My Spark Anniversary

I have been a Spark Member since 2008. What have I accomplished in those years? Friendships! I have always been in the 50, 60, 70 and Older Group. I made a few adjustments in my eating and exercising but through the years I have encountered many circumstances that has prevented me from making great strides. Divorce, health issues, depression and more. . .but I must say that these people I have made friendships with were supportive and a great blessing to me and I have no regrets that I didn't find the skinny Jo I wanted. I have been her a few times to the point of the doctor giving me meds to gain weight! Now that is a laugh. But true. Depression can do strange things to your eating and destroy your overall health.

But today - I have not tossed my friendships aside - they are forever friends. But I have joined a new quest - CHAMPIONS and CHALLENGES. Now whether or not I loose those extra pounds with once again faced with knee problems and now hip. . .I am determined to keep on the road to recovery and weight loss. I have made inroads along the way - as I look back over my life and see that even though I lost weight with Diet Workshop, was secretary for TOPS (Take Pounds Off Sensibly) I kind of said I belonged to the POPs group (Put On Pounds Sensibly), Overeaters Anonymous and Weight Watchers; but the one thing that has always helped me after reading MANY Self-Help diet books and diets that counting calories and tracking my activities was my best way of staying in the limits and not to go way beyond what could have been disastrous results with health. I also rely on mediation and daily devotion time.

Then like we all have moments of casting everything to the wind and indulging in that third scoop of ice cream or that greasy pizza not just one slice but 4 and that bag of potato chips followed by the guilt process and back to the plan at hand. Today my Spark Anniversary - I am committed to working at this and reaching my goals - the small ones that will become the big ones when in 8 weeks or 8 months or another 8 years - It is a life process for many and I fall in that MANY category.

So today do what you can for energizing yourself, pamper yourself (which I rarely do) - I have to rethink this one because I have done for others all my life and put myself on hold. But remember YOU are important and so am I. Think about what you eat before it goes in the mouth for "what passes the lips is forever on the hips." And then don't beat yourself up because you seem to be a the tail end and everyone has passed you, because your day will come - Persistence is the attitude to have and always remember to smile and keep a positive attitude because and so too! To all my forever friends and my new friends that have been so special in helping to make this journey fun and even exciting - for my wonderful Spark Friends. Jojo