#167 Bale of Turtles looking at success!
 

:carrot: :welcome3: We are the Turtle Group here at 3fatchicks.com. We welcome you to join us as we work toward good health and fitness in a persistent manner. As our inspiration we use the race between the turtle and the hare where the turtle was the victor because he didn't give up. We believe in keepin' on even when the odds are against us. We believe in giving each other support. Good luck to us all!
Judy
Itryharder
(for Lin and Lauren)

Princess, glad you liked Pilates so much. Seems like a good fit for you right now. And congratulations again on getting well into onederland.

Chris, you are really busy. I hope your schoolwork is rewarding and gets you going to the goal you're after. Congrats on doing the right thing for yourself and your family.

Bandit, good luck with your social activities and your determination to get this weight off.

Ariana, always good to hear from you and I love how you adapted Wendie's to fit your schedule and keep on track!

Mousie, how are you and dh doing? Miss you and hope you chime in soon.

I've had a good week and stayed off the scale until this morning. Hmmm. Scale is not showing anything lost so when I WI tomorrow officially I'll see how I did. Am not borrowing trouble, but if I had a good week and didn't go over points on Core, I may have to rethink what I'm doing and head back to Flex until I get a losing pattern established again. Wish me well on my WI.

Take care, do well, keep the main goal in your target area and keep on keepin' on!
Love,
Judy :cool:

Judy: I admire you for being able to do Core... I could not do that plan since the key to it is stopping when you are "satisfied"... not sure I know what that is :p so you are way ahead of me... I stick with Flex but peak at Core every now and then... I just know myself too well to even try it.


Susan

Princess: Interesting. My Mom is doing pilates too. She says it is hard, but she likes it. I don't get to go to many gym classes because of my work schedule -- I get to the gym at 3:15, start working out at 3:30...no classes then. If I wait until later, I'm out too late for when I come in to work, and it's hard to get on the weights... Re Enough .2's Make a Pound: Exactly!

Chris: I don't know what SAS stands for...it's a cash-only, garage-sale type fabric shop -- everything is in large cardboard boxes, and you have to dig, but all of the fabric is typically 40-50% off the prices at, say, JoAnn's (which you can get with a coupon, so it just depends on what you need...) SAS is good for scrap quilting, where you don't have a specific color requirement. Chris -- are you going to UOP? Re Your Sister: I wouldn't want to look either, I'm quite squeamish, but I guess you do what you must, right? Sorry you're feeling unwell...

Judy -- thank you. It's great to hear that. I was quite proud of myself, adapting the Wendie plan to fit my planned IHOP expedition. <G> It's tough when you feel like you've been adhering to the plan but not seeing any movement on the scale. Have you been exercising this week? I can't remember. I would have trouble with Core. I guess I need the structure. Plus, Core is so limited on food content...how do you do it? Then again, some people say that one of the reasons we eat more is because of variety in our food, which may be true...

As a random thought, I am a big believer in using small plates for every day meals...two pieces of veggie pizza looks much bigger on a small plate than a big one... :D For the first time in my life, this year, if I were to put it all on a big plate (I eat out of pre-measured containers to save dishes), my plate would be 1/3 to 1/2 carbs and protein, and 1/3 veggies and 1/3 fruit. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? I'm feeling self-congratulatory today. :D

As for me, not much is new...I'm tired because I stayed up late last night reading a new fanfic story that my friend just started publishing yesterday. Work is very stressful, but I'm done in 2.5 hours. I have a doctor's appointment which I am more stressed out about...I will let you guys know how that goes.

Take care guys!

Dear Turtles,
Glad you all found the new thread. Food for thought: I was listening to Dr. Joy Brown on the radio and a caller said something like this--I'm great at starting WW's. I weigh, measure, exercise, and get great results and then Pow out of nowhere, I lose sight of what I want to do, gain 10 pounds and start all over again.
Response: (Tell me what you think of this because it rings true for me) Dr. Joy said you're bored! You're great at starting, but when it loses its thrill, you abandon the program. To stop doing that she suggested changing over to OA to get another new start, to hire a personal trainer, to take up a new hobby, to join a different gym, etc. The thought here was that you can do it, then you get bored. So------move on to something that is not boring and keep the weight loss continuing.

