I’d been overweight since childhood. My German grandmother lived with us and lovingly made sure there was always a home-baked dessert after every meal. Spaghetti and meatballs would be followed by pudding cake; macaroni and cheese would be topped off with a Bavarian cream pie. Carbohydrates and sugar were all we knew, and it showed in our sizes.

By the time I was married, I had tried every diet known to man—diets with tiny portions, low-fat diets, diets with point systems. The story was always the same: I’d follow the plan to the letter, feeling hungry throughout the process; then, the moment I was off the diet, I’d eat everything in sight.

At 40, I threw in the towel. “You’re married. You’ve got three kids. You’re fat. Live with it!” I thought. “No one’s looking at you. Who cares what you look like?”

After August 12, 2002, I started to care. That day I went to my neighborhood bagel shop for lunch. Standing in line, I couldn’t help but notice that the guy ahead of me ordered a scoop of tuna salad and two slices of cheese. “What kind of bagel, sir?” the store owner asked. “No bagel,” the man said. Both the bagel man and I looked puzzled. “What’s wrong with this guy?” I thought. “Who orders tuna and cheese at a bagel store?”

Intrigued, I approached the man. As he paid for his tuna salad, I asked, “What’s the deal with the lunch? This is a bagel store.” First he said that they had fantastic tuna salad, but more importantly, he mentioned that he was doing Atkins. He gave me a quick and dirty overview of the Atkins Nutritional Approach. I was skeptical, but something in me—probably desperation—told me to give it a try. I spent a weekend pouring over Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution. I read the book cover to cover.

The following Monday I started Induction, and in two weeks I lost 11 pounds. I was so thrilled about losing the weight, I barely noticed that I didn’t feel hungry. The hardest part was cooking. Just like my grandmother, I love to make home-cooked meals. And back in 2002, low-carb products were harder to find. But as I moved through the phases, I zeroed in on soy flour and low-carb bread crumbs and came up with my own Atkins-style creations, such as Swiss cheese frittatas and zucchini-onion quiche.

After a year on Atkins—going from a size 24 to a size 12 and losing more than 40 pounds—I was a completely different person. Happy with my appearance, I took a part-time clerical job at my son’s middle school. I shopped for clothes at upscale boutiques instead of discount stores. I even experimented with makeup—something I hadn’t worn since high school.

When my youngest son, Peter, who has Down’s syndrome, brought home a flyer announcing his school’s fund-raiser ball, I marked it on my calendar. I even splurged and bought an expensive red velvet blouse especially for the event.

That night, I stood at the door selling raffle tickets. Me, standing at the door! I felt confident welcoming people to the party. My new lifestyle had changed not only my size, but also my social life. If I hadn’t tried Atkins, I would have sent in money and skipped the ball. I would’ve missed out on meeting Peter’s friends and their families.

1. Read the books. That way, you truly understand what you’re doing and how your body processes different types of foods. When you have the education behind the lifestyle, you’ll think before you make food choices.

2. Realize that you’re never too old or too overweight to invest time in yourself.

3. Be creative, and make up your own low-carb recipes. I’ve become a whiz at counting the carbs in the meals I whip up.

4. Buy clothes that fit you, instead of ones that are too big. And avoid elastic waistbands: Let your clothes tell you when you’re gaining or loosing weight.