Merri,
Welcome back. You're a new name to me. I've only been posting here since about February. I think about only losing 25 pounds and I think about us. That's exactly what I did last year. But 25 pounds is great! Please don't think about what other people did. It is extremely irrelevant, though tempting, to compare ourselves with others.
You are you. You're doing fine. It's great you are posting. Do what got you started losing in the first place. Did you journal, drink the water, exercise, graph a weight loss, stock up on LF, SF foods? Figure out what you did and do it again. Trust me, you'll be so happy. In the meantime I am so glad you're posting. Love your name. Remember, you're very young and have a whole life ahead of you to be slim and healthy. Good for you for giving this a shot.
Lin, I'm so glad you have a chance at a good job. I've got good vibes and prayers coming your way. You do not have to throw away your nice weight loss just because all of this is more than you want to bear right now. Remember your wonderful soup and salad ideas and keep on turtlin'.
Lauren, you're smart to get your resume ready in case you have to jump ship. This is all very stressful. Thanks for writing such great tips for healthful living and valuable suggestions for all of us.
Good for all of us for hanging in there. I took a little hiatus from program, but being OP feels better, so I'm back on.
Everybody take care and write when you can.
Judy
Wow, Lauren. I don't think I'd want to travel that much, either. I hope you find a better job before your company's layoff rumors become reality. I'll add your job hunt to my prayers.
Re: warmer climes--good ideas, but I can't take humidity. My sinuses get clogged and I get these awful headaches when it gets humid here, which isn't often, thank goodness. There's a reason why so many people want to live here. It has the best climate. It's similar to the Napa Valley and the area around the Mediterranean Sea. So, I'm a spoiled native Northern California lady. The real reason is that the tech industry in the South doesn't include companies that have jobs in the type of work Paul does. There's a little in the Southwest, some in Austin, Texas, but that area seems to go bust with great frequency. Most of it is in the Northwest and Silicon Valley, where the cost of living is similar and astronomical. However, I really appreciate you putting your creative brain to work on my problem.
Thank you all for your supportive words about maintaining my weight loss. I'm not doing great, but I'm not bingeing or gorging or anything either. I just can't seem to get back to writing it down and planning. I think it's because I'm more focused on stretching the groceries as far as I can. Judy, I especially thank you for your reminder about soup and salad. They can be my lifesaver because they fill me up and they're full of the nutrients I need to maintain my health.
The thing is that even if I get this job, the pay, combined with Paul's unemployment insurance, is barely enough to cover rent and a little bit of food. I don't know what we'll do about our utility bills, gasoline for the commute, etc. if Paul doesn't find a job before the severance pay runs out and we're trying to survive on what I'll make (being optimistic about getting the job) and unemployment. Or worse, if it takes longer than 6 months and we no longer have the unemployment money coming in. I hate to be "borrowing trouble", to quote an old cliche, but I've known people who have had to sell their houses to get money to live on because it took a year to a year and a half to find a new job. It's especially difficult for older men in the tech fields. So, I'm being a bit of a worrywart. All I have to depend on is my faith in God because I certainly don't have faith in corporate America.
Judy, congrats on getting back OP. I'm looking forward to hearing about you gradually getting back to the weight you want to be.
Veep, Kimmers, Merri, Lauren and Lin,
My best to all of you. Yesterday I had a wonderful day and today I'm going to have to work hard. Got to ballet again and met my other daughter for dinner. We all took the train home and are getting ready for a barbecue today. Our guests are usually WWs, but we got a call that they're off program right now. So.......I just got back from grocery shopping with plenty of OP food and a few items that would be tricky to fit in. I'm going to do very well today because otherwise I will give back my weight losses of the last month.
My prayers go to all of you in the trials you're facing right now. Please keep me in your prayers and good vibes too.
Judy, way to go on having such a good day! Good luck with the barbecue and the no-longer-OP WW friends. Sounds interesting.
Lin, I hear you about the humidity. I don't like it much either But there are tech spots outside of points west. Those are the spots you know best, I suspect, and I'm sure there are lots of jobs there -- but as you point out, they're also very expensive places to live.
However, no place will have a better climate, I'm sure. It just all depends on what tradeoffs you're willing to make. We'll keep praying. I know all about the worrying, the "what ifs," the disaster and worse-case scenarios. Here's a verse that helps me: "Let the day's trouble be sufficient unto the day." We only live one day at a time, not a year into the future. Just focus on what you need to do today and let God worry about tomorrow. That's what I'm trying to do.
