Peace and Love be with you SouthBeachers!

[bigloser]

Hey peeps....

Happy New Years to all of you. I have had a great and successful year on the South Beach Diet. From January until November, I lost 100 pounds with little to no exercise and went from 330 down to 228. Standing at 6' 4", my ideal weight is just 20 pounds lighter than that!

What inspired me to go on the diet is because in mid december of 07 I was diagnosed an alcoholic and felt mentally, emotionally, and physically sick all the time. I made a decision to really change my life and go into 'self-improvement mode'. So I checked myself into detox on Jan. 3rd and came out 5 days later on the 8th, sober for the first time for that long of time in 6 years. A couple more sober weeks went by and I had a follow up with the doc who diagnosed me and I had lost 17 pounds from just quitting drinking. I felt good about that weight I lost and also my recovery as an alcoholic and decided to kick this thing into high gear with some dieting.
????: South Beach Diet Forums http://www.southbeachdietbulletinboard.com/introduction-forum-just-say-hello/2350-peace-love-you-southbeachers.html

I had been on the Atkins diet before and didn't like it due to the lack of variety in foods and the awful!!!! taste it left in my mouth. So after remembering seeing a co-worker I used to work with melt on the South Beach Diet, I contacted him. He gave me some pointers and told me to get the book. I really thought this wasn't going to be much different than Atkins and was kind of discouraged from the beginning.

Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed the diet. I didn't exercise hardly at all during that whole time of being on the diet - maybe a few bike rides with my family here and there...but other than that, nothing too strenuous or consistent. I noticed though, that the last 20 pounds was not coming off.

So when Thanksgiving 08 rolled (literally 'rolled') around, I found myself in 'pat-yourself-on-the-back' mode. I went off the diet and indulged in everything through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Years holidays. I stepped on the scales for the first time on Jan 1 to see the damage. I gained 18 pounds in just over 2 months! That brings the grand total up to 38 pounds now needed to lose.

The beautiful thing about the diet is I had the confidence TO indulge because of the power the diet enables people with. I have the ability to lose all that weight plus more. I have started the diet this past Monday, Jan 5th and know that I will be successful. I know that extra 20 pounds I tried to lose will also come off, because the Y membership is going to turn into something much more than just a payroll deduction!

Just a suggestion to those who struggle with the weight loss. I found my AA 12 step program to help me immensely through the courage, strength, and hope that is channeled through the program. There is such a thing called the 12 Steps for Everybody (not just for alchies or druggies) and it is applied across all aspects of your life and situations that you find hard to deal with. Maybe it will work for you. Here are some questions for you to ponder and maybe they will inspire you to incorporate the 12 Step philosophy into your weight loss plan:

12 Step Questions

I know that if I didn't seek treatment for the alcoholism, I'd still be gaining weight....if I was alive that is!

God bless all you people with Peace and Love,
bigloser

[Jilly_Bean]

:Welcome: bigloser! I love the AABB (Alcoholics Anonymous big book for those that don't know what that means...)! Thanks for sharing some about it here. And good luck with the new start!

[RedRox]

:Welcome:
Nice job on all of your life transformations! It does all dovetail together eventually! Best wishes on your last 20. That period from halloween to new year's does a lot of people in, some permanently! (I had a post on this in mid-October about the Bermuda Triangle of holidays ahead!) The only thing that really matters is getting back on board and continuing to work toward your long term health and weight management goals!

Ever consider a regular yoga and meditation practice? sorry, had to ask! :Secret:

Namaste!