I think a lot of people consider my blog to be more of a food blog than a "diet blog" but actually I've followed the South Beach Diet for almost three years now and almost all of my recipes are South Beach Diet friendly. South Beach really did work for me, I lost over 40 pounds. I've kept it off pretty well, although I do cheat sometimes and right now I'm weighing a couple of pounds more than I'd prefer. But I'll go back to phase one for a few weeks and lose those pounds, one thing I love about the diet. I also love the fact I no longer need cholesterol medication! I wrote about Ten Reasons I Love the South Beach Diet, and it's one of my most popular posts.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

-- would be great posted to Food & Drink as well.

PS My sites aren't 'diet' per se but each recipe does include Weight Watchers points.

Alanna Kellogg, A Veggie Venture

I was not a fat child, nor was I a fat teenager. I gained weight right out of college. At first I was fine. Black Women are so accepted in our communities with "meat on our bones" and "junk in out trunks" It has only been in the last few years that my community has started re-thinking their bodies and striving for the thin. I am not striving for the thin, but I am intrigued by all the information that is out there about how to lose weight. I think a large part has to do with the "Oprah Affect" which is a good thing. The problem I have is that as more information is presented, the more I feel inadequate about my body weight. I am more conscious than I want to cop to and that is un-nerving. However the flip side--and there is always a flip side, losing weight and keeping it off, will stave off a lot of illness and problems in the long run. So, I'll guess I 'll buy yet another book on the subject of weight-loss. Thanks...I think.

Love,
Babz
www.lovebabz.blogspot.com

Please?

I've lost over 70 pounds in 18 months and been able to keep it off eating sensible meals and exercising daily. I hope I can help someone else by sharing my struggles and successes!

___________

Keep posted with my life on my blogs:
www.momtothescreamingmasses.typepad.com - a story of one woman's insanity with her six kids
www.theelffdiet.com - how I lost 70 pounds with a New Year's Resolution

I think that it's important to be accepting of ourselves as we are. That doesn't mean we can't improve, of course, but there seems to be some sort of ban among women on any kind of self-acceptance. It's the "I'm so fat" game -- no one wins, but BOY is it a lot of fun...

----
Jen
http://yawwblog.blogspot.com
http://angryfatgirlz.blogspot.com
http://toledolefty.blogspot.com

Hi!!!

Don't get frustrated about not losing any more pounds this week. I've been there and it's sometimes like the stock market. One week it will go up, another it goes down, and sometimes it just stays the same. If you keep on the healthy food kick with a little exercise here and there, you will win in the long run.

crizzia
www.tomnicoli.com/wl-pkg.shtml

I'm sticking my flab out and saying that I've tried Atkins, Weight Watchers, South Beach, and every other diet out there.

My weight fluctuated before pregnancy, but after having a child I'm stuck in this "fat" mode. I can't shed it. Or I shed some and then it comes back because I eat when I'm stressed or whatever.

And the kicker is that I go to the gym 4 days a week and bike ride with my son the other three. I should be able to lose something.

I don't know if my medication for fertility issues is causing me to be unable to slim down and the doctor isn't as much of a help as he once was. I've gotten a second opinion and that was useless.

I even began to think it was my own lack of willpower.

Maybe it is.

I guess in the middle of my ramble I'm trying to say, being healthy is freakin' exhausting and frustrating!

I completely agree that eating a well balanced diet combined with good exercise is crucial to good health.

I was around 100 pounds (I'm 5' 2") for about 10 years and had lots more colds and flus and slow times than now when I'm 125 pounds.

I would like to shift about 10 pounds but I don't want to go back to my old skinny self because it isn't as much fun.

I put on my weight while giving up smoking while grieving for a family loss so I don't see any reason to beat myself up for that. What matters is I've quit smoking, I've found peace for my loss and I now have a healthy exercise routine and a better diet and have steadied my weight.

I think if you're on hormone medication to get pregnant the extra weight is just part of it. Sure, try to keep it to a moderate increase but be kind to yourself. When the hormones shift the weight will shift.

