But since it's the New Year, and a whole mess of people are probably resolving to lose weight this year, I'd like to encourage everybody who wants to to join Sparkpeople.
It's free, for those who are worried.
The quality is better than the one very popular paid site I've used, though.
And it's not insane in its strategies, for those who are worried about that. In fact, if you try to set insane goals, it won't let you.
It's excersize and diet suggestions are also sane, and reasonably paced.
It's also whatever you want it to be. If you just want a place to track the calories you ate and/or how much you excersized, it can be that. If you want a place to keep a weight loss journal, it can be that. If you want instructions for how to slowly ease your way into a healthy lifestyle a little at a time, it can give you a structured program to do that. If you want a community where you can go for support and ideas full of people who are at every level of their weight-loss struggles, it can be that.
posted
I really SHOULD do this (and I'm posting mainly to let you know I did read all this, as well as the links).
I'm just finding it very hard to find the motivation to do it. To get started again. Maybe after Jan 1.... (there are still holiday cookies on the table)....
posted
I will at least join the Hatrack group. We'll see if I'm motivated enough to do this right now.
You see, I lost weight on SparkPeople. I got to the point where I was happy enough with my weight, that I wasn't willing to really *sacrifice* with my eating anymore. I was just maintaining. While I thought it would be nice to lose a few more pounds (I thought it might be nice to be a size 6 for the first time in my life since pre-puberty) I just wasn't willing to make it a priority anymore.
Now that I know I have gained some with the holidays and jeans that were once pleasantly fitting are strangling me, I may get back on. The thing is, I am relatively confident that with what I've learned from SparkPeople, I can lose the weight without using the website at all. But even so, using it for awhile might help me "jumpstart," so it is something I may get back into.
One of the little things I loved about SparkPeople was that it helped me to drink enough water. I have a really hard time doing that without it.
Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I'm going to sign up... And poke around... And see what it's all about. I'm getting heavier and I don't like it.
Posts: 2267 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
I'm signing up, mostly for the tracking. Keeping track of things is a big help for me in staying accountable. I'm not too interested in the meal plans or exercise suggestions, I already know what works for me. I'll join the Hatrack group as soon as I get the rest of this sorted out. . .
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I think I may sign up...but do I actually have to admit to everybody how big I am? 'Cause jeez, I've gotten so huge.
Okay, I'm in and I've joined.
this may actually come at a good time for me, my buddies at gymnastics and I had all decided that we sit for too long when we could be up and moving so we are all going to walk together while our girls are at the gym, so that's two days a week I'll get in some cardio...and I have been lifting weights with my daughters already a couple nights a week and now we have a new basketball goal so I have more motivation to be outside playing with the kids. Maybe I can have a more active year this year and do better with my weight and health.
[ December 27, 2006, 03:14 AM: Message edited by: Belle ]
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
Wow! I'm excited about how many people signed up!
I know a lot of you sound overwhelmed by various aspects of what you've found there. Like I said in the first post, one of my favorite things about Sparkpeople is that it's completely adaptable to be what you want it to be, and you can just pretend like whatever you don't want isn't there.
And even though it has you plan for like three or four sessions of cardio a week when you start, if you follow the "stages" it suggests, you'll see it actually eases you into that slowly.
I know a lot of people probably don't want to follow their "stages"--I didn't, intially. But I did have good results when I followed their program well, so I'm starting over and this time I do plan to use their stages as a guide.
You can enter and track other goals you write yourself, that may or may not be fitness related.
You can either put in goals that you want to track on a daily basis (like if you want to write every day, or work on scrabooking three times a week) or long term goals that have a bunch of intermediate steps (Goal: Become a millionaire. Step one: Get a million dollars).
Posts: 1894 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
I am shi_hiroko. I used my wife's email because I thought I would get her involved--since she does all the shopping. In hindsight I should of signed up under lem.
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
If I sign up, do I have to put in how much I currently weigh -- like where other people can see it and all?
Posts: 9538 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
It took me forever to figure out how to make it so somebody COULD see my weight.
So it's not really something that's just out there.
In fact, you could probably use most of the features of the site without logging your real weight at all. There are only some things (like how many calories the thing suggests you have in a day) that even require your weight be entered.
