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Connie from Ohio is 31. She started the Atkins Plan in May of 1998, but told me, "It's since been tweaked so much it's more like a hybrid plan of my own." Connie has gone from 244 pounds to 169 pounds, and from a size 24 to a 12!

Jen from Maryland is 27 years old. Jen has been following the Atkins program since November 5, 1999, nearly 2 years now. Jen has lost 64.5 pounds dropping from 284 pounds to a current weight of 219.5 pounds, and still losing on her way to her goal of 160 pounds! She has shrunk from a size 26 to an 18! "I don't have a goal size," Jen said. "I have a goal weight. When I get there, I will be the right size."

In the wake of September 11th, many of us are thinking about disaster preparations, things we can do to prepare ourselves for the unforeseen. Foremost in our minds at this time are terrorist attacks, of course, but there are other kinds of disasters, too. Many of us live in areas that are prone to earthquakes, forest fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, or lengthy power outages.

Carol from Wisconsin is 53. She has been following the Atkins program since June of 2000, and gone from 186 pounds to 107.5 pounds, from a size 18 to a 5! "I never had problems with weight control until I hit my mid-thirties," Carol told me. "The past fifteen years, though, it has been a real struggle to keep from gaining at an alarming rate!"

Di Bauer, CarbSmart's editor, offers her view of low carbing and helpful tips to make low carbing easier and more productive.

Lori from Illinois is 26 years old. "I started Atkins on January. 3, 2001," she told me. "I guess I don't follow the plan as strictly as others do; I kind of do my own version, you could say." Lori began her journey weighing 266 pounds and wore a size 26 at that time. Just nine months later, Lori weighs 181 pounds. That's fourteen pounds lighter than she is in her 'during' picture! She now wears a size 12/14, and is well on her way to her goal weight of 150 pounds.

What Are Fats? Misconceptions & Truths. Article 13 of the Science of Low-Carb & Keto Diets series. Today we are beginning our discussions of dietary fats. In this new series of articles, we will be discussing the answers to the following questions: What are fats? What are oils? How are fats and oils digested by and absorbed into the body? We'll also be talking about how dietary fats relate to body fat. At the very start, though, let's consider how it is that so-called 'nutritional science' seems to tell us that every condition known to mankind is in some way related to dietary fat. How and why has fat been relegated to the position of being the "evil food?"

Mark and Donna are from Texas. Mark is 47 years old and Donna is 39. Both are following the Atkins' program. Mark began low carbing in February of 2000, and Donna has been following Atkins since August of 1999.

Suddenly getting into those reference jeans doesn't seem quite so important anymore, does it? The tragic events of September 11th have shifted all our priorities, and looking good isn't as high up on the list as it used to be. Now we have more important things to think about. But that doesn't mean than staying on plan isn't still important.