Hi

Posts: 33,952
5/30/12 10:30 P

Greetings and - I'm really glad you've joined us!! And OMG, you are doing great already!

Congrats on losing 22 pounds - you are certainly off to a terrific start. SparkPeople is a great community, wonderful resources and fantastic support- it's also lots of fun and easy to make friends because we're all in this together.

Sometimes the best way to start is to just pick a small goal such as drinking 8 glasses of water a day or eating 5 fruits and veggies plus a small exercise goal such as increasing whatever you've been doing by 10% - I like the way a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE is emphasized here instead of a 'quick fix wonder diet' and 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 have - it teaches us how to make positive lifetime changes because that's the only thing that will work over time!

Please check out SparkTeams - you can choose them by age group, lifestyle or interests, geographic location, common goals such as a certain weight loss or several other ways. I'd also like to invite you to join the Virtual Walk/Run/Cycle Thru the US @ exercise.lbl.gov SparkTeam - it's a really fun way to track your walking while you travel 'virtually' across America from Virginia to Oregon. Go to the SparkTeam page at www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individ
ual.asp?gid=19805 for more information. If you're a fan of The Biggest Loser reality television show, you might enjoy the Biggest Loser Fans SparkTeam - you can find it at www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individ
ual.asp?gid=3822 - whatever you choose to do, I hope you find teams of people who share your interests!

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 and great FAQs for many topics. You can also find them on the START page and several other places on the site. I wish you the best on your journey!!!

Pounds lost: 20.0

0 8.75 17.5 26.25

35

SparkPoints: (49,823)
Fitness Minutes: (34,632)
Posts: 4,796
5/29/12 4:57 P

Welcome to SparkPeople!! This is a wonderful site with so many resources like articles, trackers, and community SparkTeams to help give you support and keep you motivated. See how many SparkPoints you can get each day and this will help you find and use many of the tools of the site. Make sure you make a SparkPage as this is how you can have people post to you to help inspire you! Please remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. It is not a diet, but a lifestyle change. I am down 67 lbs with SparkPeople and I feel so much lighter and stronger and healthier every day! You can do it! Best of luck on your journey to a healthier lifestyle!

current weight: 240.0

300 274.75 249.5 224.25

199

Posts: 1,674
5/29/12 4:03 P

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♥«´¨ * Welcome To SparkPeople *•´¨`»♥
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Hi ~ Welcome to SparkPeople. I find that interacting with other Sparks is really the best way to stay motivated and on-track. Taking advantage of the educational aspects of SP is also key to weight loss goal success. Come back to the message boards and read blogs to find people that you feel like you would like to "friend" These folks will help you attain your goals.

Know that through using SparkPeople to it's fullest potential will help you more successfully attain your goals. Come up with a BIG reward (like mine is a cruise) to help you stay focused and successful in maintaining your new healthy lifestyle. And look at this as a change in your lifestyle, not just another diet.

For any questions on SparkPeople that you have if you can't find them on the site yourself or through using the HELP section, e-mail support@sparkpeople.com. They will answer your questions and help you out.
Best of luck
Ruthie

current weight: 177.0

212 194 176 158

140

SparkPoints: (82)
Fitness Minutes: (0)
Posts: 7
5/29/12 3:02 P

I am not new to dieting just haven't tried very hard for many years. I turned 48 and realized that is when my very overweight mother had her first stroke, I was headed down that road if I didn't change some things. My husband is very overweight and was talking about surgery. That is scary. We had friends WW and he said he would join that if I helped him. It costs money so only one of us could join. Another friend told me about this site so I have been lurking around and in the meantime have lost 22 pounds. :) I have about 50 to go. This has to happen this time.

Pounds lost: 34.0

0 16.25 32.5 48.75

65