Hi,
Lauren, you and your dh are in my prayers. I hope the news is good and that your vacation is refreshing, despite your worry.

Also, I so much appreciate how accepting you, and the rest of the turtles are, of moods. Especially since I've been so moody this year.

Thanks so much for the info re: strength training, videos, etc. I'm going to put it in my reference file. I'm not starting anything new, exercise-wise, until after TOM.

Congrats on the half pound. It's so super to see your body finally showing you the benefits of that persistence you've been practicing.

PMS always seems to bring out every issue that I've not been dealing with as well as I thought I was. I need to deal with the issues, then the food I've been eating. It's been good, healthy food, but the portions have been too large the last two days.

I've sunk back into the depression I was feeling about our move here. I know it will pass, but it seems like it's a few steps forward then a couple of steps backward. I guess tha't's normal when you're faced with any kind of life changing situation.

Regarding the food: I realized that I don't get as crazywith what I eat when I write it down. It seems as though not writing it down causes my brain to think of it as OK to do what I want. Perhaps that's because whenever I've been successful with any program, I always wrote everything down and when I stopped doing it, I stopped writing it down.

So, I'm going to make a point of writing everything down, no matter what else happens. And I want to exercise every other day for a while, then add days until I'm exercising 5-6 days a week. I know that I feel better, mentally as well as physically, when I do the exercise. So, I'm going to work on that. And on getting in an extra mug of water. I know that I need a little extra since it's warmer and I'm exercising more.

Happy turtlin'! :cool:

Lin

Lauren,
I'm praying the news for your dh is good.

I don't have a minute to write, but I did get to WW and lost another tiny bit. I'm chipping away at this fat and it feels good.
Love,
Judy
Lin and kimmers and all--be well, feel well, and keep on turtlin'

234/206/thinner

Hi,

Just a quick note this morning.

Congratulations, Judy, on your continuing success!

I wanted to write to let you all know that my computer is being totally flaky. If I suddenly disappear, it's because my computer has died. I try to check in every day, even if I don't post. I hope if my computer dies, that you will keep the thread going in my absence. Thanks!

My mom is coming down for Mother's Day on Sunday. Because of her health problems, it's the first time she's been here since we moved. We're going to go to the Olive Garden and I'm making Strawberry Shortcakes for dessert when we get back. It's a combination celebration. It's Mother's Day. Plus, David will be moved before his birthday, so we're having a good-bye and birthday celebration for him, too. It's the last time before he moves that he'll get a chance to see his grandma. It will be fun.

Have a great weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all moms.

Happy turtlin'!

Lin

Hi, Turtles,

Checking in today. Mother's Day was a lot of fun, as I predicted. I don't know why, but we always seem to have a better time with my mom and her boyfriend when they visit us. Weird!

I've not done well with WW the past week or so. It's TOM and it was a bad one, foodwise. But TOM isn't the whole reason I've been overeating and not writing stuff down. I got depressed again about this move. I feel as though I'm doing better because the time between these episodes of depression seems to be getting longer and they only last a day or so. Once I have a good cry and a long writing session in my journal, I seem to get back to my normal self.

However, my mom called with some bad news yesterday. My brother may have cancer. We're not close, by any stretch of the imagination, but he's still my brother and I'm a tad upset, to understate the situation a bit. I'm doing OK, but that may change, depending on how the tests turn out. It's shades of deja vu because like my dad, it may have spread beyond one location and they're just now finding out he has this problem.

The good news is that I'm back OP today. I would not have predicted that to be true, given my usual response to heavy stress. But I had that good long writing session and I realized a few things that have lessened the stress. Plus, I'm sure my husband (if he's over his cold and feels up to the drive) will take me to SJ this weekend to visit my brother if he's still in the hospital. Or just to get out of town for a while, if he's OK.

Anyway, I realized that God has really set me up. In the past, when I've tried to pursue writing seriously, I have not had much real support. My family has always pressured me to get a job because we need the money. When it became obvious that I'm not qualified to earn enough money to support myself, should that become necessary, I went back to school. But now, I have no reason not to seriously pursue writing. I can't work because I can't find a job. I can't go to school because I can't afford it. So, I'm here and I have pen and paper. I find myself thinking that this move may be a blessing in disguise, once I get past the grief about what I've left behind and all of the unwanted changes this move has brought to my family.

