Thank you for those sites. I checked them both out and found some really great advice. I really think I can stick with this! On the one site I found a recipe for homemade candy - made it tonight and it's not bad...It will take a long time for me to get used to Splenda, Equal and all their counterparts...they seem SO sweet and I can't stand their aftertaste. My girlfriend is the opposite - she thinks, after drinking diet soda for years, that regular soda and things made w/ real sugar are sweeter than sugar substitutes. I don't know about that......

I went "window shopping" in my grocery store this evening. I was surprised to see that they sell Splenda (funny I never noticed it until I started this diet!) I also noticed some things like soy flour (lo carb!), soy milk, and things of that nature that once I get a good cookbook will be really handy staples in my cupboard. I find it such a shame that they don't sell more of those lo-carb items. With all the ethnic food aisles you'd think that a local grocer would start to carry things like lo-carb, diet, WOL food items. What a money-maker that would be, huh? I do believe that I finally have a grasp of the fundamentals of the Atkin's diet. I didn't realize that this was a lifestyle change, not a diet (limited time...)and that's just fine with me. I will go to my local library to get as many of the books as I can. MAybe with more of a selection I can narrow down more easily which diet is best for my lifestyle and will work. I have already lost a couple of pounds which is great but not enough for me to feel that this diet is why. I read alot about cycles, fluctuation on a women's cycle and those types of things. This site has been a wonderful source of information and motivation....Thanks again Doreen (by the way - my oldest sister is a Doreen too - how comforting!)