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NEW YORK, Feb 18 (Reuters Health) -- The extremely carbohydrate-restricted Atkins diet is a safe, effective way to lose weight, according to studies presented at the Southern Society of General Internal Medicine in New Orleans.

Now that the day of reckoning has come and gone, the tale can finally be told. It is a tale of ultimate torment and anguish. A tale of a hard-fought and harsh battle the likes of which only the most epic of novels could ever be written.

Admit it. It crossed your mind to think that a mandatory burka would cover a multitude of figure flaws, didn't it? Did you ever consider joining a convent just for the baggy robe, just as a way to give up on trying to look good?

Teri is from Massachusetts, and 40 years old. She has lost 80 pounds following the Atkins program for the last four years. Teri is 5' 4" tall. She started on the Atkins program weighing 240 pounds and wearing a size 22, but now she wears a size 8/10. Teri's would like to lose 10 to 15 more pounds and wear a size 8.

After so many years of following Atkins, "falling off the wagon" over and over again, but learning from my mistakes each time, and ultimately coming to a very Zen place with my acceptance of this diet and the food that I eat on a daily basis, I can't believe that all my hard work has been undone by a simple scheme of the Marketing Department.

Danny is from Brooklyn, New York, and is 37 years old. He is 5' 11" tall, and began the Atkins program in October of 2000 weighing 264 pounds. He currently weighs in at 195 pounds, and is well on his way to his goal weight of 185 pounds. Danny has dropped from size 44 to a 33, and is nearly at his goal size 32!

JJ from Idaho is 'ageless,' she tells me and is currently at her goal weight of 112 pounds, down from her starting weight of 189 pounds. JJ is 5' 1 1/2" tall and has been following the Atkins program for three and a half years.

Kim from Wisconsin is 27 years old. She began following Sugar Busters in April of 2001, and has dropped from a starting weight of 315 to 270 pounds. When Kim began Sugar Busters she wore a size 28W or 4X, and she is currently wearing a size 22W or a 2X! Kim's goal weight is 160 pounds, and she would like to be able to wear a size 12.

I'm Candi. I am 37 years old, and I live in San Diego, California. I've been reading the articles by Brian Pierce in CarbSmart Magazine and loving them!! I also have read the bulletin board at the Atkins Center Website for some time, but only recently joined the AtkinsFanClub email list on Yahoo groups, that Brian is know to pop in on occasionally with all his usual outrageousness.

Rose from North Carolina is 56 years old and is 5' 8" tall. Rose began low carbing with the Atkins program in December of 2000 weighing 210 pounds, and now weighs just over 145 pounds. She's just slightly above her goal weight, and has dropped from a size 22 to a size 10!

Happy New Year, 2002. It's a palindrome, you know, 2002. A palindrome is a word that reads the same backwards and forwards, like mom or dad or gag. The last time we had a palindromic year was 1991, and the one before that was clear back in 1881. And, there won't be another one for 110 years, not until the year 2112. These are rare years, indeed! It's a gas to be living in one.

Have you ever tried to refold a roadmap? I have. It's not pretty. Two hundred miles from home, toddler yelling, and dear husband giving me the look. What made me think that a road trip across country with a 2-year-old was a good idea? My inability to refold this innocuous little piece of paper seemed to be the straw to my camel. I pushed it to the floor, determined to deal with it later.