iChange Support Group

Hi, everyone!  I hope your week is off to the right start!  I’m battling a wicked case of the itchies thanks to some poison ivy I picked up this weekend.  Bollocks.  I can’t believe I’ve NEVER gotten it before – I’m sure I’ve been in it, but I’ve never gotten a rash.  Too bad I can’t still say that. 

 

Over the weekend, I was contacted by someone from iChange, a website founded on the idea that weight loss happens best when people have social support – sound familiar? 

 

 

On this website, you can log your daily caloric intake and exercise; write journal entries; log your measurements, stress, energy, water, sleep, and mood; create and join groups based on interests; find support through other members; and read articles written by the experts on staff – all for free!  They also offer paid services – for $19 a month, you can work with a dietitian who will give you a plan, check in with you, and monitor your progress. 

 

This is where it gets cool…

 

They’ve set up a group for me and any of you who want to join in, and a dietitian, Diana, will be working with us!  Here’s what Diana says we should expect during our month-long challenge:

• I will be your personal dietitian who will closely observe your health and habits. Based on my observations, I will recommend basic, but important, ways that you can manage your health and get your weight at the level you desire. 
• I will coach you on how and what to eat over a 30 day period.
• I will check on you regularly to make sure you are making progress and counsel you on how to get more out of the program
• I have placed you in a group with other challenge members who will support you and look to you for support.  Click on the Group link on the lower right side of this page to check in on the group activity.

…and here’s what we will need to do during the challenge:

• Follow the nutrition guidelines I send you.  They are included in one of the first five tasks in "My Checklist" on the upper right of the page.
• Complete your online Nutrition Journal every day.  It is important for me to see what you are eating so that I can start to identify changes to your diet.  The Nutrition Journal is located on the right hand side of this page.  Remember to include EVERYTHING.  There is no judgment here.  I can’t do my job properly if you are not totally honest with me. 
• Complete the Water Tracker so I know how much water you drink every day.  Water is vital to weight loss and wellness.
• Complete the Activity Tracker to tell me how many minutes of activity you do every day. Your activity can be any form of activity, whether it is walking around the block, lifting weights in the gym or simply dancing in your living room. 
• Send me or the other team members a message any time you have a question or just want to send some words of encouragement.  To send me a private note, just type my name, Diana, into the “To” box above, write a message and click send. I’ll respond as quickly as I can.

Now, I’m not sure exactly how this will go for me since I can’t follow her nutritional guidelines 100%, and I know some of you out there are on other diets or have dietary restrictions, but I’m interested to see how this pans out!  I know I’ve got some questions to ask her at least, and I’m pretty sure some of you would like to pick her brain as well.

 

When this month is over, we’ll still get to keep our little support group (it’s a free feature of the site that anyone can participate in) and any other groups we choose to join, and we can still use the tools.  And if you decide you really like being able to talk to a dietitian on a regular basis, you can pay to continue using their services!

 

Here’s the link to my group:

 

http://www.ichange.com/partners/lowfatKat

 

All of you are welcome and encouraged to join, and I hope it will be a worthwhile experience for all of us.  I’m not sure if you have to create an account before clicking that link…will someone try it and let me know how it works?

Please ask me any questions you might have – if I don’t have an answer, I can pass it along to someone who does!