For those of you who are joining us for the first time, we have taken the tortoise in the story "The Tortoise and the Hare" as our mascot and mentor. The hare was fast, but the tortoise won the race! Please join us; we don't bite, and we welcome all fellow tortoises on this journey.
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Swania, GOOD FOR YOU, getting back to tracking and exercising. I find exercise to be my best stress reliever these days. Maybe it will help you with yours, too. Let us know what the MRI results show, OK? Boy, growing old isn't for sissies, is it? {{HUG}}

I'm actively looking for work myself these days, since it looks like my own work is drying up. My main customer just cut way back on my hours for some reason (unstated, but they're going through a re-org), so now my subcontracting company is scrambling to keep me busy full time. I know they can't do this forever unless they get a new client, so ... I'm hitting Monster.com again for the first time in many years.

The silver lining: Because of the stress, I continue to have a tough time hitting my points. DH is joking that he should stay unenemployed until I get to goal. HA HA HA (NOT!). As a result, I'm keeping off my flu weight loss.

How's everyone doing? Judy? Bandit? Choosewell?

Onward and downward,

Lauren

I have good news!!!!!!! All of my mom's tests were negative!!!!! I can not thank you all enough for caring and praying for us. Even though I couldn't describe any of you physically, I know you all through your big hearts!

Thanks so much! I am so relieved!

Now maybe I can focus on my own health/weight.

HOORAY!!!!!

Hi Turtles,
: and mostly



Lauren, thanks for such darling dancing guys--I tried to contribute some myself because I know how thrilled we all are for the great results for Swania's Mom. Hooray, hooray, hooray. Thank God and our prayers were answered.
Swania, thanks for letting us know so quickly. Yes, now back to taking care of ourselves in the best way we can.

So much has happened in such a short time and I know that's what life is all about.
Lauren, I hope your db is doing better. I'm sorry he was so far away, but grateful that your dd will be able to be with him and help him recover. Life is strange, but this will be a time for them to get to know and understand each other better--to value what they are to each other and to be grateful to be in each other's lives.

As far as your dh's job, I know this is a case of a door closing and a window opening. I just hope the window opens real fast. When he realized he hadn't been happy there in a long while, he knew it was time to move on, but it is hard to do unless we're given a bit of a push. I know you must be worried, but you are very competent and can earn well and your dh will find a good position soon. So I'm sending you a to keep your spirits up. You've been hit pretty hard all at once, but I know you can handle this. Also, because you are so spiritual, you will know what to do and I'm praying for you right now.

The weight loss after the flu is great. You've mentioned a couple of times that I might try going back to Flex. I really am resisting it, but you know I think I have to.
What I can try to do is count points on Flex, but use the whole grain, etc. foods from Core and see what that does for me. I lost weight well and immediately on Core--I feel that's where my food selections should come from, but I keep on eating more than I should and I deviate too often so the end result is no weight loss. Even with exercising, my weight is probably up for this week again. I will go tomorrow to my WI.
I may have to consider going to two WW's mtgs. a week. I've done that before to keep on track and that has helped. Gee--a real commitment--what a novel

I love you guys--Swania, you and your Mom are in my prayers. You go girl! Lauren, I pray for good things for your db, dd, dh, and dyou!!!! Bandit, how are you and your dboyfriend and his Mom? Good luck and good prayers coming your way.

Love you all, take care,
Judy

Lauren and Judy - I am just loving those icons and the two of you! Thank you for always being so supportive, caring and accepting of me. Far too often in life, people are negative and bring you down. i never feel that way here. So this weight problem of mine has been blessing in its own way. Otherwise, I wouldn't have met you all.

Lauren - How is your brother? How are things going with your dad being there? Any positive leads for hubby? How are you coping through all of this?

Judy - You've been exercising! Good for you! What have you been doing? I've read that even heavy women who exercise are better off than inactive thinner women. Keep up the good work!

I must finish the day's chores. I slacked off during the last several weeks and now must get the house back to its usual order.

Thanks again so much. You will never know how much your prayers have meant to me.

Hi everyone:

I have been very busy lately. BF's mom is doing good & I think she will be going to a long term care facility. But things keep changing. Last couple of weeks I have not been doing good food-wise. So far this week I have stayed on track but I really need to drop a few pounds to get back where I was not so long ago. When I have emotional things going on I snack badly but I am doing better this week.

Hope everyone is well & talk to you soon.

Swania, I agree with you about the silver lining in our weight battles -- we wouldn't have gotten to meet each other if we didn't have them. This is a great little group, isn't it?

