Okay, so screw going back to Weight Watchers. I have found something soooo much better... and FREE!!! www.sparkpeople.com Go there. Seriously. It is an online weight loss program (free!!!) and so much more. It is a supportive community of caring people going through the same trials as you. It is a fount of nutritional knowledge. It is freaking fun!
This is how I found out about it: As usual I was feeling discontented with my weight, and in order to try and motivate myself I went to www.theweighwewere.com which is a website that posts weight loss success stories. I was reading about someone who had lost a significant amount of weight on her own by counting calories through a free website called Sparkpeople. "Free" piqued my interest. As did the woman's significant weight loss. Intrigued, I looked into it. And I haven't looked back yet.
The SparkDiet is a common sense approach to weight loss and lifestyle change. There is an excellent nutrition tracker. Unlike the Weight Watchers online tracker, this one doesn't track only "points." It shows you the calories, fat, carbs and protein in what you have eaten. You can even personalize it to show you other nutrients from the food you have tracked. The program also doesn't expect you to jump right in and completely change your life all at once. The first two weeks of the program are your "Fast Break" weeks, where you set small goals to accomplish. They also tell you to eat how you would normally eat, but make sure you track everything, so you can see just how many calories, fat grams, carbs and how much protein you are consuming. It is usually a shocker.
There is also a fitness tracker for both strength training and cardio. The amount of cardio you do effects how many calories you can eat. They give you a range to try and fall in for all the calories and nutrients. My range, for example, is between 1340 and 1690 calories daily. Just to see what would change if I increased my exercise, I typed in a higher number of calories burned per week than I really do burn (via exercise). My calorie intake went up to the maximum being around 18-something. I am just trying to get to the gym three days a week for now, but once it becomes more of a habit, I will try to go five days a week. Then I really should be able to eat more.
What is really great about this is it is guy friendly. My husband and I both really need to lose weight, and I complained to him that it is really difficult for me to lose when he is constantly tempting me by eating fast food in front of me. I asked him if he would give Sparkpeople a try, and to my surprise, he did! He really likes it--he thinks the nutrition tracker and fitness tracker are just too cool. I am really proud of him. After seeing how many calories he needs to eat to lose weight, and realizing how many calories he had been eating every day, he has really started to try and improve his eating habits. He even made us yummy healthy smoothies the other morning!
I have such a positive outlook on this "weight loss thing" now that I have found such an awesome (and free!) program, and now that my husband is making an effort to get healthy with me. For once in my life I can finally see this becoming an actual "lifestyle change" rather than just a diet. Once I have a job and we have a bit more money, my husband is going to get a gym membership and work out with me. I cannot wait!
So anyway, I cannot say enough wonderful things about Sparkpeople. It has really been a turning point for me, making me view my health and nutrition in a whole new way. If you are struggling to lose weight on your own, before you sign up for some expensive program where a company is making money off of you losing weight, check out Sparkpeople instead. You won't regret it!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
Well, what can I say? I got lazy. As you can see, I haven't blogged for quite awhile. I stopped going to the gym because I was busy with my practicum (sort of like student teaching, but not really). Then, when the practicum was over, I used school as an excuse to not exercise. I really was genuinely stressed out about getting everything done (I did, by the way... two A's and a B+ -in math-)... but school has been over since the second week of December. My next excuse then became "the holidays." Why should I go work out when everyone else is enjoying themselves and indulging? Yeah, so you can see where that led me.
I am not going to make a New Year's resolution. I am going to make a Lifetime Resolution. It may take me years, but I am eventually going to get down to a healthy weight for myself. I don't like New Year's resolutions because it implies that it is only for a year... plus, hardly anyone ever keeps a New Year's resolution.
I really do, as corny as it sounds, want to make a lifetime change. I want to be healthy. After Christmas I went down to North Carolina to visit my parents and sister. We went shopping and I had to shop at Talbots Woman. I bought some really nice trouser jeans... in a size 18W. That is the last time I buy 18s. I feel that any store with "Woman" in the name is really designed for large, middle-aged ladies who have given up on themselves. I refuse to ever turn into one of those women. I want to be able to shop in the Misses section. (My dream of ever shopping in the Juniors section again is just that... a dream).
So, Erin, how will you achieve this goal of shopping in the Misses section? you might ask. (Hehe). Well, starting today I begin watching what I eat again. So far today (it is just after noon) I have had a homemade vanilla latte with skim milk and (too much) sugar. I also made myself a chai tea latte (again with skim milk) and used three Splendas this time. I really don't like the idea of artificial sweeteners, but I looked online at calorieking.com and realized that the amount of sugar I put into that first latte cost me 116 calories. 116 empty calories, providing no nutrition whatsoever.
It is about time for lunch, and I'm not sure what I'll have... maybe a leftover burrito, or a grilled cheese sandmich. :) Or maybe a can of that Weight Watchers Progresso Light Soup. I have some left over from my days as a working girl (when I was too lazy to actually pack a sandwich) so maybe one of those will be good. They contain entirely too much sodium, but at least they are filling and lower in fat and calories. As far as dinner goes... that is yet to be determined.
I think I may actually try to rejoin Weight Watchers at some point this year (after I have procured employment) and reteach myself to eat healthy. I would want to try the meetings this time, though. I had been doing it online, and I think the lack of human connection and a true support system is the reason the online program didn't really work for me. Until I can afford to join the Weight Watchers meetings, I will do my best to do the "everything in moderation" plan, and exercise. Who knows, maybe by the time I have the money to go, I may have figured out how to lose the weight on my own.
