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 several 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've been reflecting on what the turtle philosophy means as we start our second hundred posts. The turtle philosophy was a difficult one for people to accept. People want the weight off--NOW!! But reality is that it took time to put it on and it will take time to take it off. People want it to be easy to take off the weight. But reality is that it's not easy. You can have a program that's easy to follow, but following it steadily--that's hard. People don't want to exercise much, if at all. But reality is that our bodies were designed to move. So, we're setting realistic goals that take the weight off at a healthy pace. We're setting goals that will keep us moving steadily toward the healthy weight we want to be. And we're just plain moving. We're setting realistic exercise goals that will move our bodies the way they were meant to be moved.
We've also noticed that our turtle philosophy has affected the rest of our lives, too. I've started writing fiction again. I realize that I can finish a novel, or two, or ten. All I have to do is to set realistic daily goals, work steadily toward achieving them, and they will build up into finished books. Turtle Power at work in my everyday life.
Anyone who wants to join us in steadily moving toward all of our goals is welcome. I've met some wonderful people on this thread. I hope to meet many more. I know the battle with our weight is a difficult one. Having such supportive people come and post regularly keeps it from getting overwhelming. I hope to see many more people join us as we move forward on our journey.
This has been an interesting weekend as I begin a renewed journey toward a more healthful body.
I planned to do my videotape Friday after my son woke up, but got so involved in what I was doing that I forgot. Not a habit, yet. However, I walked a lot this weekend, which made up for it. Tomorrow, I'm doing it in the morning, even if my night owl son is still sleeping.
I started counting points again and I'm doing fine so far today. I used my activity points for a snack and it doesn't look like I'll be using any flexpoints today.
I tried something weird and it looks like it's going to work fabulously. I mentioned that the WW magazine used a checkbook analogy to describe the flexpoint system. Well, I decided to take them at their word. I set up a cash account using my Quicken software. Since it's financial software, it does dollars, so I used 1 dollar = 1 point. I deposited the target points for the day plus the flexpoints for the week. I added in today's activity points. Then I subtracted my points as I went through the day. It worked perfectly. Tomorrow, I'll deposit tomorrow's points. At the end of the week, I'll deposit enough points to bring the flexpoints back up to 35 to start next week with. It's easy, but I've only been doing it for today. We'll see how it works long term.
I also made a spreadsheet with Excel, with the help of my dh who uses it more than I do. I'm using it to track my weight, measurements, water, fruits & veggies, milk and supplements. It's easy, too.
I have a small database I made with MS Works to store the point counts of foods I buy so I don't have to recalculate every time I buy something.
Computers can be so useful.
How are the rest of you doing on your challenges?
Here's an inspirational quote I found in my list, but there is no credit. I'd love to know who said it. If anyone knows, post, please.
Yesterday is history,
Tomorrow is a mystery,
Today is a gift . . .
That's why they call it a present.
Lin, what a great idea to use Quicken! Wow! So clever, and you don't need to buy new software. I love it. I haven't yet cottoned to using the computer to track my points, but when/if I do, that's what I'll do.
Judy, how are those social events going?
I had a very good weekend OP. Went for a one-hour walk on Saturday -- very fast walk, so fast that I think I hurt my foot! But it was fun. I went with my WW buddies. I think we covered about 4 miles. I ate at 31 points that day, which is over the top of my range, but I've been eating at 23-24 points on other days, so it's not a problem. And the scale is moving down, in spite of PMS! I'm almost back into the 180s. I've realized I've been doing two things wrong:
-- Not being steady in my weight loss approach (both exercise and eating)
-- Always aiming at the top of my range instead of the middle. Just aiming at 24 points a day instead of 27 has made a huge difference.
Tonight we're having dinner at someone's house, and I have no idea what they'll be serving (but they're both large). So I'm planning to eat low in my points for breakfast and lunch. Unfortunately, dinner won't be until 7 p.m. or so, so hunger will be a problem. I'll just have to deal with it and know that it won't last -- being hungry hasn't killed me yet!
Hi Turtles,
Wow Lin! What a great idea to use Quicken to track points. I use a small pad myself, but I love how thoroughly you do things.
Also super glad you're counting points and getting in the exercise.
Hey Lauren,
Good for you for aiming for the lower end of points daily instead of the higher end. Adding the exercise back in is already making a difference in your weight. This is so pleasing!
And Me,
My social events are doing well. At my niece's for her daughter's birthday party, I skipped dessert except for a tiny bite. I ate more protein than I would have and counted points as I went through the day. I also ate a whopper of an omelet right before I went. Made it with an egg, 3 egg whites, and a slice of FFcheese.
