It was March of 2007 and my family and I had just had professional pictures taken. I got those pictures back and could not believe how heavy I had gotten. I wasn't exactly in denial, but I never really thought that I was that overweight. I thought that I carried my weight well.

These pictures were a real eye-opener. I sat looking at those pictures and just started to cry. How on earth had I gotten to this point? What the heck was I going to do about it?

I had already tried all of the "miracle pills" that were on the market. I didn't want to have to commit to an expensive plan where you had to eat special food. A girl that I knew had recently lost 30 pounds so I asked her what she had done to lose the weight. She referred me to the Kimkins website. On June 25, 2007, I made a promise to myself that I would commit to the Regular Kimkins plan and follow it 100% for 1 month. If I didn't see results in that time, I would try something else. The $60.00 wasn't a worry, I'd spent more than that before on those "miracle pills" and exercise machines.

I kept things very simple. I followed the plan to a "T". I didn't venture out and try lots of different recipes. I ate clean and drank a lot of water. After 2 weeks I had already dropped over 15 pounds. I could not believe the results that I was getting. I sat down and figured that if the plan continued to work, that I could possibly be at goal before summer was officially over! Unbelievable!! At the end of the first month on plan I made the decision to continue on my downward slide with Kimkins.

I joined a challenge group and had lots of on-line friends. The last week of September, 2007, I reached my goal of 135 pounds. I lost a total of 52 pounds in just over 3 months.

All of the success I experienced, and the support from the threads, is what kept me motivated. Not a day went by that I didn't check in with my on-line friends. Giving and receiving kind words and pick me ups everyday was a huge key to my success.

I just recently celebrated 1 YEAR ON MAINTENANCE!! I still continue to be an active member of the forums so that I can teach and inspire others to keep it simple and reach for their goal, too.