Welcome Dixie.

While Dr Atkin's says not to count calories, one has to remember not to go overboard with them. This does not mean to go wild and over eat.

As he points out in the book, eat until you are full, and only eat when hungry. Common sense would tell us that we won't lose weight by consuming 4000 calories a day when we are only burning 1600-2200, between our BMR and exercise.