Age 38- December 10, 2004- Me at my top weight of 333 pounds. Bulging above and below the belt.
In Spring 2007 I joined a gym to use the pool and cross-country ski machine. I lost 40 pounds.
In Summer 2007 I gave up the gym membership for financial reasons.
On Christmas of that year, I set into motion priorities to exercise and use Atkins to accomplish a goal...
I wanted to lose 100 pounds, from my highest weight of 333 pounds, to reach 233 by Christmas 2008.

December 25, 2007- No, I did not weigh one pound. The correct reading is 301 pounds. No, the scale is not small. My feet are size 18.

December 25, 2007- Me and my 301 pounds on the treadmill, walking one mile after stretching. Made mental plans to buy the right foods. It was a start. Claimed a familiar mantra for my weight loss journey and this journal. It is so simple that even on a carbohydrate-deprived morning, feeling the induction flu, my brain can comprehend and my will can follow:

December 29, 2007
Told my wife I was starting Atkins again, on January 1, 2008. I am an extreme carnivore and eat very few vegetables and fruits, so Atkins suits my preferences, but I recall a few years ago, when I lost 40 pounds on Atkins, that regularity becomes a problem, if all one eats is meat and cheese. Can you say hemorrhoids? Of course, those who have actually read the book know that a 'meat and cheese' menu is neither recommended nor condoned by Atkins, contrary to news reporters who fail to read the book prior to reporting on it. I went shopping with my wife and picked up a few veggies from the acceptable foods list, foods that I already know I could stomach. I will try them over the first week of induction. I have added incentive to living Atkins for six months nose-to-the-grindstone and then taking stock. My knees are killing me. I look fat. I am fat. I cannot hide this double-chin with any pose. I have no energy after essential marital activities. This is bad. I also recall, from my first Atkins experience, that my failure was precipitated by a lack of food alternatives and a weak choice to crash Atkins with a bread binge. Four years have passed, and the availability of recipes for acceptable, documented food alternatives has skyrocketed. I am drawing up menus for each meal, to reduce the excuses that will accompany withdrawal symptoms upon approach of, and entry into, ketosis. I am plugged into adbb daily for support. My wife is not onboard with me at this time, as she is content with my being fat (huh?). I will be doing my own cooking, which is fine for me because I know the menu will be followed to my standards and I won't miss meals. I am now stretching and walking daily about a mile, usually in the mornings so as to reduce excuses that tend to pop up later in the day. I walk with a slight incline on the treadmill, to slow the speed while maintaining the work load on my body. I also started performing situps, legups and pushups and, as of today, perform one set of 18 reps for each exercise. I increase the number of reps when I can increase them for all exercises. I hope to recover a set of weighted dumbbells loaned to a friend, to add biceps and shoulders to the areas worked out. That is all for today, Atkineers.

December 31, 2007
Went shopping for Atkins-friendly cooking supplies and to fill up the fridge for my first month of menus. Stayed faithful to the acceptable food list. Re-read adbb sections on food substitutes, to deal with cravings. Have almost memorized the recipe for a mock danish. The fridge and freezer are now full, with my wife's carb foods next to my Atkins-approved foods. I repeat...