Sparkpeople.com

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!