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I was a chubby kid up until the age of 6 or 7 then I grew into my weight and stayed slim until college. Then I went away to college. Suny at New Paltz is in the beautiful Hudson Valley about 90 minutes from NYC. The first year I was required to have a meal plan since I lived in the Dormitories. This was all you can eat, no limits on carbohydrates, heaven. Or hell, as it turned out. Second helpings of the entre and sides were a standard for me. 2 desserts also. It didn't help that I discovered beer. By Christmas I was 10 pounds heavier. By the end of Freshman year it was 20.

Since I was paying my own way through college, with summer jobs and working in the cafeteria during school, money was tight. In order to save money Sophomore year, I moved off campus with 3 other guys. Without cafeteria food my weight stabilized at 175. Summer came and the summer job I had lined up fell through. I made what money I could at odd jobs but when I returned to school for Junior year there was little beyond my student loan to pay the way. That first semester I economized as much as I could. But by the beginning of the second semester I had $50 to last the rest of the year. Food was cheap back then but $50 for 15 weeks food and incidentals wasn't much. I ended up losing 35 pounds that semester mostly by not eating for days at a time. When I did eat, it was macaroni and cheese made with water, no butter. At this point my metabolism had taken such a beating from too few calories that I could gain weight very easily.

Graduated college and found a job and my weight continued to climb. I still loved beer and that was the major player in my weight gain. Even if I only drank on the weekends I was a pound or 2 heavier by Monday.

For the next 20 years I went on diet after diet in an effort to get slim. Only once did I manage to lose all the excess weight and keep it off for 3 years. It was low calorie and low fat and in those 3 years I was hungry most of the time. A dozen diets after and I'd lose for 6 months and then backslide and gain every pound plus more. In 1985 I weighed 233 pounds and dieted to lose 54 pounds. The death of my mother that year had me eating everything in sight. Of course I gained most of it back. Then I quit smoking and gained 60 pounds in 4 months.

This was the first time I ever reached 300 pounds. Did an extremely low fat diet and I lost the 60 pounds. I was eating so little fat (less than 10 grams a day) that I developed a skin rash on my hands and I went off that diet. I continued in this pattern until 1998 when my Doctor recommended Protein Power to lose weight. I bought the book and happily started their plan. I was amazed at how rapidly I lost weight and without being hungry. I stuck to it for 18 months. Had my share of stalls, one lasted 6 months. Then homemade pizza called my name and I was a goner. Yes, when I quit smoking I replaced that habit with bread making. My homemade pizzas were incredible. Brie and crab with pancetta on a one inch thick crust was one of my favorites. Now you see why I gained the 60 pounds.

My 2003 New Years resolution was to lose weight. As every resolution had been on every New years for 25 years. But by a stroke of luck I found lowcarbeating the second day of this diet. When I logged in I was amazed at all the great information that was there. Many things I had never heard about. That day I went into the chat room and Emelia, a moderator, was there. She just about threw a fit about all my bad ideas for low carbing. I had told her I had kidney beans for dinner the night before because I didn't want to waste the food I had on hand. She insisted I give away all my bad carb food. And I did that and I haven't looked back. Here I am at one year on this website and on my Low carb woe and I'm 80 pounds lighter. I seriously doubt I would have been as successful without this website. Thanks Andrea.

Protein Power: The High-Protein/Low-Carbohydrate Way to Lose Weight, Feel Fit, and Boost Your Health--in Just Weeks! author: Michael R. Eades,Mary Dan Eades asin: 0553380788