I am a stay at home mom with 8 children ranging from 17 years down to 18 months.

If you consider that most women retain 10 pounds per child you can imagine why I needed to lose weight. It is that last 10 pounds that just never goes away and it just kept adding up after each baby. After my last one I decided it was time for me to be healthy and look good to boot. I was tired of looking and feeling like a frumpy housewife and not being able to move due to join pain. I knew I could do better for myself. After a visit to my doctor, he told me that if I lost weight the pain would get better, I knew I deserved better! When a friend suggested Kimkins I thought, “I can do that!”

You might think that with a family you can’t possibly get them to eat your “diet food” but this is just adjusting the food we already eat. I let them eat the carbs with food I prepared for me and have wonderful dinners. Totally doable. We had, and still have, yo-yo nights(you’re on your own) where they get to eat whatever they want and it keeps them happy and mom gets to continue to lose and I am happy. And everyone knows “If Mom ain’t happy, then no one’s happy”

It took me 7 months because I took off a month for surgery and a month for Christmas (shhh!) Holidays. Following the surgery I did not gain any weight because I followed it with a high fiber diet as per Dr’s orders, and none at Christmas either because I limited the carb intake. I didn’t overindulge. That is key.

My friends and family have been shocked and amazed at my weight loss and transformation. They claim I am happier. Hmmm, go figure. I can now wear the same size clothes as my teen-age daughter … in some cases even smaller! She hates it that I can go shopping in her closet.

OH! And the new clothes. Actually, if you have had kids you know the routine of putting the clothes in the closet until after the pregnancy and never being able to get back into them. I just kept storing them, HOPING that I would some day get back into them. Well, today is that day. I got all the boxes out and got a whole new wardrobe from my own closet. A lot of them I couldn’t even wear because they were too BIG!!! So I got a whole new wardrobe without even leaving my closet! How fun is that?

My husband was very supportive during my weight loss journey and even made up a few low carb recipes. Check out the Egg White Enchiladas. They are fantastic.

I met some awe-inspiring and amazing women on the forums that I will call friends for the rest of my life. That was a bonus I didn’t expect but will always be grateful for.

Thank you Kimmer! For the weight loss, my new body, my new outlook on life and for all my wonderful new friends.

Note: Carolyn recently experienced a traumatic family problem and regained some pounds. She's posting in the old timers "Hotties" challenge group to drop those extra pounds.