Hi Dollyfin, sending you big hugs. I hope that you are feeling better, as I agree with the others that your so called friend wanted to feel better. People like that are always going to bring you down. If you want to make a life change then you need to do it for you, and for your health and to be the person you want to be. You can do this South beach is a great way to live. And remember that you have great chick friends here who will let you vent when you need to, cry when you have too and never judge you. Believe in the journey that you want to take and with the help of your chick friends you will get there.

I wish you all the best, dollyfin. It sounds like you might have found the piece of the puzzle you've been looking for to get you committed to changing your life. This is a great place for ideas, support, and obviously a great place to vent. Welcome to the beach!!! May you find peace on the surf and sand!

Yes, I find SB easy to stick to. I feel I'm focused on eating healthy foods and not on a diet where I can't have this or can't have that. Since the plan was originally intended to improve (heart) health and losing weight was a side benefit that made it popular, I'm pleased to see my health improve as I'm losing. :smug:

Make sure you read the book and understand the program. The food lists in the new book (SB Diet Supercharged) are different than the ones in the original book. The new lists are here on the SB forum. You can start right away and read the book as you go - you did say you've started researching the plan, so you're ahead of the game. We started the day my husband's doctor told him to go on South Beach. I bought the book & the ingredients for the first day's meals on my way home. Then as we/I read the book, we adapted the daily menus and recipes for our preferences within the plan.

I don't feel like I'm on a diet. I feel like I've learned how to eat and enjoy healthy food.

So let your friend's unfortunate comments be your jump start to a healthy new life. ;)

[By the way, looking at my ticker below I just wanted to make it clear that it hasn't taken me over a year on SB to lose 40 pounds - I lost 14 pounds on WW from April 9 to ?, then maintained until mid-December. I lost the other 26 pounds from mid-December to now on SB. I'm age 55 with a goal of 1/2 pound a week, which is a reasonable expectation. I'm actually averaging about .9 pounds a week on SB. When I've lost weight before I felt like it was a race. Now it's a way of life.]

little Chick, hmacneil6, WebRover-Thanks for the hugs and support!
I just want to thank everyone who took the time to be so kind to me yesterday!! I can't tell you what it meant to me. Did a lot of thinking last night and I really feel that I am ready to start SB and try to lose some weight. But, like many of you said, it has to be for me.
This community of woman is just amazing!! You are all so wonderful and welcoming. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you a million times for reaching out to me and lifting me up when I really needed it. Yesterday was the "final straw" for me. I could have crubled into the negative but because of all of you I was able to focus on the positive.
I just can't wait to get to know all of you better!! Have a wonderful weekend and talk to you more next week.