I'm starting to think of getting myself a personal trainer for six months after a careful selection process so I get the right one for my personality and end goals. I want to get to a weight I can maintain with a level of exercise I enjoy and eating a moderate and healthy diet that includes the normal fluctuations in life.

For me it is about Balance. And if I can give up smoking then I get my body to the healthy level I want.

I quit smoking over a 12 month period so I now think in terms of where I want to be with things in 12 months. I think for Dana in 12 months you'd like to be pregnant or holding your new baby. 12 months after that you'll probably want to be 10 pounds lighter by enjoying being active with your little ones and partner.

Be kind to yourself. If you need to eat while stressed then go for something that you'll be kind to yourself about - yummy vegies or salads, sliced up juicy apple or something.

Smiles and best wishes,
Belinda

Creatively Belle - Great Gift Ideas with our Jewelry Display Stands

Check out the Creatively Belle Blog

I loved reading all your comments. Self acceptance and self esteem must be nurtured, regardless of shape or size. We are all unique in our own way, and we must love ourselves regardless of any faults.
Visit my site www.fabat40.com to understand self-love.
Pour yourself a glass of wine,
Stand naked in front of a full length mirror,
then,
write yourself a love letter!
It works. You are absolutely...fabulous!
Danette
www.fabat40.com

Thank you for highlighting this topic and getting people talking about this. There's so much here: body image, new science on metabolism, and nutrition.

My special interest is in eating disorders, and I am always glad to see conversations going on about these issues!

http://eatingwithyouranorexic.blogspot.com

Hi all,

My colleague, MIT research scientist Judith Wurtman, PhD, and I have a BlogHer weight loss blog focusing on fighting antidepressant weight gain and emotional overeating called The Serotonin Power Diet Blog:
http://www.blogher.com/node/20551

This topic is of interest to all of us, particularly women. Women are more likely to use food for emotional reasons than men, and, of course, carbs are the food of choice. We go for cookies, brownies, chips, and pizza, it seems, to celebrate something positive or numb a difficult emotion, whereas just as often men go for protein like a steak dinner or burger or BBQ fare (OK, they may go for carbs and fat, too, but I don't know too many women who prefer steaks and burgers to carbs for their "emotional eating").

My colleague and co-author's decades of MIT research has brought good news: that carbs are not evil. Carbs can actually take away your appetite and make you feel good AND lose weight if eaten in the right way. That "right way" means eating carbs so that your brain can make serotonin, the "feel good" and "appetite control" natural chemical we all have in our brains. Women have 50% less of it than men, so we need the carbs even more (ever notice your uncle, brother, husband, etc. can do well on South Beach or Atkins and you can't tolerate the lack of carbs for more than 2 or 3 days?).

When you eat carbs, a series of reactions in your body occurs and your brain can then make serotonin. The best foods are sweet and starchy, low fat carbs without protein (whole grain or refined, your choice based on your nutrition goals). Fat slows down the process (and adds unnecessary calories and makes you feel sluggish), and protein interferes with the process so you should eat protein early in the day to give you energy and make you feel alert, but later in the day is when we usually need to reduce stress and soothe ourselves and carbs do the trick. Fruit unfortunately doesn't work to boost serotonin although it is a healthy food for other reasons.

So, reach for pretzels, bagels, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc. along with veggies in the late afternoon and evening and watch your appetite get in check and your mood balanced. You can have your cake and eat it, too, (as long as it's fat free!)

Nina Frusztajer Marquis, MD
co-author, The Serotonin Power Diet
http://www.serotoninpowerdiet.com
Fight Antidepressant Weight Gain and Emotional Overeating

The mind is an amazing thing...In one of my latest Posts at Finding Flabuless a blog about my own personal weight loss journey, I am talking about how we need to stop thinking of ourselves as bodies and start thinking of ourselves as persons...hehe!

I have lost 95lbs so far and still have a fair bit to go but I do find I loose more weight when thinking positively about myself and my body and what it can do for me!!! Feel free to drop by my blog and leave comments I would love to see y'all and get to know ya. New Zealand seems a long way away from you guys and the conference but the internet is grand aint it...new connections are possible each day.

Accentuate the Positive
:) Flabuless