It was delicious and all protein and hardly any points for the wallop it packed. I'd do that again! The day was great, I avoided the mayonnaisy salads, concentrated on the company and exercised on the treadmill for a little more than 1/2hour before we left.
For the retirement dinner, I ate high points, but had planned for that. I ate a couple of macaroons more than I had planned, but that's okay. Again, before I left I hopped on the treadmill and worked up a sweat.
Today I woke up late, had Lite bread as toast for breakfast with a cup of tea. Hopped on treadmill (are you getting bored yet?), and headed to my friend's who had invited colleagues from work.
Had a very nice time. Counted my points beautifully. I avoided anything creamy or mayonnaisy--had lots of salad w/o dressing and enjoyed the company. Thankfully no one really noticed that I wasn't having dessert, etc. and I just kept circulating. At home I had some chicken which I could point out and then had a regular dinner.
I am thrilled that I did not overeat in *anticipation* of high calorie offerings and social events. I am also thrilled at my committment to exercise. I know that is what will help me get better results.
Hope all goes well with you. I'll weigh in tomorrow and then get the update at WW. If the scale isn't agreeable, I'll be a grownup realizing a lot of my eating this week came right before WI. I hope I see good results, but if I don't I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Love and good vibes,
Judy
Judy, you are definitely a hot mama on a roll! A monster-sized WAY TO GO to you for how you handled those social events -- words can't express how impressed I am!
I ate very well yesterday in anticipation of the big meal at someone else's house -- and a good thing, too, because it was indeed a big meal. I haven't added the points yet (though I will after I finish this), but I'm sure I'll need to use some of those "flex points" from the new program! Not that I'm doing flex points yet, but last night would've used up a bunch of them. I kept portion sizes small, which helped, but I'm up a whopping THREE POUNDS from yesterday. I'm just telling myself it'll come back off, probably after TOM, since a bunch of the food was quite salty (feta cheese, olives). *Sigh.*
It's a rainy day here; I'm hoping it'll break our latest humid heat wave. We've had so few overcast days this summer, I can't complain.
Well, best get to work. Have a great, OP day everyone. Oh, tonight I go to my WW meeting and get all the details on the new program. I'll be sure to post them here.
Way to go, Judy. You handled your socail events beautifully. It's great to see your progress in the area. And, no, we're not getting bored with how often you've been hopping on the treadmill.
Lauren, you are so good at analyzing what's going wrong and figuring out how to fix it. I think that's one of the main reasons for your success. Hang in there. The salty food and PMS are a guarantee of water retention. Tell the inner nasty person who gives you a hard time about any gain to SHUT UP! Then get back to living your OP life.
I'm still doing fine. TOM came a couple of days early. I'll probably show a very large loss this week, but a lot of it will be PMS water retention going away. I've been walking instead of doing the videotapes because I've had to run errands and I don't have a car. It's OK. Exercise is exercise and I don't mind the substitution.
I'm taking a short break from the current novels. I'm doing a marathon challenge this weekend. The purpose of the marathons is to get you to just put words down without agonizing over whether it's perfect or not. I have a project that I play with every once in a while. It's not intended for publication, so I'm going to use that to aim for a minimum of 10K words.
On the writing web site, we use "pips" in our signatures to signify meeting challenges. There are general ones for how many stories you've written, rejections you've accumulated, and other regular parts of the writer's life. We also make special pips for meeting goals for a specific challenge. This one has three levels--10, 20, and 30K. That's 10K per day for the three days of the Labor Day weekend. I usually write by hand then type it in, but if I'm going to reach 30k, I'll have to use the computer. I don't think I can write that fast by hand and still be legible.
The reason I wrote about it here is that the real challenge will be to not grab food willy-nilly. I have to plan because I'm not going to have time to do a lot of cooking. And make sure I do at least a little bit of walking.
So, the rest of the week I'll be focusing on getting a bare bones plot and some basic info on the characters. I need to expand what I've done so far. I started this for a Busman's Holiday challenge. The purpose of it was to remember the fun of writing, to write something just because you want to, not because you have a contract on it or are planning to submit it to every market or agent that will look at submissions.
It's good to have a goal like this, but it does pose challenges in my WW journey. I get really focused on the goal and forget to exercise. I grab food by the "what can I fix in less than 5 minutes" method. I forget to stop working and prepare dinner far enough in advance and end up super hungry, but dinner is an hour away. That's the downside of the creative "zone" or "flow".
Wow! We're all rolling! Hey Lin, have you checked out Rachel Ray and her 30 minute meals? I think she's great and you might like some of her stuff too. It's probably too late for the marathon writing session you're going to be doing, but her recipes will be great to have on hand the next time you participate in a marathon.
