It took me about a year to get over the "fear of fat" thing. When I first started Atkins, I remember thinking, "ok if this doesn't work, I am going to gain 50 lbs in no time." I was not worried about calories, and eating about 70% fat. Well, the weight immediately started falling off, so I felt pretty good. I was still a little uneasy about the high fat, though. Then, after doing Atkins for about 14 months I had a complete physical. Theh Dr. said everything was great, and my cholesterol numbers were excellent. At that point I was convinced that this was the proper way to eat. I have been at it for over 3 years now and have never felt better.