Judy, that's the exact same problem I had with Core. I lost well the first week then couldn't lose after that. I just eat too much on Core, even if it's healthy food. I think your idea of eating Core foods but counting points is a great one. I know I'll have to write down what I eat and count points for the rest of my life if I want to keep from gaining weight. It's the only way for me.

Bandit, I'm glad BF's mom and your eating are both improving. I know what stress can do!

As for me, I'm staying OP, am finally back up at my points target again (and went over a couple of times, though not badly). Yesterday I had a great food victory. Someone brought donuts to work, and I took one. I had a bite and then thought to myself -- do I really want to spend the points on this? So I looked it up on the web, saw that the donut was SEVEN FREAKIN' POINTS, and threw it in the trash! I felt good about that all day long. I ended the day squarely at target.

I'm up in weight so far this week, but I'm sure it's impending TOM.

As for the rest of my life ... I have good days and bad days. Early mornings are my worst time. I've been waking up very early and fighting with panic. Once my day gets going, it gets better.

DB is home and recovering; my dad is staying with him until Sunday. So that's good.

DH is talking with people about possible jobs but nothing has materialized yet. I'll be getting my own resume polished this weekend. I am currently working as many hours as I can in while the work is there; I foresee it drying up in around April. (Which is also when DH will lose his job.) But it's hard to tell; it could continue. Such is life when you're a consultant.

At this point, my greatest fear is losing our house. I love our home and just can't bear to think of giving it up. It's not palatial or anything; it's a 1926 house with about 1600 square feet, so it's no mansion. But it's home, and we love it. DH has fixed so much of it up, and I love its location and so many other things about it. But we have to have a certain income in order to keep it, and right now I just have no idea if I can carry us along until DH gets a job. So that's what wakes me up in a cold sweat in the morning.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers; both of us have commented that we can feel that people are praying for us. It makes all the difference.

Onward and downward,

Lauren

Hi all -

Just a chance for a quick note. Lauren, has your hubby considering teaching at a college or university? I knew a doctor who taught anatomy at community colleges and other courses for more income. Or maybe tutoring of college and/or medical school students? MCAT preparation? I'm still praying for you both and I'm sure that something wonderful is just around the corner. Keep us posted.

I'm having some financial problems too and I will probably start tutoring again for income.

Happy to hear, Bandit, that things are better. I know what you mean about eating under stress.

I did Pilates yesterday for the first time in a long time. I plan to continue. I am wearing out all of my fat clothes and it would be much easier to be able to wear my old clothes.

Have a good rest of the weekend everyone!

Hi Turtles,
Wow, we've got a lot to contend with all of a sudden. Bandit, so glad things are looking up for your boyfriend's mom. As far as eating, it is really tough to control food when everything else is out of control. Good for you for getting back on track. That weight will come off as you know. Here's : for all your challenges.

Oh, Swania mentioned something and I wanted to give her a hand. She said that we are such a welcoming and supportive group even though she doesn't know what we look like. I look exactly like Kim Basinger. Okay, so maybe I'm a little chubbier, older, less blond and don't have a perfect face, but think "Kim Basinger" when you think of me and we'll *all* be happy! LOL

Well, now that I've wasted cyberspace with that bit of nonsence, here's the real stuff.
Swania, we love having you here. You've been great and Bandit and Lauren and you and I make a nice group. We're always welcoming others who'd like to jump in and share dieting tips and offer support, but I love this group too. I always hope that Lin and Choosie will have a chance to chime in here and there. Oh, and no kidding, when you get your house back in order, would you please come and do mine? I've been holding my grandson a lot and the house is falling apart around me.

Speaking of houses, Lauren, you are going to keep your house. Your dh is competent and will find another position soon. You are a great writer and Monster.com will be an avenue for you to find work--it may even be pleasing and a challenge. Everything will work out. You're in a bad swirl of events right now, but I'm praying that things turn around for the better for you. My own dd's bf left her after three years and at the same time her job was so shaky she had knots in her stomach all the time. She finally took a leap of faith, got her resume out and had a new and better job within a week. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried for her--financially and emotionally--but she was able to get up and get out and interview and it looks real good for her right now. I know Things will go well for you. You and your husband are both experienced in your fields. You can adjust your budget for a bit, make your house your priority and you'll be fine. You will never lose something you love so much. There is always part time work in or out of your fields and some window is just waiting to be opened.
In the meantime we're all sending support and prayers your way.

