I think this is one of those things that varies much from individual to individual. Reading these boards, some people write that they can never go over 30, even 20 carbs. Others zip along on 60. (I once lost weight very easily on an old Weight Watchers plan that was about 80 carbs a day. I was younger and I walked an hour a day then.)

Schwartzbein gives a chart of how many carbs are needed, depending on how overweight the person is and how much s/he exercises. The slimmer and more active you are, the more carbs you can tolerate.

One always hears that "I can't eat carbs. I have such a slow metabolism." Well, yes. I have a slow metabolism because I'm very overweight and don't exercise! Once the weight starts coming off -- when muscle turns into fat -- the metabolism will speed up. So it is under one's own control to a certain extent.

Bottom line: only your body knows what you can tolerate. The Atkins idea -- add 5 carbs back in each week and see where you stop losing, and also tracking how you feel -- is a good one.

Finally, there are carbs and there are carbs. Bread? Some people have a wheat allergy. Fruit? Some people can't tolerate it or it's a trigger. Potatoes? For some it's no problem, for others it is. More experimenting is needed here.

Experiment and tell us what works for you. We can all learn from each other