Kate....
Read, read, read and ask question... Other then a few jerks on this list
there are very intelligent people that can get you past a few stalls
that you are going to have.
My BIL was over 300 pounds, he lost 100 in about 6 months, low
carbing... He eats the Atkins/low carb foods and keeps track of
everything on Fitday.com....
DONT GIVE UP..... you will encounter setbacks... you can beat them, just
hang in. Then again you have three kids, you are use to drama.....
Warren

Kate wrote:

Hi all! I've been lurking here for about a week now, and decided that it
was probably time to jump in.

I'm Kate, 33, and started Atkins last week. I've been overweight my entire
life, and quite frankly never cared enough to do anything about it. Wore a
size 14 when I got married at 20, and ended up at a size 22 after the birth
of our third child six years later. Figured I have a husband who adores me
and was in decent health, so why worry? So what if I couldn't get health
insurance because of my weight? Just because I couldn't stand to be outside
if it was more than 75 degrees wasn't a reason to lose weight, was it?

It did start to bother me when the 22's I'd been wearing since youngest son
(age 7) was born started to get too tight. It bothered me even more when my
mother (age 59) suffered a heart attack and was also discovered to have very
high blood pressure and diabetes. It was a little concerning that I would
get lightheaded and shaky if I didn't eat for more than four hours. The
clincher? Getting a good look at myself in a full length hotel mirror a
couple of weeks ago. (Yes, I realize how sad it is that vanity finally
prompted what health concerns didn't.) Seeing the rolls of fat finally
convinced me that I needed to do something, NOW!

So, I started on induction last Sunday. Since I never owned a scale until
last Thursday, I have no idea what weight I started out at. I would guess
I've lost at least 3-4 pounds, because the shorts that were uncomfortably
tight two weeks ago fit perfectly now. Right now I'm at 250, and someday,
some glorious day, I would like to weigh 140 pounds. Here's hoping. =)

Thanks for "listening" to my ramble...

Kate