Posts: 1894 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
I signed up under Akayuri. Never tried something like this before. Don't know how serious I'll be about it, but it might be another reminder to not eat so many sweets. Especially if I'm baking them as often as I do. =/
Posts: 168 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
In honor of this thread, I quote OSC's most recent OSC RE.
quote:I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. Oh, I know people make them. Or at least they claim they're making them. But just because they happen at New Year's doesn't mean they're resolutions.
Here's Uncle Orson's Unfriendly Guide to New Year's resolutions:
1. If you didn't write it down, it's a passing thought, not a resolution.
2. If you don't have a specific plan for achieving a goal, it is not a resolution.
3. If you have not made an open covenant with the people whose respect you most care about, it is not a resolution.
In other words: "I'm going to lose weight!" is an idle boast, not a resolution. "I'm going to lose twenty pounds!" is a wish, not a resolution. "I'm swearing off carbs!" is just stupid, not a resolution.
"I'm going to follow this explicit diet plan and do these exact exercises on this precise schedule until I have lost twenty pounds" -- and you've written it down and shown it to spouse and children and co-workers, asking for their cooperation in helping you achieve your goal -- now that's a resolution.
"I'm going to get out of debt" is a dream, not a resolution. "I'm going to cut up my credit cards" is not a resolution, it's a cry of despair.
"Here is where our money went last year; these are the things we are no longer going to do, so we can apply that money to our credit card debt. We will not use credit cards for anything except the following categories of purchases. If we do not have at least $X surplus out of every paycheck, we will cut back further."
Real resolutions are rare. But I've seen them. I've seen the family that decided to sell their expensive house and move to a more modest neighborhood, so they could pay off the (cheaper) house early and live without debt.
I've seen similar radical changes made so that one spouse could stay home with the children and the family could live comfortably on one income.
If you're serious about change, you will be realistic about what it takes to achieve the goal, and you will immediately start to do what it takes. Nothing will stop you.
That's what a resolution looks like. Only grownups know how to make and keep them. And they don't have to wait till New Year's.
I am so excited about all the people who joined. It is really going to be a happenin' place over there, full of people who are too cool to still use slang like happenin' or cool.
Let me share a couple of things:
First, the first time I signed up for sparkpeople, I used it for about a week, and then I stopped. I didn't really think I had quit or anything . . . I just sort of petered out and stopped.
But when I wanted to lose wieght, it was there. The moment when I was absolutely fed up with how bad my knees hurt and how little energy I had, and I stopped wishing to change and really wanted to change, Sparkpeople was there.
It didn't bug me that the discovery of the site didn't coincide exactly with the moment I was ready. I was just glad that I'd found it before, so it was there for me when I needed it.
So for those of who aren't ready, that's cool. You've signed up, you know it's there, it will be easier for you to use it when you are ready.
Because when you come right down to it, it's not about the website, or about the specifics of the diet, or about the specifics of the exercise plan.
It's about you.
When you're really and truly determined to get fit, almost any program you try will work. When you're not determined yet, nothing will.
So for those of you you are absolutely fed-up, and have decided that enough is enough, and who are going to end this year a different person than you started it, let's rock and roll! Follow the Sparkpeople tips, put up pictures that movitave you, find a quote that sums up what you're going for, find a song or two on MP3 that gets your motor running, and let's do this!
************
Second thing:
Have you ever pushed on a door that you thought was going to be closed, and had it swing open without resiting you at all? What happened?
Instinctively, you had to pull back, right?
Sometimes we do the same thing with excersize. We throw ourselves into it like mad the first day, or the first week, and our body goes into open rebellion. We get sick of it. We're using too much force for a door that isn't closed. Instictively, our body needs to pull back.
So ease yourself into it. For now, end every day feeling like you could do a little more, and you'll be less likely to dodge tommorrow's excersize.
-------
Good luck, everybody!
See you all on the forums!
Posts: 1894 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Boon
unregistered
posted
Hubby and I decided we're just too unhealthy and overweight. Our children are healthy, active kids, but they could still eat healthier. I signed up, and am using the meal planner to cook for all of us.
I love that it's so easy to substitute single items or even whole meals in the planner. That makes my life much easier, and the automatic shopping list is very convenient.
Believe it or not, we're actually eating MORE food than we were before for the last couple of days, but, because it's so much better for us, it has less fat and fewer calories.
I am determined to lose an average of 1-2 pounds a week, until I reach my goal of 150 pounds. It may take me three years to do it, because I have such a long way to go, but I'm not going to give up.
