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Introduction Text OK, a lot of my info on this page is outdated. But, today (5/9/2014) is important, so I thought I'd make a quick update. Four years ago today, I joined SparkPeople. Thanks to that decision, I lost 90 pounds in less than a year, for free and without any potions or pills. Another year later, I would fall in love with biking and end up being in the best physical shape of my life. Other than a few pounds that I gained after my bike accident late last summer (which are dropping off now that I can ride again), I've kept the weight off all this time while continuing to use SparkPeople. Results obviously vary and I'm not saying SparkPeople will be a great fit for everyone, but I highly recommend checking it out if you are trying to lose weight or get healthier in general. However, the main point is, every time you make a choice to take action or inaction regarding something, you can potentially change the course of your life, so choose wisely. - - - OLD STUFF, SOME STILL RELEVANT - - - Looking to get back into shape this year! Edit: 6 months later, I'm not really "looking" to get back into shape anymore... I am GETTING back into shape! Edit: almost another 6 months later, I'm pretty much where I want to be weight-wise. I lost a total of 80 pounds in just under 9 months. After that, I had a BodPod test done and discovered that I had reached a healthy body fat level. So, I slowed down and took the following three months to maintain and lose the last five pounds of my goal. During that time, I realized that maintenance can be just as hard as losing weight, if not harder! I have a feeling that continued maintenance is going to be a beast, but I'm confident that I can do it. My November 2012 goals are to: 1) maintain my weight loss (this has been more difficult than I expected now that I find myself at a lot more events and get-togethers; however, so far, I have been successful - I made it through the whole summer!). I joined a gym and plan on getting there every day to solidify the gym habit by the time it starts snowing! 2) focus more on work and work towards getting caught up so that it doesn't stress me out so much. I don't want my work-related stress to undo any of my health-related successes. I played a lot during the summer, so now it's time to get down to business! I made progress towards this goal in September, but probably set my expectations too high for what could be accomplished in one month. I didn't do well on this in October. I still need to find a good balance that works for me. 3) make a doctor's appointment for a regular checkup/physical and to see where to go from here (yes, this was my goal all summer long, this month I gotta make it happen!!!). I did see a doctor in September, but it was for an eye issue rather than a regular checkup. But, I got some assurance that I'm in good shape! 4) get a new driver's license. This was a reward I was going to give myself about 6 months ago, and I keep putting it off. In July, I actually made in into the DMV, but there was over an hour wait, so I left. My license isn't expiring, but I no longer look like the person photographed 90+ pounds ago. 5) get another BodPod assessment done.

✓ Lose 30 lbs in 1st 10 weeks! ✓ Lose 20 lbs in 2nd 10 weeks! ✓ Lose 15 lbs in 3rd 10 weeks! (met goal early) ✓ Lose 7 lbs in following 5 weeks! (met goal early) ✓ Lose 13 lbs in following 10 weeks! (took extra time with this goal during last 5 lbs since I had a BodPod test indicating I was already at a healthy body fat level; met goal a week before my SparkVersary) My maintenance goals are located above in my 'About Me' text.

Tracking, tracking, tracking. I track everything I eat and my exercise. I drastically reduced my caloric intake and focus on less processed foods. Slim Fast shakes and bars also help in a pinch (if I don't have time for a whole meal or I need a chocolate fix). I exercised as little as I could when started out on SparkPeople, but after losing 50 lbs, I slowly started to ramp up my exercise. I enjoy walking outside and hiking, but the treadmill and elliptical machine worked well for the winter months. Now that it is nice out again, I really love biking on the trails in Minneapolis.

41 year old living in Minneapolis, MN with partner of 19 years. I love riding my bike, technology, games and travel (but haven't done much of the latter lately).



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