!! Rollcall !!

[SharleyBloom]

Not using strings and sticky notes and bulletin boards, but I'm curious who's around, who's who, who belongs to whom, and who's new. Easier to band together if we know who the players are. I know that there are active journal/board users and then there are those angels who peek in and read. All are welcome to "weigh" in (pun intended, but really not asking weight!)

Include as much or as little information as you prefer.

My name is Michelle. I often go by Shelley. And my alter-ego is Sharley.

I am mother to three very productive adults and a teenager.

I live in Iowa and am 50 years old.

I'm currently in P-subzero and soul searching how weight and weight loss affects my life and how to proceed successfully

I work as a secretary at a local hospital's children/adolescent psych unit

My journal is called "Sharley's (insert catchy journal title here)" and I welcome any and all to wander in and sit awhile. It's more of a livingroom of sorts. It is not limited to SB topics.

I've recently returned to this place after about a two year sabatical (love word, sounds like I actually planned it!)

I probably need a new car.

:::Cheshire Cat Voice::: And whoooo are youuuu?

[bec]

I'm Bec. I'm 38 years old. This is my second go around on the beach. I have 3 beautiful daughters. Long before I ever started on South Beach, I was 260 pounds. I decided to make a change and started walking and making better food choices. Using this method, I lost about 70-80 pounds. Then, I got serious and started running. I started South Beach a few months afterward and lost another 30 pounds. I finished a marathon and was feeling great. I was about halfway through training for a second marathon when I broke my leg with a stress fracture. Things sort of unraveled at that point. Food wise (which was still at the level needed to fuel my training) and exercise wise. While I never returned to the sedentary lifestyle that I was at originally, and my food never got as bad as it had been, I did gain about 40 pounds.

I have been triathlon training during this time, though, so, I have remained active (but not to the 6 days a week I was doing previously). This past January, my husband was diagnosed with diabetes and instructed to lose weight. He has had some serious shoulder problems that have prevented him from exercising for several months, and has been greatly affecting his sleep (which we think is what pushed him over the edge into that disease). Anyway, from the moment we got that news, both of us have been serious about South Beach. I have also signed up to participate in a half ironman this summer! My training has been ramping up, which is helping my fitness. My food is back under control, which is helping everything else!

I am happy to say that DH has lost almost 30 pounds, and is very close to his goal weight. He has all but beaten the diabetes! I have lost almost 20 pounds, and while I still have a bit to go, I know I am on the right track!

I don't keep a food journal, as I have a hard time listing everything that I eat. I tend to get a little too obsessed with it, and it isn't healthy for me. I work hard with my relationship with food, though. It has been a journey to try and rewrite that history and redefine how I approach food. It's a process, and something that I think I will always have to work on. My goal is to not pass my issues on to my children. They are lovely and active and naturally make good food choices, and listen to their bodies for hunger and fullness cues. I take inspiration and wisdom from them!

[SBMike]

Wow, bec, that is INSPIRING. The marathon had me deeply impressed, and your DH's success in the battle with diabetes has me gasping and OMG. I am just amazed, well done both of you!



I am Michael, 52, married for 30 years to my best friend (and if my wife ever finds out, boy is she gonna be pissed.) One grown daughter who sort of floats in and out of the house but mainly lives in another house a few miles away. Near-live in inlaws so lots of communal meals. a huge hobby for Wyfe and me is cooking and baking. Wyfe has a food blog and a recipe webpage with 1000+ recipes, most of them very NOT SBD. She has been a recipe tester for nationally known cookbook authors. We cook for eating, we cook for friends, we cook for money, we cook to try things. At Christmas we invite the 60 or so local family members over for inner on the 24th. We cook a LOT. So SBD is an adventure in restraint for me. And if you read my journal, you'll quickly realize that self-restraint is not my strong suit. So it's never dull!

I won't repeat what's in my journal, "the Fatboy Chronicles," beyond the fact that I am diabetic type 2, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and my feet stink and my mama don't love me. I am back on SBD because weight loss is one key to getting healthy and off all these meds I take and live a longer more pleasant life. And I know from experience that SBD can get me there if I will meet it half way and stay away from food orgies, wine casks, candy factories, and the Keebler elves.

SBD goals -- 1) To see my toes without having to bend over or sit down. 2) To get my wedding ring back on, which hasn't been on my hand for about 30 pounds. 3) To relish in the day when someone asks not HAVE I lost weight, but HOW I lost so much.

[DCLissa17]

Hi!

I'm Melissa, but I go by Lissa on the interwebs. I am 29 and this is my 3rd go-around on the beach. single, no kids. Admitted coupon-shopper, Vampire Diaries-watcher, and sleep-a-holic. I work the graveyard shift at an emergency and critical care veterinary hospital so my whole world is a little "off". The pattern on my mom's side is to be very petite until having children or mid-20s and then POOF! My dad's side is larger boned, which is my sister's build. I have always been thin and able to eat anything I wanted and do no exercise and get away with it. But about 2.5 years ago I suddenly had to go up a jean size for the first time in years and at the same time was starting to have chronic back/shoulder pain (mostly related to commuting and work physical stressors) though lack of exercise/strength was definitely a contributing factor. I decided that it was time to take stock of my life and start making better and more grown-up decisions, even if they weren't easy. And then I found SB.

1st time around was a really hard mental adjustment and I didn't last long. 1 week P1 and about 5 weeks of lazy cheating P2. But it was the start of a new way of thinking. Last January I was sick and tired of myself and did a much better real P1 and managed about 2.5 months of P2 before getting lazy and slipping. But this time I didn't fall quite as badly off the wagon and managed to keep eating more whole grains and veggies -- though the processed starches and sugars and candy and serving sizes got bad again.

