Beacher BIOS - 2009

[PrincessHoagie]

User name/name: PrincessHoagie/Candice

AGE: 23

BIRTHDAY: June 13

MARITAL STATUS: Living with my fiance

Children/ages: None yet!

TOP WEIGHT: 220

CURRENT WEIGHT: 210

GOAL WEIGHT: 150

HEIGHT: 5' 6"

EYE COLOR: Green

HAIR COLOR: Brown

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Photography, hiking, camping, shooting, painting, line dancing, horses, dogs

PETS: Whippet/Shepherd mix named Kara, Black and Tan Coonhound mix named Doodles, Cockatiel named Zelda, and 3 different aquariums of fish!

OCCUPATION: Office Manager

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Knoxville, TN

FAVORITE COLOR: Pink, purple, blue, green...

FAVORITE FOODS: Pizza, chicken, chocolate

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Cybex ArcTrainer...I have closed compartment syndrome and it is the only cardio machine in the gym that doesn't make my legs go numb! It was love at first run!

FAVORITE BOOK(S): I like spunky humor like Flaming Iguanas, law novels by John Grisham, and classics like 1984 and Brave New World.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): I love raunchy comedy movies like Grandma's Boy and Superbad, horror flicks like Saw and Hostel, and sappy movies like My Friend Flicka

FAVORITE MUSIC: I love country (pop country, not so much classic or bluegrass), 90's rock, old school rap, and classic rock.

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: First, I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian sydrome) so that makes it difficult to lose weight because of my hormone problems. But that is no excuse, what really kills weightloss is I get discouraged. If I don't lose like 5 pounds a week, I feel like a failure and I quit. I start eating really awful food and gain 15 pounds and the cycle starts over. I even tried to limit myself to 500 calories for a couple months one time because I was so desperate, but we all know how well that really works! Sigh...

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I have to lose this weight! Diabetes runs in my family and if I don't get my weight and eating habits under control, I may join them! I am so needle shy, so diabetes would not be good for me..along with all the other negative diabetes effects as well. Also, I would love to be able to wear a bikini at the beach this summer or buy pretty bras at Victoria's Secret again...I'd also love to be able to find clothes in my size on the clearance racks!! I have also discovered how to make diet food just as tasty as normal food, so it'll be easier this time!

[murphydoodle2]

User name/name: Murphydoodle/Tonya

AGE: 39

BIRTHDAY: Oct 19

MARITAL STATUS: Married to a perfect man! (Well, perfect for me anyway!)

Children/ages: 2, 13 & 10

TOP WEIGHT: 175

CURRENT WEIGHT: 138

GOAL WEIGHT: 132

HEIGHT: 5' 3"

EYE COLOR: Blue

HAIR COLOR: Brown

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Right now I’m in grad school and working full time, so I don’t have many hobbies. When I had free time I enjoyed cross-stitch and reading.

PETS: a Jack Russell ****zu cross named Murphy and a Heinz 57 named Chloe.

OCCUPATION: Teacher

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Sunny Florida

FAVORITE COLOR: Purple

FAVORITE FOODS: Pizza

FAVORITE EXERCISE: none. We got the kids a Wii and Wii Fit for Christmas, so I’m hoping that will motivate me. I know I feel better when I exercise, but I always find an excuse to avoid it. I get up at 5:45 every morning and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get in 20-30 minutes with the Wii before I get ready for work.

FAVORITE BOOK(S): There are way too many to chose from.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): I really don’t like going to the movies.

FAVORITE MUSIC: Classic rock, Motown, 80s

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: My weight became a problem in my 20s. Prior to that I was 105 lbs and wore a size 1. Imagine my surprise when I started to gain weight! From there, my weight has usually been a reflection of how happy I am in general. If things are going well I lose weight. If things aren’t, I eat and gain weight. I want to get out of that cycle. So far so good, but it has taken me over 18 months to get this far.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL:I am really beginning to see the problems I have with blood sugar. I noticed that if I ate a lot of sugar I would get really grumpy afterwards and that if I have a little bit of sugar I want more and more and more… Avoiding sugar has been a godsend. On top of that, I really want DH to get healthier. He will eat whatever I cook, so I need to prepare healthy meals for him as well.

