VOTE for This SparkPeople Member--She Could Win the Makeover of Her Dreams!
Joy Greenwald--also known as JOYELYSE, a 34-year-old stay-at-home mother of two and a loyal SparkPeople member since 2006--needs our help.
She's lost 85 pounds using SparkPeople, but reorganizing and restocking her wardrobe has been challenging and expensive. Luckily, she has been selected as a finalist in the Macy's & Clinton Kelly Make Over America Contest and could win a $5,000 wardrobe and makeover. As anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight knows, new clothes that fit properly are more than a luxury--they're a necessity. Vote for her HERE--and hurry, because voting ends soon! (She's "Joy G." and in a red sweater.)
Joy talked to us about her makeover and her weight loss journey with SparkPeople.
dailySpark: Which SparkPeople feature has helped you most?
Joy: The nutrition tracker! No doubt. I eat an average of HALF the calories when I enter my foods as I go (or in advance). It's why I joined initially, and it's still a daily part of my life. I especially love that it's not all about calories or fat. I've paid a lot of attention to my nutrients over the years. Partnered with SparkRecipes, I strive to really understand what I eat.
Posted 5/26/2009 3:30:12 PM By: : 326 comments 11,427 views
'I'm a Doctor and Mother of 5--and I Lost 140 Pounds!'*
Dr. Birdie Varnedore (DR_BIRDIE) has been a member of SparkPeople since August 2007, but she was an observer for more than a year. Her successful weight loss prompted her to come out from the shadows and share her story with the SparkPeople Community. Though she was comfortable staying private on the site, she felt passionate about helping others who were struggling to lose weight.
Birdie, 35, and her husband wanted to break the cycle of obesity that runs in their families. She dropped about 140 pounds, and he lost 115 pounds!
Her journey wasn't easy, and the neurologist battled her mind more than she battled the scale. Along the way, her five young children kept her motivated.
With remarkable candor and honesty, Birdie, who lives in Orlando, shares her story in her own words with SparkPeople.
Posted 5/25/2009 2:00:00 PM By: : 636 comments 131,823 views
Kick Off Summer with the Show Your Spark Weekend, June 26-28
Around the office, we're still pumped from the first-ever Spark Your Life Convention on May 2. Now, we're keeping that great energy flowing and harnessing the pep that all our members exude each and every day online by kicking off the "Spread the Spark" summer!
From now through the end of summer, SparkPeople wants you to help "Spread the Spark" by taking pictures of yourselves in your SparkPeople apparel and going to SparkRallies in your area. Whether you are on vacation, strolling through your neighborhood, swimming at the local pool or getting fit outside, we want you to share your summer fun with us.
We've created a Spread the Spark Summer Team where you can post fun ideas and healthy summer activities. We’d also love to see pictures of you and your SparkFriends Spreading the Spark, so be sure to upload them in the Team! We may feature some of these photos on the dailySpark or elsewhere on the site (so you could become a Spark Celebrity)!
SparkPeople is kicking off the Spread the Spark Summer with an official Show Your Spark" Weekend, Friday, June 26, 2009, to Sunday, June 28, 2009. SparkPeople members across the globe will wear their SparkPeople Gear and gather at SparkRallies. Join SparkPeople members across the country by hosting or attending a SparkRally this weekend show your SparkPeople pride.
Learn more about the "Show Your Spark" Weekend here.
To pump us up even more, we asked two veteran SparkRally organizers from Georgia, Marilyn (MRSWIGGLY6) and Sheila (MCDIDDLYD), to share some tips--and enthusiasm--with the dailySpark! Marilyn has been with SparkPeople for a year and has really improved her health by drinking water regularly, getting more fiber and protein, and losing almost 40 pounds! Sheila has lost 88 pounds, gained confidence in herself and broken some bad habits during her two years with SparkPeople.
Posted 5/18/2009 10:52:34 AM By: : 42 comments 8,437 views
'I Just Wanted to Live My Life'
Angela, a stay-at-home mom from Salem, Ore., used SparkPeople to lose 86 pounds--and gain a better life.
Angela, known as ANG76H, used SparkPeople to stay motivated over the last 2 1/2 years. Her story is featured in this month's Family Circle.
The 33-year-old mother of two took some time to answer some questions for the dailySpark as a way to inspire other members.
dailySpark: Why did you decide to lose weight?
Angela: I was also tired of feeling depressed about my weight and just wanted to live my life to its fullest! I wanted to set a good example for my two young girls.
Posted 5/15/2009 2:00:00 PM By: : 108 comments 32,463 views
Caterers Turned Web Divas Share Their Summer Party Recipes
Editor's Note: Over the last year or so, we've watched as a local catering company morphed into a fun multimedia company. Their boundless energy and sold-out events have solidified Cooking With Caitlin's reputation as women who rock. We've invited them to the dailySpark to share some of their favorite summer party foods. These flavor-packed dishes are sure to be a hit, and these ladies know how to have some fun and eat it, too!
