Hello, my name is Kate, and I think I'd consider myself a featherweight. I'm so glad this group is here, because although I don't have a lot to lose, I think it'd be neat to talk to people in the same boat.

Brief biography:

I discovered the wonders of binge eating in college, and by 2002 had gained about 40 pounds. One of my "favorite" things to do was to get a triple cheeseburger from Wendy's, an extra-large order of fries and a big ol' Coke and see how much I could fit in my mouth at one time. I would finish this well-balanced meal off with a pint of Ben and Jerry's. For the longest time I never felt full unless I was in pain. I was what we in the South like to call "a Big Girl." Hey, at least I got a "bless her heart" with that!

In late 2001, my now-husband and I became engaged. I decided the weight had to come off before the wedding. A friend of mine was trying Atkins, and she suggested I give it a go. I did and lost 30 pounds in 10 months. I've kept it off since then, although I do tend to gain and then lose a few pounds every now and then. Yay, me!

Here's one of my secrets: My husband loved me (and still does) just the way I am. It sounds trite, but it's true. I've thought about it, and I think this made me realize, "Hey, I can at least try to lose the weight, and if I fail, then I know I'll still be beautiful to him."

I don't follow Atkins anymore, just calorie counting. Although I think low-carb was a great way for me to lose the bulk of my weight because now I make sure I get sufficient amount of protein and fat. I'm not afraid of fat -- I know I need it for my body to function well. I just try to keep it to around 30% of my caloric intake.

Anyway, that's me. I'm glad to be here, and I can't wait to get to know y'all!

Ah yes, the college binge eating...I've definitely been there (my personal favorite was the Arby's roast beef and cheddar, large curly fries and a jamocha shake ). Congrats to you on your progress so far.

It's wonderful that you have a loving, supportive husband; that helps a lot. I gained a lot of weight while dating my boyfriend (I was still chunky when we met) and after I lost weight, I showed him a picture of me at my highest weight. He looked at it with amazement and asked, "was I still dating you then?" And I'm like, yeah, that was last Christmas! He honestly hadn't realized how large I had gotten. It's nice to not have to worry about what your significant other thinks, so you can lose the weight for you.

Take care and good luck!

Hi!

I know about the picture-thing, too! When I think about how big I let myself get, I always think about this one picture: I'm in a formal pink gown that was a size 12 (I think), and I practically had to grease myself down to get into. My face is puffy, my arms are huge, and I definitely had some roll-action going on in the tummy area. Of course I'm standing beside my three skinny-minny sisters who didn't help the presentation much. Sheesh.

I call it the Pepto-Bismol-Nightmare picture.

My husband is wonderful, and it sounds like your boyfriend loves you for just who you are, too. Ain't it great?

I recently got to look at the picture that made me really make my mind up to do something about my weight, and thought I still cringe a little looking at it, I am glad I still have that picture, and I will keep it to look at once in a while. It was the first time I'd worn a swimsuit in years. My best friend coaxed me into one cause she was tired of me not going swimming with her. Then she took a picture of me, and I made her swear to never show it to anyone or post it to the message board she runs online. She didn't, but she did keep it and email it to me a few weeks later. As soon as I saw it, I wanted to cry. It helped me out though. It was very motivating to look at that picture and see how unhealthy I looked. Now I look at it, then look down at me and just smile!

my next goal is only 4 lbs away! I wanted to meet this goal by June 20th (the next time I have to wear a swimsuit), but slow and steady is the way so if it doesn't happen I'll just keep going until it does. Wish me luck!