No one else in the restaurant knew the secret celebration (complete with mental party hats and the little fun blow-y noisemakers) of being able to slide into that booth. In fact, I made a point of getting up for several reasons during the course of the meal, just to keep trying on that happy moment.

My husband smiled at me coyly as I tortured him with the hyperactive commentaries of, “Look at me slide!” “Honey! Look!”, and “Note… me sliiiiding in the booth.”, complete with sliiiiding motion (my husband is still convinced that Dory in "Finding Nemo" was fashioned after me).

Sliding into a booth, unnoticed by others around! It’s one of these moments in a Century Club member’s life that makes this way of eating all the more fulfilling, and the support and kindness of this group which makes the journey all the more delicious.

For so many, including the very overweight, the thought of having to lose in excess of 100 pounds sends the most rational person screaming from the room, curled up in the corner sucking one’s thumb (an acceptable Atkins induction item).

The problems we face are truly unique and sometimes debilitating by nature.

Take, for instance, the importance of finding exercise equipment sturdy enough to handle our heavier frames without caving like a ball of aluminum foil under a Mac truck. Or having to locate shoes which are both wide and offer proper support for the exerciser. Couple this with the usual discomforts of being really overweight, such as requiring seatbelt extensions on airplanes, trying to keep pants long enough when we keep rubbing the parts out of them due to thighs meeting together, or having to find a handicapped restroom stall to accommodate our more Rubinesque frames.

At ADBB, Century Club is for the thumb suckers and booth sliders alike, a family sharing a special bond that normally would drive people in society to be home alone with no one else who understands their special needs and concerns due to weight.

Century Club is a cost-free group that invites those with very special needs-- Atkineers who've started their weight loss journey 100 pounds or more --to join a family who understand what others are experiencing because we’re there, we’ve been there (and bought the Extra Queen t-shirt), or we’re on our way down the booth to success.

Let’s face it. In a world where “thin is in” and the large are often lonely, it’s refreshing to find that there’s a place where (cliché as it may be) everybody knows your user handle. Century Club is about more than the arbitrarily and temporarily large waistbands. It’s all about enormous heart, friendship and dedication.

I look forward to stepping on an airplane in June and being able to play with the airplane trays. I won't even have to ask for the extension for the belt for the first time in 6 years.

I suspect I might even coyly smile at my husband across three or 4 children and say, “Look, honey! The tray goes up!”…”The tray goes down.” “Note…trayyyyyyyy mobility!”

Note to self: I'll need more mental party hats, hyperactive tray movement, and some of the little noisemakers all around.

Thanks, Century Club!

Visit us at the Century Club here.

Well spring may be right around the corner and we look forward to change…….but for those who have diabetes nothing changes within our bodies with the new season.

Except for those of us who manage our disease well.

In my 11 yrs of having diabetes, the best and only way to manage it I have found is through Atkins.

If you have not yet heard about how successful diabetics are in managing their blood glucose utilizing Atkins way of eating then pop on over to our thread and read some of the best success stories.

Diabetes is not cured with Atkins but goes dormant or latent with Atkins.

Diabetes rears its ugly head and messes with your life every moment but lies quietly and softly within your body when eating Atkins and doing it right.

Eat high carbs and up roars its' head and down smashes its' tail leaving you feeling tired, awful,and scared. Yes, scared as diabetics often die young!

Do Atkins the way the man wrote in the book ……..not the mucked up version you see today.

Don’t reinvent your own version….just the simple ole way he said in his last book before he died.(DANDR). His version was based on science and on hundreds of thousands of case studies.It works!

Diabetics messing with frankenfoods can tell you right away it can mess with their blood glucose as we have to test and see the results, for those of you who don’t test you don’t quite see why frankendfoods are a no no especially initially as you don’t see how they make your blood glucose perform like some of us.

So many members in our forum have gotten totally off insulin and or diabetic drugs by following Atkins, its not always due to weight loss as it occurs rather quickly for many, it is from eating low carb nutrient dense foods that balance out our insulin glycogen levels, man I wish I knew about this yrs ago.

I feel outraged that local diabetic metabolic centers still push the old low fat, high grains diet as that kills a diabetic years before their time. It made us all fatter and use more drugs and insulin…..HMMMM?

So many of our members use less medicine or no medicine and manage their whole disease with Atkins and finally feel really good about themselves.

