In addition to Scrivener - get a second monitor.
Nothing beats a second monitor for holding references while you work on output. Since I work on Word documents, editing them for design changes, I have an NEC EA190M in Portrait orientation for a whole-page view.
In some cases, we have 40+page instructions for equipment calibration which require the completion of a 12+page data sheet, and these must match. This setup is far faster than others.

We don't get to use the software tools I'd like (BBEdit has Synchroscroll, we MUST use Word, etc.) so the workarounds are important.

I'm eighteen months into a low carb (Atkins diet) and have lost 145 pounds. I was always skeptical of the low carb approach, but it has worked for me. I would encourage anyone who would like to lose weight and has read this blog to try a low carb diet.

I never would have tried a low carb diet if not for reading Amy's posts about low carb, Gary Taubes, and the Eades.

Amy, I could never thank you enough for helping me get on the right track!

JFP, congratulations!

I second the "second monitor" recommendation. I'm in software development, which requires much dragging, copying, pasting, blahblahblah, and it makes a huge difference. On the rare occasion I work from home, I feel like I have my right hand tied behind my back.

This Scrivener program is only $45.00 (Mac)? That's a steal if it does half of what it says it will do. I downloaded the Windows beta, but am planning to buy the Mac version. Wonder if I can switch from one to the other OS with the same document.....guess that's something to find out.

And Original Kit & JFP -- congrats! It just gets better, once you change from being a MO person to a 'normal-sized' person. I would encourage all of you who are aware of and follow this amazing way of eating to be sure to resist **any** discussion of it as a "fad." Fad, it ain't.

Amy, I'd be interested in your thoughts on Scrivener as a writing tool. Also, what tools do you find useful for writing your blog and tracking interesting articles on the internet?

What an awesome success story! You're an inspiration, Amy. Would you ever consider posting a week-long food blog for those of us looking for a healthy example of a low-no carb diet? I've been consuming fewer carbs, but have been slipping up with pasta (my weakness) and the occasional latte.

OK, can you help me out, Amy (when convenient)? How is this Scrivener pronounced? With a long "i" or a short "i"?

Stuff like that just drives me crazy. Once I find out, I can settle down and go through the tutorial.

Ooh, I love liver! That and bacon and chicken thighs are my favorite. I cook my cilantro like you cook your parsley. I have some gorgeous t-bone steaks calling my name in the fridge, too :) I would actually love to see notes about all you eat in a day. It would be interesting and I think helpful to me, in particular.

Another vote for Scrivener. love it, love it, love it, have been using it to write long-form for years.

scrivener |ˈskriv(ə)nər|
noun historical
a clerk, scribe, or notary.

Well, that's embarrassing. Thank you for looking it up (which I could have/should have done myself). In my ignorance, I didn't realize it was a real word.

So now, I can take down my "Notary" sign and put up one that says "Scrivener." That should confuse the hell out of my coworkers!

Kirstin V.: sometimes it helps to think of pasta as a "carrier" for the really tasty stuff. If you try pasta all by itself it doesn't really have that much flavor anyway. So maybe you could use something else (like cauliflower, for example) as the carrier for the sauces and veggies. When you think that pasta is literally just flour and water mixed together and dried into shapes (yes I know you can put other stuff in it, but the basics are flour and water), it might help you get over your desire for it.

Also, if you Google "Paleo foods," you will find dozens of menus and recipes (lots of blogs) that leave out some of the more problematic "low carb" foods that really aren't good for you anyway (like soy and peanuts). What you do have to watch out for in paleo recipes are potatoes, especially sweet potatoes, and honey. They tend to show up in some of the more liberal Paleo recipes.

I'm another formerly fat, hypertensive, hyperlipidemic, pre-diabetic person who almost two years ago was persuaded by an Amy Alkon column to learn more about low carbohydrate diet. I read the books she recommended by Taubes and Eades, as well as the chapters in my old college human physiology textbook on nutrient metabolism, energy balance and the role of insulin, quit eating carbohydrates, and easily lost 45 pounds. I've regained my strength and stamina, and I feel better than I felt for 10 years.

To Amy Alkon: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I really, really appreciate you talking about this.

Ken.

I've tried a modification of low-carb eating. Mainly, I eat low-carb on most days. I still drink beer and eat bread and pasta, but if I have one carb-heavy thing in a day, that's it. Others might want to try that if going full boat isn't practical or possible.

I have noticed that if I eat an omelette and bacon at around 11 am, I'm not hungry again until about 6 pm.

I won't go full low-carb, since I'm a foodie and there are just too many good things to cook and eat, but even eating low-carb on most days has helped me lose 15 pounds without being hungry.

I, too, have gone low carb since May and have lost 43 lbs to date. When my friends ask me where I heard about this "diet", I tell them I read about it in Amy' column. I believe that if I can do it, ANYBODY can, as I am (was?) addicted to all things carb. I eat scrambled eggs with cheese and 2 slices of bacon every weekday for breakfast and a chicken caesar salad every weekday for lunch. Dinner is is usually steak and mushrooms, BBQ chicken legs, or those pre-made chicken cordon bleu (10g carbs). My sweet fix is sugar-free jello frozen into popsicles.

My heartfelt thanks to Amy!!

Forgot to add my other "regular": taco salad. Lettuce, taco meat, cheddar cheee, and salsa. Delicious and filling. I hardly miss the chips.

Thanks for posting that, thank goodness for "Original" that the answer was revealed.

Seems silly that anyone's "fighting" over whether or not the carbohydrate hypothesis, in the nuances of which hormone is to blame, is or is not "true." Sure, it's important to get to the bottom of it so that we can keep learning how to better help those who are sick from the neolithic deit. Low carb is saving lives and perhaps more importantly optimizing lives - knowing exactly why shouldn't keep anyone up at night.