Please tell us a little about yourselves here.

sorry about deleting the old thread... heh heh heh

I just cut and pasted this from another forum. Geez, it's long...

This is total self-stimulation, girls. No need to read it...

My entire life revolves around books. I've always got my nose in one, and usually have at least three (I actually have about a dozen open on the floor beside my bed right now) on the go at any one time.

Some of my favourite authors/books are Timothy Findley, Zora Neale Hurston (Their Eyes Were Watching God is my favourite book), Edith Wharton, Evelyn Waugh, Somerset Maugham, Iris Murdoch, Catherine Parr Trail, Rex Stout, P.G.Wodehouse, Harper Lee, Ernest Buckler, Henri Nouwen, Stanley Kunitz (poet), W.O.Mitchell, Alexandre Dumas...

I also own the entire set of Nancy Drew books (yes, I've also got the Hardy Boys), plus a whole bunch of other old mystery-type kids books. Including the politically incorrect Enid Blyton. I re-read my kid books when I'm sick or depressed.

Oh, I DO have a family. An unusually wonderful, supportive husband. My best friend. We've been married for seventeen years. A beautiful, sweet almost 16 year old daughter who is a replica of her mother, and who tried to commit suicide at the fine old age of 12. She and I have spent the past few years seeing a great psychologist, and my little girl is doing SO well now, thank God. And a busy little nine year old son, who lights up my life.

I'm 40. Have suffered from debilitating depression since the age of 12. Have been on meds for ummm, seven years now. They've given me life.

I hate TV. Never watch the damned thing unless we're renting a movie. (or watching the occasional game of play-off hockey) It takes away from my reading time.

I love coffee. Freshly ground. Strong, black oily beans.

Studied architecture and design for four years before dropping out to become a stay-at-home wife/lover/mother/p-poor cook and housekeeper. Had a soap making business for about three years. Now I'm working on writing a book. And I don't want to talk about it.

I'm a Christian. Anglican raised. I love the old services. The rituals really do something for me. I'm completely open to other religions; (and have buddhas and the like around my house) they're all EXTREMELY interesting, and not dissimilar to my own, and I have no interest in trying to convert anyone. Who knows... I may have chosen the wrong one. Best to keep the door open, I think.

I'm a staunch feminist. Environmental activist. And protester of corporate business, war, etc. Don't get me started.

I LOVE computer games. Addicted to city building games like Caesar III and 1602 AD. And the mystery type. (My daughter and I have done all of the Nancy Drew PC games, plus Titanic, The Cameron Files, The Cassandra Galleries, Inherent Evil...)

Favourite movies... Margaret's Museum, Cabaret, Dead Poet's Society, Awakenings, A League of Their Own, ...

Actors... Colleen Dewhurst, Richard Farnsworth, Judith Dench, Robert DeNiro, Liza Minelli, Bob Newhart (not for his acting but for his wickedly dry sense of humour), Kevin Spacey, Alec Guiness ...

Music... I love almost anything. Except rap and old country. We mostly listen to jazz. I love Four Play in particular. And I love classical/opera. Cecilia Bartoli.

Our children have three sweet guinea pigs. The "babies".

I LOVE to be all by myself. I hate people dropping in on me, I rarely answer the door or the dreaded telephone, and if you want to see me, it'd better be next year, because I'm busy. Being ALONE!

I have several really good friends who generally respect my need for space. I condecend to see them once in while. (I'm JOKING! I'm a *****, but not THAT bad!) And a lot of sweet clinging aquaintance/friends who won't keep their damned distance!

Favourite food. Pretty much anything containing carbohydrates. I could live on bread and butter. And chips. I have a serious Dorito problem. Apparently I also have a problem with Bridge Mixture.

I like myself more and more as I get older. (I'm CERTAIN that the anti-depressants help in that respect!) I'm occasionally surprised at the sight of my ageing face in the mirror, but on the whole I like what I see. (aside from the FAT!) So I'm getting a kick out of ageing.

We own a big old house in the centre of Ottawa with lovely neighbours. I love my house, and I love city-living (having experienced everything else), and I love Ottawa. It's irritatingly small and placid at times, but it's home.

