Hi everyone!!!! I am new here and need to lose 120lbs. I am 31 and have a crazy life. I am a paramedic and I work 72 hrs straight then I get to come home and I am on call for 24 hrs, then I am off for 3 days. I don't have any kids, but I do have a wonderful husband who is also a paramedic and who just so happens to be very muscular and fit, even though he eats junk except when I am home to cook. I guess my main problem is finding some way to make a diet work with my crazy work schedule. I don't have very bad eating habits, I eat a lot of salads which are my favorite food besides seafood, but I do need to be more disciplined with the sodas. Sometimes we miss meals because we are on a call or taking someone to a hospital 150 miles away, so it is hard to stick to a diet plan. I am going to Curves now. First weigh and measure coming up soon. I get my 3 days in on the 3 days I am off in a row. I would really like some advice on an eating plan of some sort. Any and all advice would be very appreciated.

Hi Giggles!

Welcome! You'll love this place. Its so friendly and helpful. Its got me through some tough stages of this long diet journey!

To be honest the best diet/lifestyle to choose is one that suits you. Some people like a lot of structure, in which case one of the commercial diets might be best. Some people feel that they need to completely give up the food that triggers their eating, in which case Atkins or other similar types of diets might be best for you. Some people want a bit of freedom in what they eat but just want to eat less of it! In which case weight watchers or just a calories counting diet would be best.

It depends on who you are. Once you decide then there are different section of this site about each diet.

As for the finding a good time to eat thing I suppose the obvious conclusion is to plan ahead and take it with you. Its will be a real pain at first but if you carry around a box of large salad, or a flask of soup, and a box of fruit it should get you through.

Hope this helps! x

Hey giggles!

The only thing I have found to work for me is WW. But that's the thing...it works for me. The big key to weight loss, I think, is that you have to find something that fits your life. Exercise is very important too...I'm looking into Curves for once school starts.

I hear you on the sodas. I got turned around fast when my gyno found a lump (non cancerous) in my breast last year, she told me to quit the caffinated drinks. Well, that was my sodas. I tried caffine free, but the taste wasn't the same for me, and to be honest, I was into them for the caffine surge I got. Don't get me wrong it was REALLY HARD to come off the caffine, just ask my DH...I was a real

I tried diet sodas for a while, but they weren't doing it for me either. So I stopped drinking them. I had a regular coke about a month and a half ago...I tasted awful! It's amazing how your body changes so quickly as tastes go.

thank you for the advice. I really appreciate it. I guess I am going to just have to start trying different things and find out what is going to work.

I am sure you will find a balance somewhere and will enjoy all of this. Good luck with your job it sounds very hard.

Welcome Welcome..

Balance is SO important. I just recently went through a rough spell where my life was very unbalanced, it made doing laundry hard, let alone sticking to a diet!

Mindfulness.. thats my personal motto, LIVE IN THE MOMENT, be mindful of what you eat, what you do for excercise.... understand that its what you do MOST days that makes the difference.. slipping up one day out of 10 is not going to kill you, and it doesn't mean that you have failed.. be MINDFUL of the ultimate goal always, and make choices wisely!

Some days those choices are harder than others.. some days its VERY hard to ignore the jar of candy that is *thisclose* to my desk!! (darn the skinny blond lady i share an office with). Every day i CHOOSE to ignore it though.. thats a victory.. i relish in the small victories.

Welcome.. you CAN do this.. we all can.. and we all will.. congrats on coming here.. that was a very good choice.. the ladies here are grr-eat!

to the forum!

Welcome I am sure you will find a program that will work wonders for you!

Hi girls,

This is a great website, I'm so glad I found it. Its my second day on South Beach, and I can't say its easy. But reading your posts, and seeing that other people are struggling just as I am really helps. Thank you.
The toughest part so far is getting up in the morning, making breakfast AND eating it...
Maybe today I will manage to get some exercise. I have an elliptical machine, bought a year ago, practically unused- I only had to change the batteries one time so far....
Anyone just starting on SB?