#291 Bales of Turtles Looking 2014 Square in the Face!
 

:carrot: :welcome3:

We are the Turtle Group here at www.3fatchicks.com. We welcome you to join us as we work toward good health and fitness in a persistent manner. As our inspiration, we use the race between the turtle and the hare where the turtle was the victor because he didn't give up. We believe in keepin' on by using the skills and techniques we have learned from experience to keep us on track. We believe in giving each other support. Good luck.
Itryharder
Judy
(for Lin and Lauren)

Just checking in on the new thread, still hanging in there. :)

So the lesson I learned is that if you are taking diet pills. You have to remember to eat. It wasn't on purpose. It was a crazy night at work, so food wasn't exactly my top priority. Hope everyone is well. So I have finally joined a gym.

Hi turtles!
Happy New Year. We can do this.

Okay, Life------remember to eat! So glad you have joined a gym. That will help along with how busy and active you are at work. You're doing great.
Keep up the good work-- :bravo: You are really knocking off the pounds.
Weigh to go.

Shay, good to see you and hanging in there is a good place to be. We're through some pretty tough weeks-------most would say the toughest of the year, so we are all ready to tackle our weight again.

I had my WI today and stayed exactly the same. I am so pleased. I had knocked off some weight by being very careful. Then I had two weeks without meetings. I gained some during the holidays, but I also worked hard to get it off and that's a good thing. My goal this week is to lose another pound. Anyone up for a challenge? I'll set one up if you'd like to let me know how you'd like it to run.

:goodscale: :cheer: :cheers: :chef: the simple start program looks interesting. If what I'm doing stops working, I will definitely give it a try.
It looks like a bit more bread/starch than I can handle, but I'll see how my buddies at WW's make out. Have a great day. Onward and downward.

Judy
234.6/195/180's and thinner :cool:

Good Morning everyone and happy Sunday to you all. Rain and warmer temps has all the snow melting and that is ok with me! We have lots of clean up to do in the yard since the snow storm brought down lots of tree limbs, etc - always something that needs attention.

I am having a flare up with the bulged disk / pinched nerve in my neck again, not sure what has it going this time around but the pain mgmt doctor could not see me till next week so I am just trying to get thru this until I can get some relief. I did not exercise at all last week and it will effect my efforts that is for sure. :(

I have not had a chance to really look at the new option at WW but I did get the leaflet that they handed out for it... just have not looked at it.

I am still trying to get the house cleaned out of the food/sweets that worked their way in over the holidays... but over all the I think we did ok but I am ready to get it all out and welcome spring in here anytime mother nature feels inclinded to send the warmer temps our way ;)

Judy: Great job that you are holding steady! I would take that over the holiday season any day of the week! Means you enjoyed the Holidays but did not overdo it!

Bandit: Our TOPS meetings have been cancelled for a few weeks now due to weather but I should be interesting seeing how everyone has done. How are you doing?

All: Has anyone tried a good recipe lately or have any ideas for low point/filling snacks?

Hi Turtles,
The new option at WW's looks very doable. It is a Simply Filling idea---with 7 points plus of indulgences daily if you want them. I am not going to try that program yet since it allows lite bread and I'm not eating bread right now. However, I can totally see this new plan when I get fed up with what I am doing and want to make a switch. In my mind, this is something I could lose weight on.

Princess, I am sorry about your neck. You have had to deal with that a lot, so I'm sending healing vibes that you feel well and can get back to :exercise:
that won't hurt you.

As far as a low point/filling snack.....................gosh, I am trying to stay away from sugary things. I will eat 2 Clementines and it's not as though I think they are so filling, but they take a time to peel and eat and then the craving passes. Also..............and this will sound crazy............but I cooked up a batch of chicken drumsticks and the protein does fill me in. So you may very well catch me eating a drumstick at nine o'clock at night. Also, I keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge. The protein holds me much better than anything else including something with fiber.

Sending :goodvibes: to all the Turtles. Keep on keepin' on. We can do this.
Life gets in the way more often than not, but we know what to do and how to do it. Onward and downward.

My WW WI is tomorrow and I'm hoping to be down 1/2#. I'll let you know.
Judy
234.6/195/180's and thinner :cool:

Hi turtles,
Went to WW WI this morning and I'm down .6#. I had hoped to lose `1# but at least I'm going in the right direction.
Talk soon.
May try the new program of Simple Start.
judy
234.6/194.4/180's and thinner :cool:

Hi Turtles
Sorry it has been so long since I checked in. Looks like everyone is still turtling forward. I started some pills for my stomach issues that have helped slightly but have gained some of my weight back. I am stuck around 160. I wouldn't mind going back down to 155 or so. Simply Start sounds interesting. Can someone try to explain it to me since I don't have the money for meetings and usually do my program from home.

