I Love Dr. Atkins 

I Love Dr. Atkins

If I could, I would personally call the man and thank him. As he is, alas, dining on protein bars in some other dimension, I will have to make do with writing a letter to him here.

Dear Dr. Atkins,

You may not know it., but you have saved a life. In fact, you've probably saved many- but since the one I have particular knowledge of is my own, I thought I would share that with you. I'm a 33 year old woman, heading fast towards middle age. in the last seven years, I have birthed three children, had an issue with my thyroid and have been on anti-depressive medication. What this all equaled up to is - you guessed it- FAT. Far too much fat. Fat that I was uncomfortable with. Fat that made me shift my eyes downward whenever I walked past a reflective surface.

How sad. And how unhealthy.

Thanks to you (And my little sister who did me the favor of getting engaged and asking me to be her matron of honor) I resolved to lost some of the Fat this year. On January 12th of 2004 I resolved to give myself the gift of a year of health- a year of working towards mental and physical sanity. I figured this was a gift not only to myself but to my kids and husband as well.

It's July 29th, and you know what, Dr. Atkins? You have made the year of health a reality for me. I have (so far) lost 52 POUNDS!!!! I'm damned proud of it and am hoping to peel off another 25 before I head towards the maintenance portion of your website. My cholesterol numbers are beautiful, my blood pressure is fabulous- and (perhaps even more importantly) I am mentally in great spirits. Not only did I decide to catch up with myself physically this year- but also mentally. And to that end I have been sure to set aside time to read, scrapbook with friends, write and to do other things that I ENJOY- as a woman, as a friend - as my own person. I have regained my identity- and am not just a mother, employee or wife anymore. Thank you for helping me to not only peel off the pounds, but to also peel off the mentality of subservience to my family.

Don't get me wrong. I think it is very important to be committed to your children and husband- but I don't think that committment means that you have to sacrifice yourself- that part of you that has its own interest, needs and desires that have little to do with Barney or Thomas the Tank Engine.

In short, Dr. Atkins, I am not yet through my year- but I feel like I have SHED many years. And now I will say what I now FEEL and BELIEVE after living through the catharis of this past year....

I am woman....hear me ROAR!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Junker