Diabetes often brings with it an element of shame as people think you are lazy and you eat too much sugar. They don’t know especially for type II you must have the genetic gene or you could weigh 400 lbs and never become diabetic.

We have some slim people who are diabetic but use Atkins as it works for their diabetes versus other programs. We have many men who have re- discovered themselves and are as excited as women over the transformations they have experienced within their bodies.

Diabetics often have impaired sexual activity due to decreased blood flow but with managing your BG levels, even your sex life improves. OH oh is this a PG rated newsletter??

We recommend you read Dr Bernstein’s “The Diabetic Solution” and Dr Atkins “The New Diabetic Revolution” book before you embark on this way of eating.

We also recommend you test many times a day as your blood glucose will drop quickly and if on insulin or meds you can experience extreme lows and have dangerous accidents or actually ‘pass out’.

Tell your diabetic team, you may get support but chances are they are full of myths and will disagree with you. Although many well rounded out doc and centers are now recognizing the benefits of low carbs for diabetics.

Its your body, you live inside it, you decide.

You must also exercise in some form. Aerobic is great for diabetics as we must always be concerned about our heart and anything that helps to reduce visceral fat in our tummies as that is the most dangerous fat on the body. It impairs the liver and pancreas from doing its job, so no sitting on your duff and watching those spring flowers pop outta the ground, walk around the block and admire your neighbors spring flowers. Your body will be glad you did.

It is one serious disease but is less serious for those of us using Atkins as a way to manage it.

ATKINS ROCKS FOR DIABETICS!!!!

Come join us, read some old posts, print them out for family or friends you are worried about, you never know it could save a life of someone you love or even your own!!

Visit us at the Diabetic Forum here.

Boot Camp is on the lookout for another set of recruits for the following Boot Camp. I personally look forward to once again mentoring a new batch of Atkineer recruits. Be watching the Main Atkins Forum and Atkins Boot Camp FAQ Forum for upcoming Boot Camp notices. The dates will be posted in both locations at which time applications for entrance can be submitted to BCCommand.

A few weeks after I become a member, I received an email from Becky Sue, who was about my age and had the same amount of weight to lose. She suggested that we ‘team up’ and encourage each other to meet our goals. I needed as much motivation as I could get…so I agreed. At first we emailed each other and shared the ABC’s of our lives and families. We soon found out that we had a lot in common from having the same name to the similarities in our family lives. Her husband was a DOT officer, while mine was a trucker. She had two grandsons and so did I. We both love music and have even sent each other work-out music to listen to as we do our exercise routines. We were both ‘skeptical’ that this program was going to work for us, but at the same time we were equally determined and stubborn enough not to give up.

We shared recipes, tips, websites, and our ups and downs in our journeys. When she’d write that she was down a few pounds, it became as exciting to me as when I’d drop some weight. We reminded each other constantly that this was a LIFE commitment, not a get-skinny fast - fly by night fad. There were no magic pills or chants that would transform us from fat to fit quickly. We had to eat right, exercise, take our supplements and drink lots of water. Each night, we’d send a report on how much exercise we’d done that day and how we felt. We’d also give a run-down of the number of carbs, fats and protein that we’d consumed during the day. Writing down our stats each night kept us from ‘cheating’ or taking the day off from our Atkins WOE. We felt obligated to each other for our actions and wanted to prove that we were being a responsible weight-loss buddy.

Becky Sue and I have lost a lot of weight between us, over 188 pounds so far. We’ve had a lot of obstacles that we’ve faced such as deaths of friends, medical problems, family crisis, and the usual insecurities that arise from succeeding in something as emotional as this weight loss journey. Besides the triumph of losing the weight, we have become much more than email buddies. We have established a bond of sisterhood and a life-long friendship. I know that after the weight is no longer an issue for the both of us that we will remain friends. If there are any obstacles in my future that I need to face, I know there is one person who has gained my trust and that I can count on for advice and/or support.

I’d recommend a weight-loss buddy to everyone. The rules are easy, be there for each other. Dance together when the weight drops, share motivational tips and look for solutions to problems that arise. The ride to fitness doesn’t have to be lonely and miserable. Having a buddy makes the weeks and months go by much faster. It gives you strength to believe in yourself because there is another person who is depending on you and believes in you.

