Spark Spotlight: Nico (NICO_2023)

By , SparkPeople Blogger
At SparkPeople, we love helping people accomplish big goals—but we believe it's equally important to celebrate the small successes along the way. Each week in the Spark Spotlight, we'll check in with a featured member about his or her proudest moments, biggest challenges and advice for others on living, thinking and feeling healthier. We hope these quick snapshots will help motivate you to keep moving steadily toward your own goals, week by week.
 
This Week's Spotlight: Nico (NICO_2023)
Age: 20
Location: Laconia, Indiana
 
Small Success of the Week
 
Nico is very proud of being able to resist the urge to overeat recently. This was a huge accomplishment and is definitely something to be celebrated! 

What's your overall goal? 
 
I've wasted too many years hating my appearance. That hatred led to a cycle of overeating, which caused resentment toward myself for overeating, which [then] made me so upset that I overate again. My overall goal is to break that cycle and, instead of holding back an appreciation for myself until I look a certain way, to love myself as I am now. 

How is SparkPeople helping you get there? 
 
Through SparkPeople, I've become connected to a community of some of the most positive and driven people I've ever seen. When I start to feel self-doubt creeping back up again, all I need is to look at the Community Goal Feed and see that I am not alone in this journey. We're all in this together, and that sense of community is what keeps me going! 

What's your biggest challenge right now? 

My biggest challenge is to avoid falling back into the mentality that caused me to resent the way I look [and] led to my binge eating cycle. I'm learning to love and appreciate what my body can do for me despite the way it looks, and that it's not the end of the world if I do slip up along the way. 

What advice do you have for someone who just joined SparkPeople today?
 
The greatest mistake you could make is not opening your heart to the lovely people that are in this community! Please, please, please utilize the support that's available to you! Don't feel like you're going on this journey alone. Someone will always be there to give you a nudge in the right direction and that's what will keep you going on days where you want to throw in the towel. 

Want to be the next small success we spotlight? Share your successes on the goal feed or in the comments below, and you might be the next person we contact!