Hi! I'm Nina ... of the LoCarb Di-nah! That's me on the right when I weighed 160 lbs.

Ruth got me into this. I was whining about my bulging mid-section as I stuffed myself into size 16 jeans, and Ruth said she knew just what I needed to do. While I was complaining about my double chin, she told me about this weird Atkins diet where you get to eat meat and cheese and butter and eggs. I told her I was tired and hungry and grumpy all the time; she told me I needed to stop eating bread and rice, potatoes and pasta. She offered to do all the shopping and cooking to keep us both on a Low Carb diet, but I continued to whine about macaroni, toast and French fries. She said I could lose weight – and feel great – eating chicken wings, steak & salad, ham & eggs. I said, "That can't be – it's full of fat!" She said, "Here, read this book."

Well, I never did read the book – I'm much too busy for that. But I did listen to the book-on-tape in my car on the way to work! It sounded so logical, but I still wasn't ready to commit to major changes in my eating habits. (I was such a big baby!) Ruth started cookin’ and I started buying appliances. We bought a freezer, a hand drink mixer, an electric meat slicer, and a Ronco Rotisserie. We arranged to have tasty spring water delivered to the house. All I had to do was eat what Ruth put in front of me. She fixed me protein shakes and delicious ham & cheese roll-ups. She fed me Atkins supplements. She taught me about ketosis, and she even got me to test my urine! She made sure we had a steady supply of protein bars in pockets and glove compartments and in our desk drawers at work.

Eventually, I started noticing that I was feeling better! That was my first clue that there might be something to this. I found out I actually liked chicken caesar salads without the croutons. Then I noticed the pounds coming off – and I wasn't even hungry! We switched to Diet Rite Cola to get away from aspartame. We switched to decaf coffee, and I didn't even get those caffeine-withdrawal headaches this time! Oh, and the trips to the mall! I got to go out and buy new clothes in size 14, then size 12, then size 10.

Next, we found a low-carb dieters' support group on the Internet and attended several local potlucks and restaurant gatherings. This is when we found out about the chocolate candy bars! We also tasted microwave cheese crisps and crustless cheesecake for the first time. (Thanks, Anne!) In restaurants, we practiced asking for broccoli, coleslaw, or cottage cheese as substitutions for potatoes or rice. We ordered steaks! We learned to say, "hold the croutons" and "take away those dinner rolls, but leave the butter, please." We asked for real cream for our (decaf) coffee.

Forty pounds lighter and sporting new size 6 outfits, I had to switch over to "maintenance mode" lest I would disappear. (Ho-hum.) Well, actually, this was hard for me to do because by this time I had discovered I am so incredibly carb-sensitive. If I'm not careful (which I often am not), I can transport myself into a miserable period of angry, short-tempered depression. It's so cool to know now that that angry person isn't really me, and I can make "her" go away by not feeding her carbs! So I've had to phase in a few carbs in very limited doses. I have to snack between meals – on bars and shakes, nuts, and candy! I still call it "cheating" when I have an occasional light beer, or a slice of low carb bread from our bread machine. And, yes, I do occasionally reach over to someone else's plate for a French fry or a spoonful of fried rice. (I'm still such a baby!)

OK. Here's our current picture. Nina gets to call this her "after" picture, but Ruth says hers is "progress toward goal."

Hello, this is Ruth. (And that's the truth!) I'm on the left, weighing more than I care to admit. Life just isn't fair. I do all the work, but Nina loses 40 pounds? She gets to look great and feel great and buy new clothes. I'm one of the unlucky ones – I'm insulin-resistant. I always eat small portions and I almost never "cheat" but ketosis eludes me. Actually, I have lost about 35 pounds, but I've been at this a lot longer, and I seem to start gaining whenever I go off of "induction." I am happy to say that I am at my goal weight and have a great metabolism with the help of the many low carbohydrate, sugar-free foods, snacks and drinks found locally and on our site!

Last October, our friend Vici invited us to attend the Whole Foods Expo in Washington, DC. This was a trade show for owners of Health Food stores. We went along to look for healthy, environmentally-friendly backpacking items for the camping gear website we had at the time. What we found instead was an incredible number of wholesale distributors of high-protein and low-carb products. The idea for the LoCarbDiner was born that day.

We have been having such fun trying out new products so that we can tell you about them! We have added pancakes and pasta to our menu. I bake Dixie Diner blueberry muffins and Fran Gare's brownies for Nina. I pack our lunches every weekday, and I can make them look like lunch boxes from the 60s when I put in a turkey sandwich, a baggie of cheese crisps, a Ross chocolate bar, and a Diet Rite or Hansen's soda.

Nina and I are so excited about bringing you these products to help you reach and maintain your goal weight. There's nothing like feeling great and looking great and enjoying eating again! Best wishes to all of you. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you on your journey. We hope our stories will inspire you to keep on keepin’ on, and we hope you'll share your stories with us by posting to our LoCarbDiner Bulletin Board.

You can also reach us anytime at information@locarbdiner.com or leave us a message for call back on 1-888-451-4719 (Toll-Free) / (240) 595-6504 (Local-Maryland/DC).