My name is Jenn. I'll be 28 in October. I am engaged to HB (or Honey Bunny) and we're set to be married on September 9, 2006 in Maine. We've got 2 cats, Aimee (5 months) and JoJo (3 years). I work in the Washington, DC area in the political arena.

I'm working to lose the last 25-35 pounds before the wedding!

I started "dieting" in March/April 2003 at 251+ pounds (scale only read that high!). I started eating right, then started to hit the gym and lost about 40 pounds. I started South Beach in May 2004 and lost another 15. I was only on SB for 1 month and then lost control. I gained back about 10 pounds and decided to start the SB WOE again this May. I've sucessfully moved on to Phase 2 although I haven't lost much more than the original 11.

I suspect this to be because I stopped exercising. I've hurt my foot but I hope to get this resolved tomorrow at the doctor!!!

I like to read and am online a lot (at work, tee hee).

That's the short of it. Will update it as needed

Hi, gals! My name is Barbara (or just Barb). I'm 42 and live in a suburb of Dallas. I'm originally from Tampa, FL but have been here since 1988. I have an eight year old son, Brian who I just can't stop writing about. DH is 49 and has lost some on the beach but still needs to lose a lot more. I have no control of his snacking or lack of exercise though - he is a grown man.

I work supporting production software applications at the same company that I've been at for over 20 years. I often work nights especially on the weekend but they do let me take comp time (when I can make time for it).

I always thought I was heavy but I really wasn't until after college when I got a desk job and had the money to eat too much of the wrong stuff. South Beach has been great for me. My cholesterol is normal and I've gone from 3 blood pressure medicines to a quarter dosage of one medicine. I've gone from a size 20 to a size 8 as well which is just hard to believe.

I've been doing this for my health and so that I would be there to see my son grow up. We have two cats, Diesel and Allie. Brian and I also volunteer regularly at the animal shelter so we have lots of extended pet family.

Updated on 12/31/5 :
I am off all my blood pressure meds and it looks like my pressure is staying down. It looks like I never listed my height - it is 5' 3". Chocolate is my downfall and I have to really watch how much I eat even of dark chocolate.

Name Kieran Bridget (Yes I know Kieran is a man's name talk to my mom) or Kierie or Kier
I'm 29
I've lived in NJ my whole life except for 2 years in florida and one In Ireland
I'm a newlywed to my lovely DH and best friend.
our Child is Tinkerbell the Turtle (Mom has my dog)
I started gaining weight when I was around 7/8 and I've suffered depression since I was 9
That made it hard to stick to a WOE RIght now I'm on really good Meds which actually help me to walk away from the fridge (I was shocked!)
I'm a writer and a Data Monkey for a publishing company. I was freelancing for a magazine and now I'm workign on my fiction
I'm addicted to Harry Potter.
I'm a left leaning Moderate and am converting DH to it (his fam mega conservative)
Hmm I'll add more later

User name/name: Weezle/Lisa

AGE: 28

BIRTHDAY: May 15

MARITAL STATUS: Divorced

Children/ages: Boyfriend's little one, age 5

TOP WEIGHT: 160

CURRENT WEIGHT: 120

GOAL WEIGHT: 115

HEIGHT: 5'3"

EYE COLOR: Hazel/brown depending on the light

HAIR COLOR: Aheh...natural? Dark brown with far too much gray for my age. Currently? Red.

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Singing, reading, travel

PETS: None Mom and Dad have two dachshunds named Oscar and Sophie, and they are my siblings. They're so cute!

OCCUPATION: Training Store Director/Marketing Director, piano instructor, Referring Travel Agent

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Springfield, IL

FAVORITE COLOR: purple

FAVORITE FOODS: Mexican, Italian

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Volleyball

FAVORITE BOOK(S): Mere Christianity and A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis, and I very much enjoy Dean Koontz and James Patterson.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, Ice Age, Stigmata... I really like Meg Ryan romantic comedies, regular comedies, and horror flicks. That's about it.

FAVORITE/GROUP: Third Day, Casting Crowns, Jimmy Buffett, Elton John, Billy Joel, Sarah McLachlan, Tom Waits, Morphine, Journey.... I pretty much like Christian music, 80's music, and then some random musicians.

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Quitting after one little fall into temptation and eating when I'm stressed.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I've finally had it with the yo-yo thing. I'm so close to my goal, and I'm doing this for myself because I stopped doing things for myself a long time ago.

User Name: Ruthxxx Real Name: Ruth

Starting weight/current/goal - Was 232 once but now 195 at 5'. Was just great at 140 but was also 30 years younger then! Current goal is 185 by mid-March 2010 for a Disney trip.

Location: Village in Eastern Ontario in a 1928 house built by my Grandpa when he retired from the farm. Grew up in Ottawa but visited here lots when I was a kid. Bought this house back into the family in 1985. My Dad cried!

