How many carbs we can eat and still lose weight is dependent on many things. Atkins himself acknowledges that for a person who is a regular exerciser (someone who does vigorous exercise for at least 45 minutes, 5 days a week) can eat between 60 and 90 g of carbs a day and still lose weight. YMMV and he recommends during OWL (ongoing weight loss) that you increase your carb intake 5g per day each week until you reach a level where you stop losing. This process will tell you at what level you should be to keep losing.

The thing about "easing" in is that you don't make a clean break that allows you to overcome the carb craving cycle.

If you are looking for a book that does an excellent job of explaining the whys and wherefores, check out The Schwartzbein Principle.

Marlaine