Great Diet & Exercise Website!

So about a year and a half ago I was referred to a website by my cousin. We were both at the point in our lives that we wanted/needed to lose some weight and get healthy. In our late twenties ( you know, very late twenties... I was twenty-twelve and she was twenty-ten), and not getting any younger. She said that she had discovered this cool website that didn't charge you anything, but built a diet and exercise plan just for you. You input your height and weight, and what kind of plan you wanted (low-fat, low-carb, whatever), and it will give you meal plan suggestions and strength training suggestions. You can also choose to just make your own meal plans and choose what strength training and cardio exercises you wanted to do.

The website is called Sparkpeople and for me, worked wonders! I chose to make my own meal plans, so it gave me a goal calorie range to stay within, and also the number of carbs, fats, calcium, protein and whatever else you want to track. I just inputted everything I ate into the calorie counter. EVERYTHING. You have to count everything. Every little calorie counts. Even, as I found out, the ones consumed while standing (the calories don't fall out while standing!). Boy, was that an eye opener. Once you see how much you are really consuming, you start to pay attention and change your habits. Another thing you have to watch is how much water you are consuming. 64 ounces a day. No less. More is better, but at least 64 ounces. And no, tea and juice don't count.

When I realized what I was consuming, I changed my habits. I thought I was eating healthy... Did you know that one large hardboiled egg has 5.3 grams of fat? And 77.5 calories? I had no idea! Did you know also, that one large poached egg only has 5 grams of fat and 73.5 calories. Every little thing counts!

I also discovered that I was a car snacker. Whenever I am in the car driving for more than 10 minutes I start looking for something to snack on. Part of this, especially for longer trips, is to help keep me awake and aware. BUT, it was also adding extra calories that weren't really being accounted for, until Sparkpeople.

It made me very aware of what I was doing wrong. I started to read labels. I started actively paying attention to how much actual water I was drinking (some days I wasn't drinking ANY!) And when I changed some basic habits, the weight started to come off! When you lower your calorie intake and increase your water intake, that alone will give you results, even if you don't change your exercise and activity level. Because you are eating healthier, you get more energy, so you want to start being more active. So then, you add in some exercise and strength training.

I just started walking. Walking is an exercise that pretty much everyone can do. You can do it anywhere, and it is GREAT exercise! I started out with just a half mile, and slowly increased it every week. I got to the point where if I was walking, I made sure I walked a minimum of a mile and if I was biking, it was a minimum of 3 miles...everyday. In the month of October in 2007 I walked/biked/jogged over 100 miles!

I started with Sparkpeople in about September of 2007. By December I had lost almost 30 pounds. However, I had also found out, in November, that I was expecting my 4th child. Surprise! Life likes to throw you a curveball sometimes, but you just gotta go with the flow. I did pretty good with my weight gain during pregnancy, but now have some extra pounds to lose once again. I have had a hard time getting motivated, but the whole triathlon thing has done it for me. I am back into healthier habits, for the most part, and have been exercising at least 3 days a week. I have been doing this for 3 weeks now and have lost 9 pounds. YAY me! So check it out today! www.sparkpeople.com