I think the 8-13 lbs is misleading. Somewhere I read (don;t have the book to check) that Atkins says you should loose 5-10% of what you need to loose in the first 2 weeks, with that formula you are right in that ballpark. I wanted to go from 185 to 150, you want a bit more, but I also only lost 5-6 lbs the first 3 weeks, but then around 10 after 6 weeks. There is hope! Keep up, drink water. Feel free to visit my journal - on page 2 is the mixed message - I keep editing my weight loss progress, and while it goes down, there were stalls and slow phases. It is better to be slow and getting used to the diet than quick fix that doesn't stay! Snoop around journals of the names you see here on SBD - you find out that others have ups and downs, but overall, downs!

Well, there isn't a calorie restriction but if you eat by plan, you will not be very hungry. Just make sure you have snacks! It really helps to distribute food over the day. If you drink a lot and start with enough protein in the morning, you will find you have decreased intake. Good luck, and welcome to the beach.