Must have your *opinions* here.....debated it my journal and wanted to share it wit
 

On Dr.Atkins' new Diet Revolution book....(a small pocket white cover one)
.......on page 18......
He's comparing 2,000 calories when you eat as carb that
you might gain weight and you eaten as protein & fat you will still loose
weight... BUT..... QUATE:

"And if you eat ((( fewer calories ))) - as many Atkins people do because their appetite is usually diminished - you'll likely lose weight even faster. ((( So its not that calories don't
count ))), it's just that you will burn more of them, with less hunger, when your body is
operating on a fat-based metabolism. "

SO bottom line is....(as I do understand it)
CALORIES DO COUNTED FOR...he just smooth it here as a good Diplomat's man.....CALORIES DO MATTER !!!!
And I must count them!!! + carb !!!...lots of work in away...I think, people still eaten much calories, because food is VERY testy and yummy....and luck of appetite with all the respact to Dr. Atkins - is not the same in most people everyday especially, I think, with women (hormones stuff, mental, emotion and so for....)
I must teach myself to eat really less with a good yummy test !!!

What if Ill put it on Atkins forum - would they"eat" me alive ? - they love MEAT.
What if they will think...Im dashing Dr. Atkin....and, Im really - not !!!
I'm just trying to figure way here.....mostly for myself.
Maybe its nothing of a NEW...and poeple before me already notice that.
Maybe that is the reason for me and other who are staling ?....
.......... I'm wondering?............

I agree. Since cutting back calories (amongst other things) I am on a roll again.... Calories don't count during induction but after and as you get closer to goal (about 1/2 way mark) you must watch them calories...

LOL I've loaned my copy of DANDR to a friend, but the part of it that really bugged me was where he showed a sample of a "low fat" daily menu. If that was low fat, then Kraft Dinner is low carb!.

I think you're looking at it wrong.

What Atkins is trying to say is that a low carb diet of 2000 calories will burn more fat than a low fat diet of 2000 calories. This is due to the fact that on a high fat diet, not only are you burning calories, but those calories are coming from fat so you're always in fat burning mode. On a low fat diet, your body has to burn up the carbs first before it can begin to start converting your fat to energy.
This is why some people would gain weight on a 2000 calorie low fat diet (though not many because 2000 calories is not too much.

The next statement would be true for ANY diet.
If you consume less that 2000 calories then obviously you're going to lose weight faster because you've got less calories to burn.
But it is easier to eat less than 2000 calories a day on atkins because you do not suffer the same blood sugar level drops as a low fat diet and so do not get hungry as quickly or as often.

Now atkins doesn't really say calories don't matter, what he says is not to worry about your calorie count during INDUCTION.
This is because you must concentrate on getting into this WOE, getting your body into ketosis and learning more about yourself on this diet. Counting calories at this stage just confuses things because you're supposed to eat if you are hungry and eat until you are satisfied. You can't do that comfortably when you keep thinking about how many calories you're stuffing into your mouth.
Eventually your appetite will diminish - especially once you go into ketosis - and you will naturally start to eat less.
I bet by the end of 2 weeks of induction most of us are on or under 2000 calories a day automatically.

Once the two weeks are over, whether you decide to stay on induction or move to OWl, you can start to concentrate on your calorie count a little more because now you'll have a good idea of how metabolically resistant you are and how hnugry you become and how much food you will need to stay satisfied.
If you find you need a lot of food still then stay on 2000 calories a day - you will still lose.
If you find you can eat less, then do, you'll just lose a little bit faster.

Atkins states it clearly "Calories do matter" You just don't have to count them. Instead he advocates eating until just satisfied not overfull, and eating when hungry.

I agree. I was hungry at first and worried about calories, but lately I've had a difficult time eating much at all. The reason is that I'm not hungry much anymore and I'm basically too lazy to cook in spite of it. I keep my carbs pretty low though.

When (if) I start upping my carbs I'll have to start worrying about the effects of insulin, and carbs make me hungrier on top of that. If eating until I'm full makes me start gaining, I'd take that as a sign that my carb limit has been exceeded. I think what Dr. Atkins is recognizing here is that teaching yourself to eat less doesn't work in the long run, but if you find the right balance of fats/carbs it won't be an issue anymore.