[HeatherMcG]

User name/name: HeatherMcG/Heather

AGE: 22

BIRTHDAY: June 26

MARITAL STATUS: Married since 6/7/08 Newlyweds!

Children/ages: Hopefully in the near future!

TOP WEIGHT: 317

CURRENT WEIGHT: 251

GOAL WEIGHT: 175

HEIGHT: 5' 10"

EYE COLOR: Hazel

HAIR COLOR: Brown

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: I enjoy surfing the net and staying connectes via Facebook. I also like cooking, baking, and spending time with my hubby!

PETS: Nope, allergic to animals.

OCCUPATION: Teacher

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Northwest Indiana

FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

FAVORITE FOODS: Pasta, chocolate, and ice cream~

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Walking & swimming although I don't get to swim very often

FAVORITE BOOK(S):

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): ELF!, Talledega Nights, anything with Will Ferrell

FAVORITE MUSIC: New Country, 80's Rock, and Rap

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: My biggest problem has always been consistency. I am motivated for a bit and then slowly, I begin to slack until I don't even try to lose anymore. Also, if I don't see immediate results as in a HUGE loss on the scale, I feel like my work is for nothing and if I'm not gonna lose when I do do the work, why try at all? And that is why I am where I am today.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: The difference this time is that I will not quit. My motivation is pregnancy. My husband and I desperately want children and I know that I cannot be safe when pregnant at this weight. Its not safe for me or my children. How can I expect to take good care of my child and protect their health when I can't even do those things for myself? For me, this time isn't solely about a number on the scale, it is about a healthier lifestyle and good habits. The number on the scale is just a happy bonus!

[Kim_Star060404]

User name/name: Kim_Star060404/Kim

AGE: 27

BIRTHDAY: August 8th

MARITAL STATUS: Happily Married

Children/ages: On hold until we are 100% consumer/student debt free!!

TOP WEIGHT: 225

CURRENT WEIGHT: 199

GOAL WEIGHT: 120

HEIGHT: 5'

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Brown

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Pretty much anything I can do with my hubby. Crafting; I'll try any craft at least once! We like to watch basketball (Spurs) and football (Cowboys) together and also enjoy hiking, traveling, bar-be-queing and working on our house.

PETS: Two dogs, a yellow lab (Toby, short for Manitoba which is where my DH was doing an internship when we got him), and a miniature dachsund (Ranger, short for Ranger Captain Augustus McCrae, who is our favorite character in the book/movie Lonesome Dove)

OCCUPATION: Deputy Chief Appraiser

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Alpine, TX

FAVORITE COLOR: Red

FAVORITE FOODS: Seafood, fruit

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Cardio/Strength Circuits designed by DH

FAVORITE BOOK(S): All the Harry Potters, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb, The Tale of Genji as translated by Royall Taylor, I also love the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke and pretty much everything by Lori Wick. Can't forget the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I still love reading those from time to time. I read the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer in 2008 and fell in love with the series.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): The Nightmare Before Christmas, 50 First Dates, Royal Wedding

FAVORITE SINGER/GROUP: 311

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I eat "in secret" when my hubby goes out of town for business

GOAL: To give myself the body I deserve!!

[mctinez]

User name/name: McTinez

AGE: 29

BIRTHDAY: May 20

MARITAL STATUS: Engaged

Children/ages: None yet

EYE COLOR: Blue

HAIR COLOR: Brown

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Hiking and going to the beach here in San Diego, reading, crafts and DIY projects for my upcoming wedding.

PETS: I have a cat, Cleo, she's a grey and white exotic shorthair.

OCCUPATION: Applications Scientist

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: San Diego, CA

FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

FAVORITE FOODS: raspberries, chocolate, grilled cheese sandwiches.

FAVORITE EXERCISE: tennis

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): Gilmore Girls

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Skipping meals and then filling up on snacks or snacking on cheese while making dinner. I also have trouble getting motivated to exercise.

GOAL: Lose weight from my stomach, tone my arms and get fit!

