Secrets of Success

Treat It Like A Job

When I asked a young woman who had lost 200 pounds how she did it, she said that she treated weight loss like a job. No matter how she felt, she showed up. She showed up at the grocery store to buy the right food, she showed up to track her food, she showed up to walk, etc.

There's a new Sparkteam in the Community

Each and every day more and more families are facing the difficulties and challenges of stepparenting. 42% of adults have a steprelationship: either a stepparent, a step or half sibling, or a stepchild. This translates to 95.5 million adults.

Introducing the new Spark Team:

Blended Families | Stepchildren: Mine, Yours, Ours

Just stick with it!

There's no real secret; it's all about persistence. It won't always be easy... just ask me!!!... but it will work if you keep at it.

prepare in advance

I found alot of my produce going to waste. But I started cutting it up all at once and placing it in plastic baggies or storage containers. This makes it easier for my kids to grab healthy snacks as well because when they open the fridge and see a bag of grapes they can grab, or presliced watermelon, the convenience makes the choice easier!

Forecast your cash flow

To keep myself from spending more than I had, I forecast my cash flow for the next three months. I look to the lowest point in the chart and decide what buffer I want to leave. For example, if I have $150 as the lowest point in the graph in the next three months, I'd immediately save $50 and then remember that I have $50 to spend however I want over three months, leaving a $50 buffer.

Skip the Cheese

Have the same sandwich, just skip the cheese and save yourself at least 100 calories!

Snack size

When snacking, do not keep the bag in your hand, only take out a cup so you will not be tempted to eat more.

Smoking

I am in the process of giving up smoking

Strength training isn't just about pumping iron

While we love to see the scale move, if we let that be our only motivating factor, we can burn out quickly or stray off course when we have a bad day.
Strength training helps us achieve tangible goals and help remind us that our bodies are getting strong. Not to mention that our muscles will burn more calories while at rest than fat!