There is no question that women find camaraderie and support in communities, both in everday life and online. EmpowHER has truly created such an online community to offer support, expert advice and resources for those going through specific medical or health issues.
Women can also find sub communities and “mommy bloggers” out there helping them to get through everything from a chronic or serious medical condition to weight issues.
One mommy blogger changing the online landscape and motivating others to lose weight is Roni Noone. She created her blog, Ronisweigh.com, when she was pregnant with her first child in 2005. After the birth of her son she began to chronicle her weight loss journey.
Journaling her progress helped her knock off 71 pounds. Today she continues to review weight loss trends, talk about her experiences, what she eats each day, etc.
Roni achieved her success through weekly Weight Watchers meetings, and started her latest journey just two weeks after her first son’s birth. Roni says of Weight Watchers on her blog, Ronisweigh.com, “It was my shoulder to cry on, my friend to high five and my coach to report to.”
She used the Weight Watchers’ Point System to knock off the weight. The Point System works like this: “you are given a point value each day to stick to, but have the liberty of choosing from a variety of different foods and fantastic recipes.”
Roni openly talks about how she struggled with her weight and emphasized more her struggle with her body image. She talks about how much she loves food and recipes and has a separate blog dedicated to that, entitled GreenLiteBites.com. She also has a cookbook entitled Green Lite Bites featuring her favorite recipes such as spinach egg muffins and sausage and peppers skewers.
Her fitness blog is entitled BlogToLose.com and is “an online weight loss blog and forum community for those who want to give and get support on their weight loss journeys.” It is a place for fellow dieters to post their food journals each day and share recipes. It is also a place where online supporters air out their dieting frustrations and share their weight loss successes.
Roni, a former professor of web technology is also the founder of Fit Bloggin 12, a conference in Baltimore, MD “for bloggers interested in fitness, wellness, good food and a healthy lifestyle, including two days of education, networking, friendship and fun.” The name of her company is entitled Skinny Minny Media.
Sources:
“Roni’s Weigh, One Mom’s Journey From Fat to Skinny To Healthy – RonisWeigh.com.” Roni’s Weigh Web 27 Feb. 2012. http://ronisweigh.com/pages/about
“Weight Watchers - Weight-loss math made simple – WeightWatchers.com” Web 27 Feb. 2012.
http://www.weightwatchers.com/plan/eat/plan.aspx
“Green Lite Bites, Favorites from the First 3 Years, GreenLiteBites.com” Green Lite Bites. Web 27 Feb. 2012.
http://greenlitebites.com/book
“Blog To Lose – BlogToLose.com” Blog To Lose. Web 27 Feb. 2012.
http://blogtolose.com/about
“Fit Bloggin 12 FitBloggin.com.” Fit Bloggin 12. Web 27 Feb. 2012.
http://fitbloggin.com
Reviewed February 28, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith