Background-I went on the South Beach Diet on New Years Day 2004, Age 26. I'm roughly 5'2" and I started at 160 lbs. Not very many months later, I was down in the 120s. Holy crap. So my doctor hadn't seen me, and I wanted to check my cholesterol since it had been crazy high the year before. I don't remember the number but it was up in the 240 range, I think. I'd never had high cholesterol before, but I had never been THAT heavy either.
So the doc walks in does a double take at me and throws me on the scale. His scalle adds 8 lbs, but so what! He takes down all the info on the South Beach Diet, and may recommend it to his other patients pending the results of my cholesterol levels.
Two days later he calls me and leaves this message:
"Hi Susan, its your doctor. So, I'm sitting here looking at your lab results. You're not going to believe this, but your cholesterol is not only lower, its just plain low. Your levels are NORMAL! Go have a cheeseburger. You earned it!"

Then he helped me quit smoking. June 5 was my last cigarette, I gained about 15 lbs back, but am down 5.
Starting weight 160
Lowest recent weight 123
Current weight 135 (bleh)
Goal weight 115 ish