I am a 41 year old female who never had a weight problem until I got my first "real" job, behond a desk. I was 29 years old and weighed 130 pounds at 5 foot 6 inches tall The other girls in the office were all on the heavier side and munched on high fat high carb goodies all day long. For a long while I was able to resist doing the same, mostly being to uncomfortable to eat in front of others. Soon my ways changed and the pounds crept up on me, slowly at first and over 10 years accumulated to about 40 pounds.

In July 2001 I had a total hysterectomy for medical reasons, upon being released from the hopital i was weighed and was amazed to see the scale at 202, my highest all time weight but as i recouperated my weight came down on it's own and setteled back at 180 - 185.

In the last several years I have suffered with severe depression and borderline personality disorder with psychotic features. Not a pretty picture, these disorders caused a lot of mental anguish and pain in my life. I ate for comfort and out of boredom. I was also put on an antipsychotic and an anti depressant. The anti psychotic drug called Zyprexa is a known weight gainer.......... at the time my mental pain was so great that I didn't care I just wanted to get better. with in a year I gained a whopping 50 pounds. Everyone wanted to know when my baby was due, I cried many many times and refused to leave the house.

Feeling better and able to handle the depression I had my medication switched and with in a month stopped gaining weight and sleeping 14 plus hours in a day. Unfortunatley the weight stayed.

Because I was so tired all the time I had a blood test done to check for thyroid problems, those tests came back nagative but my liver function test came back alarmingly high at over 300 when it should be no higher than 40.

I was sent to a specialist who ordered a million tests and blood work kept coming back with high results.

Finially in Feb 2004 i was diagnosed with high cholesterol, high triglicerides and type ii diabetes. They suspect that the blood fats are attacking the liver causing the readings to be so high. Those numbers have come down slowly over the past several months but not low enough. The doctor is talking about a biopsy. I was and still am in total shock. At first I was so afraid, my weight at 230 pounds, my inactivity, cholesterol, triglicerides and diabetes and 2 pack a day cigarette habit has put me at an all time high risk of heart attack and stroke. Not to mention my poor liver

I have eliminated the antipsychotic drugs and have tapered my antidepressant to the bare minimum and will be dropping my estrogen therapy in half.

March 1 2004 put in me in touch with a diabetic diatician who put me on a low carb diet consisting of 45 grams per meal, three meals per day with a bedtime snack of 15 grams of carbs

Today is March 18, 2004

I have over come my mental disabilities, have gained good control over my blood glucose levels and am able to have consistant readings three times a day with levels between 90 and 115 and I have lost 18 pounds so far.

None of this has been an easy road to follow but as I stepped on that scale this morning I was so very proud at myself for sticking to this way of eating and beating all of those carb cravings.

This way of life and eating was not made by choice but as a necessary thing to regain my health and preserve my life, with that said it still is a hard thing to do

This recent success has me so motivated that I have renewed my member ship at the curves club and will begin exerscising on Monday

I have new blood work drawn on the 1st of April. That will be the true measurment of my success.

Good luck to all of you on your low carb journey and thank you for allowing me to share my story

Wow Sugarpie - your story is so inspiring! I congratulate you on your will and determination to overcome your physical problems. Keep up the good work and you will be richly rewarded! This is a great group of people to help and support you. Have you considered starting a journal on this website? Your writing style is very eloquent and easy to read.
Best of luck~
Anita