You know, I find this point very interesting and I still don't know what to think. I like to keep pecans and macadamias around because they satisfy my snacking needs, especially when my eyes start to go in the direction of "forbidden" stuff. Where I see a problem where I am concerned is because a lot of times I don't measure them and end up overdoing them. Another possible reason for weight loss slow-down is that some nuts like almonds and walnuts are goitrogenic, meaning that they interfere with thyroid function.

As for cheese, I think it also depends on the person. The first time I tried Atkins, almost 8 years ago, my breakfast consisted of two big pieces of Cheddar or Mont. Jack because it was something I could take to work easily and which filled me up. I lost 10 lbs. during Induction which I found totally amazing because I was 42. But at that time I don't think I ate nuts at all.

Hmm, I also remember one time when I was 24 and thin enough, I was eating a lot of nuts and cheese (thinking they were calorically dense) whenever I didn't have time for a "real" meal (read: with plenty of carbs) and without meaning to, ended up losing quite a bit of weight, inadvertently I was doing a bit of Atkins quite by accident, so go figure!