I'm on the Atkins diet for the same reasons, beer belly, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
Co-worker's husband got off his type II meds with the Atkins.
Carbs=bad, fat=okay
+1 on staying away from junk food and focus on 'real' food. Drink a LOT of water and try to have several meals throughout the day.
I'm 5'11, was a construction worker and weighed in around 190, became a computer tech and ballooned to 220, currently at 185, goal is 175 (high school weight, walking to school uphill in the snow burned a lot of calories
)