KELLEY
Even though I was thin and very active as a teen, I had developed poor eating habits like skipping breakfast and eating very little for lunch and dinner. The occasional snacks I allowed myself were French fries from the local McDonalds where I worked. While eating this way kept me thin, I couldn't keep it up. I was hungry. It was at this time, I met my future husband. We enjoyed many things together and eating out was one of them! Burger King, McDonalds and Taco Bell were favorite places. The extra pounds started coming on. I quickly went from a size 5/6 to a 10/12. I was depressed about my weight, however, I wasn't ready to commit to changing it.
I gained about 80 pounds during my first pregnancy that stayed with me into my second pregnancy when I gained 20 more pounds. I tipped the scales at 220 pounds which at 5'2" was way too much for my small frame. I had a lot of physical problems related to my weight. My knees and feet hurt all the time and I also had trouble breathing. I was only 28 and I was scared I would die from a heart attack because of my weight. I did not want to leave my two little boys without a mom. I had to do something.
I tried dieting but failed. I just didn't know the right foods to eat. My mom sent me every diet book ever printed and encouraged me to try different approaches to losing the weight. I would try for a while, but failure was my constant companion. I was always hungry on a low calorie diet. I was making poor food choices and eating loads of sugar laden carbs that drove my hunger instead of satisfying it.
My mom suggested low carb to me, but I thought she was crazy. How could I live without sugar? After all it is what I based my life on! I would start out each morning with cookies, Little Debbie cakes, whatever was in the house and from there I would move on to Snickers bars, ice cream, etc. What wasn't made with sugar was highly processed. I was so tired I couldn't get off the couch.
I reluctantly decided to give low carb a try. I had tried everything else. I really felt that I was destined to be fat my whole life. My mom had become a fan of the Stella family who had lost over 500 pounds and she encouraged me to try "Stella Style".
I began to eat lean meat, cheese, good fats, fresh vegetables and some fruits. I left the sugar behind! It was hard. I was mad that I couldn't eat what everyone else was eating. It just wasn't fair. I changed my attitude and quit hating the "skinny" people. As time went by and the weight started to melt off, eating low carb became easier and easier until it became a way of life for me. I began to make better and better food choices. In the beginning I would go to McDonalds and order a burger without the bun. Now I do without when faced with the fast food choice and wait till I get home to make something healthier. It has become automatic for me to choose healthy food!
Sometimes the weight loss was slower than I would like but I didn't let that discourage me. I have been lowcarbing now for almost a year. I have lost 60 pounds and have gone from a size 20 to a size 10. Gone are the headaches I had daily. My feet and knees no longer hurt and gone are my breathing problems. I have so much more energy now! I joined Curves and I also run on the treadmill. I have more fun shopping for new clothes than I ever had lying on the couch eating Twinkies! I am happier now than I have been in years. I have found my true self again. The real me was buried under all those pounds of fat for years. My husband and I are so much happier, too. He calls me Skinny!
I would still like to lose 40 more pounds and I know I will do it. I am healthier than I have ever been and I will never go back to being fat.