Hi! My name is Karen and I am from Boston, Massachusetts. I have been following the Atkins diet for 10 days now and I posted to another board a few days ago expressing my frustration at having gained 3 lbs after 8 days. Thanks to a few fellow locarbers' advice, I have modified my diet to exclude luncheon meats (I didn't realize they were not carbo-free), and made some other modifications which I am hoping will result in a weight loss. I am confused at what items I should and should not have. Such as fried pork rinds...they have no carbos but plenty of salt...and ham (same deal). The Atkins diet says you can have a salad each of the first 14 days, yet if you add up the carbos in tomatoes, cheese and other salad bar items that are allowed, the carbos add up to more than 20 per day!

I just want to make sure I am doing this right. I had my first baby last year and am still trying to lose the last 25 lbs (I gained a whopping 70 lbs!) I have a vacation coming up the second week of June and I'd like to feel comfortable wearing a bathing suit.

Any advice is much appreciated (and thanks to those of you who have offered your advice so far)!