Lauren, yeah-=the flexpoints are going to help a lot on social occasions and I'm sure the salt is helping you retain water-=you've been through this before so being up on the scale won't panic you. Good luck with all you're doing.
I got to my WW meeting and lost .8# which means I lost 5 pounds this summer. Hooray! I still am counting points. I still am hopping on the treadmill. I started Flexpoints at WW and I think it's going to be great for me. I am a stickler for rules so there were many nights when I'd eat calories even though I wasn't hungry because I hadn't reached my minimum points. Also some nights I needed more than 10 points that I had banked . So the flexibility of the new program is great. I'll be glad to give info. about anything you guys want to know.
Take care, keep on doing well. I'll see you all lighter!
Love,
Judy
I'm doing OK. I've been keeping track and OP until last night. But it's a matter of not knowing exactly how much 1/8 of the casserole is. So, I'm going to have to figure out how to measure this one. The problem is that it doesn't cut into nice, neat squares so it's easy to end up with too much. So, I need to take the time to measure it and figure out how many cups one serving is and measure it that way.
I wasn't able to exercise the past few days, but I'm planning a walk today. My other goal is to switch back to counting points starting at night. I don't know why I didn't just start out that way because I know it's easier for me to stay OP if I do.
So things are going OK. I'm meeting my main goals of exercising whenever I can and choosing a healthy mix of foods. Those are the most important things to me. The rest, I'm building back into my life a step at a time.
Here's another quote from a long time ago:
I believe that success builds on success. And in this case, I'm referring to the activities we do every day - counting and tracking points, drinking water, exercising, etc. Each time we do one it's a turtle step closer to our goals because it gets our minds thinking that this is the way we now live our lives. It builds the program into a habit. And it's the habits, persistently practiced, that get the weight off and build better heatlh.
Hey Lin,
Thanks for the congrats. I'm so glad to hear you sounding so good. Yes, adding exercise and healthy eating is the way we want to be. The way to get there and make it part of our lives and not just something we do when we're being *good* is to do it so often that we make the transition to our good habits more than half the time.
I am exercising almost every day. Yesterday I had a lot of catching up to do with paper work, etc. and I had also hurt the top of my foot. Rather than risk injury, I stayed off the treadmill and today when I did get on the treadmill, I took it a little easier.
I still got in 1/2 hour of exercise. Tonight friends are coming over and I'm in control of the menu. I can use Flexpoints if I want. I've got it figured out to have good food and still stay OP. I'm making that chocolate cake with Diet Coke for dessert. This one figures out to 3 points. With a tiny bit of Cool Whip and a sliver of fruit, it will be tasty, pretty, and right OP.
Everybody have a great weekend and keep on keepin' on.
Love,
Judy
Lin, figuring out points for things like casseroles is a bit tough. At least you know what's in yours! I usually just end up taking a major guess. Love the quote from the "Turtles Classic" days. Very apt. Good luck with the writing marathon. I'm reading some Ursula LeGuin (whom I've never read; I haven't cracked a fantasy/sci-fi book in years, since I don't count LOTR), and it made me think of you.
Judy, look at you go!! Wow! I'm so impressed with your exercising. What an inspiration! And five pounds this summer is great. How encouraging!
I've done very well with my eating and hope to see a loss when TOM ends. Today I'm going to have to use some Flex Points. I went to two different friends' houses to help fix some computer problems for them, and they each fed me restaurant meals. I ate moderately, but still. I'm sure I'll be over. But that's what Flex Points are for, right?
Tomorrow I'll be doing my one-hour walk with a WW buddy (the other two will be otherwise occupied), which is always good. And DH set up the TV in the basement, so I should be able to start doing my videos again.
Hi,
Lauren, glad to see you checking in. I can see how these Flexpoints are going to help us a lot. Having two restaurant meals out on consecutive days used to be very discouraging to me. Now we can just eat wisely and use the Flexpoints.
I think it's great that you have WW buddies to walk with and that your basement routine will be functioning again. I am so glad Lin made a special deal out of the 100th post and that you were so honest about the turtles weight loss attempts. We're back on the right path now. Isn't it strange how you were able to get your eating back on track? I am so thrilled for you and us all.
Torty, chime in. No matter where you are we're here to applaud and offer assistance, so open up.
I had a good response to not such a great thing. Somehow when my friends were coming over for dinner, I ate too much during the day and continued eating that night. A silly change of plans threw me. My friend offered to bring a dessert and I took her up on it instead of making the Diet Coke choc. cake. Well, it set me off the way change and emotion have done in the past. However, this time I kept track of points, used considerable Flexpoints for the week, got up the next morning and made it a point not to use Flexpoints that day. It worked. That's my plan for today as well. I've already gotten in 1/2hour on the treadmill and with careful eating I'll still have Flexpoints left over on Tuesday when I weigh in. Piece of diet cake!!!!! LOL
It's so great to see this site up and running again and I'm so thrilled that we're all knocking off some weight.
