I am a self proclaimed diet guru. I have always battled weight, since the age of 13. I was never real real big, but too chunky for my age and then after my first daughter came along, I went to too big!! I just saw a video of me at that point, weighing 250 pounds. I looked pregnant and for a moment thought I was in that video but my second child came along 3 yrs later. Anyway, after my second daughter came along, I had a gallbladder disease during the pregnancy and had to be on a fat free diet to avoid attacks. I lost 45 pounds during pregnancy and after her birth I dropped another 64. I looked AWESOME and promised myself I'd never go back to the old eating habbits again. Well stress entered my life and the weight crept on. I left my husband and I went from 140 to 170. I met my new husband..and conceived daughter number three and after her birth was 180. I went on the atkins diet, south beach and low fat and yo-yo'd for about a year going up to 235. My husband told me that his attraction for me was lacking due to my unhealthy obsession with diet and he was feeling helpless as to how to help me. I helped myself. Went on low fat, and walked daily. I went to 200 pounds and felt better. I then continued to lose to 180 but since then, have been gaining and losing..never dipping beyond 180. I am currently 197.

I need buddies.....any type! Male Female, Alien...i don't care!!!

Congrats on the weight you have lost so far!! I'll be here for you if you need someone to talk to. Having a buddy always makes this easier. My highest weight was 250+lbs and when I looked at my old pics, I just wanted to cry. Stress and depression helped me to become an emotional eater and that's how my weight was put on. I've been married for almost 15 years and during that time, I had put on over 120 pounds. With all the love and support from my family and the support from people here on 3FC, I have been able to successfully loose weight. I'm not down to my goal but I have managed to loose over 80 pounds. Out of all the diets I have tried, I've been very successful on Atkins. Stay strong.... we can do this!!!

My sister lost about 100 pounds on Atkins. I personally have tried Atkins and am way too weak for it. I get shakes and real crabby. I was on it for about 12 days and couldn't do it.

My success is just being careful with my food choices. I avoid the white sugary garbage and focus on fruits for snacks with the occasional skinny cow ice cream treat. I eat whole grains and avoid white pasta's. I drink green tea instead of soda and have a glass of milk a day, usually at night.

Well it is good to have a buddy....a support system, someone to whine to when you feel whiney..someone to tell good news to!
Thanks

I have 2 other sisters that tried Atkins, one lost about 40 pounds and the other couldn't do it. She also said it made her weak. I know it's not for everyone. We just have to find out what works best for our boddies and go for it We went on vacation last week so I didn't focus to hard on trying to stay on it but wherever we went, I tried to make smarter decisions on what I ate. We went to San Diego and visited Sea World, Zoo, Wild Animal Park and the Beach. We walked and walked and walked. I definitely got some exercise in while on vacation *LOL*

Wow...summer time vacations are a Godsend indeed. We will be venturing to NY city on my birthday to ...run about. I live in upstate...about 8 hrs from the city..we are supposed to take a dinner cruise, see the lady liberty, and a baseball game and broadway show. We will be walking the brunt of it as it is all in downtown manhatten! Will be exercise for us....
It is so hot right now, I spend a lot of my time in a swimming pool. My in laws have one and I'll bring my 4 daughters.....I could live in there. Good cardio and muscle exercise!

Welcome to 3FC and congrats on what you've lost so far!!!
I have had similar experiences in the past with seeing home videos and trying to figure out if I was pregnant in them or not. It's a real eye opener!
I'm not just an emotional eater, I eat when I'm bored, or just because I happen to be in the kitchen...it can be a big problem sometimes!!! The heaviest I've seen on the scale when I wasn't pregnant was a little over 170, but I KNOW I've been heavier. I just happened to avoid weighing myself at that time. South Beach has been working for me really well, though.
If you ever need to chat, feel free to PM me anytime!!!
You can never have too much support!
take care and keep it up!!!!!

Good Morning Everyone!!

ladyadonia31~ Sounds like your going to have alot of fun on your birthday. It's been hot here too. We've been in the 100+ for the past month or more. We have a pool too. I head out to the pool as much as possible too.

4boys4me~ I had a friend that tried South Beach and she lost over 30 pounds on it. Congrats on your weight loss!!