The Start of Something Great!
February 14, 2007

Welcome to support pals. This may be your first time trying to achieve a healthy body weight, this may be a life long struggle for you or you may be somewhere in the middle. If you are like me you have tried so many programs but just ended up gaining more and more weight. Listening to commercials and statistics we hear that it helps to work together and to have support but support can be very expensive. Finally there is another option. Supportpals.com is absolutely free!

In order for you to get the most out of this site it is important that you contribute to the forums. Achieving a healthy body weight is different for everyone but we all have common struggles. Through communication you can help others and find the help that you need. When you struggle, post in the forum so that we can help you. Also, when you are on track and feel great, post in the forum so that we can learn from you and you can help someone else.

Each week there will be a new article posted on the site and sent out in the news letter. Knowledge is power. In order to make good choices we have to have background knowledge. I do the work for you. I research books and articles to find the facts and bring them to you so that you can make good choices. This is not just about a diet or a quick fix. This is a fresh start!

This is your first week. I am so glad that you are here. You should be proud of yourself for taking the first step in the right direction. You can expect struggles and triumphs throughout this journey but you will not go it alone. You have us, your support pals! We are here to help you, to support you and to encourage you.

Now, to get started, the first thing you need to do is get some paper and a pen or pencil. This week you are going to do what you normally do. Don’t change anything. I want you to write down what you eat, how much exercise you are getting and how you feel. Bring your paper with you everywhere this week so that you don’t forget to write everything you eat. Even if you are just having a bite of something, write it down. This information is just for you so be as honest as you can.

Here is an example of one of my days before I started:

At the end of the week I want you to look back on your week and see how you felt, what you were eating and what kind of exercise you were doing. It is important to know where you are starting so that you can see where you’re going. If you don’t know what you are doing wrong now you won’t know what to change. When you look at your week ask yourself:

What was I craving and when was I having those cravings?
When are my trouble times?
Am I eating more then I need to eat?
Am I eating less then I need to eat?

With this information you can now learn about what you should be eating and you can start incorporating new information into your life. You may want to check past articles to read about nutrition so that you can get on track.

This week is just to make you aware of where you are now. Don’t feel bad or get yourself down. Know that you are in the beginning of a process and in a few months you will be able to look back at this week and see how far you have come. I know that when I did this process I found it very hard. I didn’t want to know what I was doing wrong. I would rather just ignore it. But this is an important part of the process; don’t be discouraged like I was. Ignorance is not bliss. It’s like I said before: knowledge is power. You can do it, I know you can!

Recap
1. Welcome, this is a big step you are taking; you should feel great about it.
2. Write down everything you eat, all the exercise you do and how you feel daily for one week.
3. At the end of the week look at your patterns to identify your trouble times and take note to how you are feeling.
4. Keep this information so that you can look back on it later to see how far you have come.