LadyBelle is right - I think far too many people are mislead by the glossing over of calories that is somehow presented in the Atkins book - I've been at this forum for almost a full year and have watched as endless number people change their attitutude toward calories - the first pounds may (or may not) come off freely in the first few weeks of atkins - but after that a good percentage of people find that in order to continue losing they must count calories as well as carbs - for some people the high fat in Atkins helps them control their caloric intake - for others it does not. I suppose that there are some who have stayed at carb levels of 60 or less for years without ever going over the limit once, but I think that the normal pattern is to be infatuated with Atkins - stay as strict as you can, as long as you can - and then either a binge happens or switch to a plan with a higher more realistic carb allowence. The problem with the binge solution is that it is a repetitive pattern - it would be much healthier to consume around 100 GOOD carbs per day - than have 700 (maybe more) once a week.

Dr. Atkins talks about the metabolic advantage, how you can eat more calories on low carb and still lose weight. Like any privelege, you can abuse it.
I find that I can eat a meal and then NOT BE HUNGRY. This naturally drops my calories from what they were before. I think that's another metabolic advantage!

...OK...am I stupid or not?...so from all of you, I understand that Atkins is like...A big "jump started"....and them go figure your place somewhere in between..........
No wonder, many are falling form the wagon or the windows...or what ever :-)....because if you don't have kintons and you consume more then 20 carb...you start carving stuff...so, its very much like other diet that call for attention to so much of FAT = CALORIES ......or, save on fat=calories or, save on portion, and have a very small one.....Ha...Frustrating !
..... and I'm shouting ......."CHOCOLATE"....:-))).....any one REALLY have the key ?.............

...I remember one time I saw an interview on TV with Dr Atkins....and he was asked : what did you eat today? his unswer was: - had my eggs in the morning...then a few macadamia nut for lunch....because Im busy...and dinner a nice piece of meat salad and some kind of desert that my wife prepared with macadamias & whipped cream....SO...now I get it....(old lady like me)......
.......He didn't eat much AT ALL !!!.......

No, many people do well at 100+, though there are some that have to stay at around 20g carbs. From what I've seen on this bored many do well around 40-50g carbs a day for maitnanance or slow loss.

Cravings are very individual to the person. There are some common triggers that set a majority of people off, but not everyone. There are also some that only effect a few people. Part of Atkins is strictly limiting your foods, then adding them back in slowly so any intolerences can be easily traced. Many don't relize they have problems with wheat or certain foods until they have gone without them for a bit then try to add them back in. Many times when testing for food alergies they will have you do the same trial and error testing (non lethal allergies of course. They don't give someone allergic to peanuts some PB and say here try this :) )

If you are losing and happy, don't stress calories. Many find they actually eat too few and run into problems there. If you go into a true stall, and that is 4-6 weeks with no weight or inches lost, then calories is one of the areas you might examine.

Well, this thread has impacted me in a negative way. It is telling me be ready to fail at this like every other way of eating. What up wit dat?

I was looking forward to a good weight loss, better energy and seeing the muscles I have under all my fat globules. I do not want to fail.

OK. So I WON'T! So there!

Every diet works until you fall off the wagon.

Well, I don't know of any diet that works by osmosis! :D
That's the name of the game. All diets WILL work, eventually. It's just being able to LIVE with them to get from point A to point B. I don't know about you, but I'd rather be on the journey without hunger, wouldn't you?

Here's some food for thought--
True letosis is an APPETITE suppresant. If you are REALLY in ketosis, then you should be finding it increasingly DIFFICULT to get those calories in! If this isn't the case and you're still feeling hungry, perhaps you ought to take a look at what you're eating and make adjustments as necessary.

I haven't counted calories yet. I'm down 50 pounds. And, guess what - I am not going to count calories - ever.

I eat more vegetables than I have ever eaten in my life. COMMON sense tells me that my calorie count per day is not high. My weight loss has been steady - that has to mean something, right?!

I did crave in the beginning. Yes. But, just like when people quit smoking the cravings get less and less - the desire fades. Of course there are certain foods that I will crave the rest of my life. AND, if I really want something, I'll take a bite. I am not going to deprive myself of anything. I think knowing that really helps me NOT eat high-carb foods. It is my choice and I am choosing this WOE. Actually, I think it chose me, cuz I have never lost weight so effortlessly and steadily without feeling like I was starving to death!!

Well, for me at this point calories do matter. Do I count them exactly...no, however I have gotten good at estimating. I also have learned when to stop eating and do not feel like I Have to finish what is on my plate but rather stop when I am full.

Lots of luck,
Judi