Ok so where do I start....My name is Kristen. Im a 18 yr old 5ft 3inch 135 lb female. Even though a lot of you are probably think this girl is NOT fat i am... or at lease i see it ALL. My stomach is where all the bdy fat seems to accumulate and it just looks gross. I just recently discovered my "bra strap" fat and im just really self concious about.all my flaws so having fat rolls show through you tank top doesnt help!!

When i was younger I used to think about what.i might look like when i turned 18. I basically imagined a victorias secret model which sounds a little far fetched but.i.thought all.18 yr olds were supposed to be beautiful and skinny. My mom weighed 98 lbs when she was 18 and my dad is 170 lbs at his heaviest! My older sister.has had two 9 lb kids and is probably 5foot 7in and probably weighs 110lbs! My other sister is 5 foot 4 in and weighs 112lbs. Why am i not.skinny like them?????

anyway...(im not trying to make a.novel.here) i went to the library today nd got the.south beach diet. i am so excited to look good its obsessive!!!!
for excercise.i really wanna do.Zumba is that a good idea????

Hi Kristen. to the beach!

I didn't really know how to reply to your post but wanted you to feel welcome. SBD is a very healthy way of eating, no matter how much you have to lose so whether it's 10 or 100 pounds, it's not a quick fix but a healthy lifestyle.

I would wait until after you get passed the first 5 or so days on Ph 1 before changing up the exercise. Detox makes you feel draggish, but each person is different. Zumba is a good way to exercise.

Good luck and let us know if you need anything. Post often!

Welcome, Kristen.

Zumba is a great idea. I tried it on vacation and had fun but was reminded how uncoordinated I am

Everyone's body is different. Numbers never tell the whole story. When I was younger I envied the curves that the other girls had. Ah, I should have been careful what I wished for! But please don't compare yourself to your family, or anyone else, hard as that is. Just find the place where you are comfortable with your body and self and can be comfortable maintaining and being healthy. SBD is a great way to get there.

Welcome Kristen!

I'm 53, yet I can still remember how I felt about my weight between the ages of 18-20. I weighed somewhere around 125. Now that I've gone through all that I've gone through I can say the one thing I "wish" I would have had at that age was the knowledge of how to eat healthy and exercise. Both, I feel now, could have spared me the agonizing years of weight gain if I had the information at my fingertips. I went on lots of "diets" and not one emphasized health. They all involved eating (and drinking) smaller amounts of foods that I loved in order to look more like my model sized sister.

SBD is a healthy way of life. I don't always follow it perfectly, but by following the principles to the best of my ability I can honestly say that I have never felt better in my entire life (even at age 18).

My sense would be that if you gained the knowledge of healthy eating principles combined with moderate exercise you would find that you would feel fantastic and that those little rolls that you are finding would disappear.

As Karen said very well, let go of comparing yourself to others. Work on yourself and your health.

Best wishes!