My Goal: To Do Better

By Beth Donovan aka ~Indygirl

It has been a long journey from 460 pounds to 316 (check out my before-and-after pictures above), but one that's well worth it. It has taken me since January 2005 to lose that much weight. I was a member of SparkPeople.com under a different user name when I started. When I got super serious, I became ~Indygirl.

When I first started my journey, I felt truly hopeless. I had tried everything before. I had tried five diet clinics (a few of those more than once), gym memberships, prescription diet pills, books, tapes, videos, supplements, and fad diets. Nothing ever lasted, and I always gained back more weight than I lost. I was convinced that my metabolism was broken and that the only way to lose weight was to torture myself and starve through yet another diet. Reasoning, however, told me that it was only a matter of time before that diet would fail and I would be fatter than I was before.

There is a heartbreak that comes with gaining weight back. It is hard to suffer it alone, but the world, your family and friends also watch you do it. That was an unbearable pain for me. Every time I would fail, I not only failed myself and suffered my own admonishment and disappointment, but I also suffered the looks and comments of those around me. The wondered “Why did I do that to myself? Why would I regain the weight?” Well, it wasn’t as if I set out to do it, it slowly happened because I couldn’t keep up with the diet.

I’ve now successfully kept 100 pounds off for two years and have even lost more. How, though? I was never the one to lose weight like that; I was the friend or the person who heard about the person who lost the weight. I credit SparkPeople for teaching me how to make true lifestyle changes, rather than how to go on a diet. I knew how to diet. Lifestyle change takes time and patience and is a very emotional journey, one that is never really over. As one of my blogs said, “Fitness is a journey, not a destination.” That mindset made me realize that I needed something that was so individualized that I could live with it for my whole life. There could not be a “wagon” to fall off of, so to speak.

I don’t set typical goals. My goal this year is the same as always, to do better.

10 Quick Confidence Boosters

From our partners at Woman's Day

Confidence is easily attainable and makes a huge impact on how others view you as well as how you feel about yourself. Try these instant boosters to put a little spring in your step:

The 11 Healthiest Food Trends of the 21st Century

By SparkPeople Head Dietitian Becky Hand, RD, LD



Despite all the bad news out there about our collective health declining, it's easier than ever to eat right and improve your health. As 2010 draws to a close and we prepare for a healthy and happy 2011, we took a look back at the healthy eating trends that have transformed our supermarkets, our eating habits--and our lives--since the start of the 21st century. Read on to find out which 11 (in no particular order) top our list.

7 Ways Stress Can Actually Be Good for You

via our partners at Woman's Day

Everyone dreads the S-word—and for good reason: Too much stress can have negative health consequences, like weight gain and depression. But, we’re often so focused on battling stress at work, in our relationships and everywhere else that it can be surprising to hear that some of that anxiety may actually be natural and normal. Even more, it might even be there to help you be healthier, happier and your ultimate best self. Strange? We thought so too, until we talked to health experts and found out about the many ways that stress can actually help you. From boosting your immune system to helping you get fit, read on to learn about the benefits of having a little stress in your life.

4 Proven Health Benefits of Marriage

From our partners at Woman's Day

Sure, marriage is hard work, but if yours is a happy one most of the time, both you and your spouse will reap major health benefits. “People who are married can have a built-in support system and social network. One of you might encourage the other to eat better or join in a workout, or nag until the other stops smoking,” explains Alice Domar, PhD, coauthor of Live a Little!

Married folks are less likely to...

Give the Gift of Better Health

By Beth Donovan (~INDYGIRL)

This season is a great time to think about what giving really means. Is giving limited only to things we can wrap in elegant papers and adorn with bows? In the truest sense of the season, the gift of oneself is the highest gift one has to offer.

Giving yourself the gift of fitness and good health this year can better your life in so many ways. You can provide a positive influence and be a role model to your family. You can improve your health and be around longer to spend quality time with family and friends. Your self confidence and self esteem can be discovered and lead you down the path to your dreams. You can enjoy active family time with your children. The possibilities are endless.

5 Ways with… Lemons

From our partners at Woman's Day

Learn how to make the most of common household items, like hair dryers, dryer sheets and toothpicks, when you watch our 5 Ways video series! Each week we will feature a different item, which you most likely have lying around the house, and show you five new uses for it—surprising even the most savvy homemaker. For instance, did you know the absorbent powders in sidewalk chalk can soak up stains on clothing? Or that dryer sheets can calm frizzy-hair flyaways? Today, tune in to our latest installment, in which WomansDay.com Assistant Editor Brynn Mannino demonstrates five new ways to put lemons to use as a cleaning product, deodorizer and more!

Starting New Traditions for Happier Holidays

By Beth Donovan (~INDYGIRL)

To my husband, Chuck, and my chosen sisters Lori and Tina This is a little something for the lonely, grieving, depressed, stressed, and dieting out there who might be having a hard time getting through the holiday season. It isn’t always a pretty season for everyone, and mental health wise, it’s a rough one for a lot of people. I am one of those people. My heart goes out to the rest of you out there.

I’m about to be very personal here because I want you to know that my advice I write is very heartfelt. When I was a young girl, my father died of a heart attack. I was an only child, so it became just my mother and me. We would get lonely, but we made our own traditions. Later in life, around the age of 30, I lost my mother. It was very hard for me. I leaned on my husband’s family and learned to share their traditions. Sadly, my husband’s mother, brother, and father all passed away within a year of each other recently, and we are still grieving those losses. We are trying to start new traditions for just the two of us. We aren’t quite sure what to do yet.

