mary2008

I'm 46 and started South Beach Diet (SBD) July 7, 2008 and lost 32 pounds as of December 2008! I never expected this would work out so well.

I am an independent management consultant and have worked out of my home for the last 4 years. I have always had my ups and downs with weight, and think that 1) having less daily activity since I am at home and not in an office environment and 2) starting peri-menopause 2 years ago has allowed a several pounds to creep up and in new places :)

I AM proud of the fact that I have exercised regularly for the past 6 years. In July I got word that I have improved my bone density since 2006, which is really a good thing since osteoporosis is a serious health issue in my family.

In any case, as they always say, the older we get the more difficult it seems to peel the weight off. I tried all my old stuff (WW and more exercise) that worked in the past, but to no avail. The last few years I slowly improved the quality of foods in my diet, but often thought I needed to see what would happen if I took a break from carbs and sugar. SBD gave me the structure I needed.

Now, I can't emphasize phase 3 enough. I'll write more about it in my journal, but the abbreviated version is - don't take phase 3 for granted. I think it takes a lot of mental work to get comfortable with a new and improved weight, and image, and it is another level of effort to stabilize at one weight.