Autumn is my favourite time of year. I love to sit on the verandah with my DH and a coffee or a whiskey (or a Corona, a pale ale, or a glass of wine. But don't get me wrong... I'm NOT a drinker) and have deep/light conversation.
I love falling asleep in my bed with my children cozied up to me. (I rarely do it, but I feel very secure and happy when they're with me)
I love gardening.
I don't suffer fools gladly. Which is nothing to brag about, and I'm working on it...

I had a teapot collection (not my idea, but everyone else thought it would be neat, so I ended up getting teapot gifts for YEARS) until the entire shelf came crashing to the ground. (mercy killing)

I need to lose about 60 pounds. We belonged to the Y for a few years, but I got lazy and bought a treadmill/clothes hanger. Haven't lost any damned weight since I lost my sweet Dad last fall.
I love running. I ran for ten years when I was younger. And slim. I can't run for long anymore, but I'm addicted to it.
My DD and I took yoga for a few years, and loved it!
And I'd like to learn how to swim. If you want to kill me, the best thing to do is to take me out in a boat without a life jacket and push me off into the middle of the lake.
However, I LOVE canoeing. WITH a life-jacket. I want to buy a kayak for the cottage...

And I love all of you. You're wonderful friends. Better than most of my "real" ones.

Sorry, this is really long, but it was good for ME...

Hi . My name is Lisa and I am 37 (38 in August). I have been with dh for 17 years but got married 6 yrs ago. I have 3 beautiful children. DD 16 in August, DS 14 in September and DD 2 in August. 1 dog his name is Duke and he's a rotweiller.

When I was a teenager I thought I was huge!! I was about 130. After I had my first dd I gained Alot of weight then lost it. Had my son 2 years later and did okay for awhile then gained again. I can't remember how many times I have gained and lost.

I started trying to lose this time on April 25. I go to curves 3X a week and do elliptical, treadmill or tapes on the other days. I have lost 34 pounds in about 12 weeks. I need to lose 60 more so that I can have my insurance pay for my breast reduction but my ultimate goal is 150.

I started SB on July 15 because I was craving sweet things more and more and needed to get a handle on that somehow.

That's Me!!

HeHeHe, gofishin is older then I am. I'm 52.
I'm Lydia C. Mama dragon to a 4 1/2 yr old wild child. I'm 5'1" and currently weigh 147. I'ld like to get down to 125.
Politics: libertarian
Religion: still searching...pagan/goddess
Hobbies: machine embroidery
Exercise: none

We live in South Carolina where it is currently hot and humid.

Hi!
I borrowed this profile format from the WW thread.
Just made it easier.

DATE: 7/24/05

AGE: 41

BIRTHDAY: 7/28/63

MARITAL STATUS: married 23 years today!

FAMILY INFO: empty nester. husband in navy 23 years. two grown boys. 18yo in navy. 20yo working/school

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: knitting, learning japanese, siteseeing, cooking, changing my eating habbits


PETS: not anymore

OCCUPATION: Xray tech/english teacher

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Sasebo, Japan

FAVORITE COLOR: purple

PET PEEVE: mean people

FAVORITE FOODS: mexican/SE asian/medeteranian-all of it

FAVORITE EXERCISE: elyptical

FAVORITE BOOK(S): who goes first, mere christianity

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): searching for bobby fisher, enchanted april

FAVORITE MUSICIAN/GROUP: third day, mercy me, nora jones, nichole nordman

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: simplifying the menu for me and my husband

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I have loads more time to focus on it/ health and age are motivator.

WHAT EXPERIENCES CAN YOU SHARE: recognize trigger foods! One of mine is peanut butter. ALWAYS have good choices available!

