Losing weight....online Programs, Jillian Michaels, Etc....?

LOVE LOVE LOVE SparkPeople.com Free online weight loss program that has meal plans, food tracking diary, fitness minute tracking as much or as little support and motivation as you want. Free online videos and a great recipe log as well. You can join teams and meet up with buddies online for motivation- or not if you want to go it on your own. I've meet other mommies on there and we all have some of the same goals and challenge. Did I mention that I Love the program- oh yeah and it is all FREE!!!

I agree with Mary, Spark People is a great FREE online program.
One thing I really like about it is for years I've been told make a food diary. Well OK, but it's just words on a paper, means nothing to me. But once you put everything you eat in Spark People you get a color pie graph of the fat, calories, fiber, protein, carbs etc. Finally something I can see and understand!

I personally have big issues with Jillian Michaels and would not give her money for anything. *I know this is going to sound petty but I don't thing she truly understands "real" people. Yes I know she was an over weight child and teen but she has no clue what it's like to be a mom and trying to fit everything in. I saw her on some talk show and a woman in the audience stood up said that once she hit 40 things changed and it was harder to lose even though she exercised. Jillian responded in a very flip, sarcastic manner (In MY OPINION) and told the woman that she'll give her a little bit of leeway for being middle aged but if Madonna could do it at her age, this lady wasn't trying hard enough! HELLO, Madonna has personal trainers, nutritionists, and chefs not to mention, nannys for the kids, accountants to pay her bills, house keepers, etc.
Sorry, off my soapbox for now. Back to my original thought, I vote for Spark People!

Try myfitnesspal.com it is free, has an online food diary and chat boards to help with encouragement etc. Of course it is a chat board so there are other stuff on there but i just stay away from the controversial stuff.

It has helped me drop 70 pounds.

www.keithahrens.com, gives motivational speeches and great inspiration.

Weight Management is like debt management - change in consumption (expenses) is absolutely necessary to see improvement. You can easily lose weight and a group like this can certainly help motivate each other. 1.The first step is to ...well...start. Do a baseline assessment at home ..you don't need a fancy gym membership. Just measure your weight, fat % and your waist. Post it here with a date (e.g. 125, 25%,6/1).
2. Make a very quick note of what you eat. Again nothing fancy...just scribble (e.g. cereals with milk 200 cals, pasta with meatballs 400 cals, icecream 550 cals etc..)
3. Identify one sugary or fatty item that is high in calories (e.g. icecream 550 cals)
4. Next time when you are about to consume that high-calorie food item...say icecream.. do these 2 things: 1. drink a full glass of water slowly before you consume that item and 2. reduce number of scoops by half
4a. After you finish the water and the reduced portion of icecream ...if you are still craving go for the additional scoop...most likely you wouldn't
5. Include oat meal (not the one-minute kid) to your breakfast. It is heart-healthy and filling as well.
6. If you are craving for something processed (like cake or cookies) tell yourself... I will first eat a fruit, drink a glass of water and then half a cookie

Follow these for 2 weeks and you WILL see weight loss. Post the revised measurements and use us as your support group to lose some more organically.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!!
J.
www.photosbysri.com

Hi A.,
Shaklee has a wonderful, safe inch loss program called Cinch. There is alot of online support. I am a personal trainer and would be available to help you if you chose this program.
Let me know if you are interested.
Victoria

I love Sparkpeople.com too. Now pregnant I'm on their related website Babyfit, but Sparkpeople is great with tons of forums, motivational info, articles, diet/food tracker, exercise tracker, etc. Very easy to use and helped me be in the best shape of my life for the last 3-4 yrs.
As far as motivation, only you can bring yourself that. I'm a full time working mom of a preschooler and another on the way. Yet I make exercise my priority no matter how many things I have to do or how busy I am. As the old adage goes "What would you rather do? Exercise for 30-60 minutes a day or be dead 24 hours a day?"