This article was originally featured on WomansHealth.comGrowing up, I was always overweight. I never exercised, and I found most of my comfort through food — and not the healthy stuff; my diet was carbs, carbs and more carbs. I loved pasta, bread and potatoes.But, while I spent most of my life overweight, I also spent that time wanting to lose weight. Taking the steps to do so, though, always seemed overwhelming. When I had my children, I hoped that they'd be naturally thin like their father — for my son, that turned out to be true; but my daughter began growing into a body type similar to mine. I was teased and uncomfortable in my body growing up, and I didn't want her to go through that same experience. I knew I needed to learn how to lose weight so I could teach my daughter how to eat healthy. Another thing that prompted my weight-loss commitment: After divorcing my husband, I plunged back into the dating game, but I was incredibly disappointed with how I looked. Around this time, I also moved in with my dad and stepmom, who mentioned she had done the Atkins diet years ago. She said it helped her, so I decided to give it a try — that was in February 2017.I was surprised at how easy it was to follow the Atkins diet. The plan focuses on counting carbohydrates (healthy, fiber-rich ones), while still getting adequate protein and healthy fats. It's also broken up into four phases: Phase one allows 20 grams of net carbs a day and it increases with each phase after that. While you can eat a wide range of things on Atkins — as long as it stays within the carb limitations — Atkins also has their own line of low-carb foods made specifically for the diet. These Atkins-approved foods made following the plan even easier. I knew if I was having a hard time figuring out what to have for dinner or a snack, Atkins had my back.Here's what a typical day on the Atkins diet looked like:Breakfast: a few slices of bacon and two eggs sprinkled with low-carb cheese.Lunch: a salad with lots of veggies and homemade ranch dressing (a mix of mayo and low-carb powder seasoning).Dinner: chicken with a big mix of veggies like mushrooms, peppers, and onions.Snacks: cheese sticks or Atkins candies. I knew I had to work out to lose weight too — but the gym didn't appeal to me. I started walking instead. I have a very long driveway — it's about a quarter-mile long, so each time I walked up and back equated to half a mile. I started walking back and forth on the driveway four to eight times a day — that amounted to two to four miles daily.Exercising made a huge difference: I not only started losing weight quicker, but I also felt myself getting stronger and more toned. Seeing those changes in my body was all the motivation I needed to stick to my Atkins diet and exercise regimen. And even though Atkins turned out to be a diet I could stick with, it wasn't necessarily easy. Snacking is still a major temptation for me, so I make sure to carry around healthy snacks (like the cheese sticks and Atkins candies I love) so I don't fall for gas station treats. And, with two kids to take care of, I have to make time to get in a workout — that means early in the morning before they wake up or well after they go to bed. Losing weight has finally made me feel happy with myself — something I haven't felt in a long time. I can take photos now and actually look at them without being embarrassed. Of course, I feel better and have more energy for my kids too, but it all adds up to feeling happy and comfortable in my own skin.Weight loss isn't a one-time thing — you can't revert back to your old diet once you lose the weight and expect to not gain the weight back. Instead of being just a diet, Atkins taught me how to change my lifestyle — now, I can pass on my newfound healthy eating habits to my kids so they don't have to go through what I went through.