DATE: 7-24-05
Looks like I am the old lady so far. I never had a weight problem until 10 yeares ago when I had a heart attack,triple by-pass and stopped smoking.Last December they gave me a debibalator/pacemaker. I gained 150# and am still trying to lose it.Sounth Beach is helping a lot

USERNAME/REAL NAME: Mother Hen Eleni/Mom/Grandma

AGE: I was 59 this year

BIRTHDAY: 03-08-46

MARITAL STATUS: happily married We dated for 7 years and have now been married 13

SPOUSE’S NAME: Bill

CHILDREN/AGES: William almost 42,S.S Chris 38,Joy 36, S.D.Heidi almost 35,Benjamin also almost 35,S.D.Heather 33,Angel almost 33,My baby Rebekah will be 32 this year. SS &SD stands for stepson/daughter
Plus 5 grandsons and 5 grand daughters

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Take an art class on saturdays.Do mostly pen/ink/Taking piano lesson once a month/Reading books I read mostly true/health/funny books.Plus fantasy like Lord of the Rings,Harry Potter.I don't care for the romance ones. I also read magazine .Health etc,bird and a sketching mag. I would love to be able to take better photograghs.I like cameras.

PETS: Simon very spoiled cat

TOP WEIGHT: somewhere around 320 +

CURRENT WEIGHT: Not far from above. Around 300.My lowest in TOPS was about 250. Gained it all back

GOAL WEIGHT: 150#

HEIGHT: 5'4" I am down 2"

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: dark,dark brown or probably closer to black with grey mixed in

OCCUPATION: I was a security guard for Wackenhut after I took an early retirement from Florida Power Corp because of health. I held a non traditional job for 21 years I am no longer employed.Have had serious heart problems. I now have a defib/pacemaker in.I don't mind not working.I just hate the fact that I can't work.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Tarpon Springs,Fl

What do you do to keep yourself motivated? I don't have this down good yet. Support threads like this and belonging to TOPS.TOPS success stories help a lot. Seeing that it can be done. My favorite part of SRD is the before and after and the Royalty. I can see that it can be done by real people

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Staying motivated of course. But portion control/eating when not hungry/eating fast/not exercising everyday(do good for awhile ,then start sliding),stress eating

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I am not sure on this day that I will succeed. I just know I keep trying and hopefully I will succeed

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
What you see is what you get. I am what I am. I don't try to be what I am not. I am just about as down to earth as you can get . I am honest to a fault and believe a person is only as good as their word. When I tell you I will be there for you it is not just idle words. I like myself and the person that I am. But I do hate being fat
I am also very hardheaded,opionanated,stubborn yet tend to be quite the Mother hen to younger people.
I also enjoy being alone and can be quite content to stay at home

Hi everyone! I am a 23 year old grad student working on my Master's in Music, Vocal Performance. I used to post on 3FC regularly but fell out of the habit. It feels great to be back!! I just started SBD and tomorrow will mark my 1 wk anniversary on it. I have been heavy since childhood but within the last year have really been given more and more reason to want to get a healthier weight. I was diagnosed with PCOS and have many of the typical symptoms suchas high BP, insulin resistance, etc. My hope to have a career singing (classical, probably opera) is another motivating factor. In today's image/body obsessed culture it can be hard to land a gig (in any musical genre) if you are overweight. This is why I am so glad to have such a great network of people to chat with on 3FC. Great to be back! Have a great day!

Hi to all! I'm happy to have found this site. I'm here because I've not been able to lose the weight I put on with my third pregnancy. Sadly, my son is 6 years old now and I'm heavier than when I gave birth to him. I gained and then lost my pregnancy weight with my first two children by the time they were two years old. So I'm more than a little behind. I've had some moderate, although short term success with the Atkins Diet. I recently tried WW and failed miserably. I would be out of points and frantic by mid-afternoon. I hope South Beach will be the life-style change I need to lose weight slowly and effectively. I lurk way more than I post, but I love being here. See you all on the Beach!!! Nittany

Hi,
I've been lurking on and off this site for quite some time now...but I'm here for good. Seriously.

I'm 28 years old, originally from PA, but grew up in Atlanta. I've been married for almost 10 months... but we have been together for 8 fabulous years. I work in Human Resources and am a grad student, finishing up a Master's degree in History (yes, I realize the two have nothing to do with each other). In my spare time I enjoy reading, writing fiction, and just hanging out.

