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.
Lauren, that's so cool about joining your dh's health club. I'm so glad to hear how well you're doing these days. You're such a great inspiration.
Hi, Erin.
Hey, Judy. Haven't heard from you for a while. Hope things are going OK.
Kathy, congrats on getting the car you really want. I have a friend who has a Miata. She loves it.
Good job, especially with increasing that water.
Lauren, you asked if I'd started writing it. I started it, but I suspect that the final version will contain only a littel bit of the 20 or so pages I wrote. I stoppe working on the story because I needed to know more about the world. So I did a lot of research and I've written a lot of background stuff. I'm using this for my class, so I'll be getting back into the writing pretty soon.
About the book itself: I prefer not to discuss too many specifics, outside of my class and critique group because it's been my experience that if I say too much, I talk out the story instead of writing it. But, here's a bare bones bit of the most current premise (which will undoubtedly be very different by the time the story is finished .
It's a fantasy that takes place on two different planets, in two different universes (or planes or whatever). Travel between the worlds uses a portal that looks like a mirror, except the reflection is not quite right. (Writers maks up portals of some sort whenever science doesn't allow them to do what they want. That's why it's fantasy, not sf.) They're sort of mirror worlds, but I haven't worked out all of the details yet.
The priestess heroine is delivering a letter given to her by her dying mother. Two groups of people are trying to stop her for completely different reasons. I'm not sure if the letter's delivery will be the end of the story. It may be the end of a section or the end of this book and the lead in to a second story in a series. I'll worry about that later.
That's the book. It's consuming my brain. I'm digging up old skills and creating an HTML document to keep track of the world-building, the research, and the story. I can put links to my notes so I can easily find information when I need it. It's fun because I can play a little bit with the design and do things just to please myself. Like using colors that aren't in the browser-friendly palatte. After all, no one but me will ever see it and if it looks good on my computer, that's all that matters.
I'm not doing well as far as WW is concerned. I feel a little like a fraud because recently I've stopped making an effort. I'm vascillating between two mindsets. I want to lose weight, but at the same time I don't care. I can't figure out what's going on. So, I'm continuing to post and continuing to keep the right foods in the house. I'm drinking my water. I get some walking in when I can. I'll figure it out in my journal, I'm sure. Until then, I'll keep posting and keep doing what I can to keep things from getting worse.
Kathy, congrats on the car! Sounds fun. Good for you.
Lin, the story sounds very interesting, even just the little bit that you shared. I hope the class goes well and is helpful to you.
As for giving up the effort ... I know you mentioned looking forward to swimming this summer. Have you started doing that? Sometimes doing something active (and in a bathing suit, no less) can spur us back to doing healthier things for ourselves. Looking at my tube or my thighs also often has that effect.
Or look at it this way. Do you want to weigh 275 again? I don't. But I do know how easy it would be for me to get back there.
Maybe you just need to do something different, something that will get you interested again. I remember at one point that doing the no-sugar, no-wheat thing helped me get back on track, mostly because it was just different. I didn't do it forever, just long enough to see results on the scales, which motivated me to keep going for a number of months.
I stalled out in early April and have been playing with these same pounds since. Lately I've been thinking of reasons not to go to my WW meetings, although I've already paid for them. I find myself not wanting to write down my points. Say, I recognize THIS behavior pattern from a few years ago. As I recall, gained back a bunch of weight then, too.
This is a touchy subject; please forgive me if I offend ... but do you think the weight you've regained has contributed to your current "don't care" attitude? At one point you'd gotten down to a milestone that scared you, and since then you've gradually put back on weight. I know that not seeing much success over a long period of time would be disheartening to me -- especially if I had sporadically tried to take the weight off during that time.
They say that nothing creates success like success. I'm sure the opposite is also true.
What if we both really focused on this for the next couple of weeks, really worked hard at it? Maybe seeing that scale go down again would be just the kick-start we need to get back on track. What do you think?
Lauren. that was wonderful advice to Lin. Lin, listen to Lauren!!! The book sounds great, and I think you have made the right decision to keep bad stuff out of the house, etc. It is funny but since I went on WW last year I stay completly out of a few isles. I look at them, say no, don't need soda, next isle, nope don't need cake mixes. It is so funny to completly stay off isles. It makes me feel real powerful. I know if i wanted to buy the stuff I could, but it is better for me to not even go there,
Well I am very proud of my self. 2.8 lbs lost!!! Yea Kathy!!! I am so very happy. And today is the start of a new week. Well actually yesterday was but I didn't actually write anything down but didn't do bad. But today...will start journaling again. I hope my bow flex gets here fast. I need it!!
