Active Low-Carber Forums - Victory! My success story with Atkins!

My struggle with weight began in junior high school. I really wasn't overweight by anyone's standards, but peer pressure made me FEEL I was fat. I dieted on and off throughout my college and high school years, even though I was very active in sports like tennis. When I graduated high school, I was around only 150 pounds, but I still felt overweight due to "social" standards in high school.

Once I began college, however, I really began putting on weight. It began as 15 pounds, then became 20, then 40, then eventually, about 50 pounds. My highest weight at that time was 200 in 1992. I tried every diet plan out there, from LA Weight Loss to OTC pills to Meridia/Xenical and I would lose 20-30 pounds and then put it right back on, plus more! When I went to graduate school in 1994, I decided to try yet another type of diet "scam"...ephedra pills (OTC), which is a horrible idea and I should've realized that at the time. They may have been why I had a heart scare in later years. I exercised and ate about 1000 calories a day and lost about 65-70 pounds and was down to a size 6 at 130 pounds. I did not feel good all the time about my body, though...I felt too thin and tired due to my poor eating.

I maintained my weight until I met my husband in 1996. Once I met him, I began to care less and less about my weight. I slowly put the weight back on until I reached 200 again in 2000 when I became pregnant with my first son, Wyatt. Once I had Wyatt, I lost my "baby weight" (about 35 pounds), and then gained another 35 before I became pregnant with my 2nd son, Jackson, in 2001, just 10 months after my 1st son was born. I gained 50 pounds during my pregnancy and topped out at 273 at 9 months pregnant. After my second son was born, I lost the 40 pounds I gained with him, but continued eating poorly. Once again, the weight came back on. I gained 40 pounds to weigh in at 273 in June of 2003. A few weeks into June, I saw some pictures of myself at my son's 1st birthday party, and that was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back for me. I could not stand to see myself like that. I didn't recognize myself in that picture. My face was unrecognizable. On top of that, I couldn't go up and down the steps in my 2 story house without getting winded and my knees were beginning to really bother me, along with other joint problems. My sister, who has Type I diabetes, had suffered a near-fatal heart attack at the age of 34, and I also knew that I was a big risk for a heart attack, since heart disease runs in my family. My dad had died of a heart attack in 2000 suddenly, as well. I had had some heart scares after my father died and had to have a battery of heart tests done, and although my heart checked out ok, my cardiologist couldn't emphasize to me enough how my weight was a huge factor in me possible having a heart attack. All of this in combination told me that I had had enough. By chance, I ran across some Internet material on Atkins and decided to do some in depth research on this way of life. I did my homework and found that Atkins was perfect for people like me who are at risk for Type II diabetes and who are carbohydrate addicts, and whose blood sugar was spiraling out of control. I had horrible mood swings due to fluctuations in blood sugar and I had uncontrollable cravings, too. SO, I decided to try Atkins and I really felt like it would work for me. I still had my doubts, but I knew that if I made up my mind to do it, I HAD to try it...this was almost a desperation attempt for me; however, I knew I would never be able to have gastric bypass surgery...I knew I would have to deal with my eating problems to lose the weight.

On July 1st, I began Atkins. It was hard to get past the 1st week, but I did it! Once I got over the carbohydrate withdrawals, I suddenly had more energy and was losing weight quickly. I lost 10 pounds the first week, then 2 the second week, and kept losing steadily, until by the time I'd been on it a month, I had lost 19 pounds. I did not exercise the first month and a half on Atkins, but after that time, I began walking. I started by walking 20 minutes, which was all I could handle without getting out of breath. I worked my way slowly up to 3 miles a day, 6-7 days per week and did that religiously. The exercise really helped my weight loss. I also began adding Walk Away the Pounds videos. The weight kept coming off steadily and I continued to gain confidence that Atkins was the right plan for me. My cravings for refined sugar disappeared. My blood sugar went from 130 to 100 (now it averages around 90) and stayed consistent. My heart palpitations began subsiding, as well. I felt terrific all-around. By Christmas, I had lost about 80 pounds. I had not been under 200 pounds in a long time and it felt good to finally hit "Onederland".

I reached my goal weight on March 30, 2004...3 months ahead of schedule. I've gone from a size 26 to a size 8. I have also begun jogging/running and am now able to run 4 miles. When I started, I couldn't walk 30 minutes! The transformation my body AND mind AND emotions have gone through is nothing short of amazing to me. Throughout this journey, I had to come to grips with WHY I became fat...and that reason was because I was an emotional eater...at times, I still have that tendency. However, I've been able to deal with that and deal with my emotions on other levels, not by resorting to eating to make myself feel better. I find that exercise helps with that very much, along with other productive ways of dealing with negative/destructive emotions. The key to my success was not only my eating program, but my mindset. I had to be 110% committed to keeping this weight off for GOOD, and that is what I am going to do; no doubts at all. If you are not committed to good health for life, no plan will work. It is all about finding what plan suits your lifestyle. And, I have to say that if I can do this, ANYONE can and I mean that. You just have to take that step and find the commitment and be willing to make the sacrifices it takes to get the weight off. One of my favorite quotes is "The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not"...Mark Twain said that :lol:. That may not be TOTALLY true, but losing weight is about making sacrifices and doing some things we might not necessarily want to do and eating things we might not necessarily always want to eat. It is about finding a balance in life. That is what I have finally been able to do.