I'm trying to figure some of this stuff out right now -- not in terms of moving, which isn't an option due to DH's job, but in terms of what kinds of jobs to look for. I'm going to put in an application at University of Michigan as a development writer, which is something I did for Univ. of Pennsylvania in the past and enjoyed. But it's really a step back in an old direction for me, and I don't think it'll make me more marketable in the way that all my tech work has done. (And the pay is nowhere near as good.) But they have a position open, and there are no usability jobs open in this area right now. So on it goes.
As for eating --- blecchh! Not doing too well the past couple of days. I'm finishing up TOM, which I hope will help, and after that I'll weigh myself. Pants are snug right now. When I'm REALLY stressed (like worrying about DH's test results), I undereat. But when I'm SOMEWHAT stressed (like now), then watch out! Today I'm going to at least write it down again; haven't done that in a couple of days, which is always a recipe for disaster.
It's rainy and cool here, so not much in the way of holiday outdoor fun. That's OK; I need to finish up my job applications and get my writing samples in order. Hope you all have a marvelous rest of the weekend.
Hi! My Memorial Day weekend was great. I was off from Thursday through Monday. My kids came to visit and we were busy the whole time. I'm pooped! What did I do when they all lived here? Anyway it was great. I tried to stay OP and made lots of good choices. However, I need to make *all* good choices and I didn't do that. So--here I am today, back OP and doing it all over again. I didn't get on the scale this morning, but I had gotten on it a couple of days ago and was up many pounds. Hopefully much of that was fluid retention because of salt, etc. I need to keep this continuous so that I don't throw away my losses each month by behavior that could be controlled. Out of the blue I didn't get on the treadmill. Now, of course I didn't want to wake them up by getting on the treadmill, etc. All good reasons that start to sound like excuses. So, tonight I'll get on that machine and enjoy it because I feel great when I exercise.
I hope you are all doing better with all the worries you have. There have been times when my food intake was all I could control, and so I did that. Somehow having food under control helped me get through very stressful situatios. I am sending good vibes to everyone and have included you in my morning prayers.
Take it easy and let's all try taking these days one step at a time.
I tried to post yesterday, but the "new reply" button wasn't showing up on the screen.
Judy, I'm glad you're back OP. I found it a bit odd that your friends made a point of calling you and telling you they're not OP anymore. Were they expecting you to serve different food than you otherwise would have? Well, I'm glad you got through that OK.
Lauren, thanks for all of your continuing support. I agree that climate is a minor issue here. But getting Chris graduated from high school is not. So, unless Paul cannot find a job before the money runs out and we become homeless, we won't be looking in other parts of the country right now.
I thank you for the quote. It's a reminder I needed to hear. It's something that I am able to do, sometimes. It's really hard at other times, especially when I have to spend some of our small cash hoard. I'm working on it.
Good luck with that job you're applying for. Even if it's not what you really want, you can keep your eyes on the market and jump to send your resume out again when a job in your field opens up. Nowadays, no one thinks twice about people leaving jobs after a short time, especially for a job in their field for more money.
I haven't heard anything about the job they sent my resume off to last week. She said she'd call either way, but I think if they wanted to set up an interview they'd get back to me sooner rather than later. I'll let you know if I'm wrong.
I've also not been doing well with regard to food. However, I've been getting in plenty of exercise.
I want to work toward getting back OP. So, I worked through the booklets that came with Winning Points. They are a lot more helpful than the ones I got with 123 Success. They have techniques to help with the stuff that comes up. Some of it is more helpful than other parts, but maybe that's because I needed some of that information more right now.
For example, the booklets called "Meal Time" and "The Right Mix" surprised me. I answered the questions and discovered that there are physical reasons why I need to eat the way I do. Some of the recommendations are things I've been doing, like eating mini meals and a higher carb to protein ratio. Other things were things I'd done without really thinking of it as a part of the program, like not eating carbs alone as a snack (combining them with protein or protein and a bit of fat) or having sweets or alcohol unless it is with a meal. Also, I should choose at least 50% of my carbs from the complex category. What's interesting is that I feel healthier and have more energy if I eat that way.