Good luck to all.
Love,
Judy
Well, Lauren & Judy, it looks like both of you are getting right in the groove with flexpoints. You both have used them well to solve problems that came up.
I figured out why I stopped walking, besides the shoe issue. I'm getting new shoes, finally, BTW. But the other reason is that one of my main motivations for walking was to get some activity points. That's not the best attitude, I guess, but it worked. Now, I've been trying to do some walking again, but until my new shoes get here, it's tough. I guess it's a little game with me to get some activity points so I can save the flex points for things like the Eggs Benedict I'm planning to make for dinner one day. Or the Godiva Ice Cream that was on sale this week. I don't much care if it's the "right" way to do it. What I care about is that it works.
My report for the week. I lost 5 pounds. Some of it was water retention from PMS, but at least a couple or three were fat pounds. I'm happy with that start.
I had a couple of days where I wasn't sure I really wanted to do this, but I ended up covering it with activity points and flex points, so it all worked out fine. I realize I will have days like that and I have to deal with them. Keep them from becoming the pattern.
I have to get going. I have to work on the marathon. I have a little over 7,000 words so far. It's going well.
WHOA, Lin -- FIVE POUNDS! Wow! Way to freakin' GO! There, I'll calm down, now. And you're right -- it's what works that counts. Good for you!!
Judy, a MAJOR good for you, too!! Looks like you did exactly what the Flex Points are meant to have us do. You ate considerably over your target, so you just used your Flex Points that day -- and went back to eating at your target the next. What a great win!
I really, really like this plan. I'm still in TOM, so I don't know what (if anything) I'm losing, but it feels healthy and good. I used one Flex Point yesterday (earned 4 activity points walking 4 15-minute miles, and used those, too). Don't think I'll need to use any today, but I haven't finished adding up -- or, rather, subtracting -- my points. Had a huge salad with all kinds of stuff on it, which is always interesting to try to calculate.
Well, I'm off to watch "Blue Heaven" with Steve Martin. I hear it's funny.
Happy Labor Day in advance, everyone. Mousie, how are you??
Lin, Weigh to go~Five pounds is terrific!!!!!! This is the best!
Lauren, glad you're using the points the way you want! Sounds good. And 4 fifteen minute miles is wonderful. I'm getting in my exercise too, and I'm improving every day. I was about to say I walk nowhere near that fast and stopped myself. After all, this isn't a contest, this is a commitment to healthier lifestyles and we're all in different points in our lives.
Yesterday was good. Today was good too. Using Flexpoints I'm having a great week. A little setback. One of my exercise days I weeded and did a pretty good job. However, I picked up poison sumac or oak and am itching like crazy. Went to doc and he put me on prednisone. Ugh! I still will go to my meeting tomorrow and hope for the best. On my home scale, it looked as though I had lost a pound, but the cortisone may boost my weight temporarily. I hope not==so, I will not worry about this! I will keep on exercising and eating correctly. The poison sumac will go away, the cortisone will go away, and I'll still be right on track.
You all take care. Keep up the good work.
Lin, have fun with your writing. Lauren, enjoy the rest of today.
Let's all do this.
Love,
Judy
I bet you take off some poundage, Lauren. You've been OP, so even with TOM, you should lose something.
You, too, Judy. The sumac rash will soon be history, along with the medication. Then your hard work will show.
Things are going fine here. I've been OP, doing some walking, and everything's fine.
My next main project is to get some prewriting done for NaNoWriMo--that yearly insanity in which thousands of people all around the world try to write a 50K novel in a month. 50K is actually too short to be a publishable novel, but revision and editing can fix that. It sounds crazy but it's only 1667 words a day, if you write 7 days a week. If you've done decent prewriting so you don't have to figure out what comes next or how this or that character would act in a certain situation, it only takes a couple of hours a day, if you don't procrastinate, skip days, or generally mess yourself up. Last year, I didn't finish because my computer chose November to need major work. But this year, we have our snazzy new working perfectly upgraded computer for me to work with. It's going to be fun.
Our new challenge is "Let's Get Moving!" But today I'm taking a day off. My knees and lower back are feeling the strain of walking in these shoes. So, despite the need for daily exercise, I'm not doing it until I replace my shoes. I'm not sure if I want to wait until I go back to San Jose so I can try them on or order them online and hope the size I'm wearing from the same shoe company will fit the same way.
Anyway--how's it going for all of you since your last post?
Turtle Club #101
I've realized I've been doing two things wrong:
