Heck, I don't even count calories! I just eat until I'm no longer hungry. Counting calories is what I associate with all those other low-fat diets and stuff. I know that a lot of people here count calories and say that you should, but as for me, I don't do it, and I've been fine. Of course, everyone is different, so what I do may not work for someone else.
HOWEVER - the point of this thread was to find out what you're supposed to use and to have proof of it. The only thing I found was from
www.atkinscenter.com Help > FAQs > Phases of the Atkins Nutritional Approach FAQs > I'm used to counting calories. How many am I allowed on Induction?
"I'm used to counting calories. How many am I allowed on Induction?
There is no need to count calories. The Atkins Nutritional Approach counts grams of carbohydrates instead of calories. In Induction, you are allowed 20 grams of carbohydrates. When you progress to Ongoing Weight Loss, you gradually add carbohydrates in 5-gram increments as you move toward Pre-Maintenance, and finally to the Lifetime Maintenance phases of Atkins. Although there is no need to count calories, they do count. Gaining weight results from taking in more calories than you expend through exercise, thermogenesis (the body?s own heat production) and other metabolic functions. Research has shown that on a controlled carbohydrate program, more calories are burned than on a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, so there is a certain metabolic advantage to the controlled carb approach. But understand that this does not give you a license to gorge.
If you are used to counting calories and it makes you uneasy to not do so, know that women usually can safely consume 1,800 calories a day and still lose weight; men can typically take in 2,000 calories, and in some cases more."
Hope this helps!