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I don't think your perception is off, scott123, but the idea of deliberately putting oneself into ketosis is very counter-intuitive. Yes, it results in weight loss, but then so does cancer. My husband (who is not particularly overweight to begin with) did Atkins a couple of years ago with the permission (though not on the recommendation) of his physician. One of the reasons he wanted to try it was his blood lipid profile, which is very abnormal though not in a way that necessarily puts him at high risk for cardiac disease. He had no difficulty sticking to the diet, despite having to go very very very low carb to make himself ketotic, as he'd be perfectly happy living on a diet comprised solely of pork chops and butter. And he did lose weight rapidly. But he felt like crap pretty much the whole time, and had particularly difficulty exercising or doing heavy physical work, and at the end of three months his lipids had skyrocketed. He went off the diet, felt better within a week, and his blood lipids had returned to baseline at his next doctor's visit a few months later. My overall impression of Atkins is that it's something that I'd consider if I were morbidly obese and needed an extreme solution before things got worse, along the lines of gastric by-pass or one of those protein shake diets.

Hooters serves food?

A totally non-expert suggestion here, as I'm from out of town, but I enjoyed Komi on my single visit, and found it reasonably priced, and would enjoy it for a date. There's a thread here somewhere a ways back.

Kashi Breakfast Pilaf. Make up a batch (they come pre-packaged, I think because otherwise the various grains/seeds would settle out) and that should be plenty for the week---just keep it in the fridge. This product puts the "whole" in whole grains. Equal parts Kashi and low fat plain yogurt, with flavorings and/or fruit mixed in as you'd like. Nice complex carbs, protein, and dairy, and portable as well. So although I can't endorse eating while driving, this at least requires only a spoon, and is not runny. An aside: yesterday I walked into the kitchen to give my husband a kiss before leaving for work. I found him about to open one of the white paper packages of uncooked Kashi. I exclaimed, "Oh, great, are you going to make some?" At which point he looked a bit puzzled, and then finally realized that this product was not a dry cereal like the other Kashi products. "Good thing you mentioned it," he commented, the thought of eating it uncooked with milk going through his mind. "That would really have been sort of unpleasant."

Eggs got a very bad rap back when we first found out about cholesterol. Unless you already know or are concerned that your cholesterol is high (family history of heart disease, for instance) I wouldn't worry about it. Anybody who's on WW, either Flex or Core, has pretty much got to be on a relatively low fat diet, with fats preferentially coming from sources like olive oil rather than red meat, so you're already doing better than most people. The guy that wrote South Beach (he's a cardiologist) specifically talks about eggs being a natural source of Vitamin E, considered important as an antioxidant. I don't know how big a deal that really is, but eggs are fine on that diet (which was started for use in patients with or at risk for atherosclerotic heart disease). If you're old enough you should probably have your cholesterol levels checked. Hypercholesterolemia is increasingly being treated with drugs (as opposed to really rigid diets of the past). Losing weight is a cardiac risk factor that you're already addressing, so that's already very good news.

It's a remarkably unexciting dish visually. Slices of veal (or pork) roast that you've either braised (traditional prep) or roasted slowly and then let cool. The roast is sliced (I make mine a bit less than a cm thick) and arranged on a platter (that needs to a have a lip or rim of some sort) in whatever groovy overlapping pattern you'd like, and then you dump a whole lot of the tuna/anchovy/mayonnaise sauce all over the meat, entirely covering it, so that what you see really looks more like a topographical map of Afghanistan than a really appetizing meal. So it's pale gray slices of meat buried in a pale tan sauce. No wonder the garnish is considered an important aspect of the dish. I always make sure that everything else I serve is pretty vibrant. Anyway, great as a buffet dish (put it on several smaller trays if you've made a lot and want to be able to switch out trays as they get bit tired-looking---you can combine the tag ends and re-dress and garnish) or to pass at a dinner party. I have been thinking about more autumnal dishes as well. Pork or veal roasted in milk (the milk eventually cooks down and caramelizes) is great, and roast chicken with lemons and either garlic or tarragon is another favorite. Edited to add congrats to Cusina on weigh-in results!

Actually, now that I think about it, making a vitello tonnato core isn't really an issue, as you don't add any fat to the already lean meat, and though the sauce is a tuna mayonnaise, if you make it from scratch all you'd have to count would be the olive oil. It's also a great party dish because you slice the meat and dress it with a layer of the sauce ahead of time, keeping it in the fridge until you're ready to serve. Garnish with the platter with lemon slices and cornichons, particularly if you want your guests to make "martha stewart" comments. Goes nicely with corn salad-stuffed tomatoes (late summer). Dessert of fresh fruit (fresh figs if you can find good ones) and cookies. Cookies non-core, so they'd better be great. But not too great, because you can only have a couple.

