I am 24 years old and currently living in Berlin, Germany with my longtime wonderful boyfriend, who happens to be Germany. We have lived here now for about 9 months and we love it. I am currently learning German in a language school and writing a fiction novel.

I have struggled with my weight since I first got a mild version of Narcolepsy when I was 9. Since then I've had a lot of weight fluctuation from between 100 pounds to now 175 pounds (current weight, highest ever!). About 2 years ago I was on a special medicine for Narcolepsy that happened to change my metabolism and I lost maybe 15 pounds. However, the med had bad side effects and I had to get off it, however since I stopped it I've gained about 40 pounds and still gaining. So this time I want to give south beach a real go. I've tried and failed to complete the first 2 weeks on it before, but I think I will be able to do it with the help of this forum. My weight has been affecting my self image a lot lately, plus at 5 feet 2 inches 175 is a very unhealthy weight for me, and i think some of my health problems will improve when I lose the weight (back / neck problems, sleep apnea, etc.) plus, with already being tired with the narcolepsy, i'm eager to see if i'll have more energy without the extra weight!