Page Title

Introduction Text At this point it doesn't matter how I got here - it only matters what I do every day. Congratulations to me on a new beginning! "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle "To grow, you must be willing to let your present and future be totally unlike your past. Your history is not your destiny." ~ Alan Cohen Making choices that make me feel good about myself instead of the ones that make me feel "good" Update Oct 2012 When I started SP, I was working in front of a computer for 12-16 hours/day. I was hopeless about any improvement of my life or weight-loss. I found SP when looking for a calorie tracker - I just wanted to start tracking calories to see what I was eating and to be able to cut back. What I found was a small and simple plan to get started and a lot of inspiration from the successes of people who started at weights and challenges like mine. And then I found more Sparkers who were in almost exactly the same place as me. I found out I wasn't alone - AT ALL. Finding so many people with struggles like mine in a supportive and safe environment was just what I needed. I made up my mind that I would look ahead and try not to think about why I was in my current state. That was a big change for me because I felt that I needed to figure out why in order to even start to make a change. But I needed to stop beating myself up and just move forward. Even now, I still have to remind myself to keep my eyes forward and to forget about what I did/didn't do a year ago...a week ago...a month ago...a minute ago. I read the Spark and I completed all the related steps and challenges. My early goals: Fast Break Goals: - Track calories eaten each day , Exercise for 10 mins each day, Write in a journal 3 times per week Other Goals: - Green Drink each day, Green Tea each day, Drink 12 8 oz cups of water each day I also set long term goals and medium term goals to help me reach my long term goals. http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4236283 I started exercising by trying to walk on my treadmill and hating it. I had to hold on to keep from falling off, even at a slow pace. It wasn't enough to make me feel good other than being able to check the box that said I did it. I did SP videos and added strength training. I used the Wii Fit. I did a lot of Walk it Out in those early months. I gradually upped my exercise and finally got the nerve to be seen walking for exercise in public. But getting outside related back to my medium term goals and I had to start walking hills to be able to reach a particular goal. I met that goal and set more goals. It is all of those large and small goals that have driven me to stay with this. It is my desire to do things and experience life instead of watch or hide from life that has pushed me far more than the weight/clothes-size goals. I set a goal to lose 100 pounds in a year. I knew at my start weight that it wasn't extremely likely that I would do it. There are plenty of people who have done it, but I knew it was a stretch and I wasn't going to be disappointed if I didn't do it. I wanted that goal out there to remind me to make good choices. I read blogs and articles about people who have done it. I tried to adopt the success factors of these role models and those who have successful kept their weight off. I haven't been perfect and I could have done things better or different but this is about learning so that I can keep this weight off FOREVER. While not as planned, I reached 100 pounds lost 18 months after starting and after sort of slowing down and losing focus on the weight loss part of my goals. I've received tremendous support from my friends who are or have been at similar points as me, but I get the most inspiration and motivation from those who have done more, are faster, are stronger, have kept their weight off longer, etc. These are my role models. Thank you role models and dear SparkFriends for showing me paths to getting it done and for being there with support and understanding and tips and suggestions when things aren't going well. I couldn't do it without all of you.

Weight Goals (as of 5/15/11) May 12 Start 277 May 26 G 273 /A 269 Jun 30 G 259 /A 258.5 Jul 28 G 249.5 /A 249.5 Aug 25 G 239.5 /A 242.5 Sep 29 G 227 /A 232 Oct 27 G 217 /A 226.5 Nov 24 G 207 /A 220 Dec 29 G 197.5 /A 217.5 (Dec 31 A 215.5) *goals edited 1/5/2012* Jan 26 G 209 /A 212 Feb 23 G 202 /A 207 Mar 29 G 195 /A 202 Apr 26 G 190 /197 May 31 G 184 /A 194 Jun 14 G 181 /A 190 (Day 400 -officially "overweight") Jun 28 G 179 /A 189 Jul 26 G 174 /A 184 Aug 30 G 169 /A 180 Sep 27 G 165 /A 179 Oct 11 G 163 /A 177 (Day 519 - 100 lbs GONE!) *goals edited 10/12/2012* Oct 25 G 175 /A 175 Nov 29 G 170 /A 172.5 Dec 27 G 167 /A 172 **new goals 1/13** Jan 31 G 171 /A 171! Feb 28 G 170 /A 167 **new goals 3/1** Mar 28 G 165 /A 162 Apr 25 A 163 May 30 A 161 ***** Oct 12 A 165 Nov 14 A 163

- track food and reach macro & micro nutrient goals - any food in on occasion and in moderation /no food-type restrictions (however feeling better w/good foods and worse w/less-than the healthiest foods helps me stay on track) - 12 cups of water per day - 7 hours of sleep per night (at least) - working towards being able to run a full 5k - 10,000 steps per day - strength training (want a better butt and nice arms and back) - lots of hiking and steep hike goals - set goals and break them down into smaller goals and behaviors to reach goals - use a HRM for cardio - recently joined gym for access to cardio equipment alternatives and to set better ST habits



"Something in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment. As you become successful, you will need a great deal of self-discipline not to lose your sense of balance, humility, and commitment." - H. Ross Perot “There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” - Kenneth H. Blanchard Comparison is the thief of joy "We learn the most not by doing everything perfectly, but making mistakes and figuring out what to do next." - Coach Nancy

Add a Link Suzie
Save Changes