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Letters from the SparkPeople Community

What Do YOU Think?

-- By SparkPeople Editorial Staff
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Here are some thoughts and testimonials from the community, our SparkPeople members.

From Patrohnem

It's been a very stressful day. I didn't sleep well last night and had a sick child this morning. BUT, I did well on my food. I have stayed very close to the goal analysis (Carbs, Protein and Fat) that was set for me. I have always stayed in the calorie range that was set for me. I started almost 2 weeks ago and have lost 4.5 pounds. I have exercised daily, so that's good and I am SURE to put in everything that goes into my mouth into the food tracking program. That has helped me tremendously.

From Kandyrce

Thank you guys for your warm welcome. I really do have a wonderful feeling about this whole thing. I have even shared with a couple of my friends how great this site is and they both have signed up today! I do believe that I am getting addicted.

From sfeltner_2001

Finally, I have found a site that I can track my calories and nutrition easily. Plus you give a super wide variety of workout ideas and motivation to stay focused. The price is right. I have been a member of Weight Watchers and South-Beach Diet and the cost is so ridiculous for the ability to track your diet. You feel so guilty if you do not use their sites
daily and thus throw yourself into failure. Your first reaction is to quit and continue on your own. But with the cost of this site being reasonable, that pressure is lifted and I find myself actually using it more religiously--go figure!

Many of the foods that I eat are in your databases, which are not in Weight Watchers. Plus I want to know the calories, fat, carbs, and cholesterol of the foods that I am eating--not just the point system. E-diets is also a site that I found too costly for the amount of information. Since, I can actually see the nutritional value of the "real" foods that I eat in a graphical manner; I can make better decisions about how to improve my eating habits and cut calories and portions. I play a "what-if" with my daily choices and sometimes find that I can actually do without certain foods that I selected during the day.

Stay tuned to hear more of what SparkPeople members have to say!

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Member Comments

  • SNOWQUEENSHERRY
    I have tried several attempts at different diet plans and even have belonged to this Sparks site for years! I go to a TOPS group where I live and attend faithfully for what -maybe the past 5 years !~ BUT AND I MEAN BUT I can't stick with anything!
    I live in the northern part of Ontario, Canada and find the weather, bugs and road conditions very bad. I start walking and then stop because we need to worry about running into a bear or the black flies and too much snow in the winter. I do have lots of company off and on because we are considered a tourist area and that really throws me off and I need to start again and again and again for whatever reasons. Same problem with the diets or should I say the trying to eat healthier. I do and I don't!
    We do have a lot of property and have room to snowmobile in the winter and snowshoe or even toboggan down our driveway as our home is on a hill. We do not live close enough to have an exercise buddy!! I will just keep trying!! - 9/1/2008 12:57:14 PM
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  • OAKBORN
    I started at FitDay and it was okay. I lasted there about a week. Then I switched to CalorieCount and stayed there for just over 3 months, I didn't mind the calorie counter or the fitness tracker much, except that entering new foods was a pain.

    I initially signed up for SP in January and it didn't catch me at first. But as I tried to use the forums on CalorieCount, I was disappointed by the widely varied and suspect quality of the information on their site... and their forums just seemed to be full of a bunch of whiny wannabes and arguing over how people disagreed with one another. It seemed neither constructive or helpful.

    So I came back to SP in April and haven't looked back! It has been a great experience here. Everyone is super supportive and reaches out to others. The sheer encouragement here at SP is just amazing, as is the sheer number of articles and resources.

    I have 9 friends who have signed up now! - 8/5/2008 2:41:43 PM
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  • CARNEY8
    I began this journey with the South Beach Diet but didn't subscribe to their website, as it was unnecessary. When I found my enthusiasm waning, I was fortunate that my employers brought Weight Watchers at Work to our jobsite and that was a tremendous help to me. I remain a member of Weight Watchers and wouldn't miss my Saturday morning meeting for love or money...but, even though I'm entitled to use their website to track my food (and there is a great deal on WW's Etools that is enormously helpful and it's chock full of information, I have found that SparkPeople.com is a much better "fit" for me. Go figure: I pay for Etools but exclusively use SparkPeople.com! It is simply easier for me to track here and "user-friendly" doesn't begin to describe the ease I've found here....easy to navigate from one area to the next, a marvelous tracker system for my meals as well as my exercise program. And the articles! SparkPeople is, bar none, the greatest health aid on the web! - 2/25/2008 9:20:46 PM
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  • BARBICARDS
    As a diabetic I must count carbohydrates and although Weight Watchers is a great program and a life long eating program I wasnt quite sure how to convert points to carbohydrates. I agree with the other emailer that this is a better plan - 2/2/2008 12:44:55 PM
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  • JIBBIE49
    Great article. I, too, have tried FitDay, eDiets, and others but didn't want to pay for on-line help. When you pay it always seems like getting your money is all the group cares about. I love Sparkpeople because it is FREE and I come here daily out of my own want. - 1/10/2008 11:44:40 AM
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  • HIPCHICK68
    I agree wholeheartedly with SFELTNER that this site is superior to others in that it is so comprehensive, offers almost limitless educational resources, and costs no money. I know that when I paid for on or off line diets I too felt quilty if I didn't use them to the max but now that I don't pay, I use sparkpeople all the time, almost an addiction. Also, Sparkpeople is not just about diet, it is a total lifestyle change. However,it is not for everyone, as neither my husband nor daughter want any part of it. They are doing their own thing which is okay with me. - 1/10/2008 7:12:18 AM
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