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Christine (Goldengirl) : Success Story
 
Christine had health problems that were complicated by the excess weight she carried. She suffered with a lot of discomfort from neuropathy, and the pain in her feet became so bad that she could barely walk. Her blood pressure and cholesterol levels were elevated, and doctors told her she had pre-diabetes.
Christine was depressed about how she looked and felt. When she saw a photo and could barely recognize herself in it, Christine knew it was time for a change. A friend emailed a SparkPeople link to her, and that's when her journey began.
Christine started by tracking all of her food on a daily basis. "This feature helped enormously! I couldn't have done it without that," she says. She started watching her portion sizes and eating small meals more frequently throughout the day. She also began exercising daily on the recumbent bike.
Christine had some bad habits when it came to food. One of the hardest habits she had to change was eating ice cream after dinner almost every night. Now she eats frozen yogurt, strawberries, blueberries or packages of mixed frozen fruits. These satisfy her sweet tooth for a fraction of the calories!
She did experience a number of weight loss plateaus, lasting an average of three weeks at a time. To overcome them, Christine would change up her exercise routine and diet, along with drinking more water. Eventually, she'd begin to lose weight again. With this pattern, she knew to be patient during her plateaus and wait it out.
Christine found an amazing buddy on the Message Boards that she keeps in contact with regularly. She also found many other friends through the SparkTeams and threads she joined. She still uses the tools (like the Nutrition tracker) on a regular basis to make sure she's doing well. Christine attributes a lot of her success to the tools and supportive Community on the site.
In addition to the weight loss, Christine has gone down four dress sizes and lost eight inches from her waist and hips. Her pre-diabetes is gone and her blood pressure and cholesterol have also improved. Christine says her energy level has increased dramatically. She sleeps better and feels so much better overall.
To anyone just starting the program, Christine says motivation is very important. "There will be ups and downs, so you really have to want to do it," she says. She recommends tracking food on a daily basis and learning as much as possible about your food choices before you eat them.
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| Weight Before: |
198 lbs. |
| Weight After: |
162 lbs. |
Are you interested in being featured for your success? Tell your story on your SparkPage and other members can vote for you to become a " SparkPeople Motivator!"
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SparkPeople's 500-Calorie Thanksgiving Feast
