Success Story: 'It Was Worth It to Spend Time on ME'*

What is your age? 28
 
How long have you been a SparkPeople member? How did you find SparkPeople? I joined SparkPeople in November of 2009. I had started trying to lose weight, but no matter what I did, it didn't work--I was always hungry!  My friend suggested I check out SparkPeople.com, and I fell in love with the site.  I had found a "pot of gold" to the rainbow of my life! I now had the tools to help me with my weight-loss journey.
 
What is your favorite feature on SparkPeople? My favorite feature is the Nutrition Tracker. It allows me to see exactly what I'm eating and how much I'm eating.  I've learned that carbohydrates are in everything, and that I don't need to eat bread/pasta/rice to get enough carbohydrates in my diet.  I also learned I was eating way too much sodium.  No wonder I couldn't lose weight; too many carbs paired with too much sodium equaled me carrying extra water weight and being hungry (eating carbs, but not fiber-filled carbs).
 
How much weight have you lost? I have lost 75 pounds.

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Which Orange Veggie Will Save You 100 Calories?

With the start of fall last month, it seems like everyone has sweet and starchy orange produce on the brain. Butternut squash and sweet potatoes have officially taken the place of summer's zucchini bounty. Not only are these orange fall foods delicious and comforting, but they are also nutritional powerhouses that are high in fiber and vitamins A and C. But is there much of a difference when it comes to calorie content? In a food showdown between sweet potato and butternut squash, which one will give you more nutritional bang for your calorie buck in your fall dishes?

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Motivation Monday: Stop Waiting

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Food Showdown: Can You Pick the Chip Champion?

Sometimes, you want a crunchy, salty snack—and rice cakes just aren't going to cut it. When using portion control, it's completely possible to sneak in a serving of chips for an occasional treat. But not all chips are created equal, and it can be overwhelming to choose from so many different varieties. Sweet potato chips and ''baked'' chips have cropped up in the snack aisle, both promising a better-for-you, wholesome chip. Between TERRA Crinkles Sweet Potato Sea Salt Chips and Kettle Brand Baked Potato Chips with Sea Salt, which is the chip champion?

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Motivation Monday: Persistence vs. Perfection

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Food Showdown: It's a Wrap!

Over the past few years, the bread aisle has steadily become flooded with different varieties of tortillas. Whole wheat, low-carb, and veggie-infused, bread's flatter cousin has certainly brought more options to the lunch menu. Spinach tortillas have become especially popular, boasting a green hue and a virtuous aura of health. But how do they stack up next to multi-grain tortillas? Who wins in this war of the sandwich wraps?

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Motivation Monday: Let Others Be Guides...

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'I Lost 94 Pounds and Lowered My Blood Pressure!'*

Meet Cathy Storey, a SparkPeople.com member who lost nearly 100 pounds and took control of her blood pressure through diet and exercise. Find out her full story over at Huffington Post!

Congratulations, Cathy! Keep Sparking!

*Weight loss results will vary from person to person. No individual result should be seen as a typical result of following the SparkPeople program. 

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Food Showdown: Which Energy Bar Should You Go Nuts For?

Walk into any grocery store, and you'll find aisle after aisle of energy bars. Some claim that they will boost exercise performance, while others boast organic labels and all-natural ingredients. In recent years, energy bars made with a simple combination of fruits and nuts have become more popular. Larabar, an energy bar famous for its minimal ingredients list, has been around for years, boasting an array of flavors ranging from Carrot Cake to Chocolate Chip Cherry Torte. But now there's a new bar on the block: The Kit's Organic Fruit and Nut Bar from Clif, which also has a short, wholesome ingredients list. So what's the difference? Is one bar nutritionally better than the other? We're comparing the Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar with the Kit's Organic Peanut Butter Bar to find out!

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'I've Maintained My 186-Pound Loss for Almost Three Years!'*

Meet Angela Baldo, a SparkPeople.com member (username 4A-HEALTHY-BMI) who lost 186 pounds! Here, Angela shares how she has maintained her healthy weight for almost three years and counting.

What is your age? 46
 
How long have you been a SparkPeople member? How did you find SparkPeople? I joined in the spring of 2009.  An at-work wellness program suggested the Nutrition Tracker.
 
What is your favorite feature on SparkPeople? SparkTeams! Specifically, the At Goal & Maintaining + Transition to Maintenance SparkTeam.
 
Although maintainers are a tiny fraction of the entire SparkPeople.com community, we have a tremendous amount to offer, because we have experience with living the dream of every weight loser:  KEEPING the weight off.  As you may know, only 5-20% of people successfully keep weight off after losing it.  In my 20s, I was one of those statistics. I lost over 100 pounds, only to gain it all back--plus almost 100 more.
 