Glad we're back in the swing of things with exercise and food control. I went to WW's and lost a pound, so things are looking better. For exercise we're looking at snow here, so I'm on my treadmill. Am eating better and am back on track. The trick is to stay there!
Love you all-gotta run,
Judy

Kim Basinger - that's a hoot! Ok, I'll play. I'm Halle Berry, only a few years older, slighter darker, shorter, with longer hair, and a bigger chest, hips and thighs. Oh, and I'm in need of a makeover. Otherwise, we're twins!

We had another medical scare with my mom on Friday (blood in urine) and I rushed her to the doctor. He gave us some medicine and did a test. The medicine worked within hours and we will get the test results back on Monday. It may have been a urinary tract infection and nothing more serious. I'm sorry to be so graphic, but as women I think we need to know symptoms of things which affects us. Hope I didn't offend anyone. Our bodies are such complex organisms.

It is difficult to remain on an even keel with drama unfolding at every turn.

Hope everyone is well.

Swania,
I knew you looked exactly like Halle (I know her well enough to call her by her first name), so your description wasn't a big surprise. I've got prayers running your way for your mom. These life dramas are always in the wings waiting to surprise us. We just all have to keep on keepin' on.

Turtles, : to all of us. Gotta run and try and get my house in order.
Love,
Judy

Thanks again so much Judy! I think that this latest medical crisis is under control with the meds that my mom received. She'll have additional testing in 3 months. Another sigh of relief for us.

I know what you're talking about in terms of getting the house in order. I spent today doing that. I'm usually pretty neat, but with all the happenings lately, some things are out of place.

There are about 4 months until the 4th of July (hard to fathom since it's snowing here). I would like to be in the 170's by then, even if it's 179.8 on my scale. I see my mom with so many problems (and she weighs 105). I haven't had any health problems yet, but in 1 1/2 years, I'll be 40. I can not continue to press my luck. For those of you 40 and over, is losing weight even harder? How has extra weight affected you as you have aged?

Lauren, Bandit - How are things?

Hope everyone is doing well.

Hi Turtles,
Swania, glad to hear your Mom will be okay with her new meds. Please, to help yourself gain some perspective about your own health, remember that genetics plays an important part of our makeup--but your Mom's makeup is not entirely yours. And of course we are able to adjust what we have been given by taking care of ourselves.
Exercise and diet are two friends to us right now. Certainly looking better is a goal of weight watching, but at this point I am interested in living a longer, healthier life, so a lot of the good things I pursue have to do with increasing my longevity so I can be around to enjoy the people I love.

Things are looking up here. It's been a rocky week or so in my little family's life, but things are coming around and having satisfactory endings, so I was able to get back on the treadmill yesterday and I had a great day of good food. I made a soup for dh and me but I only made 1/2 a pot so I wouldn't be tempted to eat all the leftovers. That worked. Tomorrow is WI at WW's and I hope to have a decent result.

Lots of luck, : and a to us all.

Swania, thanks for pointing out the nearness of the fourth of July. I've got lots of nice events coming up and I'll need new clothes. It sure would be wonderful to be able to fit into a smaller size.

Love,
Judy

Hmmm, I think I look JUST like Kristen Scott Thomas with a little ... monthly water bloat. And yes, of COURSE you both look like Kim Basinger and Halle Berry. That has been evident to me from the beginning.

I think Bandit looks like Demi Moore.

OK, now that we've got that out of the way ...

Judy, thanks for the pep talk. It was very welcome. DH has a couple of leads, nothing substantial yet. Ditto for me. But I'm so busy right now with work, it's hard to imagine that I'll be running dry in a month or so.

Swania, I'm glad your mom is doing better. All these scares would really weigh on a person. Hang in there. And yes, losing weight after 40 is harder, no question.

I'm staying OP but am up a bit; I think my flu weight loss finally disappeared. I'm still down overall, so that's good. I'm aiming at getting back into onederland in June. I really, really want to get there! I just need to keep away from all the junk food at work, and get out and exercise, snow or no snow.

Onward and downward,

Lauren

Hi Turtles,
Do you remember when I thought I could get into onederland by Jan. 1st? What happened to that? I'm struggling with getting back to 214. Ugh. So here I go again--with Swania's reminder of the good available time we have until July 4th. and Lauren's aim of onederland by June, I'm right there.

I aim to be in onederland by July 4th.!!!!!

Exercise and right eating here I come! Gotta keep it going. I'm on the right track right now.
Love,
Judy