Life Without Spark = (

Posts: 209
5/18/11 2:35 P

Staying connected just really helps in ways we can't even understand. It's just like your real-life supports, if you don't stay connected, it's so easy to stray and forget why you needed them in the first place. But hey.....don't be hard on yourself because HERE YOU ARE!! Making yourself accountable and reaching out for support....you'll totally get it and sometimes, you'll get some really nonjudgmental, motivating words right when you need it most and it'll make a difference for you. I couldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for all the wonderful people I've met that help me through. I do my best to pay it forward and back to those that help me out.

Good luck, I gotta feeling that you'll do great things for yourself this time around!!!


Cheers,
Angie

SparkPoints: (460)
Fitness Minutes: (571)
Posts: 5
5/18/11 2:11 P

Thanks so much everyone! This just shows that Spark is such a positive thing to have in my life...Look at all this support! = )

Posts: 429
5/3/11 12:49 P

boring

Posts: 1,792
5/3/11 12:19 P

Yes, life without Spark is spark-less and much harder to stay on track.

Congrats on getting back.

Everyone falls. The important thing is picking yourself up.

I've lost and gained and lost and gained 70 pounds in the last 7 years. But THIS time, I'm using SP and it's different.

The important thing is taking care of yourself and making good, lasting choices. Great job on making lasting changes like not drinking soda, more water, no fast food, etc. You know what to do, let Spark People help you stay motivated and on track, using the food and fitness tracker and using the teams and message boards.

SparkPoints: (6,947)
Fitness Minutes: (5,591)
Posts: 116
5/3/11 4:40 A

Try looking at it this way: you came back! You didn't give up but had a set back. I have battled the weight for 10-12 years but I have never given up on actually losing enough weight to be able to say I live a healthy life. And since you are now back, you haven't given up either. Stick with it - you can do it, and you deserve to do it too

Posts: 133
5/2/11 11:13 P

I know that logging on every day motivates me a lot. And the nutrition tracker and fitness tracker are beyond valuable! I also find that interacting on message boards and commenting on people's pages makes me feel more accountable for myself. And I LOVE all the friends I have made on here. I've been here for 7 weeks, and have learned SO much. I don't know what I would do without this site-- and all the help from people on it!

I'm glad that you came back because I believe this site will make you feel the same way! It's a great place to be, and to learn! Congrats on your return!!

Posts: 339
5/2/11 11:06 P

Tracking makes a difference. When I wasn't tracking, I wasn't eating poorly (no fast food, cooking alot, no soda, etc), but I was still eating too much because I didn't realize how big some of my portions were and how many extra calories I was getting in throughout the day.

You can do it again! Everyone is here for you. ^_^

SparkPoints: (4,654)
Fitness Minutes: (248)
Posts: 241
5/2/11 8:54 P

I'm a returnee to Sparkpeople, too. And I'm in it for the long haul - until I get down to my healthy weight range. I probably will stay active on Sparkpeople even when I'm maintaining my healthy weight because tracking EVERY SINGLE THING I eat is the biggest help for me - and why would I use another program to do this when I already know and love Sparkpeople!

It's easy to slip back into old habits; I have to do a lot of self-talk to retrain my brain, and sometimes I have to be quite firm with myself.

Congratulations on coming back! Just make it a part of your routine. If you have iPhone or an Android phone, you can also get Sparkpeople apps to give you on-the-go access!

SparkPoints: (460)
Fitness Minutes: (571)
Posts: 5
5/2/11 6:12 P

So I found Spark People last year and I was absolutely fascinated and motivated to get on the site everyday and log my nutrition and fitness. I lost almost 10 pounds while using the site then got lazy. I thought I didnt need the site anymore and I stopped logging on.... Nearly 5 month later...I log back on... And realize how much of a disappointed I am to myself for not staying motivated = ( I have gained all the weight back and here I am thinking I was actually doing well for myself. A lot of the changes I made for myself via Spark were lasting ones, for example...no soda! more water! healthier choices! no fast food! Though all of these changes stuck with me over the past couple months and since I discovered Spark...I have still gained all my weight back! HELP! I promise promise promise to never leave Spark again! EVER!