Drove home from my moms yesterday and boy did I have fun. I can not believe how much fun it is to drive with the top down. I like it with the top on, but when I take the top off, it just totally lifs my spirits. It is hard to get in though. It really is. I have to do it slowly. If the steering will tilted, I would have more room to get in but in this 1994 model it does not so you just have to work with the seat back and get in tht way. So you see I really really have to lose this weight cause I would never beable to get in the car if I was heavyier.
HI Guys,
Kathy, of course I remember you. Glad to hear from you. As you can see from our posts, weight gain seems to be a part of this journey. Have lots of fun in your Miata. Great for the spirit. And welcome back. The weight will come off.
Mousie,
thanks for so much info. about muscle and exercise and food and points. I'm on vacation now--yay!--and will be calculating what I need. I love hearing that you're not gaining weight while increasing your food intake. Keep it up!
Lin,
Wow, what a neat storyline you have going for yourself. As far as WW, boy do I know that feeling. I know any second you are going to start doing baby steps even though you don't want to on the surface, because you really do want to!
Lauren,
Thanks for the insight you offered to Lin. I'm doing that too. I am thrilled you and dh are going to the gym together and it's so beneficial to him. You'll find the money somewhere for things that are important to both of you. Enjoy!
As far as me, I have not been doing WW. Eating too much, exercising not at all. I read an interesting article about using milk in one's diet to help lose weight. Have to admit I had disregarded the milk guidlines WW put out for my age group. I almost never ate milk products and I should be consuming three.
So, now I'm trying something new. I'm eating good foods--foods that are specific to health such as oatmeal, milk FF or LF, and a little wine. I'm going to make room for these foods in my point range and eat at the very top of my range for as long as I need to. I am also getting into the pool for exercise and will try walking on a treadmill as soon as I get off-line.
You guys sound great. Lauren, count me in on making weight loss important again and to stop feeling like a failure. I am up
18 pounds since January 4th. and it feels like heck. Also, I have been saying that for awhile, so in essence I have been taking off and putting on the same four pounds after the big initial gain.
Let's all pray for each other and send good vibes.
Thanks, all of you, for your positive words on the idea for the book. I'm working hard. The online writing site where I'm taking the class does what they call "Dares". You commit yourself to very specific writing goals over a two-month period. I've taken on a few that are related to the class and the book, to give myself some deadlines and to push myself a little more.
Kathy, congratulations on that 2.8 pounds. That's terrific! Don't let the struggles of us other turtles hold you back. You just keep leading the way. We'll catch up.
Lauren, all I can say is "Bingo!" and "Of course you didn't offend me." After all, if I didn't want to hear your thoughts and great advice, I wouldn't have written the post. I think your insight is very appropriate to my situation, especially remembering and reminding me that I got scared when I was approaching 200 lbs. Wonder if I've been secretly trying to make sure I don't get to that scary place again?
I also agree that the weight gain has contributed to the icky attitude. It is disheartening to be doing the yo-yo thing, after so long of at least maintaining.
Your post got me thinking about what else might be a contributing factor. The other thing that occured to me is the feeling that I have little or no control over my life since my husband drove the car to Salinas and said, "We're moving here." And we put our deposit on this place and that was that. There are a lot of scary issues for me living here, particularly, as you all know, the isolation.
I've always had two things that I used to get me through feeling powerless, both developed when I was a child in a super authoritarian household. Reading and eating. Well, since I've not been able to get books on a regular basis because of money issues, I've been eating.
Unless I win a huge lottery, there's little I can do, short-term, to regain control over my life. So, I'm working on long-term solutions by writing this book. Take my rejection slips and work harder. (Of course, if I sell it first time out, I won't complain. ) So, I have to figure out how to deal with the lack of control over my life, my weight gain since we moved here (and everything esle that's going on in my life) without overeating.
Writing is also a short-term solution, in a way, because it absorbs my brain and I don't think about eating. But sometimes I get too hungry because I've been absorbed for too long. I need to make my meals, just as if I were going to work outside the home. Then I can get a quick meal that's OP, instead of throwing anything that's in the fridge together because I don't want to take too long away from my writing to prepare a meal.
