The Spark

So this past month I have made some changes. I woke up really early one Sunday morning last month and came downstairs and ended up on the internet. I read some articles and one caught my attention; it was about real people who had lost 50+ pounds and had kept it off for 6 months+, and their tips and resources, etc. One of the people said they got their start on a website called SparkPeople, which helped them lose weight. At first I was pretty skeptical, because how could a website help you lose weight, right? But then I decided I might as well check it out. I had been pretty frustrated with my weight loss then gain week after week. I wasn't really doing anything focused on eating better, or exercising. I'd be 'good' for a week or so and then go out of control, so at this point I was ready for anything.

I spent about 2 hours on the website, reading and entering information and by the time Zak woke up and joined me downstairs, I was sold on it. I first put in my basic information, current weight, height, age, and how much I would like to lose, and when I'd want to do it by. I settled for 30 pounds by next February. I've slowly gained about 20-30 pounds in the past couple of years and it needs to go away. Once I had all my goals and information in, it calculated what I needed to consume daily in order to lose weight. For instance, my calorie range is between 1200 - 1550 each day, the grams of fat is 32 - 56. It also gave me goals for carbs, protein, certain vitamins and minerals, and I can decide what I want to track.

What has been the most helpful for me has been the nutrition tracker. I input what I've eaten, or what I plan to eat for the day, and it tells me how many grams of fat or carbohydrates are in the serving, so I can plan accordingly. There is also a fitness tracker, where I can put in the physical exercises I've done, whether it's been cardio or strength training. I've been trying to go walking more, but for a while it was really cold and rainy outside, so I decided to get an exercise video. Lame, I know, but I figured I had to get some sort of exercise in each week. I settled on NBC's The Biggest Loser Cardio Max dvd, with a 6 week program. So far I've only done the first level's cardio stuff, but I am starting level two tomorrow. It's actually been really good for me, and I feel my muscles getting stronger and aching the day after, so at least I'm doing something!

On SparkPeople I also track my weight and various measurements, like my waist, arms, thighs, hips, chest, or whatever else I want to follow. It has me weighing in weekly, and monthly measuring everything else. I decided to track some emotional wellness things like: energy, stress level, sleep quality and self-esteem. I can customize other goals as well, like drinking at least 8 cups of water a day, or writing in my journal, etc.

There are tons of health articles as well as ones with good tips and facts. So there is a lot of information for almost anything I can think of. I've read tips for eating out, articles about how to stay positive, etc. Oh, and there is a recipe section, of course! And there is a 'recipe calculator', where you can type in your recipe and see the nutritional information for it. That has been a huge resource for me, because I can type in what I want to have for dinner and depending on the numbers, I can plan my other meals around it so I won't go over my goals. I can also play around with some recipes to see how I can make them healthier. I've slowly been adding whole wheat flour in with white flour, and no one has noticed. I've found plain yogurt and unsweetened applesauce good substitutes for butter and oil. I know that's probably a life-altering revelation for some of you readers, but it's made a big difference to me! And so far, everything I've tried has tasted just as delicious as the original recipe, but is less fattening or whatever.

With having this website to report on daily, I've found that my eating habits have changed a fair amount. The biggest problem has been staying within my calorie range, and sometimes I'm discouraged. But then I realize that my goal max is 1550, not 2000, like what the nutrition labels have printed on them. So I'm still eating less than 2000 a day, which is good. I've found that I don't need to snack a lot, and when I want a snack, I can plan out something a bit healthier than a chocolate bar, haha. It's been a lot to keep track of, but I've been doing a pretty good job of it. Zak has been helpful; he's always helping me remember to stay within my limits, and offering to eat my food, hehe. And he says that I look and feel skinnier, so that is encouraging. What's even more encouraging is that the jeans I had to buy in a size larger a few months ago are pretty big on me, and I've been able to wear at least one of the pairs I had grown out of.

It's been hard with the weekly weigh-ins, because the number hasn't gone down as much as I would like it to, but Zak reminds me that I'm building muscle, which is denser/heavier/whatever than fat, so the number on the scale isn't really relevant. I know that, of course, but it's hard to not let it bother me. SparkPeople isn't just a weight loss site, it's a website that is focused on changing and making healthy habits for life. Of course I would like to drop those 30 pounds quickly, on some fad diet (a bunch of people at work have been on this scary diet lately), but I know I need to make some changes that will help me continually, throughout my life. So far it's looking good. I'm a little worried for the holidays, but I will just not let myself go crazy.

Last but not least, I have my own 'spark page' that I write on every now and then, and I'm deciding to share it with you guys. The link can be found by clicking on this link. Or by copying/pasting this into your browser: my.sparkpeople.com/ROZEHARTEN. Tomorrow is the completion of my first month, so I will be measuring everything and recording the changes. I hope it's a good amount! Also if you have or want to join, let's be buddies! It helps to have someone to do this with.