Frightened of Failing

Posts: 33,952
4/29/11 12:22 A

Greetings and

Congrats on taking the next step to reaching a healthier you by getting active with SparkPeople - it's a great community, wonderful resources and fantastic support.

Please check out the SparkTeams - I think you will find a lot of others 'just like you' there. You can choose SparkTeams by age group, lifestyle or interests, geographic location or several other ways - some of the teams you might like include the Official 10-minute Daily Exercise Streak Challenge, Starting Over Weekly Mini-Challenge Team, 10k Steps A Day and Motivation & Positive Attitude Plan but there are so many to choose from, you can have a great time looking for the ones that seem to fit you best! In fact, I suggest joining more than one group, post your intro there and write blogs as often as you can - you will find tons of friends and support that way, I promise!!

In my experience, SparkPeople is like a in some ways - it's lots of fun and easy to make friends because we're all in this together. I like the way a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE is emphasized instead of a 'quick fix wonder diet' so it's good for people wanting to lose weight, maintain a previous loss, get healthier, improve fitness and many other goals - it's about waaaaaay more than 'just' losing weight so you have definitely come to the right place!



If you ever need any help using features of the site, there are tutorial videos under the HELP section that can show you how to use the features of the site. You can also find them on the START page and several other places on the site.



If you haven't already discovered The Spark book and/or the SparkDiet linked at the bottom of the START page, check them out - the program is simple but extremely effective. There is a TON of information on this site - so much it might even seem overwhelming but fortunately we don't have to 'digest' everything at once! The FastBreak program is a good way to start.



Another nice thing about SparkPeople is that we have permission to be human - we don't have to change everything at once or be in a hurry to reach our goals. Take a few baby steps and then a few more and before you know it, you'll have completed a long journey - I hope you enjoy this community as much as I do - it teaches us how to make positive lifetime changes because that's the only thing that will work over time!

SparkPoints: (51)
Fitness Minutes: (45)
Posts: 8
4/28/11 7:29 P

You're awesome and gorgeous! Thank you so much!

Posts: 1,988
4/28/11 6:39 P

Here is a step by step process to getting the weight tracker.

1. Click here www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_home.asp
2. Click on the "Edit Your Sparkpage"
3. Scroll down and you'll see a section titled "My Weight Loss Ticker"
4. Check the box that says "Yes! Show Weight Loss Ticker "
5. Proceed to fill out the info. One note your starting weight has to be more than your starting weight so add a pound to your current weight and put that as your start weight unless you have a specific start weight in mind.
6. Scroll down further and click "Save your changes"

Hope this helps!

SparkPoints: (51)
Fitness Minutes: (45)
Posts: 8
4/28/11 6:23 P

thank you kel ce!!! How do you get the cool weight tracker tab thingies? I am so grateful to have found this site and appreciate your input and support...

Posts: 1,988
4/28/11 5:47 P

Don't worry. You will NOT fail! If you stick with us we'll cheer for you during the good times and pick you up and dust you off during the bad times!

Spark people can be a little overwhelming at times so I suggest you start with the getting started guide here: www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/get_started.as
p

Also browse the sparm teams. I love my teams because you can relate to people who have the same issues and special interests as you. Spark teams are under the community tab.

Enjoy your stay and I can't wait to read your success story one of these days!

SparkPoints: (51)
Fitness Minutes: (45)
Posts: 8
4/28/11 5:39 P

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT!!!!! I already feel better knowing that I have this community to check in with - it makes a huge difference.

SparkPoints: (165,944)
Fitness Minutes: (74,225)
Posts: 21,063
4/28/11 8:39 A

Hi and congratulations on beginning your Spark journey!

There's so much here to help you along the way and excellent advice to setting and achieving healthy goals. With the thousands and thousands of fellow Sparkers you will always find someone you can connect with. I am always amazed how many lives have been changed for the better through the use of SparkPeople.

If you have not already done so, I suggest that you check out the videos in the "Healthy Lifestyle" section. Scroll down for the site orientation videos. That should point you in the right direction. I find that if you just start looking around Spark, you will quickly learn about the wonderful tools available for your use. After being a Sparker since 2007, I still find something new and very useful.

Welcome and best wishes!

Posts: 5,067
4/28/11 7:37 A

Hello and welcome to Spark People! I really LOVE this site! It's filled with wonderful, supportive people and lots of great tools and resources. When I joined the site, I had 100 pounds to lose to reach my goal. Since joining SP on January 1, I've already lost 44 pounds!

Good luck on YOUR weight loss journey, and drop by my Spark page any time!

SparkPoints: (269)
Fitness Minutes: (72)
Posts: 1
4/28/11 6:44 A

I feel your pain and can relate to everything you say. I have 100 pounds to lose...don't know how I gained it other than 1 pound at a time and exactly how I intend to lose it. All of my friends are dropping 25 pounds a month with surgery and I am not willing to go that route. I can do this, you can do this. Sparkpeople is the "how"!!!

SparkPoints: (51)
Fitness Minutes: (45)
Posts: 8
4/28/11 5:58 A

Hello! I am terrified I will fail but I am also really disgusted with myself right now and hate feeling that way. Hopefully this online community will help! I don't know if I can stick to the meal trackers but I really want to try. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!! I have forty pounds to lose and I'm over forty... YIKES!!!