Judy, I agree that you and I should take Lauren's challenge. You are not a failure, though. If you were, you wouldn't keep coming back. And neither would I. The fact that we keep posting tells me that neither one of us really wants to give up. So, let's forget about inspriation and motivation and what we feel like doing right now. What we need to do is take the Nike pledge and "Just do it." After all, she only said we have to do it for two weeks. We can do that, right? Those two weeks will show success and we will regain the motivation.
I need to post my signature line in front of my face and read it over and over and over. I can deal with this stuff without overeating, if I believe I can. I know that, but I don't always act on it.
Thanks, again, Lauren for posting even though you weren't sure if I'd be upset. I needed to hear every word. I'm saving these posts and printing them out to keep as my challenge.
Hi Turtles...how are all of you? I had an interesting morning. I will tell you how it ends up tomorrow, or I should say weigh day. Didn't get much sleep as I was finnishing up a baby quilt that is haning at the library as we speak, but as last night when i got home from work, it was not done, so I worked till l:30, went to bed till 4:00, worked till it was done, put it in the wash, went to sleep for 1/2 hour, then in the dryer it went. We had to present the quilts to the library at 9:00. Daughter woke up and came in for coffee at exactly 9:00. I had to jump into clothes, grab quilts and take them down to the library. After staying awhile while they were being put up, I decided since it was 10:00, I had to have coffee. Then I figured..um.mmmm bear claw..then I thought no, too many points to use up for something like that, but then I thought was dose all our fearless leaders say????If you bite it , then you write it. We are allowed anything we want. So with a clear head, I decded to have that bear claw. I have no idea how much it is but I will write down 10 points. I will eat some chicken breast for dinner and eat tons of vegie soup which I will make after I go to the store. Add some fruit, a milk and I think I will still be within the points system. Did i do ok??? I am not hungry now so the bear claw must have hit a spot!!! I did enjoy it and to tell you the truth, I hate the thought of giving up sugar completly completly. I know it is best for me to limit it to very small amounts, so this bear claw was a splurge, but I enjoyed it so much.
Just called bow flex and it won't be here till the middle of July, so I had better get to the gym. I will but not today, trying to ge my house clean and it will be hard, ignoring it cause of the quilting and just because. Do any of you have trouble with housework??? I sure do. It just seems like I just don't do it and I don't know why. If you are intersted, their is a web site called
FlyLady. She gives you tips on how to keep and clean up her house. I have been doing it slowly. check it out.
Me again, just wanted to tell you the day went ok. I didn't end up fixing soup, way too hot in my kitchen, went shopping though and got soup ingredients in the house. Didn't get real hungry till late. Daughter made somekind of Thei dish that had noodles, vegies and fish, Liked it except for some of the fish, and becasue of the noodles, didn't have much, and I felt totally ok. I drank my water...
I did have a low fat dessert. Have any of you turtles seen a low fat orange 50/50 bar? they are smaller then the normal ones, cheaper then skinny cows, you get more then 6, and mine were from Albertson. Look for them, they are really good. oh yea, they are 2 points. I really like them.
Yes, Kathy, I hate housework. The only time I enjoy it is when I'm really, really angry or frustrated about something. For some reason, housework is how I blow off steam best. I've seen the FlyLady site; it's fun.
Judy, I also read that article about milk helping people lose weight. It's in this month's Reader's Digest, if anyone is interested -- it says that eating 3-4 milk servings a day has been proven in studies to make you lose weight. They aren't entirely sure why. Taking calcium also helps, though the milk products are more effective. Certain milk products weren't as effective because of the low levels of calcium, like cottage cheese. So yesterday I took that to heart and had four milk servings. I had a high-point day, so I hoped maybe the milk and the workout (4 extra points) might help.
Lin, I eat and read to solve problems, too. I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Fortunately, we have a good library here, and we also have a used book store nearby. I'm starting to use exercise now, too -- I find that when I'm working out, I'm less anxious. It boosts my mood, too, especially if I get my heart rate up a bit.
It's funny -- we're going to MIL's house in Canada this weekend (four days), and I usually eat more there. I suddenly remembered yesterday that we turtles are going to be really working the program for the next two weeks, and that I started the challenge! How uncool would it be if I just went hog wild this weekend?? So now I'm motivated to do the right things this weekend and see some results. I'm going to take walks while I'm there and be sure to snack on fruit and veggies rather than all the fattening stuff MIL makes for DH whenever he visits. I really, really want to make my birthday goal of 184 and get out of these upper 180s/low 190s forever.
Going to the health club with DH has made me realize why he can eat so much and not gain weight. The man is INCREDIBLY fit. He's pumping away on the bike and can't even get his heart rate into an aerobic zone. He swims two laps to every one of mine, without even trying. Wow.