My point is that I keep reading posts from people who ask, for example, if they should eat high protein to lose weight (usually "faster" is added to that query, but we turtles don't worry about that). And I've never seen anyone suggest that the person posting do the quizzes in the book to find out what their particular body needs. I think we often focus on the booklets having to do with how to do points and what we can eat and maybe the activity booklet, but we ignore the rest. Somehow, we seem to think that they aren't as important. Yet, if you look at what we're foucsing on, those are booklets that focus on the information traditional to every diet.
That is just one example of the types of posts that came to mind as I worked through the booklets. It seems to me that we can broaden our horizons and create a lifestyle by using all of the tools WW gives us. After working through those tools, I see that I can use them to reach my goal because they can help me get through this time of stress without making choices that take me down a road I don't want to travel. So, I'm breaking that information into baby steps to work on. It may take some time, but I think it will be worth the effort.
Dear Everybody,
My goodness. So much is going on. I love the Slo turtles reaction to stress and know that beating ourselves up gets us nowhere. Guilt just makes me eat more, so I am slowly trying to add back the exercise. I also have to concentrate on less salty foods. Saw that V-8 with calcium has 20% of the sodium I need in a day. That's too high to make sense for me right now. I'll get calcium from Caltrate and skim milk, and buy the low sodium V-8.
I honestly think my friends mentioned they were off program because they wanted more fattening things to eat. Not a great thing to do. The weekend was too long for me and I have to get closer to program again.
I'm trying every day. I also have to figure out why I allow myself to go off program when I am satisfied with being OP.
You are all in my morning prayers. I am hesitating to offer advice because you have such complicated situations. You have my best vibes and prayers and I hope for successful solutions to your problems very soon.
In the meantime, I am hoping that we can all stay as close to OP as possible in our varying circumstances and do the best we can. I think Lin mentioned that 200# is just another number and I need to remember that. I sure undid a lot of good work and that's a miserable feeling. I'm working on it again and hope to be more optimistic shortly.
Love and good vibes,
Judy
Judy, your posts are always so upbeat. I really enjoy reading them.
I know what you mean about salt. It's weird that in the past year or so I've started to crave salt during PMS. I never used to do that. But, I also have found that it's only for a day or two, so I'm not too worried. It's either that or chocolate!
How about the next time you have your friends over, should they call you with the same useless information, try saying something like, "Thank you for the information. I've already planned my menu and I'm sure you'll enjoy the food." Then make low fat food that doesn't eat like low fat food. I have recipes and will email some to you, if you want. Just tell me what kind of food you want to cook. I have everything from simple stuff like spaghetti and meatballs to creme brulee (4 points per serving).
One other thing that you might consider when thinking about how best to do this and what success is. What is your definition of being OP? Do you consider yourself off program if you eat certain foods? If you go over points? If you don't drink the water? If you don't exercise? What things do you think of as being off program? The reason I ask is that I've read a lot of posts from people who are eating within their range, drinking the water, exercising, and journaling, but say they're off program because they ate a specific food. Or they didn't exercise as much as they "should". Or they only drank 6 glasses of water instead of 8 or 12 or whatever. I guess what I'm wondering is whether you're beating yourself up over "rules" gleaned from previous "diets" (even old WW programs) rather than focusing on the specifics of this program. There is a lot less guilt built into this program and I think that's a good thing.
I'm a believer in avoiding undeserved guilt because guilt also causes problems for me. When I feel guilty, I find it much more difficult to get back OP. That's one issue I'm dealing with right now because there's guilt in stress eating. I know that eating out of stress doesn't fix the stress and it doesn't move this turtle closer to her goal. But I find myself doing it anyway. Not in huge, binge amounts. Just eating larger portions and not getting in all of the fruits and veggies. Then I feel guilty because I know it's not helping. I start to avoid counting points and journaling because when I look at the paper and it has too many points or too few fruits or whatever, I feel guilty. That's so illogical! But, as Jillian said in Star Trek IV, "Who ever said humans were logical?"
So, I'm doing baby steps. I've got the water back to my normal amount. The next step for me will be to get in the vitamin and calcium in food and supplements. That seems to help keep my emotions on a more even keel as far as the monthly hormones goes. If I can do that, it will be easier to add back journaling, etc. But, I'm doing what I can right now.
