Dear AboutTime: If you have lost almost 12 pounds in a month, you are doing amazingly well! Congratulations....the truth , if you start reading many of the posts around here, is that while Atkins was right and a great man, the stories in his books of incredible quick weight loss are pretty much apocryphal.

Slow and steady does win the race. And I, for one, find this a very comfortable WOE....which is, since you ask, "way of eating".

Aside from meeting some marvelous people here, I think the one thing that has impressed and helped me is the advice to drink at least 100 ounces of water a day. Preferably more. I have a hard time doing that, but every time I manage it, two days later I am down a pound. And there seems to be nothing else in my eating pattern to explain it. There are folks here who have tried to explain it over and over (bless them) but it still makes no really logical sense to me.....I am only a believer because my scales seem to prove it true.

Another piece of advice: Start a journal here. Mine is called "We shall See", not because I was questioning my ability to keep eating low carb, but because I was sure I wouldn't be able to keep up a journal. HAH! It keeps growing like Topsy....people here are so very supportive and great fun as well.

Good luck to you....you are off to a terrific start,

Kay