Since I always feel that I sabotage myself and blame myself and haven't for the life of me been able to figure out why, I love this kinder approach to the problem. I certainly know that I get bored and that I flit from one project to another loving the start of most things and getting bored once again as I get into it. What do you all think? :idea:

Another good day. I'm hoping tomorrow is a good WI. If it's not, I'll reassess as I mentioned before.
Love,
Judy

HI Turtles,
My WI was great and I shouldn't have worried. My scale must stay in the closet. No kidding--I actually stored my scale in the closet.
Anyway, I lost the .6 I gained last week and an additional 1.4# for a total of 2# lost. :bravo: for me! I'm so glad because this week I have been making good food choices through some tough challenges and I'm happy.
Take care,
Judy

Judy: Great job! I am so very happy for you!!! :flame: You are burning it up now :D

Susan

Morning all... Boy I am sure ready for the weekend this week... just stress in my life getting the better of me but a weekend would help.

DS and I do the bike tour this weekend... very excited and a bit nervous since I have not been out bike riding for a while now... We are supposed to have really nice weather though :D

Have a happy day all!
Susan

Ok - the last few times I have posted I get kicked out, this has never happend before & after typing a long post it is very frustrating. So, I will try & do it again.

Judy - congrats on your loss & nice to have your hard work pay off. Keep up the great job!

Princess - good luck with your biking - lots of fun & exercise.

Been busy up here this week. My previous WW buddies rejoined Mon night so that will be good to get together with them every week, but I am keeping Fri as my official w/i day since I get discouraged if I show gain on Mondays.

Tues, went to nutrition seminar & that was very informative. My friend was surprised I wasn't taking any vitamins so, now I am taking one that is good for lots of stuff.

Wed, went to curves & have been staying OP all week with my food, so hopefully will show some kind of loss tomorrow.

Anyway, keep up the good work, everyone & talk soon.

Judy:

These are just my thoughts, me on my soapbox, things I've learned...take what you want, toss the rest, and accept the hug that's coming your way...
:hug:

Now, I think there are several potential reasons for why people are more enthusiastic and focused in the beginning, and then taper off in their enthusiasm. It may be that the newness is exciting, but I'm not sure if changing from plan to plan is necessarily THE answer, although it may be AN answer. I also think it's important to realize that we need to do what works for us and our individual lifestyles -- maybe you have trouble sticking with WW because a strict plan doesn't fit your lifestyle. Maybe it's tedious, or frustrating, whatever the case may be -- you CAN modify it after all, remember that. Or maybe you didn't do it long enough for it to become a habit -- most things take about a month of consistent action to become habit -- or maybe it was too inflexible -- did you feel like you had an "out" if you were ravenous and had no points left? Or maybe, deep down, you were convinced that failure was inevitable, as you'd tried before and it hadn't worked out.

First of all, failure is only inevitable if you give up. If you persist, evaluate, and adapt, SUCCESS is inevitable. It's only a matter of time. I can tell you there were several times I had grown very frustrated, and felt like I wasn't going to lose any more weight, or that I might gain it back. But when that happened, I first went to my mother and best friend for support (and you guys, once I met you), and then I reevaluated and looked for things I could do differently. A new trainer, a new gym -- that just may work for you! And it's still working. I've gone from a size 22 to a size 14, almost a 12 now. It took me a while, and plenty of reevaluating and changing of my strategy, but it's working. Of course, what worked for me may not work for you, and that's what's most important to discover -- what works for you. And you may need to try several programs, and take your favorite thing from each (and teach us a trick or two, why not?) :D I've thought sometimes about doing LA Weight Loss, just as a change, myself. If I get stuck closer to my goal, I just may. :D

Second of all, evaluate what part does and doesn't work for you, and if it doesn't work for you, abandon it. You don't have to do exactly what they say if it doesn't work for you! If you count points and include exercise points and don't get anywhere, trying not counting exercise points. If you find yourself eating. If point counting is too tedious, do core. You get the idea.

Also, don't beat yourself up if you slip. If you're anything like me, guilt over a food slip feeds anxiety, which feeds anxiety eating...repeat cycle. If you slip, focus on adjusting a little for the rest of the week if possible, picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and continuing. The only real failure is in giving up.