Age: I'll be 71 in mid-January. The only advantage to this age is discounts on air fares and other stuff. So far nobody treats me with respect but I'm waiting!

Widowed since October 2008 but coping fine. I am lucky to have a great group of supportive friends, plus financial stability.

Kids: Have two kids from my first marriage - Jim and Mary Ellen. They are both parents but live too far away for me to see the three grandbabies often. Jim is in Ottawa but his work schedule is nuts. Mary Ellen is way out West on Vancouver Island so I can't get to see her often enough. I try for at least one trips out there every year.

Pets: Used to raise Portuguese Water Dogs and loved them! Hershey and Lucy were wonderful dogs but are gone now. They are semi-replaced by Disney, my Katrina rescue dog, and Jazz, a Bolonka, who is still very puppy-ish. Both are well behaved dogs who do pet therapy with me weekly. I think I was a dog in my previous incarnation.

Work: Well, am supposed to be retired but I seem to be able to keep myself busy! I'm very involved in community and church work and have a full schedule.

Plan:South Beach Phase II suits me fine - feel good and finally have my blood sugar well under control now. I has a knee replacement in 2008 which was not completely successful. However, I am rising above it and, after 70 years of being a slug, I'm going to the gym for 90 minutes three times a week and trying to do treadmill the other days. The knee feels much better and I no longer have a limp.

Favorite diet cheat: red licorice - could be worse, I suppose. I'm also partial to wine and Scotch.

Hobbies: Gardening, sewing, cooking, theatre and music, dog breeding and adoration, reading good novels, entertaining friends, too darn much volunteer work, quilting, some writing!

Reasons for wanting to lose weight: I want to be a skinny corpse but no hurry! I am also Type II diabetic and need to keep that in control.

What else? I really do own a Chicken Purse. Had a metal bra which I made for a part in a play but it fell apart. Can whip up another one if anyone wants to put in an order.

User name/name: Kim_Star060404/Kim

AGE: 26

BIRTHDAY: August 8th

MARITAL STATUS: Happily Married

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

TOP WEIGHT: 225

CURRENT WEIGHT: 207

GOAL WEIGHT: 120

HEIGHT: 5'

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Brown

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: I sell Avon in my "spare time" and I also really love to read. I'm absolutely obsessed with magazines and definitely have an over-abundance in the house. Working out has become my outlet and I use it as a stress reliever. I've tossed aside the beading for crocheting and love doing that. I'm planning on exploring felting in the future. DH and I love watching basketball and football together as well as movies and "our" shows; Ghost Hunters and My Boys.

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: Chief Deputy Appraiser

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Alpine, TX

FAVORITE COLOR: Red

FAVORITE FOODS: Seafood, fruit

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Walking the "gauntlet", pilates, aerobics and dancing

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.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): The Nightmare Before Christmas

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!!

USER NAME/NAME: amasam/Ally

AGE: 32

BIRTHDAY: August 16

MARITAL STATUS: Married

Children/ages: none

TOP WEIGHT: 155

CURRENT WEIGHT: 146 (1/2/07)
GOAL WEIGHT: 140lbs

HEIGHT: 5'7"

EYE COLOR: gray

HAIR COLOR: Brownish red

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Reading, shopping, time with friends, Food network (but that is changing!)

PETS: 20 gallon fish tank - too many fish to count

OCCUPATION: Associate Director of Residence Life & Student Conduct

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Erie, PA

FAVORITE COLOR: red and white

FAVORITE FOODS: confort foods - mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes and ham, brownies

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Walking, elliptical, weights

FAVORITE BOOK(S): A Woman of Substance, Kalidescope, The Red Tent

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): When Harry Met Sally, Gone With the Wind, Evita, Top Gun

FAVORITE SINGER/GROUP: Madonna, Josh Groban, ABBA

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Eating out of boredom or emotions

GOAL: Lose some wieght, but also bring down my blood work numbers - the reason my doctor suggested this diet.

User name/name: Pearlrose/Rose

AGE: 41

BIRTHDAY: April 21th

MARITAL STATUS: Married next month for 19 years

Children: 15, 13 and 3 year old

TOP WEIGHT: 254 (9 months pregnant)

CURRENT WEIGHT: 210

GOAL WEIGHT: 155

HEIGHT: 5'7"

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Brown

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Reading, exercising, doing things with my children and Husband

PETS: Mac, chocolate lab; Tweety and Slyvester, parakeets; Goody, beta fish

OCCUPATION: IT Support Analyst for Healthcare System

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: St. Louis Metro East

FAVORITE COLOR: Green

FAVORITE FOODS: Spaghetti

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Turbo Jam

FAVORITE BOOK(S): I love all kinds of books, too many to list

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): It's a Wonderful Life

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I love sweets and hate vegetables, but am learning to like vegetables and to make sb friendly desserts

DATE: 7 June 2007

USERNAME/REAL NAME: tomandkara/Kara

AGE: 29

BIRTHDAY: 26 July 1977

MARITAL STATUS: Married since 26 June 1999

SPOUSE’S NAME: Tom

CHILDREN: Connor Thomas (born 29 October 2001), Kadyn May (born 12 September 2004), and Avery Claire (born 30 May 2006)

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: I no longer have time or energy for hobbies and interests. Once upon a time I loved to scrapbook and quilt. I do quite enjoy baking and still do have the opportunity to indulge in that area!

