Total Cholesterol is meaningless...What is most important is your HDL and Triglycerides. LDL is also important, but to a lesser degree as most Lipid Panels do not differentiate between the 2 subtypes...only one of which is damaging. I had mine checked after 9 months on Atkins and my Cholesterol was 175 and Triglycerides were 96. My LDL is 122, which is acceptable for someone without existing heart disease. I'm gonna have it checked again at 12 months.

For starters, Trans-Fat is known to worsen your Cholesterol. Not all "LC" Candies are TFA-Free. Russel Stovers in particular loads their stuff up with Trans-Fat. Most Peanut Butters also have TFAs. If you are eating either of those two items, that could explain a worsening [assuming the increase wasn't caused by HDL going up] of your Cholesterol. Atkins says to avoid Trans-Fat.

Second, while it probably won't affect Cholesterol...Sausage is usually a cured meat (contains nitrites and lotsa sodium) and should be kept to a minimum. Crystal Lite is fine on Atkins as long as you get the bottles. The powder contains Aspartame...which although it probably doesn't effect Cholesterol, it is known to cause headaches and slow/stall weight loss.

Beef should not raise your Cholesterol as Beef is primarily Stearic Acid and Oleic Acid...both of which lower cholesterol. Whole Dairy [such as Cheese, Cream, and Butter] will raise your Cholesterol...But, studies have shown that it is usually the light fluffy variety...that doesn't increase risk of Heart Disease...not the small dense variety [that is linked to heart disease.]