I have been posting for a week or so and figured that introducing myself would be the polite thing to do. I am 71 years old and retired with my wife of 40+ years in southern Virginia. I have been overweight my entire life and like most people here have been on many diets having some success but always regaining the weight.

In 1998 I was at my all time high weight of 348 pounds. Following the usual eat less routine, I managed to get my weight down to 316, not bad, but after stalling for a while my weight climbed to 324. I had been at this crossroad many times and knew I had to try something different to have any chance to succeed. That is when I discovered Atkins. I read Atkins Diet Revolution, Protein Power and Carbohydrate Addict's Diet. I set a goal of getting down to 260 and reached the goal in five months. I kept the weight off for 2+ years but after I retired, the I started regaining. We also moved to a place where we used to go on vacation which put us in vacation mode all the time, dining out often including drinks and dessert. Before I knew it I was back over 300 pounds. I bounced around between 295 and 330 for the next 12 years or so.

So as we start 2018 I have survived another holiday season and weigh in at 296.4. I started 2017 at 320 so I am satisfied with where I stand. I am going to stick with Atkins and see where it leads me this year.

I would like to say a few things about this board. I have been on several similar boards, Low Carb Friends, 3Fat Chicks, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle and Atkins. They are all welcoming and supportive and they all have people with tremendous success stories. To me there are 3 things that set this board apart. First is longevity, so many people who have been here a dozen years or more and many of them continue to stay long after they have met their goals. Second is how modest people are. There are many people here who have completely turned their lives around and no one is shouting from the rooftops about their accomplishments or preaching down to others. Third is the dedication to education. Every day I look forward to following links to writings and videos from world class expert in all aspects of the low carb lifestyle.

This has been really long winded so I will close by saying I am glad to be here and look forward to interacting with you.

Ken