I discovered the Atkins's Diet a few years back, and I've been grateful ever since.
As you said, the idea that I eat fat and meat and little else is non-factual, but some people are stuck in old stereotypes.
As you have found out, the Atkins' Diet is about changing our lifestyles. . . being aware of which foods contain a lot of sugar and simple carbs, choosing to buy foods with no-sugar added, exercising on a regular basis.
The great news is that I started working out as Dr. Atkins recommended in his book, and I still work out on a regular basis. I also walk my dog more often and farther when I come home from work, and many mornings I take a walk before going to work.
The only foods that I really avoid are baked sweets. . . only eat them in rare occasions.
I eat pretty much anything else, as long as I eat small portions of the "white foods", such as pasta. Since Italian food is my favorite, I always order steamed spinach with olive oil and garlic as a side dish, so I will not eat more pasta than I need to keep my small waist.
I eat more vegetables than ever before; I'm not always hungry or lethargic, the way I used to be by eating sugar and white flour all the time.
Btw, after you learn to read labels, you realize how much sugar is added to processed food. For instance, I buy my mayonaise at the local health food store, because the supermarket mayonaise contains sugar.
And any food ingredient that ends in ose is a form of sugar. . . fructose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, etc. Sugar can also appear under other names, such as syrup, HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), molasses, honey, etc.
You are right about that. Once I started paying attention to labels, I was stunned with how much sugar was going into our diet. Even most supermarket tomato sauces are loaded with sugar. High fructose corn syrup is everywhere, which is why I pretty much avoid processed foods altogether. Better off getting your food at the health store and from natural sources. My food bill has almost doubled since doing this thing because I eat all fresh foods. In fact, I bought fresh cod tonight for dinner at $7 a pound. But it's worth it. I was on my way to an early death with all that processed crap.