BTW--200# is just another number, but I want to see it, too. I also want to see the door of Lane Bryant close behind me as I am able to buy clothes in regular stores. I know that I will get there as long as I don't give up and I keep doing those baby steps.
A quick update on my stressful life-- I haven't heard anything about my brother's biopsy. I'm going to call my mother today and see if she's heard anything. Paul is rewriting his resume after taking a workshop yesterday. His company is paying for one month's worth of workshops, etc. from a consulting service. I'm working with him, mainly in an editorial capacity. He's terrible with grammar, spelling, etc. Then he's going to send it everywhere he can and post it on the job boards, especially the technical ones. I never heard anything about the admin job, so we'll see if they come up with anything else. It's slow right now so people aren't hiring temps much. I got the information from the CIA in New York. If I can get scholarship money and six months work in a kitchen doing food prep, I'll go for my bachelor's degree. (It doesn't have to be in a restaurant. It can be in a soup kitchen cooking for the homeless, which I'd really like to do. The only thing it can't be is in a fast food environment.) But, I'm not doing anything about that until I find out where Paul will be working. I don't want to get a job and have to leave after a few weeks because we have to move or something. Meantime, I'm doing what I can to stretch our money and keep things together around here. And doing some writing for the sake of my sanity.
Things are going OK for me. I only gained 2 pounds since the last time I weighed myself and it's PMS, so it's probably water.
I've been successfully doing baby steps at least part of the time. It's helping me to feel a little more in control, but I doubt I'll get totally OP before my husband finds a new job. I go up and down with this problem. For a while, I'll be as accepting as I can be, since I can't do much about it. Then a wave of depression hits and my eating gets weird. The interesting thing is that I'm eating mostly healthy food and sticking to a lot of the habits I've built over the years. So, I guess a lot of the key to succeeding is hanging in there long enough to build habits that take over when your mind can't cope.
I still have a lot more habits to build, but I do see that I've been successful in a lot of ways as time has passed. I choose to eat more fruits and veggies. I choose to eat more complex carbohydrates and less refined carbs. I drink all of the water every day. And I'm managing to maintain the weight loss I've achieved. (During PMS I don't consider 2 pounds a real gain because I know that it's water retention.)
My next step is to do as much as I can to stay OP as much as possible during this stressed out time. Yesterday I wrote my day down on paper. I'm redoing my record-keeping materials. I periodically change the way I keep reccords because it's a signal to my brain that I'm beginning again and what I did in the past is over.
Things haven't changed with regard to my stresses. They still haven't scheduled that biopsy for my brother, which seems strange, but my mom said she'd keep me posted. Other than that, Paul's resume will be posted and sent to a bunch of companies today. Then we wait and send out more tomorrow. Everything esle is still the same.
First, Lin, I MUST have that 4-point recipe for creme brulee! My favorite dessert! I found one in Cooking Light, but it has powdered milk in it, which I loathe. Haven't tried it yet.
And a HUGE congratulations on gaining only two water pounds during this stressful time. What an accomplishment. I hope you're keeping your posts so you can refer back to them in the future and see just how much incredible progress you've made. I'm really impressed with how you're handling all this.
I'm eating the junk that you're not, unfortunately. Not all the time, and I'm not bingeing, but I'm definitely eating too much, and not all of it is healthy. I'll write things down for a couple of days, and then I stop. Part of the problem is having company over (friends and family will be here for the next couple of weeks); part is stress related to layoffs (I'm still employed, by the way; dodged the fourth layoff of the year). If I finally do get on a billable project, there will be stress associated with that, too.
The thing is, there will ALWAYS be stress in life. It's not going away. So how do we change how we cope with stress into something more healthful and helpful?
The main thing I'm continuing to do is exercise a minimum of three times a week. This week I play to go for five times. Last week all I could manage was three. I'm hoping this will at least minimize the damage.
So that's my news. I'm going to get out my journal and write it down again today -- argh. It's so tough when you know you're eating too much. I hate seeing it in black and white! So of course I don't write it down, which is denial at its best. How silly we are!
Lauren, first, congratulations on dodging the bullet yet again. Maybe things will pick up and your company will stop having layoffs and you'll get back to doing the job you like to do.
