Hello from Vicky in Long Beach :)

[Vicky]

Hello everyone...

Wow, what a great site this is! Full of awesome information. There are some great stories here....the success and the "works in progress" are so very inspirational, and I thank you all for sharing.
????: South Beach Diet Forums http://www.southbeachdietbulletinboard.com/introduction-forum-just-say-hello/3696-hello-vicky-long-beach.html

A little about me....Im in Southern California, living a life that should be wonderful....great relationship, great friends, great career....but Ive become miserable over the last few years. It all started with a house fire that left me with some severe breathing problems back in '03. Prior to this, I was a cyclist, pretty athletic, and health/weight was never a real issue. After I was injured, exersize became a thing of the past (I had a 13% airway, barely able to walk across the room). For a long time, I just felt lucky to be alive, to have survived the fire...but after awhile, I became very depressed....food became something that would make me happy...combine that with no exersize, and so the weight gain began... I had surgery to repair the airway, and it did improve to 50%. I could walk a mile (slowly), and take little bike rides, but unfortunately, I was a big baby about not being able to do what I could before, and kept putting the weight on...cue the horrible back and knee pain...and the depression magnified. My brother in law has been on South Beach for a year, and his life has changed dramatically for the better. I want (need) my life to change, so here I am....I look forward to meeting and getting to know all of you

[RedRox]

Welcome to our little corner of the SB interwebbythingie!! Sorry to hear of your particular set of challenges, but hopefully you can still find a way to turn things around and be the best you that you can be now, and from this moment forward! Consistency and longevity tend to work far more effectively than short term perfection, so just keep plugging away at it trying to make more good choices than sub-optimal ones! Eventually it makes a difference!!

[paintedbliss]

Vicki, just want to welcome you. You already have come so far, you've overcomed so many obstacles and I commend you. I'm in health care and never had a patient with just 3% lung capacity(unless they had a ventilator attached) but you did it and you can do this too. I probally don't have to tell you that losing the weight will probally increase your lung capacity. Granted you might not be what you were before, as we get older most of us aren't but you can be better than what you are right now. Even if it just improves your depression and your outlook. So please stay here with us on our little corner of the beach and let us know how you are doing. I encourage you to start a blog or journal, this board is great for motivation but if you need a little push when needed we are known to do that too. I'm so glad you joined us.

[Jilly_Bean]

Hi Vicky! I didn't see this before, so I welcomed you earlier, but I'll say it again: Welcome! I agree that this is a great place to be. I have found that blogging daily is very beneficial for me and I noticed you started a blog too. Looking forward to hearing more from you...