Hey There!

SparkPoints: (38,348)
Fitness Minutes: (1,236)
Posts: 2,339
8/14/12 11:37 P

Just Do It Ian! You can do it!

Pounds lost: 61.6

0 16.25 32.5 48.75

65

SparkPoints: (137,242)
Fitness Minutes: (76,974)
Posts: 9,412
8/14/12 11:15 P

Welcome Ian!!! You're off to a great start!!! Sparks really is a wonderful website to develop a healthy lifestyle to get fit and lose the weight .... permanently!! And you've got the supportive folks on Sparks to help you along the way as well!! So have fun with your nutrition and fitness plans while you become the new, slim, healthy you!!

current weight: 154.0

169 159.25 149.5 139.75

130

SparkPoints: (49,823)
Fitness Minutes: (34,632)
Posts: 4,796
8/12/12 10:47 P

Hi Ian! 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 73 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

SparkPoints: (40,928)
Fitness Minutes: (14,978)
Posts: 1,683
8/12/12 6:48 P

Welcome to SparkPeople, Ian!

You will find so much amazing information here. As well as great tools, that will make your weight loss journey easier.

The Nutrition Tracker is my secret weapon. Besides tracking calories, you can track vitamins & minerals. I found that the nutrition aspect really became my top priority & then the calories just naturally decreased.

I really enjoy the Fitness Tracker too. It's very motivating, to see the calories burned. When you put all the SparkPeople pieces together, you will have great success.

Remember that this is a journey to a healthy lifestyle. It is not a quick weight loss diet. Slow & steady is the key to success. You do not need to be perfect, everyday. You just need to do your best & forgive yourself for bad days. A bad day (week) is not the end of your journey, it is just a small detour. Never give up!

Edited by: KATD13 at: 8/12/2012 (18:49)

current weight: 128.0

165 155 145 135

125

Posts: 1,451
8/11/12 2:42 P

Welcome, Ian! I think you'll love it here :) The site just launched a new feature called spark coach- I would recommend using the free two week trial so you can get a good overview of the program, etc!

The nutrition tracker will be your best friend. The more you use it, the easier it is to track! You will lose weight in a sustainable way if you follow the plan here. Small changes really do build up to something great!

I would recommend joining some spark teams as well- you can find them for any interest, age group, goal, location, etc. They can be a great support system and source for motivation and even challenges!

I wish you the best of luck with your journey :)

Pounds lost: 15.4

0 10 20 30

40

SparkPoints: (513)
Fitness Minutes: (2)
Posts: 1
8/11/12 1:23 P

My name is Ian, I'm 25 and I'm from the UK. I've always been big, but these last few years my weight has really spiraled out of control and now I'm at my heaviest at 340lbs. 6 years ago I was in a pretty bad relationship break-up and after that, my depression became so severe that I didn't want to leave the house, I lost all my motivation and I pretty much gave up on life. I'm pleased to say that today my depression is now under control, I'm back in a relationship with someone that I can see myself spending the rest of my life with and I'm finally in a good place both mentally and emotionally, so now it's time to get back into a good place physically! So here goes nothing!