You mentioned about high cholestarol. Excuse me if I am repeating anyone here, but my step dad started atkins BECAUSE he had high cholestarol. It is well known on these boards that Dr Atkins diet (or LC in general) is good for your heart, simply because you cut out a lot of the bad cholestarol, and replace it with plenty of the good type.
His cholestarol went from seriously dangerous to completely normal in 6 months.
Everyone (who knows nothing about LC) is worried about the affects of "all that fat" but in reality, it is better eating the right kinds of fat, than kill yourself with all that low fat stuff.