I have a lot to do today. But I wanted to take a short break and check in with you turtles. I hope you all manage to post a bit soon. I'm wondering how you're all doing.

Happy Turtlin'! :)

Lin

glad to find you
 

Hi Turtles!
This is just a short note to start participating in your discussions. I'm not sure what made me click on the Turtle Club, but I'm sure glad I did. I'm a Lifetime WW of many years...lost my weight and kept it off. Now I'm on a medication which has caused sudden rapid weight gain. I need to get back OP...and have support and sharing with others...so that I can minimize further gain, or stabilize where I am, or maybe even lose some. It would be nice not to have to go buy bigger clothes after so long at my goal weight. I was definitely a turtle in losing my weight, and in making gradual life-style changes. I like the way all of you talk about doing this, and will be checking in again!
Thanks,
Vee

Whoops! I had a post almost written and I lost it.
Here I go again.
Veep,
Welcome to our group. You'll love the girls here. They have been a tremendous help to me over the past couple of months. This is the first site I check every day.
With their help, I have figured out how to adjust WW so that I can lose weight better. For me it did involve getting in some exercise, but that's fine. As long as I can continue to lose weight, I'm happy. Good luck to you as you "turtle along."
Lin, Lauren, and Kimmers,
This past week has been crazy, but I have been trying to read this as often as possible. I hope your brother is better than youthink. Sometimes these conditions are tricky to diagnose at first. Anyway, I'm praying for you all.
In the meantime, please write your heart out in a short story or novel. I know it's hard to get started, but just give it a shot. You're a wonderful writer and I'd love to read anything you put together. I'm so glad you're back OP. That is one thing you can control in this crazy chaos you're going through right now. This time will pass, you will lose weight, the bad times will subside, and you'll be so much happier. Now you just need to get from here to there.
Gals--take it easy, let's all do our best to get in the exercise and stay OP and keep on encouraging the group. You're all great.
My Mother's Day was great--this weekend I got to a ballet and planted impatiens--Martha Stewart has nothing on me. Saw 2/3 of my kids and my son is coming down soon. All goes well.
Love,
Judy
234/205/thinner

Hi everybody,
I'm going to try to make checking this board part of my regular routine...just like Judy does. I think I woke up craving this morning. I managed to eat a banana instead of a cookie. Now I'm looking at the clock and wanting to be very much OFF P. Sigh. I'm going to get on with some things I need to do and hold all of you in mind to give me inspiration. I really appreciated the discussions about simply feeling better with the healthier eating OP. That has always been true for me. I think that might help me do this day one moment at a time.
Be well!
V

Hi, Turtles,

Welcome, Veep! It must be difficult to have to deal with weight gain due to requiring a new mediaction for your health. It must feel as if you're helping your health on one hand, but doing a different kind of damage (the weight gain) on the other. I hope going back to the weight loss phase of the program will help. I hope we can help you, too.

Judy, I envy you the opportunity to go to the ballet. I love the ballet and never get to see it anymore, not even on TV, since we do not get any of the stations that run dance programs. Spring always makes me want to plant stuff. My next project, once I save up the funds, is to start an indoor herb garden. I need to find a spot the cats can't jump up to. I probably also need a grow light because even though our place isn't uncomfortably dark, it doesn't have quite enough light to grow plants.

Thanks for the encouragement re: my writing. I have so much stuff in various stages of completion. I keep doing a bit here and there. The main thing I need to do is to be more consistent about writing every day, at least during the week.

I'm feeling a little torn between two interests right now, though. I started a free online course about California Cheese through the CIA website. (Culinary Instute of America) I wish I could afford their online course in healthy cooking techniques. But it's over $500! Their courses are designed for people working in the business and they expect you'll take it as a tax decuction or expense from your business. Sigh!

I also sent away for their scholarship information packet. They have an apple pie recipe contest and the prizes are scholarships in varying amounts. That would be cool! I tried to go to the culinary academy in SF a few years ago, but couldn't get the pieces together. Since Chris is planning to attend art school after high school, I cannot go to school at all unless I can get someone else to cover the expenses. My family would support me, even though I'd have to move away from them while I was in school.

