what was the final straw that brought you here...

[funkytofabs?]

I am tired of being the girl with "such a pretty face". UGH. I'm tired of taking 50 pictures and only having TWO come out where I look like something other than a troll. I want to get married (honey doesn't know it) and IF he ever asks, I want to be in a cute dress, not a bedsheet. Mainly vanity, I admit, but I also want to FEEL better, healthier and more alive I (maybe) want to have a baby and don't want to be told I have to lose 30lbs before I can even think about having one.

[FwL]

Breaking the 300 pound barrier did it for me too.

Up to that point, I was upset about my weight problem and tried here and there to do something about it, but something definitely snapped inside me when I broke 300.

Finding this board was a pure stroke of luck. I plugged "Atkins" into google and thought I clicked on the link to go to the official site, but ended up here. I spent some time looking through the before and after photos, and realized that these were real people with real struggles, real results and real failures. That has made a huge difference for me.

[Mbudlite89]

I graduated in 2008 from High school...on 2007 I had gotten my classring..after workin gat mcdonalds for 2 years..my ring would no longer fit...and i said I wanna wear it again..still havent been able to wear it..but 21 lbs in 1.5 months is amazing

[Whatsername]

Tired of being unhappy and realizing I deserve to be happy and healthy.

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by FwL

Finding this board was a pure stroke of luck. I plugged "Atkins" into google and thought I clicked on the link to go to the official site, but ended up here. I spent some time looking through the before and after photos, and realized that these were real people with real struggles, real results and real failures. That has made a huge difference for me.

Me too! I did go to the official site first and even joined the forum but it somehow seemed very lifeless, or like learning about something in school. This place seems much more grounded in real life and real experiences.

[Slapshot]

Carrying my 37 lb son up the stairs to bed exhausted me and killed my knees and hips. One time, halfway up the stairs, I realized that I was carrying TWO of him ALL THE TIME. That's what did it for me.

[MellyG]

My experience is similar to what everyone else has said. #1 was breaking the 200lb barrier. Not a great health move for a short lady! And I already looked like the bigger girl with the pretty face at 150lbs (I'm naturally a tad puffy , or endomorphic as some would call it).

#2 was carrying a 20lb box of cat litter from the store to my car thinking, at first, "crap, this is heavy!" That thought was followed immediately by, "crap, I've gained that weight three times in my adult life!!!" (without any loss in there, just to clarify). I gained 40 in just over 3 years and decided I would either have to make big changes or continue this free fall into misery.

[EveWasFramed]

I have few things here:

- Pictures! Pictures! Pictures! I hate full body pictures.

- I wear a body slimmer every day (it's like a one-piece underwear/bra combo that holds your tummy in) and I hate it. I want to wear NORMAL underwear again, but my belly is so poochy I look and feel awful without the slimmer. I have been wearing one for 2 years ever since my daughter was born. It needs to GO!

- When I lie on my side in bed at night my stomach feels like I'm pregnant again. Ugh.

[bellajgw]

Finding my dream wedding dress and feeling hideous in such a beautiful thing. My arm fat hung all over, my back fat hung out, my stomach was so bloated...I remember thinking "how will I ever look beautiful on my wedding day if I look like this." I remember wondering if I could stomach looking at my wedding photos if I still looked like this. I knew that I shouldn't lose weight just for the wedding, but I had tried so many times and I new I should get back into Atkins again because I felt so much more healthy on it. So, instead of putting it off a week, or until Monday I started the next day. I made the committment and today is day 49 for me. Its slow, I've stalled, but I refuse to let that stop me. I will be a healthy weight for my wedding, I will look beautiful, I will be proud of how I look and what I'm doing and I will be healthy as we start our family. I will NOT let our children fall into the same bad habits we have.

[cocobelle]

Went to the doctor last week. Had to hear the additional 'clink', as the 50lb weight was moved over. I swear it echoed through the office.

Now, I'm looking forward to going back and hearing the 'clink' go in the other direction!! lol!