By Kelly Trush
SparkPeople and Cooking With Caitlin have been dancing on the same floor for quite some time. As we find ourselves celebrating fresh, savoring yum, and reveling in community, it’s clear Cooking With Caitlin has even been busting quite a few of the same moves as our friends at SparkPeople. So when we of Cooking with Caitlin – Kelly, Molly, and Caitlin – were invited to blog on the dailySpark, we were delighted (in the immortal words of Kool and the Gang) to “get down on it.”
Molly, Caitlin, and I (Kelly at the keyboard) are sisters and friends who have come together in the name of food, in the name of family, in the name of freshness. In truth we grew up together, but it wasn’t until we broke bread as wives and mothers and longing-to-be entrepreneurs that Cooking with Caitlin was born. Having started as a catering company, in two years traveling at warp-speed, we have evolved into a food-focused website called cookingwithcaitlin.com, radio personalities, and cooking-meets-talk show television hosts.
Posted 5/14/2009 6:00:18 AM By: : 30 comments 13,948 views
On Mother's Day, Have a Heart-to-Heart about Family Health
Editor's note: This was originally created as an article on SparkPeople's sister site, BabyFit.com. We thought it was useful to a wide range of women and wanted to share it with you today.
Happy Mother's Day!
By Christine Johnson, dailySpark contributor
It’s extremely important to your health to research your family’s medical history, and there’s no better way to start than by asking your mother. Her knowledge of women’s health can help you learn what to expect at different stages of your life. Talking about health--and family illnesses--can be tough sometimes, but the information you gain is incredibly valuable. Not every mother and daughter relationship is the same, so this could be a bonding experience. While not all of these questions will apply to your situation, we included a broad range to help you get the conversation started.
Here are ways you can break the ice.
Posted 5/10/2009 12:02:44 PM By: : 32 comments 12,180 views
Get to Know the Most Optimistic Person at SparkPeople
You said you'd love to know more about SparkPeople, so we launched a new series: Meet the SparkPeople Team. Over the coming weeks and months, we'll be interviewing various SparkPeople employees. The behind-the-scenes folks here are really excited to tell you a little about what they do at SparkPeople!
Paul kicked off "Meet the SparkPeople Team." Now our perky, generous and hilarious office manager, Kelly, is continuing it. Get to know a little bit more about the woman who keeps this office running!
Name: Kelly
Position at SparkPeople: Office Manager and Message Board “Resident Expert”
Posted 5/6/2009 5:08:00 AM By: : 88 comments 11,325 views
SPENT: Tactics to Regain Energy in Life and Feel Great Again
Editor's note: After graduating from medical school in his native South Africa, Dr. Frank Lipman began treating patients about two hours from Johannesburg. Despite poverty-stricken conditions, he noticed that his patients were free from insomnia, depression and anxiety, which had plagued his urban patients. They rarely complained of back pain or fatigue despite long days of hard labor.
People lived by the rhythms of nature. During that time, he realized how important natural rhythm was to humans' lives. He immigrated to the States and, after a residency in internal medicine, started studying Chinese medicine. He has spent decades developing methods to help people overcome exhaustion and regain their lives. He recently published SPENT: End Exhaustion and Feel Great Again (Fireside/Simon & Schuster; January 2009) and took some time to answer our questions via email.
dailySpark: What foods should people eliminate from their diets straightaway to boost energy?
Dr. Lipman: Refined sugars and processed foods are major "Spent"-causing substances (I call them substances because they are not real food). Once you remove them from your diet, and get past the withdrawal symptoms, you will see a major boost in energy.
Posted 5/4/2009 2:26:33 PM By: : 77 comments 20,795 views
From a Newlywed Gone Soft to a Hard-Bodied Marathoner
One of SparkPeople's most dedicated and popular members is featured in this month's Redbook, on newsstands now! Magda, aka SMURFETTE0725, shares her inspirational story. Magda, the the Director of Apparel Merchandising for PUMA, lost the "married 15" weight she gained after her wedding and kept going. She lost more than 30 pounds, learned to run, bike and swim under water. Magda, who lives in Watertown, Massachusetts, is now a veteran marathoner and triathlete whose next goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon!
Magda, 32, recently took time to answer some questions for the dailySpark via email. Read her motivating and inspirational answers, and learn how SparkPeople helps her reach her goals!
dailySpark: How has SparkPeople helped you reach your goal?
Magda: SparkPeople has helped me in so many ways!!
The food and fitness trackers have kept me focused on proper nutrition and exercise. During my weight loss phase, I made sure to stay under my 1,400 calorie goal by logging everything I ate. I would also use it to plan ahead. I'd enter my planned meals to ensure my calories would not exceed my goal for the day. I would also log all of my workouts in the fitness tracker so that I could keep track of my calories burned. My other strategy was to plan my workouts in advance by posting a Weekly Fitness Plan on my blog which consisted of my daily workout goals. I'd then go in update each day so I could track my progress.
I've also established great relationships through SparkPeople Teams and Pages. My Sparkie Friends inspire me and help me stay the course! I don't want to disappoint them! They've been so supportive of my journey!
