Hi Pam,

I started with approximately 185 pounds to lose, although my goal weight still leaves me in the "overweight" category on the official weight charts, so if I was totally honest I'd probably say I had closer to 200 pounds to lose.

Here's my answer to your first question:

I actually don't know exactly what I weighed when I started low carbing last July. My doctor's scale only went up to 350 and I was above that. 360, which is what I entered in my profile, is only an estimate and I think I may well have been closer to 370. My bathroom scale only went up to 330.

I started low carbing in July and did not weigh again until mid or late September when I happened to be in a place with a doctor's scale that went up to 350. I decided to try the scale and found that I was at 335. A few weeks after that I started being able to weigh myself on my bathroom scale.

For the first couple of months I just took it on faith that low carbing was working for me. I had tried everything else except weight loss surgery, so I had no other alternatives. I could tell that for the first time since I could remember I was not hungry all the time and I was eating less than I had been. At a minimum, I figured that by eating less I was at least halting the constant weight gain that had plagued me for the past 15 or 20 years. I also had more energy and just felt healthier. These things, combined with the fact that I was at the end of my rope and had no other alternatives, kept me going.

If you are interested, you can read the first entry in my journal which summarizes my first few months of low carbing (I didn't start the journal until I had already been doing this for four months).

Here's my answer to your second question:

When I started low carbing, the only exercise I could do was in the water. My knees and back could not handle my weight well enough to allow me to do any exercise that involved standing. Fortunately for me, I have always been a lap swimmer and even at my heaviest weight I swam regularly. I gradually added walking into my exercise routine as my weight began to drop and walking is now my primary exercise. (I walk for 50 minutes to an hour, four to six days a week.) I am now starting to experiment with somewhat more strenuous exercise -- a little bike riding and jogging a few steps here and there during my walks. I'm also including more hills in my walks -- when I first started walking I tried to find the most level routes and now I try to find hilly routes that challenge me more.

If you really want inspiration about exercising while at a high weight, click here for Quiggley's journal. She started low carbing when she weighed about 570 and started water exercise when she weighed around 450. She now weighs around 330.

Here's my answer to your third question:

I don't think I've had any weird reactions to the way I eat. When I started low carbing, I did not tell anyone except my husband that I was changing the way I was eating. I had to tell him, because he is the main cook and grocery shopper in our household. He was very concerned about the impact of my weight on my health and was therefore very supportive of the changes I was making. He read all the articles I was reading that led me to make the decision to low carb, so he understood the science behind this way of eating. I am very fortunate to be married to such a kind, understanding man. Most people in my life now know how I am eating because they have noticed my weight loss and asked. Given my success (losing 80+ pounds and four clothing sizes is pretty noticeable), they cannot react any way except positively.