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Just a little over two 2 years ago, with my 40th birthday just 6 months off, I weighed in at 318 pounds. I could barely to squeeze into my size 48 pants and my 3X shirts. I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything with out sweating and I was popping Tums like they were going out of style. Bad back, bad knees, heartburn, poor circulation, etc, etc, etc. Between all of that and being embarrassed by my own appearance, I pretty much avoided going out of the house unless it was absolutely necessary. I knew it was time for a serious change in my lifestyle.

So I promised myself I would try Atkins again and go strictly by the book for a solid month and see what happens. (I had tried it a couple of years earlier and failed miserably, but that’s another story) One month later I was 20 pounds lighter and amazed at how relatively easy it was to stick to. Sure there were plenty of times that I had to turn down foods that I wanted REAL bad. But the allowed foods were pretty satisfying and with the weight coming off, it became easier and easier to stay motivated and on plan. After three months I was down 40 pounds without doing any exercise at all! Then I decided that I better dust off the old treadmill if I want to maintain the 10 pounds per month pace that I was shooting for. It was about this time that people were finally starting to notice my loss and all of the aches and ailments I listed before miraculously went away.

By this time, I had settled into a comfortable meal routine. I was eating pretty much the same things every day. Every morning I would have a 3 egg omelette with cheese and cut up Canadian bacon or Italian sausage. Once a week I would cook up a big batch of boneless chicken cutlets and hamburgers. (once in a blue moon, if I was feeling crazy, I would fry the chicken cutlets in pork rind crumbs or make a meatloaf out of the hamburger) Also, I would always keep a couple of bags of frozen broccoli florets thawed out in a tupperware container. I would normally just slap some cheese on a burger and eat it with some LC ketchup and broccoli on the side. I was a little more creative with the chicken....here’s a few of them: I might top it with LC tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Or some Franks’s buffalo wing sauce. Or a paste made of mayo and Parmesan cheese. And of course some broccoli on the side. I was always a picky eater before LC. So even though this may seem like I was in a boring rut to most people, it never bothered me in the least. It was actually very helpful because it allowed me to whip up lunch or dinner within five minutes and never have an excuse to get take out.

Anyway.....after 9 months I was down almost 90 pounds and still cheat free somehow. Around this time, even though I was walking 2 or 3 miles a day on my treadmill and I was doing light weight training once or twice a week, I began to stall out. I decided to take a break and really enjoy myself on our annual family vacation. I ate whatever I wanted for the entire week, but I didn’t go crazy and stuff myself. It was great having things like fruit, dinner rolls, and desserts again. I gained around 8 pounds and I didn’t feel guilty about it at all. I knew I was going to go right back on plan when I got home and it really was nice to get it out of my system. (or into my system I guess) It only took a week or two to lose the vacation weight and get back on track. I decided that it was time to increase my weight training to 3 or 4 times a week and reduce my monthly target to 5 pounds per month.

One year to the day, I made my original goal of 218 pounds. It was unbelievable. Dr Atkins saved my life for sure. I’d lost 100 pounds and I felt better than I did when I was 25. But I realized I could still stand to lose some more so I set my new goal at 195. Around the same time, I decided I wanted to try South Beach. Partly because I wanted to get away from all of the fatty meats and cheeses and partly because SB seemed to offer more foods choices that I like. So I started SB and after the first month, I was right back on my 5 pound per month pace. Cool!. Unlike the previous holiday season, I decided to celebrate a little that year and December was pretty much a break even month. I hit my 195 pound mark in mid February, realized I still had a lot of upper body flab to lose, and set my final goal at 175.

The weight was definitely coming off slower now. Only around 2.5 pounds per month, but I was building muscle at the same time so that was ok with me. Plus, I was allowing myself a cheat meal once a month, which would always set me back the better part of a week. Then I went off plan again in July for another family vacation week. (Ocean City Maryland ) But finally, 23 months after I began this journey, I reached my final goal of 175 pounds. Total pounds lost = 143. I used to squeeze into size 48 pants. Now I’m a 31 or 32 depending on the brand. I used to wear 3X shirts and now I’m a medium.

So here I am, 3 months later, and I still can’t say that I feel like a “thin” person. Sure it feels great knowing how much I’ve accomplished. Hell, carrying 143 extra pounds around is like having my wife and my cat strapped to my back 24/7. And yes I feel healthier than ever before. But it still just seems so weird when friends and family tell me I’m skinny. Thinner maybe, but not thin and definitely not skinny. Well hopefully that will come with time. For now, until the holidays are over, I’m just gonna keep yoyoing between 175 and 180. Then I’ll make the somewhat scary plunge into SB phase III maintenance. I’d like to thank everyone here for making this board such a wealth of support and information. I wish you all the best of luck with your journeys and feel free to email or PM me if there’s anything I can help you with.

Thanks again,

ToastyBoy (aka Steve)