Weight loss and other "heavy" issues...

I have always struggled with my self-image and my weight.

When I got divorced, 9 years ago, the weight came off. I felt wonderful and for the first time in my life, felt comfortable in my own body. It was a great feeling.

I vowed to keep the weight off. Well, it has slowly crept back into my life. The last two years or so has seen me slowly gain 25 pounds.

I tried making small adjustments in my eating habits and/or exercise (or lack of it) to halt the onset of poundage...but, to no avail. I even quit drinking pop, in the past, that move alone was good for 15 pounds, not this time.

I questioned the doctor at my last visit. Seems once you hit your mid-forties, your metabolism slows down, thus making it even harder to lose those extra pounds. (Yes, he tested my thyroid)

As a result of the extra pounds (and a family history) I am now dealing with high blood pressure. Something I was really trying to avoid. I had hoped I could avoid medication by keeping my weight down. No such luck.

As you may remember, I bought Wii Fit this summer to get myself and my boys active in a fun, motivating manner. Well, it worked for about a month. But, my weight didn't go down. So, I lost interest.

I realized the other evening, as I was trying to fit my butt in a pair of jeans, that my "school" wardrobe isn't going to fit me, unless I take action. And, as you can see by my counter on top, school is fast approaching.

Long story short...(Love ya Beck!)....I was reading Megan's blog and she recommends SparkPeople.

Here is what Megan says about the site:

....There are a few things I really like about it. First, it is 100% free. Second, it's not trying to sell anything. I NEVER send a patient to a web site that is trying to sell them vitamins or miracle powdered drinks or anything else. I think all "education" on those sites is suspect at that point.

The biggest thing I think I like about it though is that the site encompasses so much. Not only can you track your weight loss, your daily calorie intake (it does most of the work for you, you just plug in what you ate), and your daily exercise but the site is big on motivation. There are tons of "SparkTeams" that you can join (much like the groups on Ravelry), there are message boards to ask questions and connect to people with your same interests or in your same area (there IS a knitter's group!), and there are SparkPoints.

You earn points for logging on, tracking your food intake, your exercise, drinking 8 glasses of water daily, basically most of what you do on/with the web site earns you points. The points go towards trophies which are displayed on your main log in page...

So, I created a profile for myself....I am "alaina.p" on SparkPeople.

I liked what I saw. The site is going to be very helpful, if I make the effort to use it. One of the things I liked...I struggle with planning healthy meals. The site gives me a weekly menu that I can adapt.

I don't know if this is the answer or not, but I think it's worth a try...

Let me know what you think and if you want to join me on this walk.