I have been on the South Beach Diet for ten weeks now and have lost half of the weight I want to loose. I feel great. I didn't think I would last this long as I have tried all sorts of diets and a majority of the time don't end up loosing anything.

I have been on the atkins diet before and lost over 30lbs but gained half of it back. I started SB to loose a few pounds and thought that's all it would do but since being on it my whole outlook on food has changed. My boyfriend says I am like a completely different person. I actually like eating wholegrain foods where as before it hated them.

Before I would find an excuse to eat things that I shouldn't. Any excuse like birthdays, christmas etc. If someone brought cakes in to work I would say "Well they've brought them in so I've got to eat them." If we went out for a meal, there would be healthy stuff on the menu but I just wouldn't choose it because I thought it was a waste of a meal but now I actually look for the healthy options and if I do eat something not so healthy I don't enjoy it.

I actually feel like when I reach my goal weight I will be able to maintain and not go back to my old ways. Hopefully.

Good for you!

Great transformation, not just in your body, but now in your mind too.

This is what it will take for you to maintain your weight too. The way we learn to eat to lose the weight, has to be the way we keep eating to keep it off. It has been that way for me.

I have to say that I had a very similar attitude to your old one prior to doing this. I recall a couple of months before starting, I was have a meal with a friend and she chose to eat brown rice with hers and encourgaed me to do the same. "UGH!", I said...."not me, I want white rice." I also had a bad attitude with her that she even said it to me. I had a bad attitude in general.

Your good and positive attitude will take you a long way! Good for you!

These are VERY true statements!! Great job and so nice to hear your positive experience with it!! I love South Beach also - despite losing tons of weight on Atkins....

Thanks all for your encouraging comments. I had been looking for a long term diet and healthy way of eating for a long time and think I have found it. South Beach all the way!!

I must say I feel the same way, anytime we would go out I would feel "cheated" when thinking about choosing the healthy options. I would go for the Meat and Potaoes
Nowdays, I go for the Meat and Steamed Veggies, I don't even want the Bread, Hubby in the beginning would say one time wont hurt you, why don't you, Why don't you order the fries and Blah blah blah... Now he knows better. Usually when I get a really big craving for something sweet when we go out to eat, I ask all three of my Boys (2 sons and Hubby) if they would share it with me and I take usually 1-2 bites and let them have the rest, that usually more than satisfies my cravings, but they are not very often. Bread for me, no matter if Whole Grain or not, is still a big trigger and will cause me to not lose or even gain. So for the last 3 days I have completely stopped all grains and I lost 2lbs! Goes to show we have to sit there and find our happy medium. Thanks to Judy I now realize that the Grains aggravate me and I leave them off. It is still hard and I cave in every once in a while, but I am getting better at it.

SB is great I feel I can eat this way for life. I do feel soooo much better eating this way.

I too have learned a lot about myself on this journey. Yes I look this as a journey. My journey to a better life. I too share desert and use the 2-3 bite rule. Not just with family but with friends too. There is a lady in our motorcycle group that has had open heart surgery several year ago and we often share tastes with each other.

Food seems to be at the center of most of our gatherings.(family, work, life) I've had to learn not to focus on food, but on the family and friends. I try to do a lot more talking/visiting than eating!!! And over time not just with me but with others too our snacks are healthier.

I feel so lucky to have so much support with family and friends. And recieve lots of support from everyone here!!!!
Thanks Everyone

I know what you mean. I try to say to myself if I am thinking tof eating something I shouldn't 'You don't need that. IT's not a matter of life and death if you don't eat it. It's only a bit of food' and that seems to work for me. Although, I try to stay away from even just a couple of spoons of dessert because that is my trigger. I feel if I get the taste I might not be able to stop.

I know I don't have that much to loose and sometimes I feel guilty for the way I feel when there are a lot of other people in the world that have a lot more to loose but you can't help the way you feel can you. Well done everyone.