It occurred to me yesterday that you and I are alike in another way, Lin. (And maybe others here are like this, too -- I just know Lin better than I know some of you.) We're both essentially hares who are learning to be turtles. That never really sank in for me before, but both of us are great at starting projects we don't finish. Hmmmm. Wonder why that is. For me, I think it's a combination:
-- Perfectionism (I can't do it perfectly, so I'm going to quit)
-- Boredom (I can get bored quickly)
-- Lack of discipline (I find it hard to make myself do things I don't want to do)
-- Lack of perseverance (I give up too quickly)
-- Loving comfort (I really, really want to be comfortable; if something makes me uncomfortable, I move away from it; this is one of the reasons I've found exercise so hard in the past)
More to think about. And DO something about.
Yesterday at our WW meeting (I went on Monday instead of Tuesday this week), the subject was attitude plateaus: "When your desire to eat more liberally is equal to your desire to lose weight." That about sums up where I've been for three months. The solution: Take action. Any action. Just do something to get yourself going. We went around the room and picked one thing we were going to do to lose weight. I said I would write down what I was eating AS I WAS EATING IT or immediately after, rather than waiting until evening or even the next day to write it down (which is what I've been doing). It's way too easy to go over points if I don't track as I go along.
Kathy, congrats on your car. Miatas look like fun.
Lin, your book sounds really interesting. I'm sure you'll be able to sell it to the first publisher you send it to!
Lauren, you've had some really good, deep thoughts lately. I'm very impressed with the observations you've had for Lin, and I'm trying to apply them to myself as well.
Judy, vacation! Yay! Finally, right?
I'm doing okay, we've had a major blow to our family that I'm not going to go into, but suffice to say it's knocked me for a loop. So I'm hiding out for a few days, avoiding people and any sort of interaction until I feel like my feet are under me again. Taking baths and naps, watching movies and...eating protein. Yes, I'm still being careful with that. I'm feeling better, I'm just waiting for my body to equalize again.
Yes, Kathy, I've seen the Fly Lady site. She bases her ideas on the Sidetracked Home Executives (they have a web site, too), who wrote a book by that name about 20 years ago. They released a new version, but it hasn't been changed significantly, so if you can find a copy of the original at a used bookstore, save yourself some bucks.
I adjusted their program to fit my life, which is easy to do because it's very flexible. I also gave up on using index cards because they get lost, spotted, torn, etc. I use the calendar softare on my computer. When I get sidetracked again or have to add or change something, I just change the file. I can update and print out each day, so it's always current. I have room on the printout to write down things that come up so I have all the information I need to update my calendar in one place. Plus, it's cheaper than using a Day Planner.
Using a system might help you keep on track because you will know exactly what you need to do and when it needs to be done. Plus, setting things up as a routine, which is what the calendar software does so well, makes it easy to remember when you need to do the stuff that only needs doing once a year.
The software I use is called Calendar Creator. It's easy to use, but some of the layout info is kind of tricky. Poor documentation is the real culprit. But I played around with the menus and figured it out pretty quickly.
BTW-we used to have a Fiat Spyder convertible. I loved it, but the baby's car seat was about 6" too big for the back seat, so we traded it in on the family station wagon. Someday, though, I want a Beemer Z3 convertible. My dream car.
I haven't seen the 50/50's, Kathy. But the stores in my area just got the Skinny Cows. I'm resisting because they're not cheap. Plus I've decided I want to limit sweets to the really good stuff. I love to try making the recipes in Chocolatier or the professional pastry magazines , but they don't fit WW very well and are very time-consuming. So, I'm going to try to bank points and when I have enough, indulge in a new recipe. What that means is that I'll end up having sweets maybe once a month, because that's about how often I have time to make those elaborate recipes. The other benefit of limiting sweets is that it will encourage me to use those points for more milks and fruit.
Lauren, I've heard that once people get used to exercise and start to enjoy it they often choose it as a stress reliever. Housework is very physical, so that may be why you use it when you get frustrated or angry. A lot of people do that.
I started wearing the icky support pantihose. It's helping with my leg problems. I can do my housework, walking, or exercise videos without ending up in pain. It frustrates me, though, because I know that if I hadn't been living with a cement floor for the past year and a half, I'd not be needing them. But, such is life. Cement is cheap and it lasts forever.