Hi Turtles,
Cherry, good to hear from you and glad you have been so successful.
Weigh to go! :bravo: :chef: :cheer:

Simple Start is a complete booklet that works from the Simply Filling part of the WW program. It contains recipes and menu suggestions. The way it works is you don't have to weigh, measure, or track. The catch is that you eat until you are satisfied, not full. three meals, a couple of snacks if you need them, and a daily allowance of 7 points plus for indulgences. If you don't use Monday's 7 points plus, you cannot bring them over to Tuesday.
Gee, do you have a Simply Filling program? Also, if you don't have that, the back of our weekly trackers have a pretty complete list of simply filling foods.
Lean proteins, fiber rich carbs, vegetables ---non starchy, lite bread, ff dairy
and basically as close to sf, ff as you can get. Hope this helps.

Good luck and keep up the good work.
Judy
234.6/194.6/180's and thinner :cool:

Hi all and happy Friday!

I went in for a spinal injection on Wednesday but it is not really helping too much... I go to see a spinal sugeon next week finally! I am really trying for lasting relief! The hubs and I also managed to pick up a cold bug so we are going to have a low-key weekend I think which is ok with me.

I have not tired the new plan but might review it and give it a try at some point soon. I am trying to just not have a gain right now to be honest.

Judy: Sounds like you have things going in the right direction and congrats on the loss! Love the clementines! I eat a few at a time but I figure it is better than other options in the kitchen.

Bandit: How are you doing? Lots of snow for us, seems to snow a bit each day - I am ready for spring :dizzy:

Cherry: So good to see you posting and best wishes that they get your tummy issues on track!

Life: How are you doing?

Hi Turtles,
Princess, I hope your spinal surgeon can get some relief for you. You seem to have been dealing with this pain for a long time . Feel better. I have had so many times in my life when I put the "weight loss" on hold, but worked really hard to stop a gain. When I was able to do that, I considered myself successful. When you catch your breath, the Simple Start is worth looking into. I've done it (as close as I can) for three days. Getting thru a Saturday is a real accomplishment for me. I did very well on Core a long time ago.
I lost about 25# in that year and my other numbers were good as well.
Simple Start is Core with added lite bread. I still have to watch my carbs and putting bread back into my food for the day does kick up cravings I don't have if I avoid breads and grains completely. On the other hand, I
find this easier to do than cutting out the above.

Princess, feel better soon. Get over that cold bug. Not fun!
Bandit, always good to hear from you. Our weather is going to get really cold again, but today wasn't too bad.
Cherry, hope my info helped you.
Life, keep up the good work.
The Newbies, chime in when you can because it's so good to hear from Turtles.

Have a good weekend.
Judy
234.6/194.6/180's and thinner :cool:

Hi turtles - cold, cold & colder starting tomorrow.

On a nicer note, I became a Grandma for the 1st time last Thurs.
Baby boy 7 lbs named Patrick Bruce, so that has been very exciting.
DD doing great and all is well. So, I missed my Tops meeting that evening.

Weight has been pretty much staying the same for the last few weeks, so
time to get back to losing. No excuses!

All - hope you are all doing great & keeping warm!

Hi Turtles,
Oh Bandit, this is such exciting news! Good luck with this little baby, Grandma! Wishing your daughter, little Patrick Bruce, and you all the best and most joy in the world!

Glad you were able to keep your weight stable during this exciting time.
Yes, I'm trying hard to knock off some of this excess weight too. The time just seems right.

Princess, good luck with the surgeon's appointment. Always good to hear from you
Cherry, keep chiming in
Life 4, you've got a good job now. so glad you're through school and this is working out. Your weight loss is great. Keep it up.
Shay, keep on chiming in. It's good hearing from you

I am going to WI this morning since we are expecting another ten inches of snow starting later today. that means the center may be closed at WW's.
We missed two Wed. meetings during Christmas and New Year's and it wasn't easy to "stay tight" during that time. We can go to other meetings
but somehow I wasn't able to work that out. So I think I will make that happen today.