PETS: We have a Chocolate Lab named Reese, but she is living with my parents since we are currently overseas.

TOP WEIGHT: I was around 150 when I was graduated from college, but I was a gymnast so a lot of it was muscle. I was 169 the day Connor was born, then was about 140 when I got pregnant with Kadyn, and 130 when I got pregnant with Avery.

CURRENT WEIGHT: 129

GOAL WEIGHT: 115

HEIGHT: 5'4"

EYE COLOR: Hazel

HAIR COLOR: Brown

OCCUPATION: Before Connor was born I was an elementary school teacher. I've taught fifth, fourth/fifth combo, third, and sixth grades and have tutored through high school ages. Now I stay home with the kiddies. We are a homeschooling family so that takes up a lot of my time, along with feeding our ravenously hungry bunch!

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Just south of Seoul, South Korea

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I was raised to finish everything on my plate, regardless of whether I was actually hungry, so I have this nagging compulsion to eat at set times and polish everything off. I also make up my own dieting rules a lot, which most times gets me so off track that I end up not being on any kind of weight loss program at all!

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: Well, finding this forum! The accountability I feel to my new friends here is a huge motivator! I have no clue why, but it's working. No cheating at all in my first week on The Beach!

User Name: Schmoodle

Starting weight/current/goal - 245/240/145

Location: Maryland

Age: 44

Married: 14 years, but lived together for 8 years before that

Kids: 3 kids, 2 girls and a boy, the oldest is in college, and the two younger in elementary school.

Pets: 3 cats, all with attitude

Work: Engineer. I've got a great job and started telecommuting about a year and a half 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 about 2 years ago, 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. Lately though, I've 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. I've noticed my world starting to become smaller, and now that I'm a telecommuter, my big fear is that I'll become a huge, housebound person. I can totally see how that can happen!

user name is phxsunflower real name is Janet

starting weight was 283 not on a plan/now is 261 just coming to the beach/hoping for 140 so I can go and sit on the beach with the kids!

I reside in the great southwest. Warm and sunny 10 months of the year!!!!!

I am married and have been for 15 years in October. We have 4 kids 2 boys 13 and 11 and 2 girls 9 and 6.

1 dog for now but we are looking for another.

I just went back to work after being home with the kids for 9 years. I am an aide at the younger kids school.

My favorite way of moving is walking,biking,and swimming and since the weather is really cooperative most days. I was looking into joining "curves" as soon as I get to a mini goal weight as an incentive. But I might want to look into a gym with an indoor pool so I could pick up aerobics.

My doctor advised the beach for a try since she has seen me stay and 261 for a year. Looked at it, and it really isn't to far off from what I was living with so I thought it might be doable. I am learning to enjoy more veges though. There are changes but not to much of a shocker to the old system.

I am just learning about the wonderful use of the computer. My 13 year old likes to watch me and laugh. This is the second bio I filled out the first one got lost ha ha. I enjoy this site and looking forward to getting to know you!

User Name - Gonnabe165
Age - 30
Marital Staus - Married To A Wonderful Supportive Man
Children - 5lb Yorkie
Top Weight - 242 (215 When I Started South Beach In May)
Current Weight - 202
Goal Weight - 165 For Now
Hobbies/interest - Shopping, Traveling, Family
Fav Color - Purple & Black
Fav Food - Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter
Fav Movie - Notebook
Reason For Loosing - I'm In Good Health Now (no Problems) But I Want To Be In Great Health

Better late than never

User name/name: CyndiM/Cyndi (clever, don't ya think)
AGE: 46

BIRTHDAY: June 9

MARITAL STATUS: I've been with my partner for almost 10 years now.

Children/ages: Tiffany - 26

TOP WEIGHT: 227

CURRENT WEIGHT: 175

GOAL WEIGHT: 165 (maybe)

HEIGHT: 5'6"

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Auburn (I checked the box)

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Birding!, gardening, Reading, Camping, hiking

PETS: 2 cats

OCCUPATION: I'm the program support coordinator at a small local child care resource and referral agency

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Vermont

FAVORITE COLOR: Purple

FAVORITE FOODS: greens (really!), sauce with veggies, salmon, really spicy chili (can you tell I'm writing this in the winter?!)

