CALLING ALL FATTIES

At the insistence of a good friend, I recently joined an on-line weight-loss group called Sparkspeople.  Having had good experiences thus far, I wanted to introduce you to this resource.  Sparks is an on-line community that is devoted to losing weight.  Members may have a lot of weight to lose, only a few pounds to lose, or may have already reached a goal, but everyone shares one thing in common, they are devoted to healthier living.

It is a very supportive community with several teams you can join.  I belong to the Done Being The Fat Girl team, the Living Healthy In Your Thirties team, the Keystone team (for residents of PA) and the Shutterbug team (photo enthusiasts).  There are dozens more to chose from.  There are a variety of blogs and discussion boards for which you can subscribe.  A wealth of information is available on diet, nutrition, and exercise, as well as, tools you can use to track fitness goals, count calories and develop eating plans, and chart changes in weight and measurements.   There are also incentive programs where you achieve points and trophies for good behavior.  Joining Sparks gives you access to the Sparks diet plan and lots of low-calorie recipes.

The most important benefit is the sense of compassion and support from others.  You can add friends and email other members with questions or concerns without fear of humiliation.  I have met quite a few nice people who have welcomed me with open arms.  For those of you who have shown your support by following my blog or responding to my posts on the discussion boards, I would like to take this moment to say thanks Sparkspeople!  I'd also like to say thank-you to Becky for introducing me to this forum ;-)

I hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend.  Happy July 4th!  I'll be checking in after the holiday.

“Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” -Mark Twain