AFTER - 106 pounds
May 2005
BEFORE - 140+ pounds, size 10
Fall 1999
NYC - top photo, in front of the WTC
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October 2005 - Oklahoma City
Another sweaty session of treadmill-walking!
(Cardio is 20-25 min. a day, 3 days a week;
Weights 40 min. a day, 2-3x/week.)
April 2004 - Dallas, Texas
April 29th, 2005
Visiting a friend in Edmond, Oklahoma
July 30th, 2004
Dallas, Texas
June 2, 2006 - Plano, Texas
After a lovely dinner at a friend's
wedding reception
June 18th, 2006
After church
August 16th, 2006
Florida
Labor Day 2006 - Dallas
A little difficult to find restaurants to get out
of the rain - hmph, they were all closed!
September 2006
Chuck's in Plano, Texas
Copyright SugarFreeSheila.com © 2001 - 2012
March 2007
On a Caribbean cruise, heading
towards Montego Bay ...
Spring 2007
Mexico - 110 lbs
July 4th, 2007 - Frisco, Texas
After a nice rare filet & veggies, with a wedge salad
with bleu cheese dressing on the side to start.  I
wasn't too crazy about the awful high-noon shadows,
but decided to include this one anyway!
September 3rd, 2007 - NYC
On the Staten Island Ferry
I bought this dress at a street fair in the
Village the day before. You can't try anything
on, so you have to really eyeball everything!
August 3rd, 2008
Though it was 107º and I hadn't planned
on taking photos this day, I changed my
mind when I passed this quaint little spot.
Summer 2006
Florida - 110 lbs
October 2008
Curaçao - 109 lbs
November 25th, 2008 - Barcelona, Spain
In Montjuïc
November 28th, 2008 - Casablanca, Morocco
At the Hassan II Mosque  
December 2008 - Roseau, Dominica
About to board the Rainforest Aerial Tram in
Morne Trois Pitons National Park
February 15th, 2009
In front of Barnes & Noble in Addison, Texas
After eating at my favorite restaurant, Houston's.  
My bag is full of loot from a really impressive
Ulta haul (I never leave with a plastic bag).
June 5th, 2009
For her 11th birthday, I took Sassy to a
quaint little gazebo for a few pictures, but the
camera went dead after the very first shot of
us, right after this one was taken.  
Fortunately, it turned out halfway decent, &
can be found elsewhere on the website.
July 17th, 2009
January 2010 - Cairo, Egypt
Atop the Salah El-Din (Saladin)
Citadel, outside the Mohamed Ali
Alabaster Mosque.
MY STATS & ATKINS STORY - AT AN IDEAL-WEIGHT GOAL SINCE LATE 2001
Before - Summer 2001                                     Now - Winter 2012
Height:  5'3" (1.6m)                                             Height:  5'2" to almost 5'3" (1.6m) - depends on who measures me!
Dress size:  10 (a U.K. 14)                                 Dress size:  0's or 1's (a U.K. 4-6 or Euro 34) - or anywhere from a 0, 1, or sometimes 2 in jeans
Measurements:  39-30-39 (99-76.2-99 cm)   Measurements:  36-23½-36 (or 90-60-90 cm)                                   
Weight:  141 (63.9kg / 10 stone)                         Weight:  110 (49.66 kg / 7.82 stone)
Shoe Size:  6 (Euro 36 / 3½ U.K.)                       Shoe Size:  4½-5  (Euro 35 / U.K. 2-2½)
Body Fat:  Not measured until making goal.       Body fat:  13.92%   
BMI Before:  25 ("Overweight" Range)            BMI After:  19 ("Normal" Range)  Resting Heart Rate (RHR):  55 bpm

My name is Sheila - otherwise known in the low-carb world as "Sugar Free Sheila."  You've heard about what I do, and here is where you can read a bit about who I am
and what I'm about.  I've been at this SFS.com thing for a decade!

