After regaining 15 pounds after my second baby and having a hard time losing, I have decided I am tired of feeling like I am in someone else's body. My DH and I have both gained and are going to do this together. SBD is the only thing that has ever worked for us.

Unfortunately, I have very little time to exercise...so I kind of have to rely on a strict diet. I'm looking forward to the support from a forum like this!

My first weight goal is 140. I would eventually like to be 135. I'm 5'3". I'm 31 years old, have 2 kids, and I think my biggest challenge is overcoming my habit of eating convenient food. Not McD's or anything like that but things like frozen pizzas, pastas, snacks from the vending machine at work.

I've made my shopping list, planned my dinners for the week...now I am enjoying my last day of freedom.

Any and all advice and support welcome!

We have similar stories!! Hope it works for you as well as it does for me!

This is a great group of people....I think it's the biggest reason I've been successful so far.

Best wishes!

Actually, you are having your last day of "imprisonment". The freedom will come when you start losing that weight and gaining control!!

You have a great start by planning!! Just remember NOT to let yourself get hungry and have lots of "grab out the fridge" foods, like vegs, beans etc that you can get to easily if you get a case of the munchies!!

You are going to do great!!!

Good luck to you, it's great that DH is on board too!
I agree with Cat, tomorrow is your first day of freedom from bad habits.
I understand a busy schedule and convenience. This morning, I hard boiled a dozen eggs, steamed and marinated some green beans, made a bean salad, cut up some cukes and marinated in vinegar, prepped two meals for the week, and made a batch of oatmeal breakfast bars for quick weekday breakfasts. So, now I've got a fridge full of convenient healthy food. It took a couple of hours, but will be such a huge help to staying on plan during the week!

Schmoodle, that is inspirational! I just went shopping, spent WAAAAY more money than I usually do but it's all stuff that will be good for us. I made my breakfast quiches from one of the recipes in this forum, homemade hummus, cleaned and cut up celery for the week's snacks, portioned out the almonds, whipped up 2 ricotta cremes for dessert tonight, and we're soaking cedar planks for salmon for dinner. I'm exhausted already!

Thanks for all the suport so far. Phase I is soooo hard!

Well put. I like that a lot. It really feels good as you start to realize how much your tastes and appetites have changed, when it's not a struggle but a pleasure to eat better, tastier food.

lydia, sounds like you have planned ahead and are ready to go! That certainly willl pay off. Phase I IS hard, but as you've done this before, I'm sure you know how important it is to your success, and it will go by quickly. Be sure to keep us posted on how things are going for you. There is a PH1 thread and the daily thread, so join us there too.

Lydiaach! You've gotten some very good advice and it sounds like you are all prepared to start eating healthier and feeling better. Good luck to you and your DH!

Good luck to you! I can totally relate to your situation. I am also in my early 30's, 5'3" tall, have 2 kids under the age of 4 and put on over 15 lbs after baby #2! My dh is really into fitness and has found a diet that works for him (Body for Life) but I really like the south beach way of life.
Let's end this summer in great shape!

Great job getting started and being so planned. I swear that planning what you will eat is a total life saver. You'll find a whole lot of support and advice, and a lot of straight talk. Welcome to the group.....let us know how we can help!

Day 3 and we're doing well!

Lydia!

Sounds like you've made some great plans!

I hear you on exercise...and with a new baby, it sure can be hard to find time! But you might want to check out the Walk Away the Pounds videos...some are as short as 30 mins (maybe even less? Can't remember...) and are easy to do in a small space with little to no equipment. There are also long walks with a stroller, right? Exercise can really help, when you do get the time to fit it in.

Looking forward to getting to know you!

I love the WATP videos. The one-mile workouts are about 20 minutes long. 2-miles are 30 minutes, and so on. It's nice to be able to choose based on how much time you have and how much intensity you want.