Most of the people are from Spain. Atkins Diet is not very recognized there. One year ago television showed a documentary on the subject of the Atkins Diet. Shortly after, our board was full of people interested in obtaining more information, because they could not believe that this way of life really works.

We always advise all our members to study the book. It is the only way to learn exactly how to do the Atkins Diet. Getting the book in Spain and other Latin American countries is often a real challenge. Books are often sold out and people frequently have to wait for new printings. The alternative is to buy online.

The Reading Club Forum was created to study the book chapter by chapter. Each week we read and discuss one or two chapters.

Low carbs products are not as easy to get in Latin America and Spain as they are in the USA. One example of this is Splenda®.

Here at Dieta Atkins we are very enthusiastic with this way of eating. Every day we share a lot of things with a lot of people from different cities or countries. We are more than friends, we are like family.

This is the experience of one of our moderators:

“I am doing Atkins since April 2004. When I began I wished to loss 20 pounds. At this moment I had loss 15 pounds. This way of eat has been a very good change in my life. I did a lot of different diets during years, but without results in long term. I was always feeling hungry. With Atkins I found an eat style that I like so much. I loss weight, but feeling good and I am not getting hungry all the time. I think that my participation on Dieta Atkins Forum help me to keep doing Atkins. I found there support and all the necessary information to do the diet correctly. Also I met a lot of partner that have the same goals than me. Across the forum, we can share our experiences and we help each others with our questions. We are all the time getting us support. My experience wasn’t the same if our forum doesn’t exist. It has been a great help for all of us. I wish to loss the last 5 pounds and keeping doing this way of life for the rest of my life. “ - Yamilet

This is my experience:

“I started Atkins on Nov 2003. I was obese. My weight was 215, now is 173 pounds. I took 2 medicines of 50 mg each and one of them included a diuretic. My blood pressure was unstable. One year later, on Oct 2004 I didn’t need to take them. My blood pressure now is 115/75 and I feel free. I’m on OWL and I had loss 42 pounds.

Dieta Atkins is very special for me. I am participating there since the forum began on Nov 2003. In this forum I met a lot of people that understand what I felt being obese and I understand how they were feeling

2004 was a year of changes and challenges. During all this time I have very clear my goals. I changed my way of eat. When I began to lose weight I realized that I don’t need to feel hungry to lose weight. . I was a moderator and later I lead the forum with the support of very dedicated people. Then I realized that I should do exercises, and I took the decision to go to the gym. That was a very important decision. My life and my body had changed during all this time. Doing one hour on the Treadmill three or four days per week was a real challenge. I loss pounds and I have a new life style.

I wish to get my goal on 2005. This is another year of challenges. Every night I spent time reading messages and answering questions on Dieta Atkins also I participate on ADBB. Every day I appreciate the opportunity to have the forum in Spanish without it nothing will be same."
Neysa
(Girasol)

One of the most common pitfalls that we Atkineers fall into is eating the same foods over and over again. Bacon and eggs for breakfast may feel like a luxury at the beginning of this WOE, but many soon find themselves barely able to face another egg after eating them morning after morning. Steak and salad sounds like an exciting way to diet at first, but eventually the meat-and- salad habit loses its attraction.

Because boredom with foods is possibly the #1 reason for "falling off the wagon" on this way of eating, it is completely avoidable by simply trying new methods of cooking and new recipes!

The ADBB Food Forums have a wealth of recipes you can use to fight the dreaded "Food Boredom" bug. So much more to this group of Forums than just recipes, moderators Naja, NulloModo and Not2late work hard to keep the Food Forums interesting, educational and based on their personal experience (and success) on the Atkins WOL.

One of the most helpful sections in this Forum is called LOW CARB COOKING LESSONS and is described as: "Answers to basic questions about low carb cooking and ingredients, food FAQ's and the best recipes that Atkins dieters shouldn't have to live without." Forum moderator Naja has done a superb job in providing substitutions for some of our pre-Atkins staple foods, such as Pasta, Pizza crust, Corn Bread and Hush Puppies, Dumplings, and more. In this section of the forum, you can also find excellent articles on making low carb soups, making comfort foods, bread substitutions, an Atkins- friendly baking mix, and much more. Also included are recipes of foods that you will find mentioned around ADBB frequently - Mock Danish and fauxtatoes, for example.

Another useful section of the FOODS FORUM is the RECIPE REQUEST area. Bought some pork chops but want a new way to cook them? Not sure the best way to fix jicama? Post your request in this area and the ADBB membership quickly comes to your rescue with their own tried and true recipes.

Being on Atkins doesn't mean you've stopped wanting to enjoy a meal out now and then! You can look through the RESTAURANTS area in the FOOD FORUMS to find Atkins-friendly restaurants in your area. Often a poster include a web-site reference, so you can check out carb counts and ingredients BEFORE deciding where you want to eat.

We know that PLANNING is an essential part of staying focused to the Atkins WOL (Way of Life). Planning snacks and meals ahead of time is a key to success, and the LOW CARB MENUS section of the FOOD FORUMS is a great place to find new menu planning ideas. And, of course, if you've come up with a great menu plan, you can post here so others can learn from you! Posts should include what LEVEL of Atkins you are on -- Induction, OWL, pre-Maintenance, Maintenance -- so others are not confused about what menus are allowed at their own level.

LOW CARB PRODUCT TESTING is a great place to read about those costly Low Carb products you see in the stores. ADBB members post and discuss products they have tried, whether they like them or not, and
whether the ingredients are allowed or not. Before putting out $5 for a box of breakfast bars, check this area in the Food Forums and see what other ADBB'ers have to say about the product.

Last, but certainly not least, is the RECIPES section of the FOOD FORUMS. The unique aspect of this Recipe area is that most of the recipes are "Tried and True" -- meaning the person posting it has either created it him/herself or tried the recipe and found it worth sharing. Other members will often comment on the recipe, or even try it themselves and report in adjustments they make.

With ALL recipes, whether on ADBB or otherwise, you should carefully check ingredients to make sure they fall in line with the level of Atkins you are currently on.

So, "I'm bored with this food" is no longer an excuse to fall off the Atkins wagon! Whether you're feeling a need for an exciting new taste or want a bit of comfort food, head to the FOOD FORUMS and browse through the Cooking Lessons, read through recipes, or ask questions about foods you want to try. You might just find your new favorite food!

He is proud to be the only European Moderator, which he respectfully pays forward to the rest of the increasingly growing British contingency on ADBB. Of course I am talking about our very own, Richt.

Rich was born in Wiltshire, a quiet rural area between London and south Wales on February 1st, 1973. He displays the basic characteristics for Aquarius of being a shy, sensitive, patient man with strong convictions. He grew up in a big family that served ‘generous’ portions of food. As a child, he was a stick insect and referred to as being underweight. That changed when he left school. He began to put on more and more weight.

In the late 1990’s he lost a fair amount of weight by doing a low-fat diet. However, as with most low-fat programs, he grew bored with the food selections and quit. By November 2003, he found himself at his heaviest weight of 260lbs, or 18.5 stones. Rich didn’t worry so much about his weight, he’s always been a ‘happy go lucky’ type of fellow and consoled himself by believing that ‘it’s what’s inside that counts’.

Rich loved to play Cricket, but as he gained weight, it was harder for him to run. After a while, it got to the stage that it was “hidden” in order to help the team. (To be hidden means to be put somewhere that he couldn’t mess up).
There were, however, a few things that happened which was due to excess weight that caused him embarrassment. There was a time when he met a nice girl that he got on really well with. She was kind to his face, but behind his back, he heard her tell someone, “I’ve met this lovely bloke, but he’s sort of round”. Rich didn’t speak to her much after that.
On a holiday trip with a friend, he had another embarrassing moment. His friend had a 2-seater, small sports car. The owner of the B & B where they were staying asked him, “How in the hell did you get into a car like that?” This was the turning point for Rich which motivated him to lose weight. {Ironically he now owns the same type of car, and would love to bump in to that woman again!!}

He had heard of Atkins, did a ‘google’ on it and found the ADBB. The rest is history. He attributes the ADBB with making his weight-loss journey easier. It’s good to know that everyone is going through the same thing as him and understands the ups and downs of losing weight.

Rich says, “I never for one moment thought I would fail on this WOE! I KNEW I could do it. Since I’ve lost the 65lbs so far, my life just keeps getting better and better. I have more confidence and that is paying off in my private, personal and professional life. I met a new girl friend after I had lost 45lbs. I don’t think I would have had a chance with her before due to my lack of self belief.”

