Thanks for your reply, agonycat. It looks like you have made great progress, so I won't be concerned if, like you, I am slow to lose weight at first.

I may have said some things in such a way that it caused you to draw some false inferences, so sorry about that. First of all, I didn't mean literal purple on the ketostix. I simply meant to say that they do change color (never past the shade on the bottle that indicates "small amount of ketones"). So apparently I am in ketosis. I just wasn't sure exactly how that translates into shedding fat. I drink upwards of one gallon of water a day. I am more hydrated than I have ever been in my life, and my pee is crystal clear by the end of each day. So I don't think that dehydration is a problem I am facing right now. I don't even work out that hard. I ride my bike outside for 10 or 15 minutes, and I try to do a lot of walking. Last night I did a couple of sets of crunches.

Secondly, I guess I should clear up what I meant about the food. I do plan to continue a low carb lifestyle permanently if this does prove to be a good thing for me. The Atkins book and the Atkins website say a lot of things, some of which I believe and some of which seem a little fishy, but the ultimate proof would be in whether or not my body changes. I have been feeling pretty good lately, so that's a good sign. Hopefully I will continue to slim down. What I meant by that remark was that I do miss sweet, starchy foods (like lemon merengue pie ), and if this diet isn't working and I'm going to stay fat no matter what, I would rather be eating those foods.

Anyway, hope you are well. Take care.

-csf