1. You will NOT have a nice steady weight loss on a low carb diet. That is not how this WOE works. Instead it will be like a roller coaster ride with ups and downs and long periods on the flat straight away.

2. Don't worry when you hit a plateau. Your body needs time to adjust to the "new" weight. It has to decide if your loss is due to famine or sickness or if you WANT to lose weight. (My body is pretty obtuse sometimes! )

3. This is NOT a quick weight loss diet where you "jump on the train for a few weeks, lose weight, and then jump off again". (mangled paraphrase of Dr. Atkins). This IS a way of eating for the rest of your life....a lifestyle change if you will.

4. There is a common misconception around that if low carbs are good, NO carbs is even better. NOT TRUE! If you don't eat enough carbs, you will lose muscle tone, your brain will not function properly and your body, thinking you are starving to death, will hold on to every single ounce of fat it can find and you may even GAIN weight! You may have to experiment with your carb intake levels until you find the right amount for your own body.

5. There is another misconception that all fats are created equal and LCers LOVE fat. This is also not true. You should avoid all trans fats and not overdo it on saturated fats either. That means NO margarine, no Crisco, etc. Eat only fats that occur naturally and have not been tampered with by man. Good fats include butter, olive oil, fats in nuts and cheese and avacados. (My FIL who had a quintuple bypass was told after surgery to get at least 2 tablespoons of olive oil a day).

6. We didn't gain all this weight in 2 weeks and we aren't going to lose it in 2 weeks either. I knew this when I started so I gave myself 6 months to lose the weight I'd put on over 30 years! It didn't happen! After 2 years, I have lost it and reached my goal. 30 years on and 2 years off.....not bad at all!

7. Don't be too worried about the scale or ketosticks. These are merely indicators of your progress NOT a make or break postive/negative test. They can be influenced greatly by the amount of water you drink, how much salt you are getting in your diet, the time of the month, how much fat you ate in any one meal, etc. A much more accurate way to gauge how you are doing is by taking measurements. I lost inches long before the scale budged once.

8. Listen to your body not the "experts" or friends and family. Do you feel good? Less mental "fog"? More energy? Less gas, aches and pains, and mood swings? Do you sleep better at night and need less sleep during the day? These things are your body telling you, "I like what you are feeding me"!

9. Focus on being healthy NOT thin. I know several people who are very thin but they are not at all healthy. I also know people who are overweight and not healthy either. If you improve your health, your weight will take care of itself.

10. Your body knows what your "ideal" weight is and it may not be what you think it should be. If you come from a family of big boned people you will NEVER be Twiggy and shouldn't want to be. When your body reaches the place where you are at your perfect weight you will stop losing. Don't wish you could lose that "extra" five pounds. Be thankful that you have already LOST X number of pounds and that you are healthy. Be happy!