I think it's important to have an "out", a food you can eat if you get really hungry -- so that you don't feel trapped -- telling myself I cannot eat anything else only made me want food MORE. But if I told myself I could have a piece of fruit or popcorn, free, if I was desperately hungry, helped, because, if I could turn that down, I knew I wasn't as hungry as I thought, and if I needed it, then well, I didn't beat myself up about it.

Lastly, it's important to evaluate if their was an emotional reason things didn't work out before -- i.e. was food your stress relief? If so, and you didn't replace it with another former of stress relief, it must have been that much harder to succeed. I think that changing our psychological responses to and around food are just as important as our actual food consumption and exercise habits. Food is just not for nutrition, or Americans as a whole wouldn't have an obesity problem.

I've done this before...these super long posts...does anyone find my thoughts helpful here? I hope so. :o If you don't like it, please feel free to disregard. It's all meant to help, and it's all meant with great affection. :hug:

NOW, regarding your second post -- it looks like you're finding your way and on track -- CONGRATS on the 2 pounds! That is fantastic! :carrot:

Thought I'd start a new post, ladies, after my "rant"/thoughts on WL...

Princess: Sorry you are having a rough week. At least it's almost Friday! A bike tour sounds like fun, especially if the weather's nice. It's finally getting cooler here (it's 89 degrees right now outside. That's our idea of "cooler.")

Bandit -- sorry about your forum troubles. How weird. I never get kicked off, but then I have a cable connection at work -- maybe that's why? Anyway, I'm glad your WW buddies rejoined. Support, both local and here in the Turtles group, is so important! I would never do WI on Monday, too close to the weekend. :o

Take a vitamin is good. I've also heard that calcium helps weight loss too, so maybe a calcium supplement? I take the calcium chews. Glad you are on track with WO and points.

As for me, ladies, I am relieved to report that my doctor's appointment went well yesterday...I hadn't mentioned this before -- it's somewhat scary -- but I found a mass in my left breast. The doctor think it's a cyst or a fibroid, not cancer, which is good, but I am getting a breast ultrasound just in case. I am relieved to hear she thinks it is nothing serious. I was worried, but doing my best not to think about it, which is why I didn't mention it before.

On the more cheerful side, I lost a pound this week, which means I have broken through the 160's, and I'm now in the 150's, at 159.8. (I was 160.8 last week.) It looks as though eating more protein has definitely helped -- I actually just added 2 extra points of protein a day -- so it's also possible that I was underestimating the effect of my workout, and not getting enough points in a day. I don't feel that bone deep craving anymore, so it looks like that's a sign in me of protein deficiency, not weight loss. I'm glad I talked to you guys about it, and that my mom suggested it. :D

Anybody have any big plans for this weekend? I'm going to a Rollerderby championship Saturday night, that should be fun, and I may go hang out at a coffee house and read Friday night, a friend of mine just finished a long fanfic story that I'm looking forward to reading...

Happy Friday
 

Morning all!

I just got done ordering this really cute lunch bag from Lean Cuisine... it is a too cute insulated lunch bag that is in kind of pink colors and it is only 9.99 and 5.00 of that goes to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation... If anyone is interested you can go to Lean Cuisines web site and it is all right there. Good cause and too cute new lunch bag :dancer:

Well I am very excited and a bit nervous about the bike tour tomorrow... not sure what is making my knee so sore but it is hurting and has been for a few days now... I really think that when I walk on the treadmill I am walking too hard if that makes sense... I try and hurry it along and that may not be a good thing for me old knee's. But tomorrow is the 16th and the bike tour is finally here :bike2: . I will be happy as long as I make it to the end, don't get lost on the tour (how embarassing) and don't take another header off of my bike :D

Ariana: I would just love to see your part of the country some day. DH is not a heat lover so we would need to plan accordingly but I would love to see the southwest... Best wishes for a wonderful weekend for you it sounds like you are going to do lots of fun stuff. So glad the protein worked for you!

Bandit: you are doing so great! Curves and eating on plan will bring you great results!

Judy: How are you doing? Any big plans for the weekend?

Chris: How is life treating you? Better I hope!

Has anyone heard from Mousie?

Have to run but will check back later on!
Susan

Hi TUrtles,
Ariana, love to hear your insights into weight loss. You're doing great. ]I'm sending good luck to you with your ultrasound and am relieved to hear that your doc thinks it will be fine.
Good luck on your activity this weekend. Sounds like a blast.

