Change is good...

Well, I've yanked out the umbilical cord and switched from old faithful to a new BFF. It's going to save me some money but that really wasn't the point. I just needed more and my old faithful wasn't providing it any longer - sniff.

Yes, I've switched from Weight Watchers to Spark People (http://www.sparkpeople.com/) - and it's been a BIG change.

First of all, it's free - a philanthropic young entrepreneur who cashed in on the dot com craze before it tanked has decided to change the world on his earnings - and, to be fair, sell a truckload full of advertising at the same time. But, no one forces me to open the ads so, it's free to me.

I made the change because I needed better tools to manage my diet. WW's point system just isn't good enough for someone who runs 38 km a week and needs to keep a practiced eye on when and how much carbohydrate and protein were eaten. And a plan that separates sugar from carbs. And tells you how much sodium you're taking in - especially important for me as I eat very few processed foods and don't use table salt yet sweat up a storm 4 hours a week. Some of us need to keep an eye on sodium to make sure we're getting enough! It counts every calorie and measures them all - WW was too easy to assign a single point for a banana even though the one just eaten was 9 inches long and fat through the middle!

WW points just stopped working for me even though I was maintaining my weight and rarely hungry - I felt like something was missing. And my garmin forerunner 305 GPS heart monitor was begging for the information it produces to be put to good use!

Sparkpeople allows me to better manage my exercise. It adjusts my intake based on actual calories burned - information I get directly from my heart monitor - so, no more guessing at intensity! No more Activity Points - I actually see the calories I've used and need to replace. Sparkpeople offers a range for my daily intake to accommodate these needs. On non-running days I can see that I used less calories and ate less too - quite the concept.

I also switched for motivation - I want to be inspired. There are inspiring souls on the WW boards and they are universally encouraging but the majority of members are struggling as I once did with doing the same things day in and day out and expecting different results. Laments and excuses and psychic pain and self loathing and doubt and quick fixes and falling apart at the seams... I have been there, I find it all very discouraging.

I don't want to be the one doing the inspiring - I have no easy answers for those seeking the magic pill. I worry about the newbies who pop up and drop 10 lbs in the first 2 weeks and expect it to last. I worry about those with chronic health conditions who desperately need to find some answers but are struggling with forming the right questions for themselves. I feel inadequate. So, on Spark People I've joined a maintenance group where there are many people who have lost amazing amounts of weight and I am just one of the crowd. I can read their personal stories on their sparkpeople blogs and be thrilled and awed by their pictures and find the self pride to continue this for another day.

So, for now, I'm a sparkpeople devotee. I've pretty much abandoned my WW boards - haven't time to go back to them and I do miss the wonderful people who populate the 40's board in particular. So, once life settles down and I'm not quite so busy, I will go back and maybe spread the word - that should get me banned!!!

Check it out for yourself!