I wanted to share my story here. I have struggled with my weight since the age of 3, so that's 31 years of weight struggle for me. I had been super morbidly obese since my early 20's, obese as a teenager, and obese/overweight since childhood. It was a lifelong struggle that I tried everything to combat. I can't even tell you how many silly diets I went on. I was bullied, had really low self-esteem, and life in general was difficult to the point that I became very depressed and stopped socializing with other kids.

I first heard of Atkins through an older gentleman I met online when I was 16 (back in 1996! eek!) and became friends with. He sent me a copy of the book and I was able to lose 30 pounds, though it wasn't nearly enough. I stayed on Atkins for about two years until my parents divorced and stress eating kicked in. I was gaining weight rapidly again and miserable.

Through the years, I went on and off Atkins. I lost a little, gained a lot, and was generally miserable. I had one bright spot in my very early 20's when I lost 150 pounds in 8 months on Ephedrine; then it was pulled from the market and the weight piled back on.

At the age of 25, I started Atkins again. The hitch was, I also have an eating disorder somewhere between bulimia and binge eating disorder (I don't vomit, I exercise to purge). So I'd have months where I would be a good Atkin-eer, then one little bite of sugar and I'd wake up a month later wondering what bus had hit me the day before. In the middle of all this, I had my son.

Two years ago, I seriously buckled down. I was exercising 3 hours per day, faithful low-carber with 10g of carbs or less per day, plenty of good fat, following all the rules. For two years I stayed true to it, even though I wasn't losing a single ounce. That year, I was diagnosed with PCOS and Insulin Resistance. My OB/GYN who managed it put me on Metformin. I gained 40 pounds while still on Atkins, ballooning up to 315 pounds. She then said three words that would change my life: you need surgery.

I had toyed with the idea of weight loss surgery for many years, but it always seemed out of reach. I had started hearing about a new procedure called the gastric sleeve about 10 years ago. Now it is more widely done and I was excited at the research I was reading on it. Not only was it safe, it was just as effective as the bypass with none of the malabsorptive qualities or nutritional deficiencies. The sleeve is more of a metabolic surgery with the bonus of weight loss, in essence resetting the metabolism immediately following surgery.

So last November, I went ahead and had weight loss surgery. I can't tell you how much my life has improved. I don't struggle anymore, I am not miserable. I am 9.5 months out from surgery and I have lost 144 pounds, only 17 pounds 'overweight' according to my bmi. I still stay low-carb for the most part, but now if I partake in something a little higher on the carb scale, my body doesn't flinch. This metabolic/weight loss surgery corrected so many things for me, basically overnight. I just had my vitamin levels checked and my nutritionist says they are amazing. I am healthy and vibrant for the first time in my life. I have gone from a size 4x shirts/size 32 women's pants to a size medium shirt and size 10/12 pants. Finally, the struggle is over.

I wanted to share this because I know it will strike a cord with someone here. Please don't rule out that possibility, if you are like me and have been low-carb for so long and are still struggling, there are options out there that will make your life better. I know this is an unpopular opinion on this board, and I haven't really shared it much, but I am taking the risk of being flamed if I can help just one person.

If anyone has any questions, please PM me. I am always lurking about. Or you can respond here. I'm not shy!

Thank you for hearing me out!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts of your journey and huge congrats on your achievement and milestone.

Well done on finding something that has truly worked for you.

Your story sounds much like mine. I remember some kid in 3rd grade slapping my but every time he walked by, saying "Flabby, flabby, flabby" in my ear. In my 20's, I did a low carb diet and lots of running to actually get in shape. I stayed that way for years, but I just could not exercise enough to keep the weight off. I got an office job after college and the weight has been piling on ever since. I yoyo'd ever upward -- dieting, failing, dieting again, failing again. I started thinking about weight surgery, too. I'd heard that the sleeve thing had a 'side effect' of eliminating the food craving -- and I knew that was the source of my problem. It sounded like the solution for me. If I'd have had the finances or insurance coverage, I'd probably have the sleeve right now. But I didn't have 30K and didn't want to go to Mexico to have it done "cheap". I got a different job in 2012 that had an insurance plan that covered weight loss surgery. I certainly qualified for the surgery. But the coverage did not cover complications or surgery to have it undone if something went wrong. That worried me. About that time, I saw something on the news about what people who have lost weight and kept it off all have in common. Anyway - it inspired me to give the LC diet one more try. I found this site (as well as few others) and finally learned how to do this diet correctly. I found a way of eating that works for me and I don't sabotage myself anymore. The key was making it a perminant lifestyle -- not a temporary "diet". I learned what I could eat to avoid food cravings and I avoid all food that would awaken the crave monster in me. For the first time ever, staying on plan became easy. I'm nearly 1/2 way to my goal and I really see myself getting there this time.

I am doing well, but I have not proven anything yet. When I reach my goal and stay LC and keep the weight off, then I'll know for sure that I've figured this thing out. Time will tell - but I do think this was the better path for me.

My little brother is also obese. He is a little high strung and just can't seem to stick with any diet. He is having weight loss surgery next month. He has got some health issues going on and he needs to do something. Diet was not working. So I think he is doing the right thing for himself. For some, surgery may be the best option. I hope it works out well for him (even though he still is a little turd).