And I love that by being active on the site, logging, tracking, posting, etc. I accumulate SparkPoints towards ribbons and trophies. I'm proud to say that I've accumulated 41k points since becoming an Active Member of the site and am 18k points away from the ultimate trophy! It's such a personal accomplishment to think that I've remained committed for this long, and will continue to stay committed.
Posted 4/29/2009 2:14:20 PM By: : 102 comments 21,578 views
Go Green – Be a Girlfriend to Mother Nature!
By Debba Haupert, creator of GIRLFRIENDOLOGY.com – the online community for women focused on female friendship
Women are caretakers. We take care of our families, our jobs, our friends and, hopefully, ourselves. The one thing we often don’t have much time to focus on is taking care of Mother Nature. Earth Day--today!--is a great time to get back to nature and, since we can never get enough time with our girlfriends, it’s a perfect opportunity to make the world a better place – together!
Here are some ideas for you and your girlfriend to celebrate Earth Day and spend time together:
Posted 4/22/2009 6:00:00 AM By: : 38 comments 11,010 views
'I Ran 7 Marathons on 7 Continents at Age 55'
Linda Quirk ran her first marathon in 1988 at age 35. Two decades later, the Florida resident has recently returned from Antarctica, after having run seven marathons across seven continents. Linda’s journey was part of an effort to raise $1 million for Caron Treatment Centers, an organization that helped save her stepdaughter's life.
Linda has raised $250,000 to date. To keep her million-dollar promise, Linda has announced a new mission – to be the first woman to complete the “4 Deserts” in under a year – a series of four, weeklong, 155-mile, ultramarathons across some of the most daunting deserts on Earth.
Linda completed her seventh marathon on March 10 and is training for her 2010 “4 Deserts” mission. She'll run across the Atacama (Chile), Gobi (China), Sahara (Egypt) and Last (Antarctica) deserts.
Linda recently talked with the dailySpark about running, setting goals and the importance of motivation.
Posted 4/15/2009 11:40:39 AM By: : 92 comments 19,567 views
Secrets and Recipes from 'The Biggest Loser' Nutritionist
Editor's note: We recently received an email from Cheryl Forberg, the nutritionist for NBC's hit show The Biggest Loser. She had read Coach Jen's post and wanted to share some more information about the eating habits of contestants. We invited Cheryl to write a guest blog for the dailySpark, and she happily accepted! Please welcome Cheryl to the dailySpark.
By Cheryl Forberg, RD
Though we try to educate as well as inspire (and entertain) each week on The Biggest Loser, as a nutritionist and a chef, I personally wish I had more time to share nutrition and cooking advice with our viewers. Though I can't explain the entire eating plan in the space of this blog, I can begin my telling you about my role with the show and share some of the insights and weight loss secrets I've learned during the last seven seasons.
My first contact with the contestants is when they are selected to fly to Los Angeles for a physical exam and a final interview, just before they learn whether they'll become a cast member for the new season. During their physical exam, I conduct a comprehensive nutrition consultation with each contestant to discuss their weight history and learn about their typical eating habits and preferences.
Here are some typical patterns of the contestants BEFORE the show that I have identified from my nutrition consultations:
Posted 3/24/2009 10:03:57 AM By: : 143 comments 34,007 views
Recipes from 'The Biggest Loser' Nutritionist
Cheryl Forberg, a nutritionist for The Biggest Loser, shared these recipes with the dailySpark. The recipes are from From The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start: Lose Weight, Get in Shape, and Start Living the Biggest Loser Lifestyle Today!
Recipes:
Frosty Pumpkin Smoothie
Ingredients:
1/2 cup pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
1/2 cup fat free Greek-style yogurt
1/2 cup fat free milk
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄8 teaspoon ground ginger
1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves
5 ice cubes
Garnish: nutmeg
Instructions:
Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into
chilled glass and garnish with dollop of yogurt and sprinkle of
nutmeg. (Makes 2 servings)
Per serving: 130 calories, 0 g fat, 45 mg sodium, 26 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 22 g sugar
Posted 3/24/2009 10:00:45 AM By: : 44 comments 20,356 views
From the Mouths of Members: First Aid for Your Funny Bone
By Karen Lee
This story was shared by a SparkPeople member who wrote a newsletter about the healing power of humor for eight years. To help friends who are going through a rough time, she suggests making a Funny First-Aid Kit to brighten dark days!
A girlfriend with breast cancer taught me you can be seriously ill, but you don't have to be terminally serious. In fact there is a saying in hospice, "If your time hasn't come, not even a doctor can kill you." I read Norman Cousins' landmark book, Anatomy of an Illness, which documented how belly laughs helped him be pain free and overcome a life-threatening condition. He found that 10 minutes of good belly laughter could keep him pain free for hours.
I began to create collections of "Giggle Gadgets" to help jump-start the laughter of my friends who were ill, feeling down or hospitalized. Sometimes when we cannot think of a good reason to laugh, we can use some help. Even if it does hurt to laugh, it is possible to smile a few times a day.
Posted 3/22/2009 4:20:51 PM By: : 46 comments 13,475 views
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