One Year and 78 Pounds Later

Week of 07/19/2018 - Featured Blog Post One Year and 78 Pounds Later ELF41978 I remember getting on the scale back in June of last year, and literally crying because I hadn't thought it had gotten that bad. It was June 13, 2017, and I weighed 309 pounds, according to my FitBit data. I remember feeling badly. I remember saying I had to change. On June 26th I logged onto SparkPeople and created an account. When I did this, it really wasn't an eye-opener or rock bottom moment for me, because I'd probably created 10 SparkPeople accounts prior, and only stuck them out for an average of 30 days. The problem was, I'd do well for a bit, but I'd fizzle out fast. If an event occurred, and I ate off my "plan", that would be the end. I remember waiting to start because a holiday or party was coming up and I'd "have to eat for that". If something happened and I couldn't get in my exercise, I'd stop exercising. Nothing had ever stuck before. Even when I created my account, I was still very apprehensive about it. I figured, "Eh, it didn't work then. Why should it work this time?" I recall looking at the Community Feed, blogs and articles. Occasionally tracking a food item to check its calories. (And when I did that, I recall being shocked or angry.) It took an additional two weeks before I officially started on my Day 1. I learned a lot in those two weeks just looking around SparkPeople. What I noticed the most was "small changes" which I always thought was stupid, but so many people were talking about their success with making small changes. Every other time I'd made an attempt at this thing called weight loss, it was all or nothing, complete overhaul. You had to be perfect. You had to change EVERYTHING WRONG with you. No ifs ands or buts. This would "work" for such a short time... long enough to see some double digit weight loss, but then just giving up because it was impossible to follow. So, day one came and went.... and yes, it was hard. But I started small. I started drinking water, making my 5k step goal, and tracking all food. That's it. I didn't even give myself a weight goal or a calorie limit at that point. Baby steps. Fast forward one year, and here's what's different. At the beginning of this blog, I stated: "It never worked for me in the past, so why would it work now?" (Referring to SparkPeople.) SparkPeople was never the problem. SparkPeople cannot do the work for you. You do the work. My very first blog post was... "Get out of your own way." So glad I took my own advice. Click here to see her progress pictures and learn more about her weight loss journey! Motivational Member   STARDUSTD "It's never too late to b... I'm a dreamer. I'm a thinker. I'm a writer. I'm a warrior. When I set out to lose weight, I ha... ...Go To STARDUSTD Page Featured Member Blogs forget mistakes---Let's get moving! Maybe I shudda been Cinderella! Weight No More: Exercise, No Longer a Four Letter Word Day 1678 Unwavering Commitment To Self-Honesty More Community Links:     Browse Member Blogs | Success Stories | Video Blogs | Featured Blogs Join the movement by clicking the link below to earn your SparkPoints, or connecting with SparkPeople in one of these other ways: UNSUBSCRIBE © 2018 SparkPeople, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms | Privacy | Manage Emails