Princess, good luck on your bike ride. We're expecting rain here, so hope you have nice clear weather.

Bandit, weigh to go with getting back to Curves, etc. You're doing great.

Chris, hope schoolwork and sil are going well and that you're taking care of yourself.

This weekend will be busy for me and I hadn't been expecting it to be. Went to check out a boutique for my daughter's wedding gown to find out that the place which was great and had been in business for 40 years closed up shop.
So now we're checking out other places. In the meantime my younger daughter and her baby came out and we had a nice time. Tomorrow our new neighbors are having the immediate neighbors in to introduce themselves which I think is very nice. They are supposedly having a BBQ, but it is supposed to rain all weekend. In the meantime we're heading to a restaurant on Sunday with other friends. I am determined to have a salad and enjoy it.
It's only food, right? I did this at my book club meeting and got through with it. When I got home I was still starving, but I was able to eat Core foods until I was satisfied. Soooo, long answer to what I'm doing this weekend.,

Take it easy, be well and happy and stick to good foods and good exercise.
Love,
Judy :cool:

I am soooo lost! :o I was wondering why no one was posting and I didn't realize you had changed threads.

ANyhow, things are okay here. My back is killing me. I got my new treadmill. And Robin gets to come home in the next two weeks. Lots going on. Too much homework, and not enough time for me. THe girls have to sell cookie dough to make money for their dance costumes...TO get the cost of the costumes down to a manageable figure, we need to sell 135 things. We have sold 7 so far.

Yikes! You'd think things would slow down a bit but NOT! I haven't had a chance to read through all your posts yet. But just wanted you to know I haven't forgotten anyone. My braincells don't work so well sometimes...LOL

Gotta go. The kiddos want to go get some movies. Check back later.

chris

Happy Monday!
 

Morning all!

Well DS and I did the bike tour Saturday morning and it was great... we did the 10 miles in about an hour and at the end we were wishing that we had signed up for the 20 mile tour but there is always next year and the best part is that we had a great time!

Ariana: My thoughts and prayers are with you... I had to take a day or two to reply to your news or I would have just cried the whole time that I typed this reply... I went thru a scare last year and it was rough but I was blessed and it was only a scare. Best wishes and let us know how it goes.

Judy: What area of the country to you live in? It seems like we get your weather but a day or two later cause it is raining today... started last night and it supposed to go all day... the temp's are supposed to get in the 40's tonight.

Have to run but will come back and finish later on.

Hi Turtles,
Chris, when we get to about 30-ish numbers of posts, I start a new thread.
I'm sorry you didn't see the new one. I do try to say I'm starting a new thread when we get long so I hope this doesn't happen to you again. You've already got much too much to think about. :idea:

Princess, what an accomplishment to ride ten miles in about an hour. :bravo: And what a great bonding experience. I wish I had wanted to be more active when I was younger. I know I'd be in better shape now if I had been. As far as location, I live on Long Island in NY. we get a lot of the midwestern weather coming across in either direction, and since we're on the coast, we also get the southern Atlantic coastal weather sweeping up the shoreline. I'm in the middle of the island, so am not on the water, but we still get hurricane winds, etc.

Ariana, let us know how your tests come out and know we're all thinking about you and wishing you well. :hug: :grouphug:

Had a weird weekend and am hoping I wasn't off program more than 35 points worth. I like Core and it helps keep me on track, but I know I ate more than I needed this week.

Take care, be well, Mousie and Bandit and everybody chime in when you can.
Love,
Judy :cool:

Hi everyone

Princess - nice job on the bike tour - 10 miles, that great.

Had my w/i on Fri & was down 2.2# so was pleased with that.
Will have some challenges this week, as I am in hotel for 3 nights with bf's tax convention. But, am taking my running shoes & workout clothes & will try & go to a curves nearby if that works.

Ariana - good luck with your tests.

Judy & everyone else - keep up all the good work.

Bandit,
What a fabulous weight loss! Keep up the good work. You've had hotel/time before and done great, so keep that in mind. You're doing so well! :bravo:
:cp: :cp:
judy

Ariana, Thinking about you darlin'! Hope all is well. Let us know.