He also works two jobs. The day one is a business to business telemarketer. This job consists of sitting most of the day. He also works 3 nights a week behind a bar in a good old fashioned English pub. (Again something he would have struggled to do pre-Atkins.) Mondays and Thursdays his shift is from 9 in the morning through to 11.30 at night!

For fun Rich likes to play a lot of sports, go to the gym, and sing in an amateur dramatics group. His energy level has skyrocketed with his weight-loss and he has enough self confidence to give anything a go now. Instead of the inactive life he once lived, he now lives a very full and eventful social life – which he attributes to "Atkins".

His biggest accomplishment is his fitness level. When he first started going to the gym, he tried a bit of jogging on the treadmill. He struggled to run 800 meters (1/2 a mile). This year, he has managed to run 8,000 meters (5 miles).
The hardest part for him is the stage he is in now. He’d like to drop another 15lbs. The scale hasn’t moved downwards in 2 whole months and it is frustrating.

Rich has a few more small goals that he is working on. He is taking a holiday to Australia the end of March. The place he is staying has a swimming pool. He’d like to learn to swim. Another goal is to lose another 15lbs. The third goal is to win the gold medal in the presidential challenge which is being run in the ADBB by 2big4mysize.
Being a mod on the ADBB site is an honor. It’s a close “family” type of arrangement. He considers every one of his colleagues to be an extremely valued friend. It’s sometimes bizarre to think that you can think so highly of people that you haven’t actually met in person. He’s interacted with so many people via the keyboard that everyone seems very ‘real’ to him.

Rich’s stats are as impressive as his dedication to the members of the ADBB. He never hesitates to lend helpful advice to the beginners nor a cheerful hello to the regulars. We are fortunate to have him as a friend and moderator on this journey to health and happiness!!

Rich’s stats
Before:
260lbs
xxl shirts
44 inch waist trousers / pants

Now:
195 lbs
m shirts
34 inch waist trousers / pants.

There is a ton of debate about which are the best ‘diets’ to help us lose weight & maintain optimum health. There is, of course, our approach (low carb) there is the low fat high carb crowd & too many other variations to even mention.

But one thing is constant in all these plans. EVERYBODY agrees that exercise is an integral part of any successful long term weight & health management program. Dr Atkins said exercise is ‘non-negotiable’ . He goes on to state if you don’t have an exercise component to your plan then you aren’t really doing Atkins. A report from the Global Burden of Disease report included physical inactivity as one of the top factors threatening global health today.

I did a little write up earlier this year on the so called ‘Asian Phenomena’ after spending the holidays back on the farm I own in the Philippines where I observed things very closely. I was wondering why practically everybody there was rail thin while eating mountains of rice & other carbs three times a day. Well watching everybody’s daily activity level it was really quite simple. Most people there had done more physical exertion before Breakfast than the average modern day American get’s in one day. In the end its a simple answer, the bottom line has to do with Energy In vs Energy Out & nothing more.

There is no need for them to do Atkins or any kind of diet because their energy output is enough they 'burn' all the carbs they eat without storing them as fat. It's really that simple. The lack of physical activity in the normal ‘modern’ life is amazing. In Singapore at work I literally do 'sit on my ass' at a desk all day long. & then take a car to my house, if I don’t exercise I don’t get too active in a day.

Most people in in the today’s modern world just don't exert any energy, we ride in cars, have stoves, vacumn cleaners & even dishwashers that almost completely remove the physical element from most of our daily activities. With the level of physical activity (energy expended) by the average modern American most carbohydrate consumption will go straight to creating fat. End result close to 2/3 thirds of adult Americans can now be classified ovrweight & we are closing in on 50% of the population being considered obese. These numbers are just plain scary.

So since most of us live in the ‘modern’ world we need to find a way to build physical activity into our life. Think of exercise as a money in the bank - every 30 minutes you put into keeping shape today will not only leave you better off right now; it will continue paying dividends in the future. Often people begin an exercise program out of sense of responsibility but they keep at it because once they start they find out if feels good. One of our members once posted a very good comment on the exercise board, they said NOBODY ever says, “Gee I wish I hadn’t worked out today.”