I laughed when I got to the end of your post because I do exactly the same thing! I don't write it down and it is the ultimate denial. Sometimes I feel as if it's like the old dieter's jokes about when calories don't count--as in--the points don't count when--you don't write them down or you're only eating the crumbs on the plate, etc. You've heard them all, I'm sure. But we all know that reality is that they DO count, even if we're in denial and not paying attention.
You're absolutely right about stress always being a part of our lives. And that we need alternate methods of coping. The standard advice about stress eating is to stop eating and do something about the problem that's causing the stress. But what do we do when the stress is over things in our lives that are out of our control? When we can't solve the problem because the solutions are controlled by other people's choices and decisions? Those are the times when I tend to overeat. And my life is filled with those stresses right now.
So, I'm continuing to do what I can each day. And I appreciate your support.
Re: the creme brulee recipe. It's my favorite dessert, too.
I also loathe powdered milk, so you won't find any in my recipes. I often revise Cooking Light's recipes to get rid of food products that I can't stand.
I'm not quite happy with the result of my last revision. I finally got the amount of sugar right, but the custard still tastes a little too eggy. I only can make it a couple of times a month or my family rebels and demands CHOCOLATE! They're all chocoholics and I'd never get anything but chocolate or apple pie for dessert if they had their way. I'm planning to try another revision this week. I'll let you know how it turns out and when I'm happy with it, I'll post the recipe.
I watched a cooking show today where the chef made a traditional creme brulee out of 8 egg yolks and 1 liter of cream. That's a ton more than 4 points per serving, especially since his serving size was a lot more than the 1/2 cup in my recipe. I'm feeling pretty good that I got the points down as low as 4 per serving without sacrificing flavor or texture.
I also had a great thought--you know, the creme brulee and fruit could be a great breakfast, since the custard is basically baked eggs and milk with some flavoring and sweeteners. A little granola for crunch would be good, too.
Hi! Very busy times, but before I go any further, please send me your creme brulee recipe for 4 points. I'm staying as close to program as possible, and still can't figure out why I go off program as often as I do. I'm getting annoyed at myself and think the next step is to look into reasons why I am doing this to myself. Yes, I like food, and yes, I like to eat---but when I am successful it's almost as though I don't feel I deserve to be successful and I sabotage myself. Not a good feeling. Lots of stress and turmoil here, but I'm doing my best to hang on.
Good luck to all of you with health and job searches and staying OP. I know we can do this!
Judy
234/?thinner
Okay, I don't know what just happened, I tried to scroll down and I went back two screens and lost all that I had already written. Bummer! Guess I've got to get used to this new board.
Lin, it sounds like life is hailing down on you. Good for you for still managing to at least project a positive attitude. But then, that's the Lin I know. My good thoughts are with you.
Lauren, uncertainty at work is the worst. I know how shaky it is for you, but you've got all of us behind you, pulling for you.
Merri, Vee, Judy, hi! I used to post here until life got on top of me. But I'm back now, watch out!
It's been about 4 months since the wedding, and a great deal has happened and changed. I've passed my first semester back at college! Finals were killer, but I did manage to pass. I'm in summer school right now, to try to finish sooner. Through "restructuring" at work I'm now Senior Trainer, which means everyone comes to me with questions, problems, comments...I've only been there 6 months, and this is my first job as a trainer, so I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, but hopefully I can keep my feet under me with my inate good sense! (Yeah, right. I'll be drowning tomorrow!)
We've decided to stay in this apartment for now rather than trying to move again. I have moved 4 times in the last 3 years, and with school and work and everything I don't think I could do it again. So we're a fair distance from friends and family, but we've decided to stay put for now. DH is still looking for work, having gotten his authorization to work in this country (he's British) right at the time that this city went into IT Recession. As he is a web designer/programmer, there are a lot of people competing for very few jobs right now. They all came out here with dreams of big money jobs. Just any job would be okay, right now!
I have started/tried several different sports and hobbies, and I'm having a wonderful time exploring them all. I love bowling! DH will tolerate it, but I love it. I've also gotten back to doing yoga twice a week. The first day my shoulders and back were very very very VERY sore, but I'm okay now. I've also tried Tai Chi, which I enjoy. I dug my rollerblades out of storage and DH and I have been going down to the Bay in the afternoons. He flies stunt kites (I do too, sometimes, yet another new hobby) and I blade up and down the Bay. We've found information on an event called Midnight Madness, a 20 mile bike ride through downtown San Diego at midnight. So we're getting our bikes souped up for that, too. I am planning on taking a beginning ballet class in the fall semester. I would take rock climbing, too, but it conflicts with the one class I absolutely must have. So, no go. DH bought me a lovely keyboard for my birthday, so I'm slowly filling a lifelong dream of learning to play the piano. We've also gotten yearlong passes to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, the San Diego Zoo, and SeaWorld. All in all, life is very very full!
