like you, i was seriously freaked out when starting atkins. i was terrified of eating fat and meat and things that i had always considered "unhealthy," because i, like most people, got my nutrition education in today's low-fat/high-sugar world. plus, i go to school with a lot of nursing and nutrition students who are ALL anti-atkins/anti-fat, and very pro-low-fat. (do they not realize there's SUGAR in low-fat stuff?). so i would hear a ton of negativity about atkins and low-carb plans in general and be lectured by nutrition teachers and nursing students that atkins was unhealthy and i was damaging my liver and yadda yadda yaddda...this from people who've never read the book or done any independent research, but have gleaned their information from a 2-minute blip on 60 seconds. er, anyway, sorry to rant...

it honestly took a lot of courage for me to start atkins, as i was so scared i'd gain weight from the fat and meat! so i did my research. i read the book many times, i researched medical writings, talked to people on atkins, and of course i found this forum. i must have posted a zillion times to the forum asking if it was *really* okay to eat fat. people must have thought i was simple, but the folks here are great and are an excellent source of information. and in my studies at school i've learned more about the biochemistry behind atkins and it really does make sense.

so...keep the book handy and refer to it when you have doubts. scour this forum and ask questions about absolutely anything you are unsure of. so long as you stick to atkins faithfully, you should do great. heck, i've lost weight and i've been heavy ALL my life. i never thought i'd be able to shop in the "normal" section, instead of the plus size section, but here i am, racking up the credit card bill! so if i can do it, anyone can!

some tips from me: keep a food diary! write down everything you eat and the carb count. it really puts it all in perspective when you can see day by day what you're eating. fitday.com is good for this.

only weigh once a week, max! weighing every day is gonna drive you crazy, trust me.

and, if you really want proof of how you're doing, i would suggest that you see your physician and get a baseline blood panel done, including blood sugar, cholesterol, liver, and renal panels. and then after about a month or two, get another blood panel done and compare your test results. when my doc got my post-atkins results back, she practically flipped out with joy. everything was normal for once! i'm the healthiest i've ever been and i have the lab results to prove it. that can be a great motivator for those hard days. and it's encouraging to see hard evidence of your success.

good luck and welcome to the low-carb life!