After living in NYC (Manhattan's Upper-West Side) for a while and graduating university there summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, I relocated back to my
hometown of Dallas, Texas where I have lived ever since.

Never was I able to lose weight by restricting calories and/or fat grams - even with regular treadmill-walking exercise, which I have done consistently since the age of
10.  I had attempted a multitude of programs, each for months at a time; every possible variation of calories under 2,000 with every possible variation of cardio yielded
no results for me.  I gave SlimFast a shot, as well as the Blood Type Diet (which recommended vegetarian, high-carbohydrate eating for my blood type of A positive),
and even tried the vague "everything in moderation"/portion-control method.  None of these programs or techniques took an ounce or an inch off my medium-boned
5'2"-5'3" frame (my doctor refers to me as "moderately petite") - and even with all of my struggling and dedication, I never had anything to show for my stringent
efforts.  In fact, I was almost envious of the yo-yo dieters ... because at least they had a taste of weight loss success to begin with!  Having said this, I must illustrate
here that motivation has never been something I lacked - I possess drive and ambition in all areas of my life like no one else I know.  But up until 2001, I didn't find what
worked for me.  I honestly felt  that I was doomed to carry around extra weight forever:  maybe I was just meant to be this way.  

Though I had maintained a weight in the 130s & a size 8 (still a bit too heavy for someone so short) in high school, I had gotten up to the 140's thereafter, with my
highest weight ever being 150.  Before I knew it, I was shopping for size 10/12!  Well, since I'd discovered through the years that pasta rather bloated me, it suddenly
occurred to me to start eliminating it, along with bread with dinner, crackers, and to eat mostly vegetables with the same amount of meat I had always consumed
(I've never been a big meat eater).  By as soon as the very next morning, I immediately felt better & more energetic.  I ran out & bought the book, read it from cover to
cover, and started Atkins that very night.  It must have been a sign from God Himself, because I was a half a pound lighter by the next morning, and I couldn't believe
my eyes when I stepped on the scale.  That was over 30 pounds ago!  Amazingly enough, I found on Atkins that I actually almost doubled my caloric intake - while
keeping the same treadmill-walking exercise regime I had always done - and that it ultimately took only the elimination of unhealthy starches and sugars to finally get
the 30+ pounds and 5 dress sizes off 5 months later that inflicted me with stubborn drumstick arms, back fat, upper-inner-thigh rub, those loathsome tummy rolls,
and kept me forever in one-piece swimsuits.  After a trip to Century 21 in downtown Manhattan January 2002, I wore my first bikini ever on a cruise in Aruba.  So
emancipating that was to have finally found my ace in the hole through Atkins.

I love eating this way - and most importantly?  My mission in life in 2001 became sharing my story about Atkins and showing others looking for a way to get healthy
and slim that losing weight successfully, safely, and keeping it off permanently can be done without the nuisance of calorie and fat-restriction.  So, if you are
attempting Atkins, and have already read the Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution book as well as through my Atkins FAQ & User Agreement, and have signed up for
SFS Weekly Access, I am happy to help you in whatever way I can  !NOTE!:  If you also have a BlackBerry & have already signed up for the aforementioned SFS Weekly
Access, did you know that you can text me unlimited via BlackBerry Messenger?  This is great if you are in the U.S. but do not have an Unlimited text plan, or are
outside the U.S. & wish to text me without any insane fees.  More info here.  
December '10 Edit:  Check out the free PingChat app on your phone!  Regardless of whether you have a Palm, iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, whatever - it's free chat
worldwide and universally available.  Again, all I ask is that the Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution book & my full Atkins FAQ have all been read first, & you've already
signed up for SFS Weekly Access.  That's where we start.  
** Please also note that just as with my Facebook and BlackBerry Messenger, contacts who do not communicate with me or who show themselves as not having
already read the book & my FAQ will be deleted. I've always been very upfront about this.  If it's worth it to you to have read the above prior to contacting me with
questions, then it's worth it to me to spend my time helping you.**