One of best things you can do to improve your overall health & chances of longevity is start some kind of regular exercise program. For those of you who haven’t done anything in a long time & are severely overweight it can be as simple as walking 20-30 minutes a day 3-4 times a week to get started. No matter what you do you will find your endurance & energy growing day by day & you will start to feel a lot better. There a so many different kinds of activities to choose from, find one that you like, maybe something you did in high school, be it swimming, basketball, jogging, bicycling, etc just make sure its something you enjoy.

As you get more involved you will learn to delineate between the two types of exercise, aerobic & anaerobic (strength building) & to mix up these two for a successful long term health plan.

Also whatever you do regularly whether it is walk in the park, run at track, swim at the pool, go to the gym you also will make new friends who can become ‘exercise buddies’ and you can motivate each other.

I don’t have the space here to get into specific exercise programs but I can tell you if you exercise it will improve your health, make you feel better & give you a much better chance at being successful at your weight loss program. Also one fact you should know is people who maintain their weight loss exercise regularly while people who gain weight back don’t.

As far as Atkins Diet Bulletin Board is concerned you can join one of our Exercise Challenges & post your activity there every day & share comments & concerns with the other members posting there. There are no real rules & regulations. Just a group of people posting & helping motivate each other. I invite you all to join us on the Exercise Challenge Forum. Hope to see you there soon!

And then came the holidays. And then my birthday. And then someone else’s birthday. There sure are a lot occasions centered around food. Each one with someone telling you a little bite isn’t going to hurt, that Christmas/your birthday/Easter/Independence Day only comes once a year. Well, it’s very true that each holiday does come only once a year, but let me tell you, they can add up.

It’s easier to say “No thanks” when you know that getting on the scale tomorrow is going to be disappointing. When you know that you’ll lose up to two days progress. But what do you use for motivation when there’s not going to be a change on the scale tomorrow? When there doesn’t really seem to be a negative consequence of having that chocolate cake and ice cream?

A few weeks ago I had another birthday. My second one at goal. That is my motivation. I want to reach the third and fourth and beyond at this same weight. I want to have to buy new clothes because the old ones wore out, not because they were too small. I want to treasure all my vacation photos, rather than hide them in shame. I want to keep the health I’ve regained.

So when the birthday cake is passed around now, I can happily say, “No thanks, I’m good.” And I am good, because our celebrations center around the people now, not the food.

Visit the Maintenance Forum here.

Many people in the ADBB are referred to as success stories. We hear it all the time, but what exactly does it mean? Some think it would be to lose a vast amount of weight while others might think it is when your scale finally reflects that you’ve made goal. I’ve asked many people whom I consider to be a success if they’d share their story in the Loser’s Lounge, only to get a reply that they are not at goal or they have not achieved success yet.

Have you ever asked yourself what it would take for you to become a success story? If your goal is to lose 80 pounds and you lose 60 and decide that is where you are comfortable, can you be considered a success? The number on the scale is not the determining factor of whether you are a success or failure.

Weight is a personal issue that affects people all over the world. Many people have had unpleasant experiences that they associated with being too fat or too thin. Many of us let the shape of our body verify our self-worth.

Think back when you started doing the Atkins WOE. Most of us had doubts. Our deep inner feelings told us that we’d be miserable, starving and depressed. These familiar emotions would prove to be another failed attempt to lose weight and we would quit. We were taken by surprise when this WOE left us feeling satisfied and energized instead of tired and hungry.

Finding the ADBB was a blessing in many ways for me. The first time I read through the forums, I connected with the people that posted. Everyone was from different locations in the world, had different occupations and different issues going on in their lives. The thing that bonded everyone together in the Atkins family was that being overweight had affected their sense of worth and made their lives unhappy in some way.

What made Atkins work when other weight loss plans had failed? For me it was the collaboration of people helping each other achieve success in losing weight. I wasn’t alone anymore. Others were having the same issues with drinking water, exercising and trying to keep motivated. I learned through other’s experiences how to stay on the WOE during the holidays, parties, dinner invitations and how to deal with negative comments from others who didn’t understand my new lifestyle.

My personal belief is that everyone in the ADBB site is a success story. Some of the stories are still being written by their authors. Many of them have reached their goals and continue to educate and guide the ones who haven’t completed their journey. We’ll all make it in our own time. We have all the tools needed to accomplish our goals and the support of a positive group of people willing to assist us. Long live the ADBB site and many thanks to the man who made it all possible….Dr. Robert C. Atkins.