Best of everything. Let's make this happen!
Judy
234.6/194.6/180's and thinner :cool:

Checking in, I have been AWOL, had pneumonia & bronchitis, way too many antibiotics & other things I have been taking. I was doing really well until I got sick, I know I am still bloated from all the different medications I have been on so I am changing my weight on the signature & stuff back up some. I have felt better this week & finally decided to weigh today & see where I am. Not happy with the weight, but feeling better & it will be lower some by next weekend. :D

Hi turtles,
Shay, glad you are feeling better. Yes, this top bloat will go away now that your body is back to normal. Weigh to go for chiming in!!!

Bandit, are you having the best time with your new little grandson? I am so happy for you.

My newest (and I think last) grandchild is so sweet. She is nine months old and just a wonder. So cute and playful.

We've got lots going on here and for the first time all this chaos has lessened my appetite rather than increasing it. I lost weight last week and it looks like I have lost another pound this week. I'll have to work to keep it off by my WI on Wed. By the way, I called Jenny Craig lately and they were nice enough to share my weight loss history with them.. I got down to 182# with them, but then I started yo yoing with them and quit. At that point in 2012 I was going to WW's for friendship and Jenny Craig to lose weight since counting points plus wasn't quite enough for me. It worked for awhile, but I did gain it all back. Now I really have short term goals for myself and I'm working at this.

Sending good vibes to all the turtles. Really pretty cold here!
Wishing us all the best. Onward and downward for us all! :goodscale:

Judy
234.6/193/180's :cool:

Hi turtles

Judy - yes, he is such a little cutey! Lots of fun.

We received another load of snow over the weekend & now is it is very cold.
Can't believe the amount of snow in my yard - crazy.

Weight is staying the same lately, so not complaining - although it would be nice to see the scale go down, hoping for that this week at Tops.

All - stay warm and do the best you can, when you can. Also, hope you all can chime in with some posts for some motivation for all of us.

Have a great week!

Hi turtles,
Bandit, doesn't this winter seem colder and snowier than most?
Glad your weight has stabilized.

I am trying Simple Start and it is pretty good. Did you have a chance to see it or are you doing TOPS solely now?

Hope it starts to warm up soon.
Judy
234.6/193/180's :cool: gotta watch it now since I have had a lot of sad news and I'm eating over it again. Ugh.

Hi turtles

Judy - yes, the winters seem more colder/snowier every year. I really could just hibernate for a few months or glady go south which would be even better, but still working so that is not an option at this point.
I am basically still following WW with my 26 points plus 35 flexpoints.
And that works when I work it properly - plus I really need some exercise which is still sadly lacking.

All - sunny today, which helps with it being so cold. Hope you all have a great weigh in.

Hi all! I definitely qualify as a turtle! LOL. A snapshot at my weight loss in any given time frame is .6lbs per week. I am down 58 lbs and it has taken me since August 2012... but you know what? Who cares...I'm down 58 lbs.

The "how long did it take you" question bugs me....it doesn't matter....and it gives others this false sense of if it's not fast and furious it's not good enough.

So....Hello....and I'm going to be spending some time here...I've got a ways to go.

Hi Kristen and :welcome3:
Glad to have you here. Your weight loss is awesome!
Keep on posting . We're a nice group here.
Good luck!
Judy
234.6/193/146 WW goal :cool:

Hey y'all I am sorry I keep forgetting to check in. So I haven't exactly made it to the gym. I know Itry its hard to believe I have been at my job for a year and full time almost a year. The same place at that.

Hey to all the new/old people I pop in and out. So I finally added active link ot my account. Can I just say I walk way more than I realize at work. Also I am also realizing I don't eat enough at times.

So I realized I need to work on toning up. I have been this size before even smaller but I have a little bit of loose skin this time. So toning and my cardio is my major point at the gym.

Other than I my clothes not fitting. No real complaints. On another note something another nurse at the job said to me prompted me to look into going back to school to get my RN.

Hi Turtles,
Life4evr, that seems impossible you've been working there that long. I remember when you were still a student! The active link seems to be giving you lots of insights. Great! I also want to encourage you to advance your degree. You would be a great RN.

We've had so much snow lately and tomorrow morning we're supposted to get a bit more----3-6" We really are still in the heart of winter so we can't expect much improvement any time soon.
My food is doing quite well. I've had a few setbacks, but overall I'm staying on track. I am doing Simple Start, but I allow myself a bit more leeway than they do. would love to hear how the rest of you are managing.

Take care. Be well and happy.
judy
234.6/193/182 and thinner :cool:

I hit under 190 today at WW.... .2lbs away from 60 lbs lost.....so , kind of excited about that.

I finally can see a light at the end of the tunnel. The first part was so hard. It seemed that all of the weight I was losing, didn't show. The toilet paper roll thing. Now it seems 5 lbs makes a difference....and it can only get better.