Judy, It's not your fault that I can't keep up with you gals. I just am sooo drained anymore and stressed that my mind ends up elsewhere. I have yet to find it and have it returned to me. :D

Things are so busy around here. Homework, work, running the kids here and there for their activities, my SIL, and things aren't smooth sailing with the MR. of the house. Needless to say...I have not been doing the best for me. I ate BK for breakfast and for lunch today. I didn't eat much for dinner tonight. Just wasn't overly hungry by then. I know I keep saying this over and over again...but I need to get serious and stay serious about my weight loss. I did buy a treadmill so now that's all set up in the basement and I can workout whenever I want.

Well Hello to the rest of you. I gotta get off of here really fast like and get the kids to bed. Check in tomorrow. I'll have lots of computer time while I babysit my sisters' kids tomorrow. All of them....all 7 of them. They all get out of school early tomorrow, and both my sisters are working. ARRGGHHHH!

chris

Bandit: Great job on the 2.2!!! and good luck with your challenges... I know they can be rough...

Chris: 7 KIDS!!! you are a much better person then I am because I would never agree to watch 7 kids... I love my two boys and will love my grandbabies when God see's fit to send them my way but I am not the right person to watch 7 kids... their momma's would come to pick them up and find them all tied to a chair and gagged :ziplip: and me sitting in a corner talking to myself :rolleyes: . I am just not the babysitting type... guess that is why my brothers never asked me to watch their kids :D

Judy: How are you doing? Have you W/I this week yet? I am really hoping that my W/I on Saturday morning goes well... it is my birthday and I would just love to offically hit the 30 lb mark or something... anything actually :D

All: Have a wonderful and happy day!
Susan

:Hi Turtles,
Okay Chris, now I completely understand why you have lost your mind. Evidentally you didn't find it in time to tell your sisters that you were not quite able to watch seven, yes I said seven, children today. Egads!!!!! I know how you feel because I'm sure there is no one else. All I can offer to you is a :hug: and some advice. Lower your expectations, try to fly just enough to get where you are going and also think that if you control your exercise and your eating that you at least have control over something! It may sound odd, but when I was going through some of life's toughest challenges, I buckled down and really did the right thing for myself with food.
And please don't be so hard on yourself. You are doing an amazing amount of things right now--all of them tough--so feel our :love: and keep on keepin' on.

Princess, I have had a pretty good week and am hoping to lose some weight. My aim is one pound a week figuring that if I can keep that going it will be about 50 pounds down this time next year. I WI tomorrow. As far as you, I should think with the ten mile bike ride you should lose some weight.
I've got my fingers crossed for you especially since it will be your :hb:

Gotta run and watch my grandbaby.
Love,
Judy :cool:

Agreed ladies. I am not the babysitting type either. Thank God in a weird way that Jen didn't have to work today but I still helped her our since her little boy Conner was sick. Tomorrow I'll only have the 3 littlest until the rest get out of school in the afternoon.

I'm on my way downstairs to walk on my treadmill as soon as I get my daughter from dance. I did go to my rheumatologist today and he upped my dose of Wellbutrin so maybe I won't be such a teary woman. I've been horrible with being depressed and having anxiety attacks. I think its mostly all the stress and pressures I have right now but I'm not afraid to get a little extra help from some pharmacueticals...LOL Hopefully things will level off soon. I don't think there is much left of me...

Gonna go work on my homework a bit. I'm in a chapter I forgot how to do. No more review for me.

chris

Judy: 50 lbs by this time next year is an awesome goal and you can do that... that is just a pound a week and a very "do-able" number.

Chris: Like I said... you are a way better gal then I... I agree about the "assistance from the pharmacy" I would take it too if it was needed and I would say in your case it is needed. Hope it gets better really soon!

All: Cold day here today... I swear the weather is crazy! In the 40's at night but by Thanksgiving we will be sweating! Crazy!

Have to run but have a happy day!
Susan

Well I'm not sure if being "a way better gal" is the way to go. it's creating problems everywhere I go. Not enough time to get my junk done at home, hubby is all tensed up and irritated, homework is suffering...YIKES!

Well Friday morning, my SIL gets sprung from the hospital. Don't know what to expect and what this will mean or bring. Kind of nervous about it. She's going to stay at my MIL's house for awhile.