[cashmgrccm]

User name/name: cashmgrccm

AGE: 43

BIRTHDAY: July 24th

MARITAL STATUS: Happily Married

Children/ages: 2 dogs, Jeb & Delilah

TOP WEIGHT: NOW - 243

CURRENT WEIGHT: 243

GOAL WEIGHT: I'm starting with 160

HEIGHT: 5' 4

EYE COLOR: Dr. Brown

HAIR COLOR: Dr. Brown

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Love to read. Shopping and going to the spa ain't bad either. I'm trying to make excercise a hobby!

PETS: Two dogs, a yellow lab - Delilah and a black lab - Jeb

OCCUPATION: VP, Banking

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Eastern CT

FAVORITE COLOR: Red

FAVORITE FOODS: Anything sweet! I'm a sugarholic!

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Walking. I used to love to spin. I'm hoping to again!

FAVORITE BOOK(S): I love all types.....literature, mystery, spiritual etc.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): The Godfather

FAVORITE SINGER/GROUP: I don't have a favorite

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I'm addicted to sugar. I'd rather eat sweets than Filet Mignon or Lobster.

[bluelion]

User name/name: Bluelion/Marissa

AGE: 30

BIRTHDAY: Nov 26

MARITAL STATUS: Single

Children/ages: 4 year old son, Owen

TOP WEIGHT: about 175ish, size 14 After I gave birth, I gained weight...LOL.

CURRENT WEIGHT: 147.5

GOAL WEIGHT: 122.5 for now

HEIGHT: 5' 2"

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Brown

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: gym, books, spades, shopping,

OCCUPATION: Accountant/Financial Advisor

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Austin, TX

FAVORITE COLOR: Pink, blue

FAVORITE FOODS: Chile Rellenos

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Body Combat, Yoga

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: The weekends. I do fairly well during the week, but on the weekends I eat and drink too much.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: Plan for the weekends instead of just eating/drinking what I want.

[Chelby29]

User name/name: Chelby29/Michelle
AGE: 40

BIRTHDAY: June 3

MARITAL STATUS: Married for 8 years.

Children/ages: Auston, age 5

TOP WEIGHT: 200 (I've gained 15 pounds since August. YUCK!)

CURRENT WEIGHT: 191

GOAL WEIGHT: 160

HEIGHT: 5'4"

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Brown with too much grey

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Cooking, Reading, Jazzercise!

PETS: 1 very fat, very old cat

OCCUPATION: I'm a stay-at-home mom. I'm also a Jazzercise instructor, which I love. Underneath my layer of fat, I have really great muscles. My goal is to see the muscles.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Beautiful Remlap, Alabama (about 35 miles north of Birmingham)

FAVORITE COLOR: Orange

FAVORITE FOODS: Rice. I'm a Cajun from Southwest Louisiana.

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Jazzercise, of course.

FAVORITE BOOK(S)/Authors: Anything by Janet Evanovich. Anne George. The Alphabet Murders.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): Mamma Mia, Wedding Singer, My Big Fat Greek Wedding -- I see a pattern!

FAVORITE/GROUP: Santana, Maroon 5, Nickelback, Wayne Toups, ABBA.

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I eat too d@mn much! I use food for the wrong reasons -- to celebrate, to be sad, as a reward.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I am embarrassed by my weight, and I don't want to be. I want to be confident and healthy. I want to watch my son grow old. I've tried Weight Watchers and Adkins in the past. While I lost weight with both diets, I couldn't 'live' with them. SBD seems like a diet that I can do long term.

[ozziesgirl]

User name/name: ozziesgirl/Stephanie

AGE: 28

BIRTHDAY: January 27

MARITAL STATUS: Married for 16 months

Children/ages: I want to lose weight so we can conceive, hopefully this year!

TOP WEIGHT: 230

CURRENT WEIGHT: 225 (official weigh in on Monday)

GOAL WEIGHT: 130

HEIGHT: 5' 0"

EYE COLOR: Green

HAIR COLOR: Blonde

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Reading, home decorating, photography, my animals, animal welfare, green/eco friendly/organic stuff (recently made my own laundry detergent!)

