My Story:
I have struggled with gaining and losing weight ever since I had whooping cough when I was 13. I lost weight with Atkins toward the end of high school in 2001, but in 2004 I stopped working out after doctors were unable to find a cure for the chronic pain I’d been in for years. I used food as a coping mechanism, and my self-esteem hit an all-time low in 2007 when I weighed in at 300 pounds. I was in total denial of how high my weight had climbed until I saw some graduation photos of myself with my family. Somehow, being a size 22/24 or having trouble fitting into movie theater seats was easy to ignore, but the photos kept nagging at me. I realized that I was miserable because of the way that I looked and the things that my weight kept me from being able to do. I knew that life was just passing me by. After graduating from college I knew that it was time to focus on my physical health. I made plans to compete in a triathlon and started training for it at the same time that I started on Atkins.
It took less than ten months for me to lose the majority of what I wanted to lose. I’ve lost a small amount of weight since I got close to my goal, but I’m really happy with where I’m at and have found that those pesky “final 15 pounds” are coming off without even trying. I can’t think of a way that losing weight on Atkins hasn’t changed my life. I am active, I actually enjoy going shopping, I have my health back, and life is no longer passing me by. Atkins has allowed me to be in control of my own life instead of letting food have such power over me. I now view food as an enjoyable social experience or as something that gives me the energy I need to do the things I want to do instead of as a coping mechanism to deal with stress. Atkins empowered me, because losing weight is a huge accomplishment that I am truly proud of myself for having achieved. I really don’t know if I could have stuck to it without the quick results I saw on Atkins, and I can’t imagine being stuck in the life that I used to live.
Favorite Atkins Friendly Food: I'm in love with the Atkins Peanut Butter Cups! I'm not much of a cook, but my latest favorite is sautéing mango chicken sausages with bell peppers and onion.
My Goals:
Not provided.