Well gotta go.

Chris

Hi Turtles,
I had my WI and meeting today. I was up .2# and am dealing with it. I knew this wasn't a great week, but was hoping and wishing----I'm sure you know what I mean. So right now I am going to put my points counter on the fridge to make sure that when I choose off Core foods, that I count them in.
That might help. LOL. Actually I"m okay, have gotten food in the house and expect to do better this week. Attitude is everything. Good luck to us all.
Love,
Judy :cool:

Judy, .2 lbs isn't bad at all. That will fall off you in no time. So do you find CORE easier to follow or the FLEXpoints? I have such a hard time with any of it. It's all in my state of mind. I know. :)

Chris

Judy: .2 is not bad at all... that could just be a trip to the potty :rolleyes: if you know what I mean. You will lose that and more next week... But I know how you feel... I really do.

Chris: So sorry things are so busy and hectic for you... maybe once your SIL gets settled with your MIL things will calm down a bit.

Well I have to complain just a bit ... and I know that it is trivial but here it goes anyway, I need to voice it here because if I say anything at home it will lead to a problem and I just want to avoid stress right now.
My birthday is Saturday and since it is all men in my house they usually decide to take me out to dinner rather then put themselves out a little bit and just plan a nice meal at home... which is ok for the most part but this year when I asked my husband if it would just be the four of us (2-DS, him and I) he said that since his sister would be in town visiting his mother that maybe we should invite them and that also my oldest sons girlfriend was going to come into town... now a WW knows that you can't just pick any restaurant to eat in and on a special occasion I would like to pick some mid-price range... something like a red lobster or an O'Charlies... nothing too expensive but not a McDonalds either... well if all 7 of us go out we will end up paying for everyone and that is were the problem comes in... I work and make half of our families income so the money is not just DH it is mine also. When he asked me what I wanted for my birthday I said a "Walmart gift card" and he just complained that I would spend it on groceries and not buy anything for myself... well in fact this time he would be wrong since I have lost weight I really need some new clothing and have been eyeing some things at the local Walmart for a while now and would love to buy them for myself... my mother also usually sends me a check and I was planning on using that for a few things that I need but if we end up having to pick up the check at a restaurant then I would have to spend the gift card on groceries and put the check in the bank to cover the restaurant bill and I am just a bit selfish this year and don't think that is fair at all... so I said that maybe we could just cook at home and basically DH acted like ok, what ever YOU want to do... so basically I would get stuck cooking. Very frustrating!

Hi Turtles,
Princess, glad you got a chance to vent. Hey, whose birthday is it? Since your dh said, "OK. Anything you want." I'd take him up on it. What I want is for the four of us to go out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. Or, if we eat at home with the extended family, I==the birthday girl--would like you and the boys to rustle something up to eat. They shouldn't have any trouble cooking something simple. Maybe you could get out your crockpot and a recipe and have them pull something together. Eating at home doesn't mean you have to cook for the crowd.

Since you want to use your Walmart gift card for something specific this year==clothes for the thinner you==I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to invite the others to a restaurant meal where the bill will be out of sight. They can always join you at some other time over the weekend for a BBQ/potluck. What I know for a fact is that where there is a will there is a way and it doesn't have to end in a fight with your dh. I know I'm not in your situation and I also know how level-headed you are from all your posts, but how about taking a deep breath and asking for what you would really like?
I'm sending you :hug: and :grouphug: to help you with your :hb: and I hope this all works out well.

I'm up to a busy weekend. Today my dd and dgrandbaby are coming in for some fun. She's been working so hard lately and I think we all need a break!
Tomorrow night we're all getting together at a niece's for a birthday celebration/engagement celebration. My daughter met her fiance through her cousin. It's so cool because all four kids like each other and I hope they will be lifelong friends. Important to have good people to share your life with.

Hey, Princess, I'm really thinking about you and wishing you a :hb: and hoping that some sensitivity creeps into the situation.
Love,
Judy :cool:

Hey Judy, thanks for the kind words, you and I think alike but the men in my family don't think that way. I don't see it all turning out well...

Have to run but will talk to you tomorrow.
Susan

Happy Friday!
 

Well it is a really rainy Friday here in Indy but I will take it anyway... rain or no rain!