But, what I really want to do, but I don't know if they have scholarship money to cover this type of education, would be to go to their campus in the Napa Valley and take their short (week-long) courses for people who want to learn to cook well, but don't want to run a restaurant. Then take their food writing seminar. Because combining my two loves--writing and cooking--is my real dream. I also would like to teach cooking to people who like to cook but don't want to cook in restaurants. But I cannot figure out how to get people to accept my expertise as a cook without getting some credentials, like a certificate or degree in culinary arts. So, we'll see what happens with the scholarship. They have other ones, too, but no details on the web site.

My other plan is to get in through the back door by writing fiction about chefs, recipes included, and then publishing cookbooks based on the fiction series. Mysteries or romance, most likely. I don't know if any of this will work out. But it's really lifted my depression to have a plan I can be enthusiastic about. If nothing else happens, doing this will help me to stay OP because I'm not depressed or bored!

What I'm going through regarding staying OP seems to be more about not taking the time to plan or to keep up with writing down my points. When I get down, I find that I take care of the stuff that I must and the rest tends to slip. But I am getting back in control. It's just a slow process. I'm doing baby steps. Today I'm working on writing it down, drinking the water (which is the one habit that I never seem to have trouble sticking with), and doing some exercise.

Have a great day, all. I've got to go check my bread dough and see if it's ready for the next step.

Happy turtlin'! :D

Lin

Veep, weigh to go . When each moment is OP, so is the day, the week, the month--you've got the idea. Baby steps, distractions, and getting to the heart of the urge to eat. You will do this!
Lin,
You're amazing. You've got so many pots in the fire! Your ideas are terrific. I know throughout my life I've had to look at what will work rather than feel down about what won't work. I'm really not a Pollyanna and I get in the dumps plenty, but for my mental health, I do much better when I "spin" things around me. When I could take something for the better or worse, the better is the way I try to go.
Let me explain about the ballet because it has a deep meaning. I live within commuting distance of NYC. 15 minutes away is the ocean, 15 minutes the other way is the LI Sound--more water. AND I have been so darn busy working and helping my kids and hubby that I haven't taken advantage of any of this. Now , that's pathetic and I know it. Every spring the NYCity Ballet company has its season at Lincoln Center. every spring I see discount tickets in the office where I work. I bring home the tickets, and they sit and the time goes by and I throw them out. That's pathetic too. So, it happens that my daughter who is smart and does nice things for herself got a subscription of tickets for this season. When I found out , I really wanted to go too, so I asked if she'd like company. So--lo and behold--I did something very nice for myself. It felt great. The ballet was scrumptious, and afterward her hubby and my other daughter joined us for dinner. It was great to be surrounded by people that I totally enjoy and to feel all t heir fun around me. So---the short answer is yes, I'm very lucky to be around the ballet and I'm sorry you feel so stranded right now. I know life gets better and you'll get to a better spot soon. You have said several times how your family supports you, so apply away for those scholarships and see what happens. Good for you!
WW is a journey for me. Somehow taking care of my health by losing weight is empowering and enabling me to see other opportunities.
Had a strange thing happen at work yesterday that I don't want to go into, but I had a chance to react, think, and then respond. I was very brave and I'm proud of myself. So in losing weight I am becoming a better person and it feels great.
Lauren, enjoy your vacation--hope your hubby is okay and this was just a bad scare.
Kimmers--I can see you on your bike with red hair flying in the wind. How neat. Keep up the good work.
Everybody--take care, be well and happy, and keep on turtlin'
love,
Judy

234/205/thinner

Lin,
Check out college financial aid forms. If two members of a family are in school (beyond h.s.) the financial aid pkg. is often better.
234/205/thinner

Hi turtle friends!

I've been having a killer week - my last two projects for my class have to be done by Friday and I've been up all night coding for five days straight. Surprisingly, I don't feel all that bad, but getting out of be at 6:30am to go to work when I went to bed at 3:00am is a real drag.

Needless to say, I've been eating a little more than I should, but I'm writing it down have only been a few points over each day.

