Any diet, in order to be effective, must in actuality, reduce caloric intake. Atkins does it in a smooth and less painful way, but his book is replete with statements about eating less and reducing food volume as you progress. He does maintain, and it seems true, that his plan provides a caloric advantage over the high carb/low fat diets. But to lose weight one must fall consistently below that "advantage" in caloric volume, to lose weight. He makes it quite clear on page 143 of the 2002 edition.

But that does not negate the excellent results obtainable with Atkins as long as one does not come away from reading the book with the misconception that there are no caloric limits to the diet. There are definitely limits. Atkins states that one can BEGIN to lose weight on as many as 2000 calories daily. But he also implies in various places that we must diminish our food volume. The caloric advantage of Atkins provides some extension of caloric intake but it does not negate it. The diet is actually a clever and effective way to reduce ones food/caloric volumes as the plan progresses. I enjoy it thoroughly.