Hi Tasha,

I'm hardly a pro, to put it mildly. I haven't even read the book, just used the guidelines on atkins.com.

For me, I focused on all the things which appealed to my sense of vanity. For instance, I'd compare and contrast daily on how much better I look in a smaller size suit than a large one. I tried to envision and remember how good I felt and looked when I was slender. If you focus on the end results, then the sacrifices along the journey to what you so dearly covet no longer seems so daunting or ominous a task.

Finally, for me, I needed to realize the concept of "lifetime abstinence" is a completely unrealistic conceptually. I can't imagine spending the next 40 years of my life never again tasting sugar, cake, ice cream, italian pastries, freshly baked baguettes, or any of those high carb things. I realize there is give and take, but I also realize foreswearing them for an eternity is neither practical nor desirable, for me. Instead, lose the weight first, then slowly enjoy them in moderation during maintenance. See what happens then. For me, having a little of what I miss keeps the large binges at bay, which is ultimately what derails our efforts in keeping weight equilibrium.

No one ever got fat with a cup of ice cream, a slice of cake, or a plate of pasta. It's only when we have 5 cups of ice cream, 5 slices of cake, and a pound of pasta everyday that we get fat.

Just my views,

Frederick