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Walking outdoors

FAVORITE BOOK(S): tough one - Before You Know Kindness, Blessing, the Fifth Sacred Thing, the Secret Life of Bees,

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): Inherit the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, It's a Wonderful Life, all three Lord of the Rings movies, the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill - I'm sure I'm leaving lots of others out.

FAVORITE/GROUP: I don't listen to the radio but love Ani DiFranco, the Indigo Girls, Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky (yes, I'm a folkie!) and the Dixie Chicks (they may be the only recognizable name on my list!)

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I get lazy, don't make time to exercise, don't think about what I'm eating. I was bulimic when I was younger but long done with that.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I really hope this time I'm doing it all right and planning for the long haul. In the past it was always diet until I hit goal then back to old habits. This time I really want it to be different. Also, I got rid of my fat clothes so it would be expensive to back slide!

User name/name: jandaman/jan

AGE: will be 35 veeeeeeeeery soon. Freakin out jus’ a lil bit (aaargh!)

BIRTHDAY: March 11

MARITAL STATUS: very much taken, but , alas, not beringéd

TOP WEIGHT: tipped the scales at 86 kilos approx 190 lbs

CURRENT WEIGHT: 78-79 kilos ca. 172 lbs

GOAL WEIGHT: 65 kilos/140 lbs

HEIGHT: 5.7

EYE COLOR: brown

HAIR COLOR: ebony

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: love traveling, have been all over Europe—backpacked thru Thailand etc. am also a linguistic geek and a true bibliophile

PETS: the amazing boo tazer!!! Tiny lil kitten

OCCUPATION: ESL teacher/college tutor/translator/copywriter

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: currently in Mainz am rhein, Germany

FAVORITE COLOR: depends on my mood, viridian and hot pink

FAVORITE FOODS: Indian, Lebanese, Eritrean, Tex-Mex, Italian, Thai and the list goes on and on

FAVORITE EXERCISE: hahaha! Ummm..yoga? seriously , I love yoga and hiking thru the mountains and vineyards

FAVORITE BOOK(S): anything by dorothy parker, murakami, hesse, roald dahl, brett easton ellis…etc!

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): sixteen candles, edward scissorhands, beetlejuice, dawn of the dead (orig), napoleon dynamite, cat on a hot tin roof, gene kelly musicals etc.

FAVORITE/GROUP: nouvelle vague, air, sigur ros, shonen knife, abba, led zeppelin…..

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: emotionally traumatic experience shook me off course

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: it’s all about me, baby ) knowing i am worth this and need to take control of my destiny!

I did an intro/bio back in 2003 when we first did SBD, but I forgot to do so this go round, so here goes----

User name: SkinnyDogMom

First name: Karla

Geographical location: Northern Virginia-currently Vienna, we are in the process of building a new home in Ashburn, hopefully we will move in June

Age: 41

Marital Status: married

Children/Ages: 1 daughter who is 23, 3 stepsons, 5 stepgrandkids

Occupation: RN, Neonatal ICU

Pets: Dino-retired racing greyhound, currently searching for a new pup

Hobbies/Interests: Music, Dancing, Reading, Movies, HGTV, Cooking, Travel

Height: 5' 7"

Eye/Hair Color: blue eyes, currently blonde hair w/reddish mix, hair color depends on which box I pick up or whatever the hairdresser mixes!

Starting Date of Weightloss Journey: January 1, 2008 (this time) I have worked on weightloss since I was about 22 years old.

Starting Weight: Way too much

Present Weight: 17 pounds less than January 1, 2008

Goal Weight: Not sure of a number, I am more interested in health and wearing normal size clothing. About a size 10-12 is my long term goal. This should be a weight of about 150. Currently I am wearing a size 22, down from a 24.

Biggest hurdle to overcome in weightloss: Emotional eating, eating from boredom, not letting the weight I lose find me again! Sticking with consistent, intentional exercise. The enjoyment of eating.

Following any specific plan: The South Beach Diet

What is different this time in your weight loss efforts than in the past: I have begun exercising consistently since mid-February. I plan to continue to make exercise a daily part of my life. I actually enjoy walking on my treadmill and miss it on days when I can't.

Anything else you would like to share with us: I have more than 100 pounds to lose. My ticker shows my first goal of 71 pounds. After that, it depends on the clothing size, but it will still mean another 30 pounds if not more.
The only regret in my life so far has been the fact that I have lost weight and gained it back several times. I have not been able to get down to a weight appropriate for my height since I was 22. Along with this regret of not becoming healthier at an earlier age is the fact that I may have been able to have more children had I not been overweight.
I will just have to be that much more of a fabulous grandma!