This January I was again frustrated and added hip pain to my back/shoulder issues. I was determined to STOP this. I'm 29 and not actually overweight...I shouldn't have to live with this chronic pain for NO GOOD REASON except my own laziness. I have been much stronger this time around and am really hopeful that I will make this a permanent WOE. I joined a gym and while my attendance is a little spotty, I am determined to get my money's worth. I have seen improvements already in my strength and pain levels. (don't read the last few journal entries about my hip. Really, it is overall much better!) I have discovered so many new foods and recipes that are P1 friendly and have had a much easier time all around. And the candy cheat consumption has truly been VASTLY decreased.

Skinny girl whine permission? Sometimes I think that sticking to the diet strictly can be harder in some ways when you AREN'T trying to lose weight, because the payoff is a more nebulous, subjective feeling. I don't have the direct consequence of seeing pounds go up or down so it can be really hard to justify to myself why I shouldn't have that bag of Skittles or box of Ricearoni or one more helping of sweet potato fries. My goals are more about feeling better, being healthier, and preventing future issues. Which is all great and I do honestly feel gratitude that I am not fighting to lose weight, but some days it's really hard to talk myself into it. Cuz there is NO support from the outside world when I talk about SB. People just don't get it or why I'm doing it. This board and all of you are a HUGE support system for me!

You'll see me post here and there on the P1 and P2 boards but mostly I am on my journal. It truly is a life journal for me, so feel free to stop by and chat

Take Care
~Lissa

[Tzafra]

Well, Hello everyone!

I'm me, Tzafra, though I've got another name in real life. I'm from Canada, studying in Israel, living in the dorm of a college with all its natural food dangers. There's no meal plan here, so I do all my own cooking. A few years ago I started on SB, lost a nice 25 lbs, but since then I've gone back to where I was plus some. I kept some of the good habits though; I'll rarely make a starch-based meal, and my commitment to myself when I moved into the dorm was to not rely on pasta, which I'm happy to say I've kept to. I really do eat mostly healthy, but somehow I just keep gaining weight. I've decided to go back to the Beach, and here I am.

Some tricks I like using:
- Keeping good food around, keeping good food around, and keeping good food around. Because if it's not here, I'm not going to eat it.
- Chocolate for taste-I'll fill up on vegetables, and then eat just one square of a chocolate bar, or one teaspoon of ice cream, or whatever, as dessert. You know the Entenman's Pop'em Donut Holes? The slogan on their box is "you can't eat just one!" I've done it I find that the best way is to take one just on the way out of my dorm, and then leave so I can't have any more.
- Using money as an argument. It might not work for everyone, but on a student budget it's been a real success for me. I stopped carrying money around to classes, leaving my wallet in my room, and suddenly I couldn't buy anything from the vending machines. I can buy a whole chicken for the price of a container of ice cream...etc, etc. (Also saved me a pretty penny )

My personal SB challenges are:
- I'm Jewish and only eat kosher food. So that means nothing with both meat and dairy products in it (like creamed chicken for example), and just no to all seafoods like clams, lobster, etc., and some meats. It cuts out a lot of more creative recipes, I'm sorry to say.
- I don't like fish except tuna and gefilte.
- I don't like a lot of forms of eggs - pretty much anything except scrambled. So there goes the whole omelette/hard boiled egg arena.
- I'm a student, so I'm always watching my wallet as well as my plate. I'm loath to buy a whole container of a new spice just to try one new recipe (though I do it once in a while). (Yes, I mentioned this as a tip before...it works both ways)
- finally, there are always campus events with free pizza! And friends who want to go out for dinner! And hot chocolate just waiting for me! What's a girl to do??

[thisteensy]

I am Teensy. I'm new-ish to SB. Lost 10lbs in two months, and currently experiencing a mild stall, so came here to review what I'm doing, and have found that I am actually making some mistakes, which is a relief. If there is something that can be fiddled with at least I can assure myself that all hope is not lost. Although I am happy with my progress so far, I am still 10lbs over the BMI Normal range limit for my height, and about 32 lbs over my ideal weight, which is sort of smack in the middle. Also, I'm stuck at a weight that I hovered around for many, many years, and it's messing with my head. It's been an honest to god relief to read this board, and hear so many people talk about having had similar trials. I am a little disappointed that the stall is coming so early in my progress, but I guess it's all a matter or proportion, right? Nearly 25% of my goal reached! Even if this is as far as I ever get, I know I can never go back to eating the way I did. I was gaining weight constantly. I was scared of what was happening to me, and I literally felt crazy around starchy foods. I have not had a single moment since I was on this diet where I regretted and felt depressed and hopeless after eating, even if I had a cheat night. When I cheat, I really enjoy it, and move on, rather than feeling like an addict who just relapsed again after maybe two days of sobriety (imagine me passed out with my face in bowl, which formerly contained a cheesy pasta salad--I know many of you have been there!!).

I have a very busy job. Actually, you might get a laugh out of this. I'm a physical therapist. The way we schedule is always around the patients' needs, and often (ideally, if you ask the brass) there are no breaks unless there is a cancellation, and I hardly ever have time to eat all of the recommended snacks, and certainly never in a planned way. What awesome examples we health care providers are! Sometimes I don't get my afternoon snack until I get home, but I've decided that eating it anyway, while I wait for dinner, is better than over doing it with dinner, or making a bad choice for dinner. I start having wild fantasies when I'm too hungry.

So, thanks for this forum of support. And thanks to all the veterans who hang around and shepherd. Strength to everyone struggling with their health and weight issues.