Just string all the little steps together and big things happen.

:)

Hi Turtles,
What a great message from Kristen today! I am so happy for you. You are where I am struggling to get to. :bravo: :goodscale: :cheer: :cheers:
Fantastic! So glad that every 5# is showing and you're making such a wonderful difference for yourself.
Inspiring!!! Keep on keepin' on.
Judy
234.6/193/182 and thinner :cool:

Many thanks. It's hard at the very beginning to think that you are actually going to do it and that the small changes you are making add up but they do. Baby steps......inch by inch life's a cinch!!! I stopped worrying so much about how the things I was doing would effect weight loss and just realized that I had to do these things anyway...and weight loss would be a natural result.

And I trusted the program...didn't try to tweak it. Just believe.

Thank you for the congrats....you are not far behind me....you've got this!!!

Since being sick this turtle has been going backwards, so not happy & I am really going to have a heart to heart with my doctor. I've been on 1200 calorie, strictly vegetarian diet for 10 straight days & have gained weight. I am higher than when I joined this site, lost 11 pounds & since being sick I have gained 11.8 pounds.

I figure I have 2 choices, I can either quit or I can try harder & drive my doctor insane (& probably everyone else too).

So I went out & bought a stationary bike, I love exercising but only in the Summer & I will call the doctor tomorrow :(

Shay, hope the heart to heart with your doctor helps!

Sending :goodvibes: to all.

Things crazy here, but it seems every time I write I say that. LOL. In any case I've got a good WW cole slaw in the fridge and some cooked chicken cutlets which will make a good late lunch or early dinner.

Best to everyone~!
Judy

Hi everyone

Congrats to those who are losing & big hugs to those struggling.

We have soooooo much snow up here I am running out of room to put it.
Actually had to shovel down the piles alongside driveway since I could no longer see pulling out. But at least the sun is shining & no snow in forecast.

My cousins threw a baby shower yesterday held at my place, so that was fun and the baby was very good. So that was really nice not to have to take baby out & about in the cold. Lots of lovely gifts as well.

Weight has been staying the same, so now time to really get back at things.
I really want to drop at least 10# in the next few months. Summer is quickly approaching & I need to feel more comfortable with myself and
some of my summer clothes didn't fit last year & others were very snug.
And I am determined not to buy up another size.

All - good luck this week with your weighins!

Bandit, good to hear from you. So glad the baby shower went well and the baby was good. Also glad to hear that you've got sun.

We are sunny today, but preparing for another six inches tomorrow. it's supposed to snow, rain, then snow again. For once the weathermen have been completely accurate. This has been one of the toughest winters in a long time. Lots of snow that has nowhere to go. Nothing like Canada, I'm sure, but it's still getting very old.

Going to WW mtg. this morning. My weight will be up, but I avoided the scale last week and I know it's not good to avoid it two weeks in a row.
My appetite is back and that's not fun. Well, I had a nice little losing spree and now I have to remember that I kept my portions small.

Hey, we can do this! Bandit, I like the 10# down by summer. Let's all aim for this.

Have a great day. Onward and downward. :cheer: :bravo:
Judy
234.6/193/182 and lower :cool:

Hi Turtles,
Yesterday at my WI I was up 1.4# which wasn't too bad. The good news is I was so busy yesterday that I barely had time to eat. I felt hungry much of the day and then I lost the weight gain and a smidge more! So my "official
weight at WW's is one number, but I'm posting my number from my home scale today.

I guess you are all getting this next snow storm. Holy moly. Will it end?
I've got my food planned and I am going to the kitchen to make a chicken dish right now to have it handy for today and tomorrow.

Wishing you all the best as we get thru this winter!
Judy
234.6/192.6/182 and thinner :cool:

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday to you all! I am ready for this week to be over and it has barely begun... ack.

I am up and down on the weight and exercise and just doing the best I can right now.

My surgery is scheduled for June but will be moved up to May I think due to pain. They would do it next month if I could clean my calendar but with my work load that is just not possible.

Looks like everyone is busy and lots going on!

Hello to all of the newer folks and my old friends as well.

Hi Turtles,
I love that we still chime in here. Some of us have been at this for a long time and it helps to see what others are doing.

We just came back from a nice time. My dh and I took our ds and his two children, and our dd and her two children over to the Hyatt Regency in town.
It has a nice restaurant and an indoor pool and hot tub. We were only there for two nights, but we had such a good time. We're still knee deep in snow here. We haven't seen the ground in ages. I'm trying not to complain since I know Bandit and Princess have it much worse, but I'm sure we can all agree that it is time to declare winter over!

Eating out all meals for more than two days packed on some pounds on me. I'm hoping some of this is salt since I was careful. I'm on Simple Start today and got out grocery shopping to make sure I had good foods on hand.

Wishing us all well. keep in touch whenever you can. Princess, I look forward to you getting your surgery done and over with so the pain is gone.

Onward and downward for all of us. here's a :cheer: to keep us going!
Judy
234.6/?/thinner :cool:

Happy Friday everyone! Sunny today which makes me feel better and lets me know that spring will get here... eventually !

The scale is way way up, I need to get my butt in gear!

Judy: Time with family at a different place is a wonderful thing, I hope it was enjoyable and listed your spirits!

Okay Turtles,
It's so easy for the scale to go up and not quite so easy for it to come down.
I've reread the articles I clipped out when I first rejoined WW's. Easy to say reminders and not so easy to do. Here's what affects me the most: Every bite counts. It's all math. So for today I am continuing on with Simple Start and being more mindful of the BLT's. This is the deal I'm making with myself: I can eat something................it may just not be what I am craving at the moment. Let's face it, Turtles, with all the snow it's easy to have Cabin Fever. We can do this! We are doing this!

Yes, Princess, spring is on the way. We are warming here at least thru tomorrow. Half of our snow melted and that's great. And thanks for the comments. We did have a very good time away with the family and our spirits were lifted.

:goodvibes: and :goodscale: to us all. We deserve it. We know what to do.
Let's make a deal with each other to do the right thing today. :cheer:
Just today........we'll think about tomorrow then.

Judy
234.5/194/182 and thinner :cool:

Still slowly marching on. Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Hi turtles

Congrats to those losing! I was down 2.4# last week so was happy with that
but scale is still up from before Christmas, so will keep plugging away with things. Trying to be more mindful with my snacks which got out of hand quickly with having so many goodies around.

Still lots of snow here but the sun is shining and now calling for temps to
drop below freezing again for this week.

Baby doing great, love having them with me.

All - hang in there & stay warm!

Shay, keep up the good work! :goodscale:

Bandit, enjoy your daughter and baby. How much fun!

Our littlest granddaughter is so much fun and sweet. :cheer:

Bandit, glad you did so well on the scale. You're getting there and soon you'll be below your Christmas weight. You can do this. You've done it before! :goodscale: and :bravo: and :cheer:

Things going well here. Sun helps. Expecting more snow in a day or so, but until then things looking good.
Judy
Here's :goodvibes: for all the turtles.
Princess, hope you are managing the pain. Relief is on its way.
Judy
234.6/194.4/182 and thinner :cool:

Morning, turtles

Thank you for the birthday wishes over on facebook, very nice of you all!
Super freezing up here, painful just to go out & start the car - would be nice
to just stay inside and watch movies.

Chugging along at the scales up/down - trying to stay focussed, some good days some not so good.

Going to Florida for 9 days so looking forward to that. Staying with a friend near Naples so should be nice & hot when I arrive on Mar 14th.
Nice to get away, especially since this winter has been brutal.

All - good luck at the scales this week!

Hey Bandit, :hb: to you. I hope it was a good one! :goodvibes: to you and your FL trip! You are right that this has been a brutal winter. Our furnace hasn't been able to crank out the heat that we need because of the cold. I try not to complain because I know both you and Princess live in even colder climates, but this has been tough.

I keep yo yoing also but yesterday was a good day. I can maintain this weight quite well. It's just not the weight I want to maintain. I'm trying pourable egg whites for a simple help. Yesterday I had that for lunch as an omelet. Got hungry around three and had 1/2cup of black bean soup. That helped. I'm still working on Simple Start. The foods will help me lose weight. It's the BLT's I have to watch out for.

Okay Turtles, let's have a good day. Chime in when you can. The support helps, especially when you have an inspiration or new food or actually anything at all to say!!!!

:goodscale: and :cheer: to us all. I WI tomorrow at WW's so I'll come back here and let you know how I did.

Judy
234.6/?/180's and thinner :cool:

Thanks, Judy and yes, birthday was great!

I keep a package of the pourable eggwhites and add them to an egg for a big portion of scrambled eggs or omelettes. Really makes a difference in
your portion for very little calories plus you get extra protein.

More snow today, not much - just enough to make you go "yuck" but
temp is suppose to go up to zero by Friday so that will be a nice change from the minus 20 celius we have been having. Sad, when you looking forward to the temp being zero!

Good luck everyone at your weigh in this week!