I just have to have grains and milk. But thanks to Atkins I broke the habit of eating refined starches. When I eat carbs it is only the complex kind....whole wheat bread, beans and brown rice. My new food philosophy is to eat a varied diet of moderate amounts of whole, vitamin rich nutritious foods. I am happy with it.
People differ in their metabolism. I don't do Atkins; I do something closer to Carbohydrate Addicts or The Zone. It includes some carbs but low-glycemic ones. The weight loss isn't as dramatic as with Atkins.