It wasn't too hard. Just some determination. I had done Atkins some years ago, but didn't continue because everything revolved around cooking. Now, Atkins is pretty easy. You spend two or three weeks with just eggs, bacon, and meat. Then you get to add stuff like 1/2 cups of greens, like brussel sprouts (my favorite) and broccoli. I kept away from corn, potatoes, and stuff that is usually white or light in color. Once I figured out what I could and couldn't have, I did ok. At first, I was bummed by what I couldn't have. Then I got smart and figured out what I could have, like crab, lobster, 'good' steak, etc. I can't afford it for a family of four, but I could afford it for one. I made their meals the same as always, which included a lot of 'normal' stuff like hamburgers (with 85% hamburger, mine was 90% which they don't like), didn't put a bun with mine. They got rice and broccoli, I got an extra bit of broccoli instead of rice. It took about a month or so to get everything down to an art, so that meals weren't too different in the house. When they would have ice cream, I would have sugar free cheesecake I make at home. As a matter of fact, my sugar free cheesecake is going to be featured next month at an apartment 'Resident Event' in Phoenix. Kinda cool. My favorite night is fish night. My son gets fish sticks, my husband gets fish tacos, and I get crab or lobster. It works out and now they are wanting what I get instead of me wanting what they've got...lol... I dropped about 25 lbs the first 3 weeks, and then steadily dropped a couple pounds each week, all without being hungry or deprived. All in all, I dropped close to 75 lbs, but my husband has a rule about dieting: No one diets in our house from Thanksgiving through New Years. That way I got to have all the holiday goodies, from which I quickly put back on about 10 lbs... So, I've just started back up and am looking forward to a slimmer me by summer...