New traditions help sometimes with grief or setting forth on a new journey. They give you a new foundation to build upon. While the old traditions may still be cherished and celebrated, new ones help ring in the next chapter of hope. Where do you start though?

Denise Austin's 5 Stay-Fit Holiday Tips

Editor's Note: We're thrilled to share a guest post from "America's favorite fitness expert," Denise Austin. She looks so great and has managed to stay fit for more than 50 years, so we asked her to share her secrets to surviving the holidays in a healthy way, and boy did she deliver! Read on to find out how Denise makes time for fitness—and get her favorite recipe for a guilt-free party!

Advice on Coping with the Holidays, from an Obesity Expert

Editor's Note: This summer we interviewed renowned obesity expert Dr. Martin Binks, and, due to the overwhelming popularity of that post, he has agreed to contribute regular guest posts to the dailySpark. We're thrilled to have him!

NEW: Dr. Binks shared a video on this same subject!

By Dr. Martin Binks

So the holidays have arrived with all the promise of Norman Rockwell-like family celebrations, joy, good cheer, gift giving and spectacular feasts and festivities – maybe. At this time of celebration our expectations are often quite high and our responsibilities and schedules seem to grow exponentially. On top of all the normal day-to-day things like going to work (or in light of our current economy, looking for a job), getting the kids to school and extracurricular activities, and basically living our already full lives, we find ourselves juggling budgets to buy gifts, attending extra family and work-related social events, decorating, cooking--and the list goes on and on. Then if we do all this successfully, we are blessed with the actual holiday, where people you may only socialize with or even see once a year come and judge your party-giving skills, your cooking and the quality of the crystal ball reading you were required to do to find the "perfect gift." In all of this commotion it’s often too easy to forget that self-care is still important. In fact "me time" is often last on the list and frequently postponed until January.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the holiday season and truly believe it can be a wonderful, rewarding and fun time provided we approach it in the right way and don’t get overwhelmed. Through my work with patients and families I have come to understand some ways that this stressful time of year can remain joyous. I would like to share some general perspectives that seem to have helped folks with whom I work. I will also be reminding you of some core skills that can make coping with and even enjoying this season a little easier by allowing you to focus on realistic self-care goals during this busy season.

Beat Holiday Weight Gain

From our partners at Woman's Day

Turkey and cookies and pie, oh my! Seasonal treats start coming around Halloween and don't let up until the new year.

But you can make it through these months without packing on the pounds—and still enjoy those holiday parties!

Here, find a few simple tip to help keep the weight off this season.

5 Ways with... Table Salt

From our partners at Woman's Day

Learn how to make the most of common household items, like hair dryers, dryer sheets and toothpicks, when you watch our 5 Ways video series! Each week on our site, we feature a different item, which you most likely have lying around the house, and show you five new uses for it—surprising even the most savvy homemaker. For instance, did you know the absorbent powders in sidewalk chalk can soak up stains on clothing? Or that dryer sheets can calm frizzy-hair flyaways? Today, tune in to the latest installment, in which WomansDay.com Assistant Editor Brynn Mannino demonstrates five new ways to put table salt to use.

Work Out Anywhere: Stair Exercises

From our partners at Woman's Day

Think you need to go to the gym to get in a workout? Think again! Check out our newest Woman's Day video series, Work Out Anywhere, to see various exercise moves that you can do in the unlikeliest of places, such as at the grocery store or in your office. Today's video demonstrates different ways you can burn calories on the stairs!

10 Holiday Tips from ~INDYGIRL

By Beth Donovan (~INDYGIRL)

We've started off a season of food galore! It's everywhere, and it is tempting, yummy, and full of memories and emotions. If you’re an emotional eater like I am, the memories (good and bad) and family gatherings will send you into a frenzy. Party tables lined with delicious and beautifully presented arrays of holiday favorites that would make Martha Stewart jealous are soon to come. Snacking on carrots and knitting to ward off binges aren't going to cut it this time of year--you need an arsenal! Here are 10 of my holiday soothers and boosters in hopes that they help you too. They have helped me to shed weight over the past four holiday seasons. I’ve now lost a total of 144 pounds.

1. You need to feel good about yourself in order to treat yourself better. Wear clothes, makeup and jewelry that make you feel especially attractive right now. How about a new festive dress? New earrings? Feeling attractive makes you want to act attractive. You'll be more likely to focus on how awesome you feel about yourself rather than desiring to feel stuffed. Splurge on a manicure instead of two fast food meals this week.

   Posted 11/18/2010  2:07:02 PM By:   : 60 comments   19,115 views

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This Med Student Maintains Her Sanity despite an Insane Schedule

By Katherine Ragland, aka VEGGIELADY4LIFE

If you struggle with an insane work or home routine, I can certainly relate. As a married fourth-year medical student with two very demanding dogs and a food and nutrition blog, I often struggle with fitting everything into my schedule. After ten plus years of juggling intense academic work with outside jobs, relationships, and hobbies, I have honed in on three areas crucial to maintaining my sanity in a “mad, mad world.” If your to-do list seems to be ever-expanding and your energy level is constantly crashing, my advice to you is to focus on these three things: sleep, nutrition and exercise (in that order!) Maintaining healthy habits in these key areas will provide you with the energy and enthusiasm to tackle nearly any life challenge.

1. Sleep – Often an overlooked area in many people’s lives, good sleep hygiene is perhaps the most important component to a healthy lifestyle. While we sleep, our body repairs muscles, reformats memories, and essentially restocks our energy reserve. Sleep is crucial to optimal daily function!
   
   

   Posted 11/17/2010  11:03:16 AM By:   : 42 comments   23,948 views

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