Don't worry; I haven't thrown in the towel. This photo is a decade old.

I'll probably post some more Before shots at some point. I was a size 12 at this time (some 12's I couldn't even wear), and I'll share the story behind this ridiculous outfit ...

Since I foolishly brought only dresses and dress shoes on this first-time trip to NYC, I remember my now-husband ran out to get me several pairs of jeans and shorts, all size 10 (when at the time I was busting out of many 12's), so of course I couldn't squeeze into any of them - which explains the bizarre choice of workout shorts & sneaks here. While I was happy and confident as a *person*, my body completely frustrated me. Even an hour's worth of daily cardio coupled with eating low-fat and keeping calories well below 2,000 had me stuck at this size - and as a result, I often defaulted to gym wear because nothing body-conscious fit or looked right.

I found Atkins 2 years later. Turns out all I had to do was eliminate the sugars and starches - and boom, the weight was off in 5 months. That was 6 dress sizes ago!