Welcome, Merciless. I don't want to upset the applecart; Janet gave her usual excellent advice, but:

Very few people, if any, mention it, but you can jump right into Atkins at the later phases and have success. The weight will come off more slowly, but it will come off, as long as you stick to the plan.

I started at Phase 2, 30 net/40-45 total carb grams a day, and have lost 13 pounds in a couple of months. I dabbled in some of the ladder foods and discovered how they affect me. That's what the later phases and levels are good for, but I find that meat (mostly poultry for me), fish, eggs, all my favorite vegetables (there are so many!) raw and cooked, and melons and berries work for me. I hardly ever used to touch diet soda and know it's not great for me but indulge in a glass of it more often now as a treat, and it keeps me out of trouble.

On fat adapted versus in ketosis: Yes, as Janet said, you can be fat adapted and lose weight without being in ketosis. And you can be in ketosis and not lose weight. If you google the subject, there is some interesting info on that. I recommend reading what Mark Sisson has to say about it.

Best of luck to you!