So, who's paying me to do all of this?  Nobody.  Not only that, I pay to keep this website up myself.  I have no affiliations, don't beg my visitors for site donations, I have
no endorsements, and I am not paid a red cent by any organization or company.  SFS.com is my way of paying it forward.  Every aspect of this website is courtesy of
me and me alone.  No contributors, no webmaster, I have no HTML savvy - which explains why SFS.com doesn't look like the Apple website.  It shouldn't!  
Additionally, I cannot put into words the thrill I get when hearing from all of you from all around the world - the Commonwealth Realm, Africa, Europe, Asia, Latin
America, the Caribbean, Canada - and I love hearing from all over the U.S., too.  But wherever you are around the globe:  if you need help with anything this website
covers. All I ask is that you are already sold on the program, have already read the Atkins book, my full Atkins FAQ, and User Agreement.  I've been helping
people on the house via my website since late 2001 - that's where we start.

BUT . . . IS ATKINS UNHEALTHY?
Thrilled you asked.  Check out my cholesterol profile.  Now have I gotten your attention?

Believe it or not, I used to be adamantly anti-Atkins.  Like most people who have not read the book, I foolishly assumed it was all about not exercising and eating
nothing but meats and cheeses - and boy, am I eating my words now!  Because YES, you eat tons of vegetables (just not starchy ones like peas, corn, and potatoes),
YES, you do eat low-glycemic fruits, and YES, you even eat some whole grains (just be choosy and eat the most fibrous ones).  As far as the tired - and most
importantly, unfounded - "kidney disease" & "elevated cholesterol" arguments and accusations go, this only applies to those who go about the way of eating
incorrectly - and if one is not following Atkins, then it is essential to acknowledge the fact that Atkins could not possibly be to blame for their folly.  What many
unfortunately do not understand about Atkins is that it is not a high-protein diet, but a low-carbohydrate way of life.  Those who gorge on protein do so
entirely of their own accord. (I consume meat only once or twice a day as I also enjoy yogurt, nut butters, etc., and vegetables are the mainstay of my diet.)  Just
being able to eat at any restaurant with complete ease and comfort is such a delight with the Atkins lifestyle. As you inch closer toward your personal goal weight, you
will find that there are all sorts of vitamin-enriched, low-carb shake mixes to enjoy on the run, low-carb cheesecakes and desserts to bake, low-carb pastas (e.g.,
Shirataki noodles) . . . the list of goodies to enjoy on occasion is endless.  The truth is:  anything and everything can be duplicated into low carb.

Interested in losing weight by doing low-carb, but don't know where to start?  Well, click here to check out my extensive Atkins FAQ, which covers a lot of preliminary
issues which might be keeping you on the fence.  Also, get started on grocery shopping with the Atkins Induction list, straight from the text.  Consider trying out a few
of my original low-carb recipes I created myself along the way.  The Atkins Startup Package is also available.  Allow me to be a relatable guide to get you started - I'll
help you out!  Once you have already read the book, through my FAQ, and have signed up for SFS Weekly Access, feel free to e-mail , IM (username is
"SugarFreeSheila" for pretty much everything), or text me for help.  I'm also on Facebook - and Facebook & Twitter are the only two means where my help remains
free.  Active members only, please, and my private Facebook is available only to those who've already taken the time to read Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, my full
FAQ, & User Agreement.  Again, that's where we start.  I look very forward to hearing from you.  Happy Low-Carbing!
February 2011 - Dallas
November 2010
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - 110 lbs
9 years at goal
Thanksgiving 2010
At the opposite extreme of the photo at
above-left, it had dipped to the 30s ... and it
was 82 the day before.  Bikinis to parkas.
That is Dallas for you.
December 2010
Sailing out of Costa Maya, Mexico
July 2011
Waiting for my burgers at the new
In-N-Out in Dallas.  I always get two
Protein-Style Double Doubles.  
Love this place.
Christmas Eve 2011
Shopping for media room furniture.  
This is comfy, but I need something
dark with little cupholders!