I guess I was upset/stressing over nothing since two of the people that were to go with us tomorrow night have made other plans... or at least that was what I was told. I had basically decided that I was not going to get involved, basically drop the whole thing and I would make a supper and who ever wanted to show up could and those that didn't... well... that was fine too. But with two less going out is not as huge of a $$$ issue so I have left it in the men's hands and will worry about it no more. I just don't handle stress and worry very well anymore... I can feel it nawing a hole in my stomach and I think it is time to listen to my body.

Ok, so, I am really excited... I got on the scale this morning and I am pretty sure if the scale is correct that I have hit my half way point... I really hope that is true... what a B-day present to myself! Happy Birthday to me =) I just feel like it is all starting to pay off...

Judy: You are such a good buddy and I can not thank you enough for your strong and kind words... in the grand scheme of things it is all so trivial but a few things over the last couple of days hit a raw nerve and I had just had enough I guess... I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!

Chris: Has it calmed down for you at all... you are the Super Turtle I think... You do more in a day then most of us get done is a week... I hope that you find a bit of down time this weekend for yourself.

Have to run but have a happy day all!
Susan

Hi Turtles,
Princess, soooooo glad it's working out for you. What I forget, big time, is that sometimes when you don't do anything things just work out. Yay! First of all, congratulations on making your half way point. :cp: :cp: :bravo:
This is wonderful!!!!!! Yes, all your hard work is paying off and good for you!

My birthday is coming up soon, Oct. 3rd., and I always get a bit more sensitive at this time of the year. Go figure. In any case, I baby sat dbaby twice this week. Then our day of fun with dd and dh and aforementioned dbaby was fun, up to a point. Turned out dd needed to do a bit more shopping and in the midst of the chaos she's been living in lately forgot the baby's bottle. He wouldn't drink a Starbucks that she thought he might, so my dh and I drove home where we have extra bottles, etc. while dd continued to shop. Then I volunteered to watch dbaby for a short time while they finished shopping. Soooo dh went back to shop with dd while I watched the baby. Hey, this kid is sooooo active and I was tired and 3 hours later really feeling put upon. I was exhausted when they came back in and really feeling resentful. When dh came to bed around four in the a.m. I was edgy, he knew something was wrong, and I told him just what. He apologized and said it was miscommunication because they thought I was up to watching the baby. Well, I've gotta watch what I volunteer for, shades of Chris, and I also have to be clear with my expectations. I also feel guilty because I suspect they spent time shopping for birthday presents :hb: for me. Sooo, guess I need to vent too and protect my time a little better.

Everybody have a good weekend. Princess, so glad it's working out for you and today I'll have some time to myself to gear up again and get my head on the right path. The good thing is that I didn't overeat because of this and that's a very good thing.
Love,
Judy

Ladies -- sorry I've been gone so long -- I've been running errands every day at lunch, all week, except Monday, when I was at the doctor's...

First of all, to let everyone know, I had a breast ultrasound on Monday. The tech and doctor were concerned, because the mass is large and very definite, but it didn't show up on an ultrasound at all. So they did a mammogram, six -- whatever you call them -- pictures? The doctor examined them all and said that there is no evidence of any cancer, that it may just be a particularly dense section of tissue, and that the mass that we could all feel (me, plus the tech and the doctor) was a sort of ridge, where the tissue went from being dense to less dense. I brought up that I had lost a lot of weight, and it occurred to me that the mass could have been there longer, and I had never noticed it because there had been more fatty tissue in my breast before (they've shrunk as I've lost weight, which is fine with me -- I was a 42 D/DD to start with). The doctor thinks that may be why I never really felt them before. They said that based on my age and the ultrasound and the mammogram, it's very likely that there's nothing to worry about. They also said that the only other thing they could do is an MRI, and that seems unnecessary at this point. The doctor said that I should have the doctor check it every 3 months or so for a while, but that I won't even need another mammogram until I'm forty. So that was a big, BIG relief. I expected to feel relieved right away, but I was still nervous, after floating between denial and worry these last couple of weeks, and then the actual two hours in the doctor's office...I just barely resisted the urge to bury my face in a grilled cheese and french fries, my ultimate comfort food...but I got my mom on the line, talked to her for a while, until I was almost at work, then got here and ate the lunch I'd planned for. So, it was a big relief by the end of the day, when I'd calmed down, but very stressful.