I lost one pound last week and I probably won't lose any this week, but that's OK. We're leaving for a week in Florida on Saturday and I'm going to stay OP as much as I can. We'll doing lots of walking, so hopefully that will make up for any indulgences. I'm really happy to be going there 30lbs lighter. Maybe next year I'll be 100lbs lighter, if I'm lucky.

Lin - your book idea sounds great. So does cooking school. I wish I could join you - I love to cook and I've been getting into more complex cooking the past few years. Good luck.

Lauren, I hope everything is OK. Keep your chin up and know that we are here to help.

Judy, your Mother's Day sounds wonderful. I spent mine sitting at the computer working on my project. (Yuck!) Congratulations on the loss.

Veep - welcome aboard. Good job on choosing the banana. You can do this.

Have a great week everyone,
Kimmers
332/302/299 (10% goal)

Dear turtles,
I tried to post yesterday, but my web connection was bogged down and I was not successful!

I'm working on making good food choices and avoiding snacking...especially high point foods...Also on increasing activity. It's hard to increase activity with extra obstacles like chronic illness (in my case) or a lot of weight to lose...

A little of my story...
A few years ago I went from 170 to 130 on WW. I maintained right around 135 for a long time...and without a whole lot of effort which was great. If I saw I'd gotten higher I was careful and I'd bring it back down. I thought I had really done it!

Now on a new medication, notorious for weight gain...I gained 10 lbs in one month. I can see that scale go up and up until I've lost everything I worked so hard for. I know I'm a turtle...and I know support from others makes all the difference.

I'm afraid I can't fight it again...especially with the illness and the meds. But you tell me that I can! And you are all doing it...the best that you can...a little at a time. Why not me, too??

Thanks for being here,
V

Hi, Tortoises,

Judy, thanks for the support in my efforts to recreate my life. I realized that the issue for me is that my oldest son, as I've mentioned before, is moving to Southern California in a month. My youngest hopes to be off to art school after he graduates next June (2002). I went back to school so I could have a life after kids, rather than get depressed due to that empty nest syndrome. I was really feeling depressed after our move here because I couldn't find any resources here in town to finish training for a new life. That's precisely why David is moving out. He couldn't find any schools that teach what he's been studying, either. He hopes to go back to school next year, in Southern California, after he's been on his own long enough to get financial aid without depending on his parent's income.

When I told him I wished I were his age so that I could do what he's doing (go elsewhere), he asked me why I couldn't go somewhere else. I cited the usual family responsibilities, but I realized that once Chris is finished with high school, I could go to school anywhere. Paul would be OK with me going away during the school year. If I were able to go to Napa, rather than New York, he'd be thrilled to visit me at school on some of the weekends and during some of the shorter holidays. Anyway, I'm not sure whether this will work out, but if it doesn't, I'll either try again next year, when Chris and I would both be in college and we'd be eligible for more financial aid or try something else. In any case, I'm not giving up. I cannot face a life of housework and waiting for Paul to get home so I have someone to talk to. I would be such a boring person and he'd be smothered. I need my own life, along with our life together.

I love your story about the ballet. I'm glad that you used those tickets this year. And I am constantly amazed by stories like yours about your work situation. Isn't it amazing how often what we learn as we work to lose weight spills over into the rest of our lives?

Kimmers, congrats on the one pound loss. And on maintaining during this stressful time of final projects. I know what a pain getting code to work can be. Then there's the iffy Internet connections that always seemed to crash when I was uploading web projects. Plan to crash and catch up on that sleep after you've turned in that last project. Being tired is one of the most common reasons for eating over points. When you can't sleep, your body cries out for extra food to get that energy it usually gets from rest.

As for the cooking school, I wish you could go with me, too. That would be a kick! You mentioned that you're cooking more complex things these days. I'd love to talk cooking with you if you'd like to email me. One of the things I miss most about my old cooking school/store buddies is having people who are passionate about cooking to talk to.

Veep, I don't know how this plan works for you, but I've found that avoiding snacking is a sure way for me to overeat at meals. That's why I started doing mini meals. I split my foods up into 5 or 6 mini meals during the day. I choose nutritious foods at each meal. I eat every 2-3 hours. The thing for me is that I get hungry that often no matter how much I eat at a meal, so I needed to spread out my points to accommodate that hunger schedule. It's working really well for me. I find that it's easier for me to stay OP when I do that than when I eat three large meals, even with "snacks".

