[StepSpen]

Good morning.
I just joined yesterday in an effort to keep myself honest!

My story:
Over the past few years (since my children were born - now 7 and 8 yrs old), my weight has slowly but steadly creeped up. It was only a couple pounds a year - but I did a little math (challenging for this art teacher ) - and figured out that if I continued to gain 2 pounds a year for the next 30 years - I would end up somewhere around 210 lbs! That was shocking to me! Not only did the shear fact of the weight scare me, but coupled with my family history - that is not a realm I want to venture into! Heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are rampant on both sides of my family, and my mom is considered pre-diabetic now.

Last Sunday when I returned from a wonderful family vacation to the Outer Banks, NC, I weighed 156 - the most I have ever weighed without being pregnant. To some that might not seem like much, but it was enough for me. I've decided to tackle the South Beach because I had already cut back on 'white carbs', but I still was gaining - basically too much snacking and refusal to give up real sugar in my coffee and tea!

I've been following SB for a few days, and I've already noticed a slight difference in my stomach - seems flatter than before. But what I would really like to slim down are my hips, thighs and ever-present - big butt!

I've been pretty good about doing 30-45 minutes of my Wii Fit and have added in Wii Dance Party (its a hoot! My husband has made me promise to never try those moves in public!)

My hope for joining is to find support in the stories and hard work of others, and to receive a little feedback in return. As much as I want to lose some of the weight (so I don't have to up my pant size - again!), I am really interested in trying to stay as healthy as possilbe.

Any suggestions for using this site would be greatly appreciated - and thanks in advance!

Steph in MD

[applelady]

Welcome! You will find some great ideas and support here. Your story isn't much different than mine. I too woke up one day and realized that my weight was on a steady rise with about a 25 to 30 pound weight gain over the past 9 years. Congratualtions on halting that journey before it was completely out of control.

[patchworkpenguin]

Welcome. I suggest you look for a Support Group or Challenge to join, maybe the South Beach forum, a small group of friends to help keep you motivated, find one that inspires you or fits your needs, and just post to join.

[Gigglesquirt]

Welcome!

[Deena52]

Hi StepSpen and welcome!

While I was reading your initial post, it made me think about something that I've often thought about when reading on the board here. I sometimes feel that I look like a disingenuous creep for making an issue out of MY weight when there are so many who weight much more and have so much more to lose. I feel like they look at me and think "what the **** is she complaining about? I wish I was where she is".
(the reality is that everyone here empathizes with everyone else here and does not judge on that basis....it's just in my own mind)

But I am also 5'4" and whenever I was in the 150 to 160 lb. range I felt horrible and looked horrible, IMO. It was a huge disaster for me and I was driven to remedy it.
And....believe me, you are SMART to take care of it now. I ended up 195 lb. (due to a particular medication) and at that point, could only wish that I could be 150 lbs. again and wondered why I'd felt so fat at that weight. But if I take an honest look back at how I felt....I did feel horrible and that I did look horrible to myself in the mirror.

As unhappy as this weight makes you, take it from me.....gaining even more will just make you more and more miserable. Yay for you for reversing this NOW. You will never regret it.

deena

[Onederchic]

Hi and welcome to 3FC.

We have a SBD section here if you would like to check it out - http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/south-beach-diet-110/

Good luck with your goals.

Hugs
Michelle

[Magnolia Rayne]

Hello and welcome to 3FC. Good luck to you in your journey and in reaching all your goals.

[Losing It 2010]

Welcome to 3FC, we are glad you are here

[Tummy Girl]

Welcome! It's true, we each have a natural weight that fits us best, and that's up to you. It's great to want to take control of your health regardless of where you are weight wise. Heck, many of us were far healthier at 180lbs than many people at 130lbs because we live a healthy lifestyle and the scale just hasn't caught up yet.

Congrats on taking control of your future, it always feels good.

[southernbelle102]

Good luck and welcome! I think it is great that you want to stop the weight gain before it gets out of control.

[DhaniCauldwell]

Welcome and good luck!

Dhani

[StepSpen]

Thanks for the warm wishes! The more I visit, the more I realize that everyone has a reason for trying to lose a few.

Deena - thank you for expressing what I was beginning to feel - almost like a whiner. In comparison, my journey seems so insignificant - but it is my journey. I don't like the way I feel right now - I'm tired, feel lazy, and hate how my clothes are fitting. I don't want to be a skinny-minny - I just want to like how I feel and wear my clothes again, and increase my energy. I also don't want to end up where my mom is now. She is the same height, 56, and probably in the 180's - BUT she is pre-diabetic, on high cholesterol meds, and has to watch her blood pressure. I don't want to be there! I want to be as healthy as possible - which for me means losing 10-15 lbs.

Again, thank you to everyone for the kind support! I hope I can offer that in return!

Steph