I didn't feel like doing that challenge when I got up this morning, Lauren. But I promised. So I did. Just like you're planning to stick with it at your MIL's house. So, maybe we all need to challenge each other more often?
I like your little analysis. I don't agree with all of it, though. We don't lack discipline or perseverance. Both of us have done things in our lives that require both qualities. We just haven't learned how to overcome our dislike of discomfort and the boredom factor enough to apply those qualities consistently to our weight loss journey and to other things we don't want to do. But when we really want something done, watch out. We're unstoppable.
Something else to think about, along those lines. I read a book once that talked about people who were gifted children and are now grown up. It also talked about creative people. Both of these types of people have problems in those areas you mentioned because once we learn how to do something, we get bored and want to move on to something else. That's why we have trouble sticking with routine things and finishing certain types of projects. We know how to do them, so we've lost interest in doing them some more. That personality quirk works against us when we try to do something like WW, routine housework, etc. That's why we have to use that creativity to invent new ways to do this so it stays fresh and we keep going.
Erin, I hope things get better for you soon. Here's a {hug}. Glad you're getting in that protein. Hope you're also getting in some extra fat and calories.
One of the writing dares I'm doing is just to write a certain number of words each day (including the words written on the other dares). My daily goal is 1378. Yesterday I wrote 1465. I'm proud of myself because it's been hard for me to figure out what kind of daily goals to set. This is helping me to see what works best.
Lauren..I really liked your statement on why we don't do it, I have all thoes traits...every single one...now I got lots of things to think about..
dont have must time got to get to work, but I wanted to share something interesting that I heard at work yesterday...Let me ask you this..with as much weight as we have on our bodies (I am going to get a little bit personal, please forgive) do any of you have rash problems??? maybe under breast or stomach??? I do. It has gotten so bad it has turned into a full blown yeast infection, and it itched and feels so bad. I met a lady who had a new stomach stapeling procedure that is very popular in Bakersfieds. yes many of my towns people are driving all the way to Bakersfieds to get this procedure done. This lady lost 95 lbs so far and my partner asked her about the excess skin she will have on her body as she loses another 50. She told us she was going to get her tummy tucked and her ins was going to pay for it. She said the ins would pay for it cause she is very prone to rash/yeast problems in the abd area where the skin folds over itself. Found out the rash in the abd area could be the start of cellulitis which is this really awful infection where you swell up and some times you are in the hospital for a week. I have only heard of one case of abd, most are arms or legs but it could be my rashey area. You know what this means don't you??? Maybe when Ihave lost all my weight, kept it off for awhile, maybe I could get this extra stomach skin off. I mean for me who is very prone to skin/yeast infections of the skin...Ummmmm very intersting. Just want to share with you guys in case you ever need to know.
Food wise doing well, trying to get all the water in too. Maybe I wlll get a snack and go to the gym tonight after work. I paid for it, better do it. I do enjoy it....I sure have been feeling better since Ihave been on this plan. No more sleeping in the middle of the day unless I am driving with dh. If I take power naps, they are less then 5 min...
Kathy, in the meantime, use cornstarch. I have been putting cornstarch on the areas where I'm prone to rashes for years. The rash went away and has never returned. It keeps the areas dry and moisture (as in "sweat") is what causes them. Good luck.
Reporting on my progress toward the challenge:
Yesterday I ended up eating less than I planned, ending up at the bottom of my range. I wasn't hungry for the usual midmorning and midafternoon mini meals. I had errands to run, so I ended up with 3 activity points from walking and 7 banked points. I drank all of my water and got in some milk and fruit, the two areas I tend to be lax in. The fruit one used to baffle me but I realized I had been trading fruit points for larger servings of main dishes and grains/starches.
My holiday plans are pretty simple. Watch Pops Goes the Fourth on A&E. Cook fake BBQ, using the broiler. Do my usual writing. The writing will be a challenge for the next couple of days. My dh watches a lot of TV when he's home and it's so distracting since it's in the same room as my computer and the table I use to write by hand. Wish I had a small desk in the bedroom and a laptop. Sigh!
I met my word count goal yesterday, too. I wrote 1439 words on my various dares. I'm struggling a little with the homework, but I know what I need to do. I'm not as clear on some plot points and characters as I need to be in order to do the assignment. So, I need to write some scenes and do some world building. That's one reason I picked some of the dares I picked. I'm doing critiques of other people's work, when the site is back up and we can post work for folks to crit. (The site is moving to a new host.) I'm also doing dares related to World Building, writing chpaters and scenes, and total word counts for the day.
