What brought you to this point?

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I was just curious as to what event or realization brought everyone to the point of wanting to change your habits? I know exactly when my 'realization' happened. Last Christmas we were able to take our first vacation as a family. We went to S. Padre Island. Many pictures were taken. When we got home and had them developed I was going through them with my mom and came to one of me on the beach with my kids. I must have sat there for at least 5 minutes just staring at it wondering who that woman was with my kids. My mom looked at me and said "What a great picture!". At that point I started crying. I decided then that I needed to do something, anything!!!! For a couple of months I started watching what I ate, and did some exercise. Apparently that wasn't going to be enough, so in mid-Feburary I got a copy of Atkins. I weighed 260 at this point. I read it and started it. The first few days were so hard for me, breaking the addictions to sugar and all the 'wonderful' (HA!) high-carb foods that we all love. After the first 2 weeks I had lost 12 lbs (granted mostly water weight) and lost 2 sizes in my chest, 2 inches in my waist and 2 inches in my hips. I had found something that worked!! I kept following Atkins to the T. I hadn't had this much energy in years, it was wonderful. In the book he says that you sort of experience a euphoria, and I was feeling it! Over the next 3 months I lost a total of 50 lbs. I went from a size 26, to a size 18. I was keeping myself in induction. He states (for those that aren't familiar with this) that you can stay in induction safely for up to 6 months. I know exactly the moment when I started to falter.... a birthday cake spoke to me!! I could swear as I walked past it (many, many times) that the cake was saying "Eat me!". I steered clear of it all day, but then the voices (LOL) became too much and I gave in. I will say that when Dr. Atkins says that one taste won't hurt me is the kiss of failure, it is so very true. Over the summer I was some how able to maintain my weightloss. I just recently put myself back on induction and I am including a more rigorous work out and have added weights to the picture. Right now what is motivating me is thinking of how I would look now if I would have stuck to the plan! That might get some people 'down in the dumps' thinking about that, but for me, it is working. I have even put up the 12 rules of induction on my fridge along with the acceptable food list. I am keeping a diary and logging what I eat along with the carbohydrate count. Also on my fridge is that dreaded picture of me on the beach. My goal as of now is to lose another 50 lbs. I don't have a set time that I want to reach it in, but as long as I reach it, then I can give myself a big thumbs up!!!! Good luck to all on thier approach to a healthier lifestyle! We can all reach our goals!!!!!! Charity

Charity.. As they say, it's never too late. Atkins really does do the trick provided you are able to put down the carbs, because as soon as you start eating them again the weight comes back with a punch. I never thought I could gain 15 pounds over the course of 2 days, but it happened. :evil: Every person is different, so this may not be what happens to others, but that is my personal experience. The reason I want to lose weight is to be a better human being! You remember that old saying "your body is a temple"? I have treated mine more like an amusement park.. eating every bad thing the park has to offer.. and I guess I just finally had enough of it. Just how fat can I get? What size can I achieve before I finally explode? I don't want to wait and find out.. 8O That is why I want to lose weight.. anyone else?

WONDERFUL!! All the stories here are so awesome! I love reading how people stay focused or what diet they are on. I am a soda aholic. I am addicted to Dr Pepper...be it regular or Diet I LOVE IT! I do not know of a diet that allows you to keep soda, but I dont know if I can part with it. I am very serious too....I have at least 4 in a 4-5 hour period at work. AND my boss just had DDP put in the machine for me b/c thats my "addiction" Now, my reason for wanting to lose...my wedding pics, getting something to wear to my wedding, I HATE SHOPPING NOW! I use to LOVE to spend days in stores! NOW...[i:e12834a5ff]no way dude[/i:e12834a5ff]! I weigh 250 and I have not ever weighed this...when I had my son I weighed 195 and lost down to 175 before I came home in 2 days and then was back to about 145 before long. Of course High School was those size 6 days where weighing 115 or less...BUT I can honestly say I looked sick b/c of my bone structure. Weghing about 145-150 is my ideal weight "look" and "feel". I am somewhat active, I am cooking at home, I rarely eat out, I just dont WATCH when or what I eat nor do I exercise, more than what I walk to work and home, thats it....I work across the street! SO....maybe I should walk around the building before and after work... I am in search of a diet plan and exercise plan. I have been on cabbage soup, loved it, WW, and also TOPS years ago, I am going to TOPS and WW on Thurs to see which one I feel will work best. Charity, you seem so focused and set on your goals and I give you many many thumbs up...I hope to get focused ASAP!

