Greetings and welcome aboard!

Where at in Colorado?

Most people seem to have found that starting off on their own low carb diet is not a very good idea. Yeah, you can frequently get the initial rapid water loss, but that can just mislead you into thinking you are doing it right.

Just as all calories are not the same, all carbs are not the same and how your body responds to the way you consume the carbs (such as all at once or spread out) is not the same.

The general recommendation is to look at the "Which low-carb plan is right for me?" link to the right and pick a plan or two. Then get the book. Then read the book. Then follow the book. The plans in the books have been developed over a period of many, many years and take lots of things into account - so stick to it religously. Then, after a few months you will learn enough about LC'ing and about how the human body in general and your body in particular respond to different foods to begin modifying your plan in ways that make sense and are effective for YOU.

I see that you have already started a journal. That's very good. You will find that they are extremely useful. As will be the support that you will get from everyone here.

Keep the Faith.