Your blog's great, Jensen. Interesting fusion of Italian and Asian components for the ravioli---seems like the wontons would be a bit thinner than usual ravioli pasta sheets, so you could use a few more. Hmm, wonder if there's a core option available. Buckwheat wonton wrappers? And I'm extremely jealous of your being able to go outside and pick peaches right then and there. I haven't entertained yet while on WW, chardgirl, but already tend to cook things that are Core and/or Flex friendly and also appeal to the varied tastes of my guests. One of the easiest is kebabs, as you can prepare the skewers ahead of time and make different versions for the red meat eaters (lamb or beef---I just avoid pork altogether unless I know for sure I won't offend anybody), non-red meat eaters (chicken or shrimp), and vegetarians (eggplant, onion, and mushroom). Whole grain bread (from a local bakery, Alon's, really great, not Core, but not outrageously bad either). Tomato salad, green beans or asparagus depending on the time of year. Some sort of fruit shortcake (make it last minute) which I serve with fruit and cream only (no ice cream, that is, and no cream either for me). Obviously a summer meal. Another summer meal I like to make is vitello tonnato. Except that I make it with pork tenderloin, and now I'm going to have to find a WW-friendly way to make tonnato sauce. Hmmm... Good things summer's almost over.

But the really big question here, I think, is whether bear meat is a core food. Given that both seem relatively lean then, yes, bear meat is likely core. Just imagine: ground bear chili, bear carpaccio, bear stroganoff... Who wants to call the WW hotline and ask? And I actually think that the difference has more to do with the various sources from which WW obtains its nutritional content for various items. Somehow I just don't see teams of WW scientists intently poking around with calorimeters, etc.

One of my favorites is in Atlanta, at Joel's. Very stylish place, very stylish loos. Turning on the water at the tap requires either being a certain distance away or waving your hand under the faucet or perhaps an act of God (most people try some combination of these, so nobody really knows what works---a controlled study is necessary, and I may just do one the next time I'm there). Water then spills from a sort of waterfall apparatus onto a shallow platform sort of thing that frankly looks like it would be just perfect in an abattoir. Water hits the surface with such force that it splashes out onto your dress. You can tell who has and who hasn't dined at Joel's previously by how near they dare stand to the sink.

Even a small grass field will do. My third year at UVa I lived in a small rental house right outside the parking lot to the football stadium (it says a lot that I can't remember the name of the this stadium). We routinely had to run tailgaters out of the yard, hibachi in one hand, six-pack in the other.

Great suggestions above. I'll add edamame to the list. I'll also give you a tip re restaurants: do not go to them, at least not to expensive ones, unless you are independently wealthy. This is the one time that "all you can eat" is a good thing.

Agree absolutely. I've lived in Atlanta since 1985 and one of the best things about living here is the great food shopping. But very little German/middle European/Scandinavian, something I very much miss about living in Danielle's part of the world (Sandusky we ever lived to Toledo). Looking forward to seeing what's on offer.

Danielle, I must have missed this somewhere along the way: why do you usually do your shopping in Ann Arbor? Do you work there?

It's the humor that keeps me coming back, you know? But what about those of us whose children eat foie gras? Whatever shall we do? And however shall we describe their palates? Blog away, Danielle.

Historically true, but no longer the case: TV ads and grocery stores both contain all sorts of low fat/diet items, and convenience foods are widely available and used. And as for not worrying about their (or anybody else's weight), not exactly. They obsess about their own, and obsess about other people's. The topic probably does come up more more frequently when I'm around, as I'm American (was actually known as "the skinny American" when I was an exchange student in high school), but is clearly important all the time. The social pressure on women is enormous, and has been for a long time. I still remember my stylish French "mom" during my high school exchange some 20 years ago, and her nightly, unvarying meal of steamed fish and spinach. We went to grandmother's house for dinner most nights (both of my French parents worked full-time) and the grandmother prepared this food especially for her, as she had hit her 40th birthday and was no longer finding maintaining her weight quite as effortless. There was no magic involved. As the French become more affluent, spending more time in front of the television and less using public transit, they are coming to resemble their wealthy cousins across the pond.

So, I've come up with a simply fantastic modification of WW: One A Day Weight Smart vitamins. In addition to the usual vitamins and iron and calcium, these contain chromium and green tea extract, both of which are advertised as promoting weight loss. So since I'm taking a multivitamin daily anyway (usually one of my daughter's chewables, which is fun because we get to compare flavors: monkey vs. elephant, etc.) I figured I'd try the One A Day. Well, I can definitely state that they'd probably result in weight loss, because they result in intense nausea, such that I'm not going to count a point for the peach I'd eaten right before taking it this AM, and likely won't need to count points for anything else for breakfast, as I remain mildly nauseated and unable to ingest anything more nutritious than sips of black tea. On the other hand, I'm not feeling too enthusiastic about going to the gym. Maybe if I can keep lunch down... Anybody else have a similar experience?

