Three years and counting--I'm Sparked for Life!

When I joined SparkPeople in February 2008, I had already been losing weight since November 2007. I'd lost 17 pounds and was starting to exercise again. This was all put in motion by 2 events: First, I went to Disney in November and had to use an electric scooter to get around becuase I was too out of shape to walk, and I saw a photo of myself and realized I had gotten FAT! Then, in December, I made plans with my family to go to ...

Three years and counting--I'm Sparked for Life!

When I joined SparkPeople in February 2008, I had already been losing weight since November 2007. I'd lost 17 pounds and was starting to exercise again. This was all put in motion by 2 events: First, I went to Disney in November and had to use an electric scooter to get around becuase I was too out of shape to walk, and I saw a photo of myself and realized I had gotten FAT! Then, in December, I made plans with my family to go to Scotland over the summer. I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Scotland, and no way was I going to be limited by my weight on how much I could do there!

About a month before I found SparkPeople, my sister convinced me to go to Canyon Ranch with her. (Thank you Deb!!) It was a life-changing experience, as I learned about organic eating, food sensitivites, and nutritional deficiencies (of which I had several!) I gave up eggs, dairy and wheat completely for 3 months, and still do not eat anything with eggs in it. I also do not eat anything artificial, nor any trans fats or High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Finding SparkPeople was like having the clouds clear and the sun come out! I began logging my food faithfully every day, and also tracking my exercise, which was getting more frequent and more intense. I met so many wonderful people who inpired, encouraged, and motivated me. Reading the articles gave me information that really helped. Now my day isn't complete until I've logged in, tracked my food and fitness, read and posted on my teams, and racked up a good number of SparkPoints!

So here it is, a year later. I have lost almost 100 pounds! And from being unable to walk around Disney a year ago, yesterday I did my first 5K walk!

Now, as I approach maintenance, I look forward to being a good example for my children and my friends and family (as far as eating and being active), and to continuing to improve my health.

Thanks SparkPeople! I couldn't have done it without you!

I'm now looking ahead to my thinner future. I will have knee replacement surgery in January, and hope to be close to my goal of 175 pounds at that time. Meanwhile, I'm working hard to get my legs as strong as possible to help with the rehab process.

UPDATE--December 15, 2008: I've lost 100 pounds!!! Only 11 to go to my goal of 175,

UPDATE--January 3, 2009: I'm now just 7 pounds from my goal! Wearing a size 12/14 and getting stronger by the day. I can now walk 3.3mph on the treadmill with an 18% incline! People constantly do a double take and say they didn't recognize me. Sometimes I don't recognize myself!

UPDATE--March 29, 2009 I'm at GOAL WEIGHT!!!! OMG, 174 today. Time for maintenance--SCARY! But my new clothes are size 14 and Large. It's all good.

U{DATE--November 17, 2009 I am still hovering around goal weight! i think this is the longest I have been thin in my entire life! I had a knee replacement in February, and the second one in October. Still recovering from that one. It's amazing the difference in recovery with a reasonable weight--SOOOO much easier! I got myself a bike for Christmas! I am so looking forward to riding it everywhere! I have a new trainer since September, and am really looking forward to going back to the gym, probably in January. Meanwhile, the holidays are approaching and I'm working on the menu for my first Thanksgiving on maintenance. No counting points this year, and I will certainly not be limiting myslef to 750 calories again! But it's nice to know I can enjoy everything and not feel stuffed and bloated at the end of dinner.

UPDATE--January 18, 2010 I took a bit of a break from healthy eating over the holidays (OK, a little longer than that!) and also have been very limited on exercise. I've gained back 16 pounds, but I've lost 6 of that this past week. Starting VERY slowly back at the gym, still doing PT. I also decided to cut out dairy and wheat again because I just feel better when I don't eat them. So far, so good!

UPDATE--February 20, 2010 I'm back to full throttle on exercise (in fact, my PT told me to slow down!), tracking calories, drinking water, and I'm down 8 pounds. I seem to have hit a plateau--the first one I've ever had. But I'm working through it and feeling great, knowing that I'm doing everything I'm supposed to. Hard to believe it's been 2 years since I joined SparkPeople!

Read More About WHGRN60 (Updated February 17)

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