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The Atkins approach was certainly the key to achieving and maintaining my weight at 158 lbs (male, 5’10”). However, I found one effect of the low-carb diet worked against me until I recognized the problem and the solution. I’ll mention it here for those who are just starting the Atkins diet.

I can testify to the fact that, for some people, the Atkins diet can significantly suppress hunger between meals once the maintenance phase of the diet is reached. On days that I was extremely busy, I would sometimes eat only two meals or even just one meal during the day. For several days after these semi-fasting days, I usually gained 3-4 lbs with no change in diet. I eventually realized that it’s important for me to eat at least three low-carb meals a day, even if hunger is not present. For some people, the maintenance phase of Atkins might place their metabolism in a state of equilibrium that easily switches to storing fat; probably the body’s response to low calorie intake to protect it from perceived starvation.

Keep this in mind if you are complying with the diet but experience weight gain in the maintenance phase.

On days that I was extremely busy, I would sometimes eat only two meals or even just one meal during the day. For several days after these semi-fasting days, I usually gained 3-4 lbs with no change in diet. I eventually realized that it’s important for me to eat at least three low-carb meals a day, even if hunger is not present.

I ran into the same problem. In the early stages, I would only eat if I was hungry and sometimes only had one or two meals a day. I never lost much this way and it was frustrating getting on the scales for my weekly weighing and discovering I didn't lose that much that week even though I had been "good." Conversely, on weeks where I thought I would surely gain weight because I ate so much during that week, well, those were usually the weeks I lost the most weight!

Of course, there is a point of diminishing returns. If you eat too much, you will stall. There is a fine line between eating too little and eating too much. If you can find that sweet spot, the weight will come off in a hurry. For me, that sweet spot is about 2,300 calories a day. But bear in mind that I am exercising 1 to 2 hours per day.