Yes, schaum torte is crispy on the outside, a bit gooey on the inside. One of my mom's "signature" desserts, and she often made it in the summer (even with high humidity) so as to take advantage of fresh peaches. She baked one part of the meringue so that it lined a tall springform, and then baked a separate piece flat. Once the meringue was cool (overnight in the oven) she filled the "shell" with whipped cream and fruit, and then put the flat "lid" on top. So it looked sort of like a conventional layer cake (from the outside) when it was done. Served in slices (a bit fiddly, sharp long serrated knife helpful), very impressive.

I was thinking about evaporated skim milk just this AM, oddly enough. That would be great on oatmeal. I think I'll just give up on the Wasa crackers. More wine allowance.

Okay, so I'm going to stay on Flex for now, but keep track of things in Core fashion for this week as well. I already eat mostly core foods anyway, so I'm not changing my food choices. So, a couple of questions: 1. If I earn activity points are they banked for the week? Or do I have to use them the day I earn them? 2. One of the things that I like for either lunch or a snack is Wasa Multigrain Crispbread Crackers. Yes, it's sort of like eating very crunchy cardboard, but I actually like them, and have always liked them, and WW gives a 1 cracker serving a whopping points value of 0. If you eat two of them then you have to score it as 1 (that rounding thing again), but I never eat more than one at a meal. So what would I do with them on Core? Count it against my Flex Points is the obvious answer, as I can't find them listed on the Core list, but then how many points should I allow? And it seems somehow unfair to lump crunchy cardboard with beer and chocolate.

Lean Cuisine makes an Atkins product? I've seen the various low carb meals boasting of their "net carbs", but nothing specificallly mentioning Atkins yet. So far I've found two Lean Cuisine frozen meals that I can bear: stuffed cabbage (3 points) and spaghetti (5 points). The stuffed cabbage is a tad on the slimy side, but then stuffed cabbage is inherently on the slimy side, so that's fine, and there are mashed potatoes (which hold up well with freezing). The pasta in the spaghetti is not great, but there's so much more sauce (with ground meat and mushrooms) that you don't pay too much attention to the pasta anyway. Suitable for emergency use. Better than those MREs that now come equipped with a filtration unit so that you can use pee to rehydrate them. Though given the amount of water one drinks on WW it probably wouldn't have to work to hard to filter already very dilute pee.

WW is presumably fairly aggressive about protecting its name and ensuing revenue streams, so not surprising that it would want WWCalc yanked. But I was thinking last night about the impact of the Core plan on another of their revenue streams, the Smart Ones brand of convenience foods. None of them is comprised of core foods only, so somebody using Core would automatically have to count one of those loathsome trays of crap towards his Flex points, right? Or is WW going to re-package this stuff so that is says it's core, or possibly even change the recipes so that they are all core? Or maybe you're allowed to have a certain number of these things a week and I didn't notice it on the plan description? What are they telling those of you who attend meetings? In any case a potential financial hit unless WW addresses it.

Thanks to you as well, chardgirl, and to other participating in this thread. And of course particular thanks to Jensen for starting the thread. Cooking with the kids is great---also sorts of things to be learned about food and nutrition, but also cool chemistry and biology and math and geography. Keeping the kitchen tidy definitely pays off. Recently remodeling ours has also been great---I can barely bring myself to leave it!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mayhaw Man. You've saved me from all that typing, and probably kept me from having a hemorrhagic stroke as well. Oh, and if you want to get a really clear impression of just how screwed up people are in other parts of the country when it comes to understanding the southeast, try driving a car with Georgia plates around Palo Alto, CA. Everybody's amazed that I speak English and wear shoes, and they can't understand why I insist on talking to the slaves (aka Latino and Asian worker bees, essentially invisible).

I don't know whether you have to be using the on-line version of WW to get access to the Points Calculators and database. Seems like people who subscribe to the usual format should get access, as I'm pretty sure you pay more than I do (though I'm not sure of that). And there is the personal touch of a leader and so forth that I don't have. I get access to the database through something called my "Points Tracker", which is basically my journal or log of food consumed and activity points earned. I can see a day at a time or a week at a time, and there's also a weight tracker that gives me little reward stars when I meet some sort of goal. The WW community forums contain so many questions about points that are easily available through the on-line tools that I have to assume that they're either not available or not obviously available. No books, no writing down, no effort (or very little). Lots of info that's not immediately apparent: 1 cup of tomatoes is 0 points, but 1.5 cups is 0.5 points. Same thing for onions. Dinner tonight, by the way: Egg white omelette with onions, with chopped tomatoes on the side.