Thank you so much for your responses!!! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back here - I think it's because I tried to start a journal, but I haven't been able to get online since last week!

I think the Pant-O-Meter might be the best guage for me. I really wish I'd measured myself when I first started, but it's not really too late, is it? I've only just started exercising over the past few days, so I'm sure that will help.

I was on medication for several years, Effexor was the most recent drug prescribed to control my depression. I stopped taking that in the beginning of September, and aside from irritibility, I seem to be holding on pretty well without it. I'm absolutely sure that cutting the carbs has made that possible. I only wish I'd gone to LC a long time ago! I've started taking St. John's wort (this past Saturday) to help with the snappishness.

I know for absolute sure that I need to get more water. I've only been getting about a quart a day, way too little!!! Same is true for my husband and especially for my daughter, but that's another thread entirely.

I'm also trying to improve our vitamins - I'd been taking a regular Centrum one-a-day type, with extra iron!, plus a super B complex. I tossed the extra iron tablets and got a multi w/o iron and some Ester-C. I'm planning to buy some Atkins vitamins today or tomorrow - Walmart has them, but only the Dieter's Advantage... maybe a good choice?

Thanks again, everybody. I'm going over to update my journal now. Wait, no, first I'm going to go down and fill my water bottle!

Hedgey