As for exercise... I think there is an elliptical machine at my gym that really misses me. :P I am paying monthly (until November) for a year membership, so I probably ought to use it, huh? I think my new exercise goal will be to try and make it to the gym for an hour two to three times a week, and build it up from there. I would eventually like to go to the gym five days a week if I have the time (and energy). But man, I haven't been in so long that I'm worried I have lost what little wind I had gained from doing the elliptical so much. Oh well, maybe I'll start out slow, doing the weight machines for twenty minutes to a half hour, and using the rest of the time on the elliptical. But I have to go. I know from experience that my body sheds the weight quicker if I watch what I eat and exercise.
Also, around the time I bought the gym membership, I bought a new bathing suit and goggles so I could swim laps. Maybe I should use them. I have only used them once so far. I just get really self conscious... I don't like to look at my cottage-cheesy-spider-veiny thighs, so I doubt anyone else wants to see them either. But I suppose my health trumps what other people think of my body in a bathing suit. Who knows, maybe I'll be the fat chick who everyone sees and thinks "Oh, she is so brave to put herself out there and try and get fit, even though she looks like Moby Dick floundering around out in the pool." :P Hey, I know people probably think stuff like that, even if they don't say it.
I have really let myself go... and I'm not really sure where I went, so it may take awhile for me to find myself and drag my sorry ass back. Hehe that didn't make a lick of sense. Anyway, I do believe that (((cliche))) this is the first day of the rest of my life, and (((song lyrics))) I will survive.
I want to be so much more than a fat chick. I don't want my weight to be the first thing people see when they look at me. I want to be happy in my own skin. I will be.
I am not going to make a New Year's resolution. I am going to make a Lifetime Resolution. It may take me years, but I am eventually going to get down to a healthy weight for myself. I don't like New Year's resolutions because it implies that it is only for a year... plus, hardly anyone ever keeps a New Year's resolution.
I really do, as corny as it sounds, want to make a lifetime change. I want to be healthy. After Christmas I went down to North Carolina to visit my parents and sister. We went shopping and I had to shop at Talbots Woman. I bought some really nice trouser jeans... in a size 18W. That is the last time I buy 18s. I feel that any store with "Woman" in the name is really designed for large, middle-aged ladies who have given up on themselves. I refuse to ever turn into one of those women. I want to be able to shop in the Misses section. (My dream of ever shopping in the Juniors section again is just that... a dream).
So, Erin, how will you achieve this goal of shopping in the Misses section? you might ask. (Hehe). Well, starting today I begin watching what I eat again. So far today (it is just after noon) I have had a homemade vanilla latte with skim milk and (too much) sugar. I also made myself a chai tea latte (again with skim milk) and used three Splendas this time. I really don't like the idea of artificial sweeteners, but I looked online at calorieking.com and realized that the amount of sugar I put into that first latte cost me 116 calories. 116 empty calories, providing no nutrition whatsoever.
It is about time for lunch, and I'm not sure what I'll have... maybe a leftover burrito, or a grilled cheese sandmich. :) Or maybe a can of that Weight Watchers Progresso Light Soup. I have some left over from my days as a working girl (when I was too lazy to actually pack a sandwich) so maybe one of those will be good. They contain entirely too much sodium, but at least they are filling and lower in fat and calories. As far as dinner goes... that is yet to be determined.
I think I may actually try to rejoin Weight Watchers at some point this year (after I have procured employment) and reteach myself to eat healthy. I would want to try the meetings this time, though. I had been doing it online, and I think the lack of human connection and a true support system is the reason the online program didn't really work for me. Until I can afford to join the Weight Watchers meetings, I will do my best to do the "everything in moderation" plan, and exercise. Who knows, maybe by the time I have the money to go, I may have figured out how to lose the weight on my own.
As for exercise... I think there is an elliptical machine at my gym that really misses me. :P I am paying monthly (until November) for a year membership, so I probably ought to use it, huh? I think my new exercise goal will be to try and make it to the gym for an hour two to three times a week, and build it up from there. I would eventually like to go to the gym five days a week if I have the time (and energy). But man, I haven't been in so long that I'm worried I have lost what little wind I had gained from doing the elliptical so much. Oh well, maybe I'll start out slow, doing the weight machines for twenty minutes to a half hour, and using the rest of the time on the elliptical. But I have to go. I know from experience that my body sheds the weight quicker if I watch what I eat and exercise.
Also, around the time I bought the gym membership, I bought a new bathing suit and goggles so I could swim laps. Maybe I should use them. I have only used them once so far. I just get really self conscious... I don't like to look at my cottage-cheesy-spider-veiny thighs, so I doubt anyone else wants to see them either. But I suppose my health trumps what other people think of my body in a bathing suit. Who knows, maybe I'll be the fat chick who everyone sees and thinks "Oh, she is so brave to put herself out there and try and get fit, even though she looks like Moby Dick floundering around out in the pool." :P Hey, I know people probably think stuff like that, even if they don't say it.
I have really let myself go... and I'm not really sure where I went, so it may take awhile for me to find myself and drag my sorry ass back. Hehe that didn't make a lick of sense. Anyway, I do believe that (((cliche))) this is the first day of the rest of my life, and (((song lyrics))) I will survive.
I want to be so much more than a fat chick. I don't want my weight to be the first thing people see when they look at me. I want to be happy in my own skin. I will be.
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