If you're following Atkins and (I'm guessing) you're a male, you ought to shoot for at least 18-22 g net carbs (12-15 from vegetables) and 1800-2200 calories a day. Drink at least eight cups (64 oz) of plain water a day. Have three meals, 4-6 oz of "protein" (meat, poultry, fish, eggs) with your vegetables and a tablespoon or two of added fat (oil, butter, mayo, salad dressing). Following these basic guidelines will help you get on the right track. All your macros will fall in line. These are the "new" Atkins 20 guidelines.

The old school (DADR and DANDR) guidelines from the good doctor seem less stringent but are essentially the same. Build your meals around fat and protein, eat and drink water according to hunger and thirst, have a couple of cups of salad and a cup or two of vegetables a day.

Some do better with the older rules and others with the newer, more regimented ones. Some switch back and forth depending on where they are at different times on the "journey" (overused word, but it's the best way to describe it).

I marvel at the enormous number of people who say they're doing Atkins and make up their own rules or see how far they can push it or "cheat" or do it willy-nilly and ultimately fail. Read an Atkins book, any Atkins book; follow it and succeed! What seems robotic or a bit of a struggle in the beginning becomes second nature after a while.