I grew up a bean pole, and gained 60 pounds in college (with one brief 30lb. Atkins loss after my sophomore year), then gained another 40+ over the next few years. I have done the yo-yo thing, as high as 283 and as low as 227 over the last two years - up and down, up and down... over and over and over.

I lose very easily, but gain even more easily. I know for an absolute fact exactly what makes me gain/trigger binges - processed/empty carbs.. but I am hopelessly addicted, as if they are legal crack. As long as I keep them at bay, the pounds drop off. The second I eat a morsel of bread or french fry, I balloon up in the blink of an eye.

I must do this once and for all this time, or I will die.

Guess I'd better chime in here...

I'm Lydia. I'll be 40 in 3 weeks (waaaaaa!). I've been married to dh for 10 years and we have 3 boys, twins that are 4 and a 7 year old.

I was always overweight. Finally succeeded on a diet when I was about 23 and did NutriSystem. Lost about 85 lbs. It took me 10 years and two pregnancies to put it all back on but put it on I did. The first 20 lbs went on in the first year.

So after the twins were born I decided to tackle this again. I went to Jenny Craig and started with them on September 11, 2001. Talk about a BAD day to start a diet. When the rest of the world was stress eating I was fixing my JC foods!

Anyway, I stuck like glue to the JC plan (which I love) and in 10 months lost 80 lbs. I kept it all completely off for 2 years, though I felt like I was pretty much always on a diet even then. After the first 2 years I started becoming less compulsive about my eating. I quit smoking (10 lbs on) and my mom died (5 lbs), and then I went on vacation (5 lbs). So here I am about 20 lbs heavier than I was 18 months ago. YUCK! Well, now I'm 15.5 lbs heavier thanks to SB.

Decided to do SB because I am the CEO of a healthcare association and do a lot of travelling as a result. I can't exactly take little boxes of food with me and cook it wherever I go. SB is something I can do when I travel and I don't really LOOK like I'm dieting.

I'm about 11 days into my 2nd pass at Phase I. I haven't lost a lot but I've lost and that's what counts. I don't care if it takes 3-4 months to get back to 130 as long as I get back there!

How are ya!

I'm Barb! Here's everything that you could ever want to know about me:

I'm 44 years old (45 in Sept), 5' 5.5" tall, and currently weigh 199 lbs. (I started SB at 227 on June 14th, 2005.) Married 18 years, two sons (13 and 9), two cats (Rocky and Angel), a house in the suburbs of Minnesota (ya you betcha!).

I have had weight problems most of my life: fat little kid, fat high-schooler, etc. When I started college, the weight just dropped off! If I gained a pound or two, I just wouldn't eat and it would come off. I looked great (118) up until I turned 30 (I thought it was just a myth that everthing changes when you turn 30). I had two children and gained weight with both but never lost it. I would get depressed and join WW, etc., lose a few pounds, quit and gain it all back PLUS!

On June 13th, 2005 I ran into someone I hadn't see since my wedding (remember: 118). I was so embarrassed about the way I looked I almost died! Well, that was it! I went out and bought the books and started SB the very next day. I have a long way to go to get to a comfortable weight, and I know I will never be 118 again, but I have come so far already...I just can't quit now!

Fortunately, my hubby and two sons are very supportive! They have been very patient.

Unfortunately, I am a scale hound. I have to weigh myself EVERY morning just before I shower. Most of the time I see a loss (usually only .2 or .4 lbs.), but sometimes I see a small gain, too.

That's my story doncha know! I look forward to chatting with all of you in the future!

Barb

Hi my name is EMILY! I am 29 years old and a mom to 6 kids. I stay at home and homeschool them all...... They are all truly blessings! I have been married to my dh for 8 1/2 years, HE is WONDERFUL TO ME!! I am a Christian, VERY CONSERVATIVE (from the looks of it thee only one here, LOL... wanna have a cat fight?) Guess the one thing we all have in common is loosing weight! My highest weight was 203 now I am 198... day 6 almost 7 of week 1 phase 1. I don't know what more to say.... other than, I am happy, Love GOD, love my KIDS, love people, oh, and I love talk radio (dr. Laura and Glenn Beck... so addicted! LoL) That about sums it up for me! Now lets loose some weight....

