Hi Ladies and Gents,

I am new to the beach... and boy am I ever going to need your support and South Beach expertise!

I desperately want to lose weight for my upcoming June 2006 wedding. I have gained a ton of weight in the past year (70 pounds to be exact) with the birth of my daughter (most of the weight came after having her). I have a $2000.00 designer wedding dress that was bought before the birth of my daughter (sounds confusing... I'll fill you in quickly... David (soon-to-be hubby) and I were supposed to get married... then oops... big oops.. but nice surprise... I got pregnant... we decided to forgo the wedding and save like crazy for the birth of our daughter... we were both finishing our degrees at the time and school and our daughter came before anything... anyways, my daughter is one year old now and we are finally tying the knot!). I NEED TO FIT INTO THIS DRESS! It would be such a disappointment not to be able to wear it. I have one year and 3 weeks to lose the weight. I am hoping South Beach will work for me.

I seem to sabotage myself frequently and with great ease so I will need all the support and encouragement I can get. Wedding aside, the weight is starting to drastically affect my self-esteem to the point that some days I don't even want to go outside jsut because I think I look too fat! This is NOT how I want to live my life nor the example I want to set for my daughter. I NEED to make some serious changes in my lifestyle and I am ready and willing to give it all I have!

Hope you'll join me on my journey to weight loss success!

Holly Marie

Holly Marie, we're glad to have you here!

AdiaFaith and Jenne1017 are both brides-to-be and I know they'll share your excitement and the desire to fit into their dresses.

If you are looking for a healthy lifestyle change rather than rapid weightloss that will just come back, SBD is the plan for you! I suggest you read the book thoroughly, clean your house of anything off plan, and stock up on OP (on plan) food so you won't get caught without the food you need. Read the stickies in the FAQ section and the recipes in the forum (amazing!!!) and check out the "Emergency Guide" in the FAQ section for Phase 1 that AdiaFaith compiled.

Are you still nursing? If so, consider asking your doctor how you need to modify SBD for your baby's health.

Barb can fill you in on making SBD food palatable and healthy for your child.

Hope you enjoy it here. I'm looking forward to seeing a picture of you in that designer gown!

Welcome to The Beach. We love brides!

Holly Marie,

Welcome to the Beach! You can do this. And it actually will be easier for your family since your daughter is young. If you are nursing, make sure you skip phase 1 and start right on phase 2. Your milk supply would be well established at this point. I have tried really hard to get my 7 year old to eat the same food that DH and I do (but it doesn't always work). When I cook chicken, I can always serve him the same chicken but he may eat it without the sauce and with ketchup instead. He has really learned to eat many vegetables that he would never try before. He loves Sesame Asparagus and it is so easy to make. It is in the cookbook. I also make it with fresh green beans sometimes.

We eat lots of fruit in our family (phase 2) and my son prefers fresh fruit instead of juice so he drinks a lot of milk.

You also may want to consider toning exercises as you lose weight to tighten up the loose skin and add muscle. They have really helped me.

Welcome :Wave:

Holly, welcome to the Beach!!
You can do this, girl!!
When I first read your post, I thought you were getting married THIS June, and thought, "Oh, she's one of those chicks who wants to lose 80 pounds in 3 weeks."
We'll look forward to making the journey with you, and seeing you in your wedding dress next year!!

Welcome to the Beach!!!


Hun, IMO, you have THEE biggest inspiration already, and that's your daughter!! your weight is obviously already affecting your life...and trust me, you will feel SO much better and have SO much more energy...not just from losing some of it, but from eating the South Beach way, I'm not even exagerating. I would have never believed how evil some of the foods we put into our bodies make us feel prior to this, If you can get past the first two weeks or so, it really does get so much easier. Your cravings diminish and this is not a do or 'DIEt'...this is for life, not just for yours, but your daughters...I know, for me, my wanting to be a more active and HAPPY with myself, mom...is a huge inspiration. The wedding and the dress will be for one day and then BAM, over...yes, nice, but the memories you and your child/family will create when you are no longer feeling inhibited by your weight, are priceless and lifelong. You'll be amazed at how well the weight comes off if you just do NOT give up. Each day is a new day, each meal is a new meal...don't kick yourself and give up if and when you DO (cause everyone does, ) get off track...just hop right back on and review your goals. Once it starts coming off and you realize how good you feel, that's also a great inspiration to stick with it.

Good luck girl, you can do this!! (and gratz on your precious princess!)

welcome welcome welcome!

Welcome!!!!

Welcome to the beach. You can do this. It is a great plan. You will have a ton of support here with all these great chicks.

Welcome to the beach!

Wow... I was blown away by the warm welcome!!! Sincere thanks!!!!... I am off to post my June Exercise Challenge goal... hopefully I'll see your posts there as well!!!

Holly Marie

Hi "twiceblessedmom",

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your message. It truly was so inspirational... so much so that I have printed it out and stuck it on the wall in my workout room. I am saving it to read in the moments where I feel like I want to give up... which I am sure are awaiting me just around the corner.

The part of your message that really spoke to me (and you are so right!) is when wrote:

"The wedding and the dress will be for one day and then BAM, over...yes, nice, but the memories you and your child/family will create when you are no longer feeling inhibited by your weight, are priceless and lifelong."

My daughter deserves a mother who will not hold back form life because she feels to ashamed of her weight. I want a daughter who feels confident and secure in her own body and feels as though anything she wants in this world is within her reach. How can I get my daughter to feel this way naturally if she has a mother who is modeling the exact opposite behaviour. I have always known this... you just really stuck it to me... thanks a million!

Holly Marie

Yes, yes, you've got it!!! that's exactly it! and you are so right, there will be a thousand times where you falter, just lift yourself right back up and keep going. Us mommies have a huge job in almost being 'captain' of our team/families...when we feel badly about ourselves, it sadly enough trickles down and affects everyone. Heck, just the fact that you ARE going to do something (even if it takes a while to reach goal, which of course it will), is enough to be proud and happy about, you are now taking action and not going to just wallow in the weight!

Anyways Holly Marie, I'm so glad I could help and YOU GO GIRL!!! you are going to do awesome!

Holly Marie,

Congratulations on both the birth of your daughter and your engagement! My wedding date is May 20, 2006. Tick Tock Tick Tock, I know.

It's important not to feel the pressure of wanting/needing to lose so much. Stress is a HUGE factor in weight gain and relieving it can be a great aid to weight loss. Yoga, meditation, and doing things that relax YOU are really big helps. Exercise is also a great stress reliever.

Defintely check with your doctor if you're still nursing.

Also, since you've got a young'un in the house, check out Beachgal's Best Veggies thread. Get em eating cabbage and bean sprouts early on and they're set for life! You can find it in the emergency handbook for Phase One at the top of this forum or in the FAQ section.

Have fun with this and don't get bogged down if it doesn't fly off. Relax on your beach towel and know that you are not out in the middle of the dark waters without a paddle. We're here for you!