My story is a simple one. In short, 20 years of gorging on fast food and high carb Italian dishes after not eating breakfast or lunch, consuming three pots of coffee, and smoking two to three packs of cigarettes a day left me with a bulbous stomach and man boobs, which I jokingly refer to as 'relaxed pecs'. Oh, and did I mention NO Exercise EVER?!

Despite my atrocious health habits, my cholesterol was normal, blood pressure was low, and doctors consistently commented that had I not told them I smoked, they would never have known following each physical exam.

Then, D-Day hit. October 1st 2003 I was involved in a car accident that slowly destroyed my lower back over a four year period. Needless to say, I ballooned up to 255lbs and stayed there steadily while I underwent a number of 'treatments' and a laser back surgery. Four years later, I finally gave into to back surgery to remove my now dead disc and fuse the vertebrae in my lower back.

My physician told me I would have to get down to a minimum of 180lbs following the surgery to ensure there were no 'mechanical' complications. Whoa, 255lbs to 180lbs. . . a 75lbs weight loss?! It seemed impossible, but I did my research and set out on a low fat, high fiber diet of less than 2,000 calories a day.

I limited myself to controlled portions of fast fooed every ten weeks, ate five small meals a day including oatmeal, picked up the Diet Coke, and started walking a mile a day. According to all the healthy lifestyle propaganda out there I should have dropped 1-2 lbs a week. Totaling a 60lbs weight loss over the course of eight months.

Guess what? Wrong! Over an eight month period I managed to drop a mere 15lbs eating low fat and exercising daily.

During my last post op check up, my doctor tried to shame me about my lack of weight loss by telling me, "Listen. You have to get as skinny as your wife". By the way, she's under 110lbs at 5' 7". Okay. I asked how I was supposed to accomplish this goal when he had placed me on no bending, lifting, or twisting for 12 months. He replied, "It's not rocket since. Eat less, move more". When I told him this is exactly what I had been doing, he shot me an incredulous smile. As if I was a child caught in an obvious lie.

I came home convinced that I would have to save for liposuction to meet his demands. Even my wife commented that there was no way I would ever be able to get below 180lbs; the lowest she had ever seen me was at 210. Then, I remember Atkins as the no-exercise diet of the 1990s. I started researching. Found a copy of the book and read it cover to cover.

I decided was the answer! So I committed to stay on Induction until I lost at least sixty of the eighty-five pounds and started walking an average of 2.5 miles per day.

I started July 29th 2008 at 260lbs. I've had some stalls, but soon discovered some finer points I had overlooked.

Now it is September 8th 2008 and I'm down form 260lbs to 234lbs. That's 25lbs lost in six weeks verses 15lbs in eight months.

I will not stop until I reach my goal weight of 175lbs. And I can't wait to see the look on my wife's and doctor's face when I accomplish it.