Welcome Hildy! It's very nice to meet you. I've only been in this community for a day, but I've found everyone to be wonderful and supportive so far. I'm 27 years old and a grad student, so I can relate to being on the run all the time. I am pretty new to South Beach as well (Day 11 of Phase 1 right now), so I'm still trying to get used to it and come up with new recipes. For snacks, I'm having pretty much the same kinds of thing as you - cheese and nuts, nuts and cheese. I'm going to have to look for some new ideas! As for exercise, I mainly go walking and do Pilates, but lately it's been hard to stay motivated for some reason. Not sure if it's the holidays or the fact that it's "crunch time" at school. I could use a buddy (or two...or three...) for some accountability there!

Have a great day and best of luck to you!

Wanna be buddies? I need someone to email me at my yahoo address so I stay on the ball with this site. I will admit after the 14th I will work straight twelves till christmas but after that it is down to some serious losing business and weight loss support. My goal is a little bigger than yours ( or a lot but that is ok) it seems I am the only larger individual in my group of friends so I can hang. I am married, have been for five years and with my hubby since I was 15, so we are very comfortable...good but not good ya know. I have lost myself, I am secretly skinny inside and I need to get out! So some more about you...Christina

Hi ladies! It sounds like you have made a good match. I love this site. Make sure you check out the recipe section. Make large meals and freeze individual portions. Make sure that you are getting in your veggies (my major weak spot).

It sounds like you two are very busy ladies! Hildy- I can't imagine trying to start this program during retail work AND school. Good luck with that.

My name is Dana. I am 33 years (34 next week, ugh). I have been married to DH for 15 years in March. I have a 3 year old son.

Welcome! Make sure to join the daily thread!

There is always an excuse there is no better time than when my momentum is going and my pants are too tight!

Hildy~ There's lots of love and support here! come visit the dauily thread and here is a link to the Phase 1 handbook..you'll find lots of tips, recipes and food list here...http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58182

You've both chosen a good place to land. Be sure to join us in the daily chat and also take Schatzi's good advice.

Welcome!!! I too am a nursing student..but I am 31 years old!!!! You will love it here!!

Kathy

Thanks guys you are awesome I love the handbook, I have never heard of some of the those recipes and am excited to try them!

Hildy - I just got back from eating lunch and checked in with this thread. Sure, we can be buddies!

It sounds like the next few weeks are going to be tough for you, but I know you CAN do this. At first, my idea of starting SBD going into the holidays seemed a bit scary (I mean, the holidays???? With all their temptations???) but even my big jeans were getting tight, and I KNEW it was time. Will definitely be coming to this board for support and encouragement when holiday dinners and parties come up!

I'm 27, married 11 months now, and I'm a grad student/law school applicant. Up through college I was one of the thinnest people in my class/dorm/church group, but after I graduated, I slowly started gaining. I think a lot of the reason was because I developed some bad habits (a lot of fast food, little exercise, convenience foods, snacking) that I didn't really have before. I went from a 4/6 to a big 14. Technically I wasn't overweight, but I was on the VERY high end of my healthy weight range and plain old didn't feel good about myself (or very healthy for that matter).

When I got married, it only got worse because my husband was coming off the Bachelor Diet of pizza, Raman noodles, tacos, and Hamburger Helper. So after 10 months of this, we both decided that we wanted to (a) lose a few pounds and (b) the BIG goal - pick up healthy eating and exercise habits that would stay with us for life. We chose the SBD because we liked the flexibility it offered and the fact that it does set you up for lifelong healthy eating habits.

The next few weeks are going to be tough because in addition to the holidays, I have law school applications and a major school project/presentation to deal with. After that (spring) I'll be involved in writing and defending a thesis. Very stressful. The thing is, that when I get overworked and stressed, I feel weak and want to eat, eat, eat. A one-time "Oh, OK, I'll go to Einstein's Bagels and get a cheese bagel and I'll feel so much better" could potentially become a daily occurence, and everyone knows how that goes. Even once I get to my target weight, I'm concerned with keeping my diet healthy and that exercise regime (mainly walking and Pilates) going.

So, that's where I'm at and where I'm going. Have a great afternoon!

You and I sound the perfect match, we are both going through a lot. I wish that I could get my husband involved but he wants no part of it and he has some of the worst eating habits ever. I was pretty proud of myself last night and today. I went to finish christmas shopping last night and dinner with a friend. I had ordered a hamburger no fries with veggies but they brought the fries too. I moved them to another plate and gave them to my friend. Then this morning my friend at school was eating a bagel and cream cheese as I was drooling inside, but I stayed my course with my nuts, cheese and meat. I just can't wait till christmas is over, I will have the time to got to the gmand make time for me. It is like 16 degrees here today so walking my two dogs is not an option...they would drag me across the ice I have two German Shepherds! Well I hope that you have a great day and maybe osme more newbies will join us so we all start together! Oh yeah have you looked at the emergecy handbook there is so great food ideas if I could find time to get to the store!

Hi Hildy!

I'm glad you're having a good day so far. That's great that you passed the "bagel test"! The same thing happened to me on day 4 of P1. You see, bagels are one of my favorite pre-SBD things to eat, and one of my good friends met me one afternoon with Einstein's bagel in hand. I was practically drooling all over the floor and so badly wanted to grab a bite!

That's neat that you have two dogs to walk with even if the weather is not cooperating right now. My parents live in the same town as me, and they have two labrador retrievers that I "borrow" a couple of times a week. They are such a handful! But so much fun...

We CAN get through this Christmas season. I'm sure it's going to be full of temptations, but we will get through this. You'll see!

Have a grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat evening!

Sorry I didn't have the energy to do more than post a welcome smiley earlier - I'm just coming off of finals, and I was exhausted!

I love GSDs - I'm hoping to get one when DS is older. I decided that a GSD is the best breed for me, and I'm thinking a beagle for DS when he's a bit bigger. Lively and playful, not so big as to mow him over, but not a tiny, yappy, nippy dog, either. I'm not big on terriers (since I like gardening), so I think a beagle will be the best. We have some friends who have beagles, and they seem perfect for a first doggy for DS.

Probably the easiest, fastest meals I can think of are stir-fries. I make mine with loads of vegs and lean meats (skip the baby corn!). In phase 2, you can have a little brown rice with it, even. I don't use any cornstarch or other thickeners in mine, so they are nice and OP. Salads are great in summer, and soups in winter - check out the recipe forum for some great ideas. If you don't have a crockpot, I'd highly recommend you get one - they are a lifesaver! You can throw in your soup ingredients (or whatever) and switch it on before running out the door or starting your days work, and that evening you'll have a nice, hot main dish all ready for you - just toss together a salad and steam some veggies and you're ready to dig in. We also bake salmon frequently - we season it with creole seasoning, wrap it in foil, and bake it, then serve it with veggies, salad, and (in ph 2) some brown rice pilaf. It's fast and easy.

Hope those help. Welcome again to both of you (Hildy and Christina), and good luck!

And please DO join us in the Daily where we share a wealth of experience!