I signed up for Sparkpeople a few years ago and never really use it but still get emails from them. This was written by one of the members of the site and featured in an email. The title caught my eye. I didn't even read through all of these yet, but I just wanted a place to stick it so that I would actually get around to reading it. Who knows, maybe it will inspire anyone who reads my blog (does anyone read my blog?)

1) Fruits and Vegetables don't taste so bad. I actually enjoy them now; I can make a killer salad, a fruit parfait, and so much more.

2) Processed Foods are not filling. In the beginning of my journey in early January I couldn't understand why I was always so hungry, I then analyzed what I was eating, and it wasn't a lot. I was eating processed foods, which are higher in calories and don't fill me up.

3) I am Frugal with my calories. I now treat my calories like a personal bank. I only have so many calories to spend a day and I want to get the most food for my calorie buck. Going back to #1, I can have Greek yogurt with strawberries and raspberries for the same amount of calories as a granola bar, but be way more satisfied and have more food.

4) 4-5 Small meals a day is better than 3 large meals a day. Eating more often keeps me full and keeps me from thinking about how much longer I have until my next meal.

5) Preparation is the key to success. I am such a busy person that I have to be prepared for each day that comes my way. Weather I have to work, go to school, have some appt, or something else to do in one day, I know how to be prepared. Making meals to take on the road, planning time for exercise, knowing my schedule all helps me a lot.

6) There is no magic pill. The hundreds upon hundreds of diet pills, supplements or mysterious drink are all BS! There is no magic cure to being fat. The Real Cure = EAT RIGHT AND EXERCISE (it blows peoples mind when they ask me how I have lost weight, and I just say eating right and staying active)

7) Having no time is not an excuse. I used this way too much in the past before as an excuse to not eat right or exercise. I have learned that no matter how busy I am I can always make healthy decisions. If I don't have time to work out today, I know I have planned to work out tomorrow.

8) Short Term Goals = Success Before, I would always look at the big picture and it would be so discouraging knowing how far I had to go. Now, I make small goals that I can achieve in a smaller period of time. A lot of small 5 pound goals add up really quick.

9) I learned to not be so judgmental. I used to look at a person bigger at me at the gym and wonder why the heck they were there, but know If I see a larger person at the gym I think "good for them, I am glad they are changing their lives"

10) I don't have to be perfect. I used to have an "all or nothing" attitude. If I messed up a little one day I would just think "screw it, my day is ruined", then that would turn into a ruined week, it was an ongoing viscous cycle. I expected perfection from myself, and it backfired. No one is perfect; I just try to do the best I can.

11) Patience is a virtue. I quickly learned that I won't get results right away. At first I wanted to get back into a size 14 in two weeks, but that wasn't possible. Patience, Patience, and more patience is needed when it comes to seeing results. It can be discouraging at first, but when you first start noticing changes is your body it is so worth the wait.

12) Smile! I like to smile more; it helps my self-confidence and makes others feel good too. I sometimes find myself smiling while on the treadmill, kind of weird haha, but that's just me! emoticon

13) The Treadmill isn�t so bad. I used to HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE the idea of working out on the treadmill, in face I only really started using it in the last two months, but man I am glad I did. I learned that I like to run; I wouldn�t have known that if I didn�t give the treadmill a chance. I actually enjoy it now, and it�s my main source of cardio.

14) emoticon I am a Runner. I feel I can officially say that because I can run 4 miles nonstop now, which is something I never thought was possible 7.5 months ago, it blows me away that I am able to do that.

15) emoticon I am a Biker. In the earlier part of my journey I used by stationary bike a lot. I used small 5 mile goals do build up to a 45 mile ride (I have yet to do the 50).

16) My body is capable of more than I ever thought possible. Number 14 and 15 both prove that I can do so much with my body. I learned to push myself to my limits and break barriers that I didn�t think I could do before. I now am looking forward to pushing myself�.. What do I see in my future���100 mile century ride and a half marathon, now more than ever I know I will be capable of doing these things.

17) I can look good in a dress. Here is the proof��.

18) Motivation�.Motivation�.
.Motivation�.. I thrive on motivation, without it I don�t think I could ever where I am at now. I find motivation in many places�.people at the gym who can do more than I can�..people who have found success on spark people�.seeing someone bigger or older than me do something I didn�t think was possible. Keeping positive motivational reminders in my head really help me get through hard days and push me closer and closer to my goal.

19) emoticon Having a Partner along the way helps so much. Part way through my journey one of my best friends, who is now on spark people (MathisC4464), we workout together a couple of times a week and can talk to each other about our weight loss or whatever is on our mind. She inspires me and I inspire her to work harder and go longer on our work outs. Without her I don�t think I could have made it this far. emoticon



Thats US!

20) It�s okay to be a little crazy. I have always been the type of person to be a little weird, shake things, up and have some fun. My fun/ crazy attitude helps keep my spirits up and keeps me motivated.



Me being a little CrAzY before a workout!

21) It�s possible to wear smaller pants. these were my old GOAL pants (these used to not fit me)�..



Its crazy to think those didn't even fit me before!

22) Being sore is fun! I love being a little sore after a hard workout; it�s a sign of progress and reminds me that I am doing to right thing.

23) Visualize Success � When you visualize yourself skinny it makes it easier to do the right things to become skinny. I also use some fun visual motivators�� once I made a chart that had 350 boxes in it, each box represented 10 calories, every time I burned 10 calories in a workout I filled in a box, once a chart was filled in it meant I burned a pound worth of calories working out. Seeing the charts really motivated me to try to fill in the rest of the boxes and workout more.

24) emoticon I can run outside and not be embarrassed. I used to be afraid of running or biking outside because of how people would judge me. I now know that those people are either proud of me for getting active or jealous that their not the ones outside doing to exercise. I like to go outside now to work out and because I feel I can show off what my great body can do!

25) emoticon Finding fun exercise = Success! I used to get bogged down doing the same exercise routine every day, it got really boring to the point I didn�t want to do it anymore. Nowadays I switch up my routine almost every time I workout. I do something different to keep it from getting boring. Also, I try to do things I enjoy, like running, or walking my dog to keep me interested. My new favorite form of exercise is KICKBOXING, I recently started taking boot camp classes and we do kickboxing and I find it so fun that I don�t even think about the fact that I am working out.

26) Get my butt of the coach. There are some days I just don�t feel like going to the gym. But I have learned that once I get myself there, the feeling goes away. Sometimes the days I don�t feel like working out in the first place I end up having the best workout of the week.

27) You can�t measure success, by the number on the scale. I tend to obsess of the number the scale says, but I have recently learned that you can�t always judge your success by that number, for example I consider it a good week now if I run a total of 10+ miles and do my strength training, that is a success.

28) Nothing tastes as good as how being thing feels. (yea I know it�s a little clich�)I love the way my body looks now, and every time I have an urge to eat a piece of cake, or something bad I remember what I used to feel like and how I never want to go back.

29) I am beautiful. I truly believe I am beautiful now, before I had such a bad self image of myself, but now seeing the weight come off and seeing myself achieve so many fitness and nutritional goals I truly see myself as beautiful. This is the first time in my life I have said that and actually meant it.

30) How to say No, and Mean it. If someone offers me a cookie in the break room �No thanks�, If my grandma asks if I want another serving of pasta �I�m good grandma, but thanks for asking�, If someone offers me extra food at a party to take home �I�m okay thanks, I�m sure someone else will want it more than me� Little things like that have made such a difference in my weight loss, I use d to use people offering me food as an excuse to cheat. But now I know that I can say NO and they won�t be offended.

31) Slip ups are okay, I know how to get back on track. Before if I made a mistake it would ruin the whole day, week, or month. I now know that even if I do slip up, that tomorrow is a new day, or dinner will be much better. I learn from the mistake I made and move on, no big deal, I will still reach my goal!

32) emoticon You can eat chocolate and still lose weight! That�s right; I didn�t think I could ever say that before. I love York peppermint patties or dark chocolate mint three musketeers, did I mention pretzel m&ms, in moderation these aren�t bad for you and you can still lose weight. I have learned when it�s okay to have chocolate and how to stop myself when I have had enough.

33) It feels good to get compliments, and it only makes me work harder to receive more! It took awhile until people started noticing my weight loss, but once they did I got a lot of compliments. It feels so good to know that people can see your hard work pay off, and it only makes me want to keep working harder so I can get even more.

34) I have learned how to spread the spark! I have referred a total five people to spark people. Whenever someone asks me how I lose weight I can�t help but tell them about spark people and how great of a community it is.

35) I know how to see the positive in any situation. When I am having a bad day or just not seeing the number I want to see on the scale I have learned to see the situation as the glass be half full rather than half empty. Focusing on the positive instead of the negative helps motivate me to keep working hard rather than bogging me down and wondering why I should even bother.

36) emoticon Spark People Rocks! I am so grateful to spark people for saving my life. I honestly would be lost without it. I have learned what Spark People had to offer and there�s so much. Spark people offers ways to stay motivated, gain knowledge, track success, meet new people, inspire others, and so much more. To anyone new reading this blog post let me tell you this�.take advantage of what spark people has to offer, many people use it just for the nutrition and fitness trackers, but there�s so much more to it that can aid you on your journey.

37) I have learned how to inspire others to lose weight themselves. I now know how to talk to people about losing weight. I never thought I would be the one to do it, but I am! The change people see in me inspires them to start their journeys.

38) I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to. Now that I have lost 40 pounds, I know 100% now that I can do anything!

39) I am UNSTOPPABLE!! GRRRRRRRRR���.nobody or anything will ever stop me now! I am on a roll!

40) I WILL REACH MY GOAL!

Here is the link to her actual post if you'd like to see the pictures and emoticons that I deleted when I copy/pasted it.