I just hope I can stay focused, at the end of the month my youngest child turns 2....so there will be birthday cake in the house!!!!! Maybe I will wear earplugs so I can't hear the voices??!! Oh wait, they are in my head and no one else hears them in this house!!!!!! I guess I should ask my mom if we can have the party at her house. Afterall, everyone knows I'm working on improving myself, so I know I won't eat cake in front of everyone at the party! And, that way we can leave her house and leave the cake there too!!!

The reason I'm trying to lose the weight now is my 20 month old grand daughter. She lives with me and I just can't keep up with her. I took her to McDonalds and was to big to climb into the big jungle gym thing so she could go down the slide. I want to play with her like I did my kids and until I lose the weight it's just not going to happen. Let me know what your going to do about your daughters birthday cake because I only have 4 months to think of a way I won't eat her whole cake. :wink:

The Atkins diet is not universal - that is, for some people (like me) the diet makes them feel more lethargic and unhealthy. Furthermore, I had all sorts of stomach, intenstinal and gallbladder problems on it. However, for other people, this diet is like the "second coming"! It works great and the weight flies off. This is why everyone needs to experiment and see what diet works best for them. For me, the motivation to start seriously working-out and losing weight came shortly after I turned 39 (this past July). I realized that in a year, I will be officially 40 - and I did NOT want to enter my 40's as this overweight, fat, flabby man. Being a bigger man, I am able to carry the weight better. Some people still state that they didn't think I needed to diet. God bless 'em! LOL! ;) But the fact is, I was buying bigger and bigger clothes. Clothes that I had worn (like winter sweaters) just a few years back were now too tight. I was out-of-breath doing the simplest of things. I didn't like the way I looked or felt. I had to change. I may not be as in-shape as I would like by the time I turn 40, but I figure that by working as hard as I can from now to that point, I can sure come close. That is, I will be better off by doing something rather than doing nothing. So far, I've dropped (per my home scale) 33 pounds! My scale is reaching a new low - 248 pounds (my scale bounces, with the upper reading being about 253)! Yay me! My home scale may be "generous" as other scales have me weigh more. But the actual weight doesn't matter - what does matter is how much I've lost and how it shows. Just last week, a person at work came to me and complimented me on my weight loss. She said my face and body both looked thinner! I was estactic! :D Again, I may not achieve all of my goals by the time I hit 40, but I'm doing my best! :)

My realization, like most of you, came from being tired of being tired. I was a single 24 years old with no children and would get winded after walking up a flight of stairs. At that point I weighed approximately 190. I'm now 28, weigh 157 and feel better than I ever have. I've never been this small - EVER, not even in high school when I played 2 sports. I can clearly tell that I look better, feel better, and am stronger. But I know I still have a long way to go until I am where I want to be. So I guess knowing where I started from and fear of returning to that place is what keeps me going.

I guess the road to weight loss has never been a lightening bolt for me. I have been dieting for years, since before I was even in high school. My family used to tell me in 6th and 7th grades that I needed to lose some weight. They didn't know what they were doing was wrong, but it set me up for a lifetime of hardships concerning the way I looked. In high school I was pretty thin. I have no idea how much I weighed, but I wore a size 8 dress to prom. The whole time, I thought I was *humongous* and how could anyone ever love someone so hideous? Last year my dad died and I decided to do something to help keep my mind off of it. I wore a size 24 dress to his funeral. (I have never kept track of my weight in pounds because I played sports and was complete muscle -- six pack and all.) Two weeks after my dad died I started training with the Leukemia and Lymphoma's Team in Training. I raised $5,500 for the society and walked the marathon in under 8 hours -- my goal. After that I was still a size 22 and I thought if that didn't do it, nothing would. I was dieting the whole time I was training. I wasn't eating enough I don't think because I would come home and shake with exhaustion and almost pass out while my husband struggled to get food in me. If someone can love me after that, then I've married the right person!! I gave up after that. Why try and lose weight if I couldn't? I'm a size 26 now, and I refuse to get any larger. R-E-F-U-S-E!!! I can't even tell you when I snapped and realized I needed help beyond food. I know how to eat, I know what's good for me and what's not. I know what a portion is. I just couldn't bring myself to follow these rules anymore. So, I started therapy almost a year ago and now I've joined this group in addition to that. I want to be healthy in both mind and body, and I'm closer to understanding myself than ever before. Soon, I will be on the path to weight loss and I will never look back. I've come this far, I can't stop now!

that is a good way to look at things, KD. Having a husband that loves and understands you is also a nice thing to have. :D I decided to lose my weight to see if I still had collarbones! I know that sounds crazy, but it's the truth. When you look at women in advertisments and stuff, you can't help but notice them!

i'm with doc on this one. fear of being fat and forty. thank god i'm not bald to boot!