Today, I'm still OP. Not resisting as much. I really wanted to do this, I think. I just wasn't able to get going. I have beans soaking so I can make my soup.
Looking forward to hearing how the rest of you who have taken on this challenge are doing.
Happy turtlin'!
Lin I'll let you know when I get brave enough to step back on the scale.
Lin, you and I just posted at the same time. I'll edit this.
WAY TO GO on staying within those points and getting motivated again!! And way to go on meeting your writing goals, too. Excellent! Don't you find that when you get one area of your life under control, the others start to follow? I find that especially true of my eating.
Can you wear headphones and listen to music while DH watches TV?
Good thoughts. I see lack of discipline coming into play when I have to make myself do something I don't want to. There are times we have to, as you say, "Just do it." I know people who work out every day, even though they hate it; that takes discipline. Certainly it's much better if we find ways to enjoy it; we're more motivated to do it, then. But there are a lot of things in life that I don't enjoy, and I put them off or ignore them as often as not. I do have self discipline; I just need to exercise it consistently. And I need to perservere, even when I don't see immediate results.
Like right now. I've been within my points for a number of days now and have been working out steadily. My body is stuck at this weight, though, and shows no signs of planning to budge. My body LOVES this weight, apparently. I need to perservere right now. This challenge is really helping me stay motivated.
Erin, I'm sorry about your family problems. I hope things look up soon. Good for you being good to yourself right now.
Kathy, yes, I used to get rashes when I was heavier. I used to use diaper rash cream! BTW, corn starch is a no-no for a yeast infection. Yeast thrives on that stuff. It's great for other rashes, though.
I haven't had the rashes for a few years now. I find that by losing fairly slowly, eating enough fat, drinking water, and using lots of body oil, I haven't had terrible skin sagging yet. I have had some, but it's not enough to cause the rash to return. I would consider a tummy tuck if I get to goal weight, stay there for several years, and still have lots of loose skin hanging down. But only if the skin is getting in the way somehow; otherwise I wouldn't do it.
Had a good, OP day yesterday. I'm going to get in one last workout today before we go to Canada (we'll leave either tonight or tomorrow, depending on when DH gets off work today). With this heat, it has been a cinch drinking water. 94 degrees again today. I hate this kind of weather. I feel trapped in my house (or in other buildings). At least the heat doesn't bother me like it used to.
Here's a motivational word: A couple of people over on Dotti's have just hit goal. Why is that especially cool? Both lost well over 100 pounds to do it. Another lost almost 200 pounds and is keeping it off. WE CAN DO THIS.
Got lots to do before we go tonight, so I'll sign off. Have a great Fourth of July holiday, everyone, and I'll see you next week! And stick with the program -- WE CAN DO IT.
It sounds like everyone is going strong. I'm staying close to home (again, regrouping efforts) and being very careful about getting protein and enough calories. I'm still at about a 1,500-1,700 calorie deficit, but I'm doing better. My body is going nuts right now, trying to figure out what the heck is going on--energy levels are up and down, moods are highest highs and lowest lows, the last two days I've been so hungry I've woken up at midnight with an empty stomach (I NEVER do that, ever. I am patently NOT a night eater). And the kicker? I've been getting a bit over 2000 calories a day both days! Sheesh. The more I give it, the more it wants, apparently. DH says to take heart--if I'm burning it so fast, that would make him think my metabolism is turning back on. Here's hoping.
Speaking of DH, I have proof that I know what I'm talking about diet and exercise wise (just can't apply it to myself). DH checked the scale, and has lost *12* pounds in 3 weeks. His self image has improved immensely, too, and he's happier and more confident. I'm happier with him, too, we feed off of each other's moods.
I'm still laying low, basically nurturing myself and a badly bruised heart. Did NOT need this ever, but especially not when my body is being so wonky on me. I'll survive, it just may take awhile til I feel like myself again. I'm trying to go to the gym, but because my system is so screwy I'm having trouble sustaining energy for workouts. So that stress-relief (and hurt relief, really) is not working right now. It just adds to the problem. I'm spending a lot of time in the bath and napping.
Life will get better, Turtles. You're all doing brilliantly, I'm sure your efforts will pay off.
Turtle Club # 72
. 
) So, I have to figure out how to deal with the lack of control over my life, my weight gain since we moved here (and everything esle that's going on in my life) without overeating.
But when we really want something done, watch out. We're unstoppable.
I'll let you know when I get brave enough to step back on the scale. 