PETS: A beagle named Maggie and two cats, Jax and Casper

OCCUPATION: Hospital voice services

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada

FAVORITE COLOR: Acid greens, pink, neutrals

FAVORITE FOODS: Pasta and chips

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Walking, I really hate exercise so I am hoping to come to love it soon

FAVORITE BOOK(S): I've been reading a lot of "chick lit" lately.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): Empire Records, White Noise, Shawshank Redemption. I'm all over the place.

FAVORITE MUSIC: I love to dance so anything with a good beat.

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Emotional eater, self sabotager.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL:Well, I am planning a lot more. I am trying to know ahead of time what I will eat and have good foods in the house so I don't just reach for anything. I also want to have a baby and really want to be healthy before that happens. I am also doing positive self talk, hoping to cancel out all the negative stuff I have been saying for years.

Hi to everyone!!

[Barb0522]

User name/name: barb0522/Barbara (Barb)

AGE: 45

BIRTHDAY: Jan 11

MARITAL STATUS: Separated, filed for divorce Jan 7, 2008

Children/ages: one 11 year old boy named Brian

TOP WEIGHT: 214

CURRENT WEIGHT: 170

GOAL WEIGHT: 130

HEIGHT: 5' 3"

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Brown (dye covers the gray)

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Reading, Boy Scouts

PETS: two female cats, Diesel and Allie

OCCUPATION: Production Software support

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Richardson, TX (near Dallas)

FAVORITE COLOR: blue

FAVORITE FOODS: seafood, steak, dark chocolate

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Elliptical in the gym or Wii Fit at home

FAVORITE BOOK(S): I like fantasy (Mercedes Lackey, Anne McCaffery) and Nora Roberts.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): I hate horror. I like Harry Potter, James Bond, and just about anything that isn't gory or scary. I rarely go to the movies.

FAVORITE MUSIC: I love country and 70's and 80's rock.

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I gained as I got older and ate out too much. I actually got down to 140 on South Beach a couple of years ago but I let 30 lbs creep back on due to stress eating.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I already lost enough so my cholesterol is good and my blood pressure is controlled with one med. I want to look better to stay healthy and look good as I start dating again. I was a size 20 and am now a 10 but I had gotten down to an 8 and would like to get down again.

[lightfello]

User name/name: Lightfello/Heather

AGE: 36

BIRTHDAY: July 20

MARITAL STATUS: in a relationship

Children/ages: None yet

EYE COLOR: Blue

HAIR COLOR: Blonde

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: reading, surfing the net

PETS: I have 2 cats. Daisy and Rascal

OCCUPATION: 1st grade teacher

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: San Jose, CA

FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

FAVORITE FOODS: pizza

FAVORITE EXERCISE: step aerobics

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): The Office

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I'm an emotional eater and I love junk food!

GOAL: I have 2 family weddings coming up this year and I want to look nice in the photos. I want to have more energy, be healthier and get off some of my meds.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I'm not sure yet. I really struggle with this question. I've tried so many times, so many diets. This is the third time I've done SB. So the third time is the charm, right?

[RNMOM]

User name: RNMOM

Age: 50

Birthday: February 10th

Married to a really great man for 30 years!

Five children, 3 inlaw children and 6 grandchildren!

Top weight that I know of....190 in 2004

Goal weight is 140.

I lost 53.5 pounds in 2004 over a 7 month period of time doing South Beach. Was really proud of myself, not proud of myself right now. Still trying to figure out how to get back into that frame of mind and have been trying to figure it out since.

Hobbies: gardening, sewing, reading, used to love running...hope to get there again.

Occupation: Emergency Room nurse

Hopefully South Beach will work again for me. I want to wear my clothes again and smile when I look in the mirror.

[Schmoodle]

User Name: Schmoodle

Starting weight/current/goal - 245/175/145

Location: Maryland

Age: 46

Married: 16 years, but lived together for 8 years before that

Kids: 3 kids, 2 girls and a boy, the oldest is in college, one in middle school and the youngest in elementary school.

Pets: 3 cats

Work: Engineer. I've got a great job and started telecommuting a few years ago, which saves me from sitting in DC traffic, but also makes it easier to snack!