I saw a little format from a PP so I thought I would copy.

DATE: 8/10/05

USERNAME/REAL NAME: Da_Chick/Samantha

AGE: 24

BIRTHDAY: 03-30-81

MARITAL STATUS: happily married for 5 years, 2-10-00

SPOUSE’S NAME: Nic

CHILDREN/AGES: I have one son, Nathan Alexander, who is 7 months. He was due 3-1-05 and due to complications with pre eclampsia he was born 1-7-05. He is healthy and growing well. I am pregnant with our second child due 3-27-06

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: I am a huge Harry Potter fan (DH and I started reading them together after we got married so it's sentimental), love a few TV shows: Alias, Sopranos, Law and Order SVU, Charmed. Never use to watch TV at all and then after I got married things changed. DH grew up in a house where it was okay to sit on your butt and watch TV all day, I was always too outgoing. Now I find that I am kind of addicted, so we turned off cable!

PETS: None, son has possible respiratory difficulties for the first 2 years of life due to prematurity so we got rid of our 3 cats.

TOP WEIGHT: somewhere around 340 + (while pregnant and with preeclampsia. Dropped to 285 2 weeks after delivering, mainly water weight)

CURRENT WEIGHT: 271

GOAL WEIGHT: 145

HEIGHT: 5'6"

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: dark brown or whatever color I dye it. LOL

OCCUPATION: I am a stay at home mom who attends college online.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Kailua, HI

WHAT DO YOU DO TO KEEP YOURSELF MOTIVATED?: The only thing the helps is that my husband is having to do this too. We threw out anything in the house that we couldn't eat in phase I. Every time I look at my son I think about not being able to play with him because I am winded. SO I guess that is some pretty good motivation.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Exercise. I am Bi-Polar so I battle depression. This causes a big problem because some days I don't feel like doing anything at all.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I am going to see rapid results that will help keep me focused. Plus this is a lifestyle change, not a diet.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I just want to say that I am really excited to have found this forum. I need people who are going through the same things as I am to help. Being in Hawaii I find that I don't enjoy going out and to the beach because of the other people there. I don't want to feel that way anymore! I want to be proud of who I am!
That and my log in name is a pidgeon (slang Hawaiian) thing.

Hi my name is Jamie. I am 20 years old, and I am from Hawaii. I recently got married to the love of my life. He was sent to Iraq for 18 months and I am missing him badly. I was looking at my wedding pictures one day, and I was not happy with what I saw. I was 150 pounds, and I am only 5'3. So there was a whole lot of me.I decided to lose some weight to surprise my husband when he comes home. I started the SBD on March 2004 and went from 150 pounds to 120 pounds in 5 months. I went from a size 11 to a size 3!!! I have never been happier. My husband came back from Iraq in June and he was thrilled. The compliments just keep on rolling in. I am starting all over again back to phase one because I want to lose a few more pounds that I gained while my husband was home. (its hard to diet when he is around!! he eats too much!!) SBD has changed my life and I havent been happier. So if you are just starting, keeping it up becuase it will change your life. Its great and it will makeover the way you eat for the rest of your life!!

Hi Everyone! My name is Tara. I'm a 32 yr old stay at home mom and wife. I have a fabulous husband who is also a SBer. We have three sweet healthy daughter, Ages 4 and 16 month old twins. I plan to homeschool all the little chicks as the time comes. We are a Bible believing and following family. Our political views are somewhat scattered depending on the topic. We were both born and raised in Alabama. We love it here! Yes, there are rednecks and hicks here but every state has issues, right? My hobbies include some sewing, thrift store shopping, and taking care of the family (my self included, of course)
I was advised by a health and wellness physican to try SB. I started in Feb and continued through march or april. Started eating too many strawberries and dark chocolate, stalled for months, I can't imagine why!! That is my past on the beach and now I'm 3 days back in and feeling good.
It has been nice to read all the other bio's. I look foward to a long, healthy, and happy life on the Beach!!