My History –

I gained weight after I stopped working in 1993 due to arthritis of the spine. The first few years I was not working were very stressful and I responded by eating. I'm an emotional eater and eat for comfort or out of boredom. I often find myself eating mindlessly when I'm not even hungry. I did successfully lose 25 pounds in 2003, but put it all back on, and then some, after a series of personal crises.

I found SparkPeople the fall of 2006 and ...

My History –

I gained weight after I stopped working in 1993 due to arthritis of the spine. The first few years I was not working were very stressful and I responded by eating. I'm an emotional eater and eat for comfort or out of boredom. I often find myself eating mindlessly when I'm not even hungry. I did successfully lose 25 pounds in 2003, but put it all back on, and then some, after a series of personal crises.

I found SparkPeople the fall of 2006 and “lurked” for a couple of months, reading articles, visiting teams, and reading blogs. By January of 2007 I was inspired to start working toward my goal. I didn’t join any teams at first but followed the program, taking baby steps, making small changes. I increased my intake of water, fruits and veggies. The hardest change was exercise, since I couldn’t (and still can’t) exercise long or hard.

I reached my final goal on March 11, 2008 !

March 11, 2011 – 3 Years at Goal !

March 11, 2013 – 5 Years at Goal !

The longest I've ever maintained a weight loss !

My current plan - goal weight range - 153-157 – I’ve been running about 5 pounds above this and really want to get back to that range.

Food journal – record what I eat + calories – I use it a lot but not daily

Exercise – 30” total 5-7 days a week, divided into 2-3 sessions a day + strength twice a week
I use elliptical, gazelle, Leslie Sansone walking DVD’s, SparkPeople DVD’s, Wii – Walk It Out (a favorite), Wii Sports and Sports Resort (tennis, swordplay),

Eating Plan – I drink lots of water every day, I eat mostly veggies and fruits, no beef, some chicken & turkey

Problem areas – sweets and portion sizes – I’m still working on these

Making healthier food choices is becoming second nature to me. I do have my "moments" when I overeat, usually on sweets or maybe pizza or pasta, but I forgive myself and get right back on track. The thing that surprised me is that my chronic pain has not improved at all since losing the weight. In fact, it actually worsened, especially sitting. I find now that any seating is painful whereas before it was mostly firm seating. I joke that it's because I lost the padding on my butt, but even my doctor says that's probably the reason. The up side is that I burn more calories by squirming in my seat all the time.

Read More About FELINA (Updated April 3)

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