I deserve to be healthy. I deserve to eat wonderful food that fuels an active lifestyle. I deserve to like what I see in the mirror.
My children deserve healthy parents.
I'm determined. I have resolve. This is the first day of the rest of my life.
Rayann
P.S. The oriental rice recipe is very good.
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posted
Well, I've signed back in since the first day and I actually was able to record a weight loss for last week. Of just one measly pound, but hey, if I can lose one pound during the holiday week, maybe that is a sign of good things.
School starts Thursday which means my activity level will go way up, and since we got the kids a basketball goal I've spent at least 30 minutes to an hour outside playing basketball with them and I'm sore enough to know it's really tasking me.
I starting buying Special K for myself for breakfast and the kids have been eating it, so I've got to get more! Funny, how if you don't buy completely useless sugar-laden cereals, people with eat what's there without too much complaining.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
I actually just joined weightwatchers last week, but I may end up using this site as well. It looks pretty cool. goody told me about the hatrack section of the site, but I let her know that the fact that I shelled out hard earned cash is a MUCH bigger motivator than anything else ever could be. It's really terrible.
Good luck everyone. My goal is 83 pounds without a time limit. If I could do Belle's 2 pounds a week, I'd be there before the end of the year. Fantastic possibility. Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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posted
Narnia, having done this once before (a 50+ pound weight loss before I got pregnant with my twins) I usually average 3-4 pounds per week the first couple months, then it tapers off to one per week on average, though you have to consider there may well be plateaus where you don't lose anything for a couple weeks. Don't forget to factor in muscle gain if you're doing strength training as well.
So, I personally think it's better to try for an average of 1 pound per week, that's what I put in my SparkPeople profile. You and I have about the same amount to lose, I'm hoping for 87 pounds total. Heck, now only 86 to go! That will get me back to the weight I was when I got pregnant with the twins, and I felt really good at that weight.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
I put down that I'd like to lose 35 pounds, at a rate of one pound a week. I fully acknowledge that 35 pounds might not be realistic. I'd be satisfied with 25. I'd also be satisfied with 45, but that would put me at a weight I haven't seen since high school, and I'm not holding my breath. Especially since I'm much more muscular now than I was then, and I like that. I'd rather add a bit more muscle, even, and not lose as much "weight."
So far, the OCD aspects of the site have been very appealing to me. And I've lost 2 pounds the first week. Like Belle, I don't expect to maintain that rate. But it's nice to see it in the beginning, you know? Encouraging.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Zeugma, that's wonderful! Congratulate him for us. It's good to hear encouraging stories, they help keep you motivated.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Boon
unregistered
posted
I'm going to weigh in today. I don't own a scale (except the one for food I just bought) so I have to weigh at the YMCA when I take the kids to P.E. class. This'll help me NOT obsessively weigh myself 4 times a day. I'll update Spark and post any loss or gain here every week if that's okay with everybody.
As you can see if you look at my ticker on Spark, I have a *long* way to go to be at my target weight. I'm also now the heaviest I've ever been, and weigh as much as my sister, who has been obese her whole life.
Good luck to all of us! We can do it!
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Hey, I just wanted to let you know I lost 1lb in one week. Not a lot, granted, but it is my goal. It could just be water weight and I may have it back by tomorrow, but I have kept my daily goals.
As of this week I have only faithfully worked out 15 minutes a day and drank 8 cups of water a day, but that is within the limited goals I set up to build routine. Starting tomorrow I am modifying what I eat.
By the end of two weeks I should be in a nice routine I can build upon. Plus I will be used to tracking food.
I really like SparkPeople and how it focuses on lifestyle.
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I signed up yesterday (mauibabe20) - this is actually a good time for me to get started on something like this because my children are with their dad for the holidays (we have year round school here, so their Winter break is extra long) and I'm by myself, so I can plan meals just for me.
But I'm dealing with a nasty head cold just now, so I'm probably not going to get really into it for a few more days.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
I'm signed up, but not using it currently. I can't plan my meals. I don't have a kitchen, and I don't have the income to go shopping. The only place that offers choices of food on my half of campus is closed for renovation this quarter- leaving me at the mercy of whatever the cafeteria cooks up, which is normally laden with grease. I won't be on meal plan next year, though, so hopefully I'll be able to live on Lean Cuisine.
Posts: 1591 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Boon: If you're talking about what I hope you are...SQUEEE!
Probably. You know me so well.