I have found a new WW leader that I love, and am back going to meetings again. My weight got away from me and I regained quite a bit, but not all. I managed to stop it, and found a new meeting, and am back OP. With all my activity it's really hard to gauge how much is enough, and how many activity points I need, and if I'm starving myself, and all of that. In addition to my sports and things I do a 1-hour workout in the mornings, before I go to classes. I do a combination of cardio and weight work. So even before you add in the classes and sports and hobbies, I'm getting 5 hours of formal exercise a week. My weight loss has been stalled, so far. I have been within points, and stalled. Above points, and stalled. I refuse to go below points. Totally off points, and stalled. NOTHING seems to be able to get me going! But, with the help of my wonderful new leader I hope something will finally give.
Anyway, now that I've babbled up a storm, I'm back!
MOUSIE!!!! It's so good to see you again! Sounds like you're having quite a busy time; wow. All those activities must be building muscle; have you taken your measurements? That's probably a big part of why the scale isn't moving. I can't imagine that going below your points would work. Do you count your exercise points?
Anyway, lovely to have you back, and here's hoping your husband finds something soon. (Does it still sound funny when people call him "your husband"? )
Lin, I'll look forward to the creme brulee recipe. Yes, I can imagine you'd probably loathe powdered milk even more than I do with those sensitive tastebuds of yours. Hey, what about chocolate creme brulee?
Judy, that's quite an insight you've had -- about feeling like you don't deserve to be successful. Where do you think that comes from? Did someone important in your life make you think that way years ago?
When I first met my husband, he had a feeling that whenever things were going really well, something terrible had to be about to happen. The better things went, the more he worried. He didn't know where that came from. Then one day I went with him to his mother's church, and I couldn't believe the sermon. The minister talked about the lovely snow outside, the beautiful snowfall we'd had that morning -- and then proceeded to say "But what if it had turned into a blizzard? What if you had been caught in that blizzard, and you were lost and you DIED?" He then went on to talk about the importance of having your life where it ought to be at all times. It hit me that my husband had been hearing sermons like this all this life, so of COURSE he was expecting terrible things to happen at any moment.
Once he saw the connection, he stopped getting so worried. Now it rarely comes up.
Anyway, whenever you're feeling like you don't deserve success in this area of your life, why not stand in front of a mirror and say affirming things to yourself? It sounds silly, but it can be powerful in unexpected ways. "You are beautiful, inside and out. You are worth it. You are precious."
Good for you for hanging in there.
As for me, I finally got on the scales. It wasn't as bad as I'd thought -- I'm up a total of 3 pounds since before vacation. But for me, 3 pounds takes a month to get back off. My goal right now is to maintain while my mom is here, and then start fresh. Maybe I'll order the "at home" program like Lin did. I need to make a line in the sand and start anew.
Mousie, I remember you and your upcoming wedding! So good to have you back==and active too. Weigh to go.
Lauren, thanks for the input about deserving to lose weight, etc. The only thing I can figure is that we moved a lot when I was a kid and I was always trying to fit in, in another place. Always felt like an outsider. But that doesn't fit in with not deserving to lose weight. I'll be on a vacation again soon and I want to do some deep thinking about this. I really can't let family worries stymie my weight loss any more. Rough things happen in life, but that's not a reason to go off program.
For all of you, take care, I admire you terrifically with your success in working through problems.
Lin, hope things start to look up soon. You must be so happy to be up such a tiny bit of weight.
Keep on turtlin', everyone
Judy
234/?/thinner
The real reason is that the tech industry in the South doesn't include companies that have jobs in the type of work Paul does. There's a little in the Southwest, some in Austin, Texas, but that area seems to go bust with great frequency. Most of it is in the Northwest and Silicon Valley, where the cost of living is similar and astronomical. However, I really appreciate you putting your creative brain to work on my problem.
