ... hmmm, 3 years? Eep. Last time I went, he had trouble getting me numb, so I haven't been in a hurry to get back. But I'm biting the bullet, so to speak. Bleah. Next on the list: finding a good general doctor and getting a mammogram. I've never had one.
I'm changing my weight loss goal to something more sane. I generally don't lose a pound a week, so now I'm aiming to lose 100 pounds by my birthday.
Turtle Club #47
Am I a turtle or WHAT? Next week I'll be returning to my regular Tuesday meeting -- and fighting the crowds of people who join this time of year. We had triple the number of folks last night as were present a week before. 
"Birthday cake" last night with my family, and lots of sleep. 
