I was 40 years old when I first picked up the book and purchased my copy of The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program (CALP). Over the years I gained more than I lost and my yo-yo dieting caused my weight to soar to a high of 236 lbs. When I started reading the book, I just knew they were talking about me. I was shocked to hear that there were people exactly like me that could not control what they were eating. I knew better than to eat ice cream every night, but I was unable to control myself when it came time to leave it alone. I knew better than to grab a candy bar in the afternoon, but sometimes I did it anyway. I knew that I was gaining weight and my clothes were getting tight, but the only thing that mattered to me was the satisfaction of eating chocolate. I can't blame my weight entirely on chocolate because I have always enjoyed food and overindulged in that area too.

When I began the program I was surprised how satisfying and easy it was for me to do. It was hard to believe that I could lose weight eating the foods that I loved and not deprive myself of the foods I could not live without. I had no problem eating protein and vegetables for my Complementary Meals and was surprised when I was no longer craving chocolate.

I am always motivated when I begin my diets and have done very well in the beginning of all of them. With this program I just knew I could do it long term because it continued to be easy for me. I stayed on the program for eight months and lost over 50 lbs., when I experienced a stall in my weight loss. I became frustrated with the scale not moving, and since I was totally focussed on losing weight as fast as I could, I thought changing to the Atkins Diet was the answer to my problem.

When I began the Atkins Diet I wanted to continue to lose weight and tried very hard to succeed. Over a short period of time I was feeling deprived and reverted back to my old habits of eating carbohydrates, and that was the end of that diet. My biggest mistake was not getting back on CALP, and it may take me some time, but I do learn from my mistakes.

With any diet the key to success is to be able to stay on the plan. I was successful with CALP in the past, knew this was the right plan for me, but I was unable to get in the right frame of mind to get started again. It took me seven years to balloon back up to the size I was before I started this plan in the first place. I could no longer get into the largest pair of jeans I owned and was too stubborn to go and buy a larger size. The only clothes I was able to wear were nylon sweat pants and T-shirts. I felt much better leaving the house when I could wear a jacket to cover my expanding waistline. My husband never hesitated to show his affection for me in public, and I was the one that was embarrassed for him, because of the way I looked.

I had a lot of things going on in my life and decided it was time for me to get started on my weight loss plan and begin feeling better about myself. I refused to step on a scale for two years and had no idea what I weighed when I began this program again. My way of thinking was because the scale was the reason for me stopping in the first place, I didn't want anything to do with it this time.