And we'll see. It's a very funny story, actually. I hope to tell it soon. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Boon
unregistered
posted
at KQ.
I'm rather astounded at the moment. I haven't weighed in about a month, since Hubby and I first decided to get healthier. That means my beginning weight I put in was my pre-holiday weight.
I didn't consiously attempt to curtail my eating over the holidays, but I must have been thinking about it all month. I predicted that I'd have gained at least a modest amount.
Guess what? I lost 20 1/2 pounds since the end of November! I can hardly believe it. I guess the fact that I didn't have to use pliers to zip up my jeans anymore should have clued me in. DUH!
The biggest changes I've made lately: lots of water (10 cups or more a day) and one sweet every day. It's a lot easier for me to stick to a diet if I plan for a "rule-breaking" food regularly.
quote:Originally posted by Raia: I'm there. I just posted on the welcome thread.
(ġġ) Aren't you thin? we bigger than the average bears don't need you limas dragging down the averages... Posts: 9912 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Boon, that's fantastic. I have a long way to go myself and I'm also only weighing in once a week. It's actually cool because the site makes me want to weigh in! Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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posted
My goal is 15 pounds by May. Which is basically a pound per week, and I know I can do that because I've done it before. I'm not technically overweight, but my habits are bad, and this is a good way, overall, to get myself back into mental shape. The physical shape is just what I hope happens when I get the mental in gear.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I'm rather astounded at the moment. I haven't weighed in about a month, since Hubby and I first decided to get healthier. That means my beginning weight I put in was my pre-holiday weight.
I didn't consiously attempt to curtail my eating over the holidays, but I must have been thinking about it all month. I predicted that I'd have gained at least a modest amount.
Guess what? I lost 20 1/2 pounds since the end of November! I can hardly believe it. I guess the fact that I didn't have to use pliers to zip up my jeans anymore should have clued me in. DUH!
The biggest changes I've made lately: lots of water (10 cups or more a day) and one sweet every day. It's a lot easier for me to stick to a diet if I plan for a "rule-breaking" food regularly.
Next week: 2 pounds or bust!
Good grief! 20.5 is an ASTOUNDING weight loss! Good for you! I know water really, really helped me lose weight-- you don't feel nearly as hungry if you drink water BEFORE you eat, every time you feel hungry.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
I just signed up as well. still working on hashing out reasonable goals and the like, but so far I'm liking at least some of what the site is offering me Posts: 1038 | Registered: Feb 2006
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I've put 10.5 kg to lose (23 pounds). I think long term I'd love to loser 15.5 kg (34 pounds) which puts me pretty slim, but still not as skinny as I was in high school. But I'm not sure how realistic that is.
Posts: 4393 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Imogen, since you're in my yesterday, I agree with you about your today. I had a great workout, but I also had a cup of trail mix in the afternoon and two pieces of luscious chocolate cake right before bed.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
Oh no! Well, that does figure. Plans start early, I'm going out to eat, I'll be out of the house all day, and I haven't gone grocery shopping in two weeks. Hopefully it won't be too awful - maybe I can get up early to exercise to ward it off.
This is great. This is like that show with the newspaper that arrives a day early.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
I like the Spark website, but my junkmail count exploded almost overnight.
That said, actual fitness portion of the website is very good with videos of the exercises to illustrate.
As for the cardio - start small and then work your way up. And small is relative, for everyone. :grinbig:
-Trevor
Edit 1: And don't obsess on the "weight" part - muscle weighs more than fat, yet takes up decidedly less space. So you can weigh more, but look like you weigh less.
2. Drink water. Lots of water - your body needs water to process _everything_.
Posts: 5413 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
Okay, I admit it. I got the February blahs. Around the 10th of February I burned out on diet and exercise, and didn't care if I gained weight any more.
Of course, I did gain weight. And I feel like crap. And my temporary insanity is cured.
So I'd like to invite anyone who experienced the same thing to join me in recommitting. There's a solid group of people who've been doing great over on the Hatrack forum who are inspirations to us all.
And if anybody hasn't joined yet, but has been thinking about it, take today to go over and peek at it. Sign up, nose around a little.
That way, when you do decide you're ready to use it, you'll already be a little familiar with it.
And for those who did that last time, think you're ready to take the leap now?
It's almost March. Time to Spring Ahead.
Posts: 1894 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I'll join the Hatrack group as soon as I get the rest of this sorted out. . .
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