I asked Christina if she would not mind sharing her story on my blog. She has lost 125 lbs on the Atkins Diet and has been successfully maintaining her current weight. Weigh to go Christina! Congratulations!
I am 40 years old as of December 22nd 2008. I cannot believe what has happened to me during those 40 years and how my life ultimately turned out.
As far as I can remember, I had been very heavy most of that time. Even through grade school kids would pick on me because of my weight. I would usually be the last to be picked to play games with at school.
Once I got into High School I started eating a low fat diet and I walked for exercise. I would lose weight..then come off of the diet...and gain all of the weight back, plus more! I only had one boyfriend all the way through school, and then we separated right after we graduated. I still think it was because I was so heavy. I stayed right around 190 lbs all through high school.
Almost 13 years ago, I once again started losing weight with the same low fat diet. Then the day after Christmas in 1996, I didnt know it, but my future husband came to the door of my mom's home. His Aunt's car had broken down in my neighbor’s driveway. He asked me out and we have been together ever since!
My weight was exactly 155 lbs when I married my husband in 1997, however, after the honeymoon was over I started gaining again, and went up to approximately 185 lbs in the first year!! I found out in 1998 that I was a Type 2 Diabetic and, in addition, had developed high blood pressure. I had a friend that had started this new diet called “The Atkins Diet”. I started low-carbing for the first time then…still thinking of it as a "diet." I lost weight down to 155 lbs again, and then found out I was pregnant with our first child in 1998. We were so happy and then tragically we lost our child at 20 weeks. Depression and anger flooded over me and by 2002 I had gained all the way up to a record new high of 250 lbs!! We tried years and years to conceive a child and once again I decided to give low-carbing a try. Again, I lost weight down to 155 lbs and in December 2003 we found out after years of trying that we were pregnant with our precious son, Brandon, who will be 5 years old in August. I had him early at 32 weeks. But, instead of losing my baby weight, I regained all the weight I had lost previously back up to 250 lbs, because I went right back to the way I was eating before low-carbing.
Fast forwarding to late 2006, I became very ill with my gallbladder. I was told once again to lose weight. Once again low-carbing was the way I went. This time it was very different for me though. I started google searching low-carb diets and found a Forum called “Stella Style.” The people who frequent the forum are great and they changed my life for the better. By the time October 2008 arrived, I had lost 125 lbs on my low-carb diet, and then I found this wonderful LCF’s forum, which is now also changing my life for the better.
Happily, I can report that I am now a latent diabetic and no longer suffer from high blood pressure. (smile) My weight has stabilized and I am in maintenance!
Today there is still a lot going on in my life. I have my son and husband who don’t care to eat LC. It’s really difficult to cook for us all, but I do it and faithfully stay on my Low Carb Way of Life!