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Blogging the Weight Away
Posted on Dec 3rd 2009 2:04PM by Mary Kearl
Twitter, which you many of you may already use to track the whereabouts and happenings of friends, loved ones, world leaders and celebrities, is also being used to track weight loss and calorie intake, as well as to swap diet tips, recipes, workout routines and to create a virtual support system. Jennette, Twitter alias pastaqueen, lost half her body weight by blogging and tweeting about her weight-loss journey. Ron, author of the blog Done Dieting, has ditched crash diets and managed to lose 57 pounds. Here, we interview diet bloggers and Twitterers to find out what works and what doesn't, when recording your weight-loss progress online. Plus, we asked them to give us their best advice, in tweet form, of course.
Click through the pop-up photo gallery below to view the stories, tips and pictures of these Twitterers as they share their successes. Note: You'll need to disable your pop-up blocker.
Before: Jennette, Twitter Alias: pastaqueen
Success Stats: "At my heaviest, I weighed 372 pounds. To lose [the weight] I had to learn how to cook. It hurt my feet to stand in the kitchen for more than 10 minutes at a time, but it was the only way to have complete control over what I was eating. The McDonald's Dollar Menu was more convenient but not as healthy. I've been maintaining that loss for about two years now. I lost over half my weight in a period of two years, to weigh in at about 180 pounds. I am also the author of 'Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir.'"
Her Best Weight-Loss Advice, in Tweet Form: "Stay positive! Your weight will go up and down day to day, but keep your spirits up, and you can overcome anything."
Twitter Diet Success Stories
By Mary Kearl
Before: Jennette, Twitter Alias: pastaqueen
Success Stats: "At my heaviest, I weighed 372 pounds. To lose [the weight] I had to learn how to cook. It hurt my feet to stand in the kitchen for more than 10 minutes at a time, but it was the only way to have complete control over what I was eating. The McDonald's Dollar Menu was more convenient but not as healthy. I've been maintaining that loss for about two years now. I lost over half my weight in a period of two years, to weigh in at about 180 pounds. I am also the author of 'Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir.'"
Her Best Weight-Loss Advice, in Tweet Form: "Stay positive! Your weight will go up and down day to day, but keep your spirits up, and you can overcome anything."
After: Why Jennette Tweets and Blogs About Dieting: "As I lost weight, I weighed in on my blog every week. I hated reporting that the numbers had gone up, so I worked extra hard to make them go down. I also got a lot of support on my blog from people who'd faced similar challenges and had the same problem finding extra-large jeans that I'd had. They were my personal cheerleading section. Blogging also forced me to think about my obesity problem and work through why I'd developed such bad habits. It was like therapy, but a Web hosting bill is much cheaper than a psychologist."
Before: Jen, Twitter Alias: priorfatgirl
Success Stats: "It's been a year and a half now, and I've lost 95 pounds. I am never going to be the naturally 'skinny' girl. I'm a priorfatgirl. So, for the rest of my life, I'm going to need to bust my butt at the gym and be conscious of what I eat. I can either complain about having to drag myself to the gym or complain about being fat. I choose the gym! On days I struggle, I blog. I vent, I complain. I cry. And then I grab an apple and head to the gym."
Her Best Weight-Loss Advice, in Tweet Form: "One decision at a time. This is not a diet, this is your life! Never start tomorrow. Never wait until Monday. Never set a New Year's resolution. Tomorrow begins now."
Photo provided by Jennifer Emmert
After: Why Jen Tweets and Blogs About Dieting: "If I didn't I would go crazy. I'm so not joking. Blogging is my diary -- it just so happens to be public. [Trying to achieve] weight loss and a healthy lifestyle can cause a rollercoaster of emotions. Blogging connects me with so many people who are going through the same thing I am. We can exchange ideas, vent frustrations and encourage each other. It is a community of support beyond description. I rely on my blogging friends on www.priorfatgirl.com just as much as they rely on me.
Photo provided by Jennifer Emmert
Before and After: Roni, Twitter Alias: RonisWeigh
Success Stats: "I lost 65 pounds in 36 weeks and have been maintaining my loss for three years!"
Her Best Weight-Loss Advice, in Tweet Form: "Take it day by day, have faith in the plan and be honest w/ yourself. The only way to fail is 2 give up. Stay with it and surprise yourself!"
Why She Tweets and Blogs About Dieting: "I started blogging about my weight-loss journey in June 2005. I wanted a place to vent, share and celebrate everything about losing weight. I made the commitment to be honest to the blog and report back to it no matter if the news was good or bad. That's exactly what I did, and within a year I was 65 pounds lighter!"
Before: Ron Skeleton, Twitter Alias: donedieting
Success Stats: "The entire meaning behind 'donedieting' is that I'm not on a diet. Being on a diet means that at some point you're coming off that diet, which is why they never work. I've lost my weight by gradually changing my lifestyle, starting with eating smarter and by making sure that the things I eat have a nutritional value for my body, and then I started adding exercises that fit my lifestyle and gradually increasing those. I've accepted that these are not sacrifices, that these are permanent changes to the way I live. It's the only way to get off the weight-loss roller coaster. So far I've lost 57 pounds and eight sizes since September 2008. [I'm] still working hard and making great progress."
His Best Weight-Loss Advice, in Tweet Form: "Treat your exercise like business. Plan it, schedule it, execute it, track it and revise it when it's not taking you where you want to go!"
After: Why Ron Tweets and Blogs About Dieting: "[For] accountability. I've built a following on Twitter, my blog and Facebook. My family, friends and a few thousand total strangers count on me for motivation and encouragement. If I fail to show results or fail to make a post ... my followers help keep me in line. Helping others helps me both in an internal satisfaction kind of way and an external way with other rewards."
Before: Jade, Twitter Alias: FormerFatGirl
Success Stats: "I started my journey in the summer of 2008, weighing in at 255 pounds. I am following a common sense, all natural approach to my weight loss focusing on adding fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean protein, such as chicken, turkey and fish to my diet. I've lost 83.8 pounds and am now adding physical activity to my healthy lifestyle. My goal is to attain a body fat percentage between 22 to 25 percent, and I am also in training for my first triathlon on July 12th."
Her Best Weight-Loss Advice in Tweet Form: "When faced with temptation, ask yourself, 'How is giving in to what I want right now going to help me achieve my goals?'"
After (pictured in in the middle): Why Jade Tweets and Blogs About Dieting: "I have found an unbelievable and extraordinary amount of support and motivation in blogging and tweeting about my healthy habits -- unparalleled in any other venue I've explored. I am fueled with inspiration and appreciation when someone comments on my blog or sends me a tweet saying they find me motivating and inspiring or encouraging me to stay focused when I'm having a rough day."
Before and After: Jennifer, Twitter Alias: bwJen
Success Stats: "I joined Weight Watchers in November 2008 and in 24 weeks I have lost 30 pounds. I started at 242 pounds. Weight loss for me isn't about vanity but for health. I need to get the weight off of my poor aching joints! I want to run around with my daughter while she still wants me to and I want to be there for every momentous and not-so momentous occasion in her life. I still have about 60 to 70 pounds to go but I am enjoying the slow and steady approach."
Her Best Weight-Loss Advice in Tweet-Form: "Find a friend-find-movement-find fun! Don't b afraid to ask for help when you need & don't be afraid 2 shout ur successes! &follow @wwtweets"
Why She Tweets and Blogs About Dieting: "Losing weight is not easy and it can make you feel very isolated. I didn't want to bore my husband or colleagues with the ins and outs of my weight loss. I found people online just like me who wanted to know all the boring details of my weight loss. And I wanted to know their boring details."