I understand how hard increasing activity would be with your obstacles. And figuring out what the best eating plan is. Have you considered asking your doctor for a recommendation to a nutritionist or registered dietician to help you work out the best plan? Or maybe food isn't the main issue and a physical therapist could help you with figuring out what kinds of activities you can do? Maybe your doctor hasn't addressed the weight gain from the medication because he/she doesn't know how important this issue is to you. Obviously, I don't know the circumstances, but I do see that you're in a lot of pain about this. I wish there were more I could do to help.

I think that you can fight this, one day at a time. I hope that you realize that we aren't perfectionists here in the turtle club. We're not going to beat you up if you go off program or gain a few pounds or anything. We will simply encourage you to get right back up and get going again. We consider maintaining whatever weight loss we've managed to achieve to be a success, since it breaks the yo-yo cycle. And we continue to do what we can to keep losing, even if it's only a pound a month, or less, or more, as long as it's a healthy rate of loss. We believe strongly in progress and we don't always measure progress by the scale.

Good luck, ladies.

Happy turtlin'! :)

Lin

Veep,
I am so glad to make your acquaintance through this site. You are an inspiration. At goal and maintaining for a long time--medical complications and medication weight gain--and you're STILL ready to give OP a shot!
Fantastic. You can do this . You are so ready to hold onto the weight loss you have taken care of in the past.
Staying OP each moment will help you. We'll encourage you through this hard time.
I eat for many reasons and know I'm not unique. Right now I am in a struggle with myself to get to 200#. I am closing in and it feels great. I have had to let go of the speed at which I lose the weight because that was just causing me to beat myself up. Then I joined Slow Turtles and I loved the attitude here. I'm making progress and feeling good about myself. I keep on trying to put WW routine first in my life and when I do that, I see a nice loss and get myself closer to my goal. It's very cool. :cool:
Lin,
I love to hear you have a plan. Good luck with all your thinking. Hey--get that book written about a chef because I'll buy it! I love to read and combining a mystery and food is compelling. Planning for an empty nest is a very good idea. Having a life for yourself that can complement your husband's is also a very good idea. So--go for it.
Kimmers,
Have a wonderful vacation. You deserve it after all the very hard work you've been doing. I am clueless as to what code and computers means, but I certainly can understand being up so late and getting almost no sleep and then having to go to work. So, enjoy--stay as close to program as you choose to--and congrats on your wonderful weight loss so far. You WILL be 100 pounds lighter next year when you go on vacation again.
Lauren,
I hope you're doing okay. My good vibes are coming your way.

Judy,
234/205/thinner

Dear Turtles,
You are all so wonderful. I thank you all for sharing yourselves and responding to me. I really take your thoughts, inspiration and encouragement to heart.

Lin, you remind me of the importance of some protein every 2 to 3 hours. I've done that in the past and it does help a lot. I think it might be especially important right now. I haven't talked to my doc about this situation...I guess because I think it's pretty clear that I need to move more and eat less. No secrets, huh? I think next time I see him I will talk to him, though. You never know if he might have a helpful thought...and I have a good relationship with him...can definitely talk to him about my concerns (a very precious commodity!).

Yesterday was a total bust. All good intentions gone to automatic behavior. Even a late night eating spree. Today I pulled out my WW materials and wrote down my breakfast. I think I'm going to have to really seriously count those points. I hate to have to return to the hard work - and I hate to confess that. Although I remember while I was OP and losing my weight (turtle paced) I was surprised by how easy it was most of the time! Why do I forget that? I think it's part because this med makes me feel like eating all the time, and also because suddenly having my clothes not fit and feeling this big belly all around me makes me feel bad about myself. Part of my weight loss success - and maintenance - was very much about accepting myself as I am. Body fat and all. And dressing the body that I have. It's just very hard to now move in the opposite direction. I got rid of all the bigger clothes and made a commitment to staying where I was. Not skinny...just at size I could comfortably maintain.

Take care all...
V