This SparkTeam has really become Maintenance Central--some of the wisest, most generous people I've ever met are involved in it.  Between the experience of our long-term maintainers (41+ years!) and our interest in the science behind maintenance, we have developed an excellent, supportive community of mentors.
 
We have a Hall of Fame of maintenance role models, and we acknowledge and celebrate maintenance anniversaries and compete in maintenance-oriented team challenges.  We have lively and supportive discussions about how to transition into maintenance mentality, stay motivated and engaged, handle life hurdles, etc. 
 
Anyone on a journey to lose weight can benefit from thinking about and planning for maintenance.  If you prepare for maintenance, you're more likely to cope well with the particular challenges it presents.  One of the reasons I've managed to keep the weight off this time is because I saw how easily I regained before.  From the beginning of my weight loss, I wanted to give myself every possible advantage in the struggle to keep it off this time.  And so far, with the help of this team, it's working.
 
How much weight have you lost? 186 pounds
 
How long did it take to lose the weight? I lost 160 pounds in a year.  Then, over the following two years, I dropped the remaining 26 pounds, bouncing around a bit while I figured out how this maintenance thing was going to work for me.
 
What was your light bulb moment that made you decide to lose weight?

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Motivation Monday: It's Not Who You Are That Holds You Back

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Food Showdown: The Truth about Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte

Fall is in the air, which means that the coffee shops are starting to roll out their pumpkin-flavored treats. Starbucks' infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte officially hit stores this past week, much to the joy of orange squash aficionados everywhere. Though this seasonal latte may be tasty, how does it stack up to a plain old Starbucks Vanilla Latte in terms of nutrition? Both lattes (size ''grande'') are made with 2% steamed milk and flavored syrup. So, is there really that much of a difference? Is there a winner in this battle of the bean, or do both drinks stack up pretty equally?

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'Fit By 40': One Woman's Journey to Health

At 38 years old, a 330-pound Michelle Jackson read in an article that losing weight becomes more difficult after age 40. That article gave her the motivation she needed to launch her own personal weight-loss challenge: "Fit By 40." Read her full story on CNN.com!

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Food Showdown: Which Shrimp Dish is the Better Catch?

If you're a health-conscious seafood lover, you probably know that shrimp makes a tasty, high-protein and low-fat dish—when prepared the right way, that is. Restaurants across the country incorporate the little crustaceans into hundreds of dishes, from popcorn shrimp to creamy shrimp fettuccine Alfredo. Applebee's includes shrimp in several of its dishes, but not all are created equal! The Signature Sirloin with Garlic Herb Shrimp from Applebee's includes a 7-oz. sirloin steak topped with shrimp in a light cream sauce, and comes with potatoes, veggies, and sliced almonds on the side. The Grilled Shrimp 'N Spinach Salad features grilled shrimp on a mound of fresh spinach, topped with bacon, peppers, onions, and bacon vinaigrette. Of these two shrimp dishes, which one contains the least calories and fat?

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Confession: I'm Still Learning to Put My Health First

When it comes to good health, I'm grateful that the odds have always been in my favor. Not only was I taught early on about the importance of eating well and exercising regularly, but I also come from healthy genes (my grandmother is still going strong at 96 years old!). However, along with those good genetics, I also inherited something that has recently proven to be somewhat of a disadvantage: My dad's stubborn refusal to go to the doctor at all costs.

My dad is one of the sweetest, hardest-working people I have ever known. The one flaw he has in my eyes is that he just doesn't know when to stop working. He is the carbon-copy of my hard-working grandfather, who worked for a steel company nearly his entire adult life. Upon his retirement, he received an award (a plaque that my family still has!) for never taking a single sick day in 44 years.

Needless to say, my dad followed in my grandfather's footsteps, and I subconsciously learned from an early age that we Hersheys just don't get sick. And if we do, we can power through it. Of course, my parents always took me to the doctor on those rare occasions that I did get sick growing up. But my dad, who is still working well past retirement age, has always sent the subtle message through his actions that life doesn't slow down, even when your body needs it to. You just deal with it and keep going.

As they say, like father, like daughter. Given my upbringing, it should be no surprise that my health has always been a big point of pride for me. So, when I started feeling tired and run-down a couple of months ago, my immediate thought was, ''I just have a lot going on right now. I'll be fine once I finally catch up on sleep!" And then, on the weekends, I slept, and slept... and slept. And I would wake up feeling even more tired than I did before. I watched my endurance plummet during my workouts, and I had trouble concentrating on the simplest of tasks. I kept making excuses for the way I felt: I was working a lot; I just needed to take a day off from exercise; I was getting too much sleep. I made up every justification under the sun to keep from admitting that there may actually be something wrong with me.

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