Welcome! 
Since a lot of us were confessing that we are overweight/out of shape/unhealthy and struggling with it, I made a place for us to come and encourage one another on our way toward a healthier lifestyle.
You can post anything here from encouraging quotes, links to nutrition sites, sharing your struggles, etc. The main thing is to keep each other encouraged to take charge of our less-than-good habits and exhcange them for good ones. If someone posts a success, even a small one, we celebrate! If someone posts a struggle, we encourage and offer advice. It's all about community support...so if you're really serious about wanting to do something about your health, then post away! Even if you have to post sometimes to report a failure, just keeping this thread active will help encourage all of us as it shows someone cares and is reading what we write. <3
What is accountability and why is it helpful?
noun: accountability
1. the fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.
Basically accountability gives weight (no pun intended) to your decision to get healthy and is a great way to motivate yourself! By making yourself accountable to your fellow Lea members and sharing when you stumble, you add another motivator other than "man, I wish I was healthier."
As your accountability group, we are here to encourage you and share tips/celebrate/problem-solve with you. Of course, for this to work we all have to actually try and consistently make healthy choices for anything to happen...but, from my experience, having someone to report to when I do well or someone to be held accountable to when I fall off the path a bit can really make a difference when it comes down to that moment of "Do I eat that second helping of desert or do I save it for later?" =)
Tips for getting started:
- Pick a routine that you can manage as far as posting personal updates in the thread. For example, I am going to mark my calendar to post once a week, regardless of whether I do well or not. In this way, I am accountable to the thread and to you all, which keeps me thinking about my goals throughout the week and (hopefully) helps me stay more on-target. If you want to post more/less than that, it's totally up to you.
- Often times we get really gung-ho and hardcore right off the bat and try to change things too drastically & too quickly--thus setting us up to feel like failures when we do mess up, which will make us more likely to stop whatever program we've started and give up. Instead, try a single, simple change and stick to it for a few weeks. Once that is mastered, add a new change to your health routine and apply it for a while...in this way you will feel less overwhelmed with all the changes you want to make and can just tackle one at a time.
- Don't give up! And don't be afraid to share a slip-up with us--that's what we're here for! We are all going to slip up at some point along the way. But if we listen to one another and try different things to help us stay on-track, we will all benefit.
So what does this look like?
Anything you want! If you want to post clothing sizes, do a before and after picture, share a goal, post your plan, track your weight loss or gain, go for it! Whatever you think is going to best help you stay motivated when you visit this thread. I called this the "Let's Get Healthy" group for a reason: you are not limited to just weight loss. Sometimes getting healthy has nothing to do with weight. For some of us it's a goal to be able to run a mile without stopping or to put on muscle or just work on healthier eating habits....any and all of these things are welcome! So post away, LeaHalaeans!
Edit: Thought I would add some helpful links if you are unsure of where to start. If you have any that you have used in the past or are using now to help you, feel free to share and I'll add them to the list!
Helpful links:
Spark People - I used this site heavily a few years ago when I was learning about nutrition. It has TONS of great articles on just about anything health-related you can think of, not to mention great diet plans and suggestions for all types of needs. They even provide a fun way to track your food and weight gain...check it out!
Nutrition Data - HUGE database with detailed nutrition info for pretty much any food imaginable. Need an alternative protein? A better source of calcium? This stie has got you covered.
Height and Weight Chart - A simple height and weight chart that offers a range of goal weights depending on frame size. Probably not 100% accurate, but it might help give you a ballpark estimate of where you want to be.
Thanks: 