Dieting history: Overweight to varying extents since the age of 8. Not much of a dieter, so I never yo-yo'd much, just a steady increase since kids started arriving. I am a major sugar addict and just the word "diet" tends to make me sweat. Last time I really dieted, I lost 30 lbs on the T-factor diet. That was about 18 years ago. I did try SBD once before, but fell off when I entered Phase II. For that reason, I'm very paranoid about adding carbs.

Favorite diet cheat: Before SBD, anything sweet, but not craving it so much now!

Hobbies: Reading, sewing, surfing the internet, not much time for any of these lately.

Reasons for wanting to lose weight: Although I've always had weight issues, I never felt like it kept me from doing things I wanted to do, and so never worried about it too much. When I was younger, if I wanted to lose weight, it would have been for looks alone. Then I started noticing myself not doing things for various made-up reasons, but the real reason is weight. My energy was getting pretty low from eating poorly and excess weight, so that cleaning my house was becoming a real challenge. That creates a vicous cycle of trying to conserve energy and feeling less of it as a result. Ny world started to become smaller, and once I'm a telecommuter, my big fear was that I'd become a huge, housebound person. I can totally see how that can happen!

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[murphmitch]

User name/name: Murphmitch/Anne

AGE: 52

BIRTHDAY: October 9

MARITAL STATUS: Married 27 years in April

CHILDREN : Daughter 26 in grad school (Minneapolis), Daughter 23 @ home again, Son 21 in college

TOP WEIGHT: 152

CURRENT WEIGHT: 114

GOAL WEIGHT: I'm there!

HEIGHT: 5' 3"

EYE COLOR: Hazel

HAIR COLOR: Brown with highlights to cover the grey!

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Reading, being on the internet, shopping, doing any kind of puzzle-jigsaw, word puzzles, crosswords, etc.

PETS: I have a new puppy - a black cocker named Sophie. My previous pet that died 2 years ago was a black cocker too.

OCCUPATION: RN employed on a hospital Mother/Baby Unit 31 years.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Iowa

FAVORITE COLOR: Burgundy

FAVORITE FOODS: Pretzels, pizza, ice cream,cookies

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Walking on treadmill, recumbent bike & stairmaster

FAVORITE BOOK(S): Love mysteries and also anything about health. Love the "You" series by Dr. Oz.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): My alltime favorite is "Jaws" but also "The Princess Bride" and "Contact".

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Fitting time in to exercise. I sometimes work 12 hour shifts, Come home and eat and go to bed. No time for anything else. Also like to eat too many carbs. After reaching menopause, metabolism makes it harder to lose weight. I have lost weight many times in the past, only to gain it back. I have always been a real yo-yo dieter. I had maintained my weight on Weight Watchers for over 3 years until going through menopause in the last few years. I've been able to maintain my weight and even lose a little bit more on South Beach though.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: Since following South Beach, I have been able to lose weight quickly without hunger. I feel like I can stay on this plan for life and be able to maintain by weight. I have always used Weight Watchers flex plan in the past and in fact am a lifetime member, but the food plan was not working for me. I also used my points to eat foods that were high in simple carbs and did not make the best choices. I still go once a month to weigh in and have some accountability. I also enjoy the support and information that I get here.

[me4life]

User name/name: me4life/sheila

AGE: 38

BIRTHDAY: april 2

MARITAL STATUS: seperated since may 2008

CHILDREN : 4 daughters...19, 17, 15 and 10 and one grand daughter 7 months old.

TOP WEIGHT: 230

CURRENT WEIGHT: 230

GOAL WEIGHT: 150

HEIGHT: 5' 5"

EYE COLOR: brown

HAIR COLOR: brown

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: reading, internet mostly

PETS: i have a boxer puppy i got for xmas and my daughter has 2 dogs and 3 cats

OCCUPATION: unemployed and looking

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: michigan

FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

FAVORITE FOODS: mashed potatoes

FAVORITE EXERCISE: elliptical

FAVORITE BOOK(S):anything by christine feehan

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): star wars the original ones

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: sticking to it...hard when daughter and bf are always saying "you don't need to lose weight". get off track by focusing on others more than myself.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: am motivated to be healthy before i reach 40