You know what, I think that going on the atkins WOE, doing induction, where you get off of all of the habits and addictions you have for rubbish food and eating the combination of food you have to eat whilst on it actually changes your brain somehow.
The amount of people I've heard (including myself) say Oh no I could never do the atkins diet because I am a carb addict, I LOVE carbs far too much to ever deny myself them...and then once on the diet their views suddenly change...just like that, almost overnight - they become a real atkins dieteer!
I think it must be a chemical change in the brain.

As for family not understanding....well, they don't have to understand, you're doing thid for you, so just ignore silly comments - that's what i do!!