As for the rest of the week, I'm exhausted, and I have been all week. I'm having trouble falling asleep, and I feel blech when I'm this tired, so I'm just going to relax this weekend...do house chores tonight (cleaning is done, I cooked one dish last night, I just need to cook one more dish and do food prep for the week -- cutting veggies and fruits) and then take tomorrow and Sunday off. I am going to a Greek festival down here Saturday evening, nothing too stressful or fancy.

Oh, I almost forgot -- I lost .6 this week. My goal is a pound per week, but it is TOM, so that might have something to do with it. I did lose a pound last week. :D

What's new, ladies? Any exciting plans?

Re your posts since I last posted...

Princess: I understand -- my mother went through a scare last year, and that was hard enough for me, so I couldn't imagine what it was like for her. It was a little easier knowing that my doctor said she thought it was nothing, since I'm so young, but it was still scary, since it was significantly large (the doctor's actual words were ("It's BIG.") I'm glad that the bike ride went so well! Re your knee -- maybe the incline is too high? Re heat -- in another month or so, Arizona will be lovely -- it is already quite nice up in the mountains. About six months of the year, the weather is good, from cool, to our idea of cold -- but it is quite hot the other six months, especially from mid June to mid September. Blech. But what can you do? I hate humidity, and I would rather be somewhere dry and hot than cooler and humid. Having grown up in AZ, I find humidity particularly uncomfortable, and intense heat much more manageable. :D If you do visit Arizona, you should check out Tucson -- we have beautiful Sabino Canyon, and Mt. Lemmon, about an hour up, and ten degrees cooler...and Tombstone, about 1.5 hours from Tucson, is a great tourist spot, it's supposed to be a blast. :D I am very happy the protein trick worked too. :D Re Your birthday: Oh, that stinks. I agree with you, how vexing. I agree with Judy. It's your birthday, and if you want to have an intimate dinner at a mid-price restaurant, that's your prerogative (sp?)! And if he doesn't want to do that, the potluck is also an excellent suggestion. I'm glad it worked out. Re hitting half way point -- CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Judy: Thank you for your good wishes. Glad that my "insights" were well relieved. I was worried I might come off as overbearing...I just want to share everything I've learned (the hard way!) in case even a small part of it is helpful. :D Thank you for the good wishes. Eating a salad, with the promise of more core food when you get home is a good idea.

Chrily: Thank you for your good wishes. Sorry things are so chaotic. Re eating BK for breakfast and lunch -- it's important to not beat yourself, but to instead evaluate what went wrong, why you "slipped" and then make strategies to compensate, and get back on the horse! Remember, if you keep working at it, success is INEVITABLE. Even if it takes many strategy changes and a great deal of effort, it is always worth it, and always doable. Re Back Pain: Remember, it is important to STRETCH! Stretching when you work out can help with a number of aches and pains -- it has helped a lot with my back pain, which I used to get almost every day. Now I get it mostly when I do things like sewing, where I end up slumped over for long periods of time.

Bandit -- thank you for your good wishes! Congrats on your WL, and good luck with the hotel days.

Ariana-That's is GREAT news!!!! It is hard to take the edge off and not be nervous after a scare like that. WOW! I'm so glad it turned out well.

Judy-Ya, don't pull the "chris" thing! It will get you into more probs than you can imagine, like for instance...sister's who "assume" when the one'a husband goes out of town in Oct and the other sister who is going to denver with her husband for a concert, that "chris" is going to do all this extra babysitting, from early in the morning until 9 at night. I haven't figured out how to tell them...this ain't happening! But I'll figure some way to tell em. I AM getting resentful about all this. Its never reciprocated and I'm tired of being the "go-to" person. The thing they keep forgetting is that I AM going to school too, I have a FAMILY I need to take care of, and I DON"T want to be taking care of all theirs while my whole life goes down the toilet unattended. Okay..Maybe I'm getting a little p.oed.

Well vent over. I have to get ready to do some errands. I brought SIL home from the hospital and I have to get her some prescriptions today and do some other junk. But first, I have to take a HISTORY quiz. YUCK!

Check back later...

chris

Okay Gals,
We're getting pretty full up of posts here, so I'm starting a new one. We're doing great!
Love,
Judy