During the weight loss period on the above diet, it says in the book that you are allowed a maximum of 40-60g of carbs per day during the weight loss stage. I stayed well below this, having only about 15-20g per day. I now consider myself to be out of the weight loss stage (I've been on this diet for 5 weeks) as I didn't really have any weight to lose, I just want to see the results from what I put in at the gym, which isn't really achievable on other diets. Well my question is, it says that after the weight loss stage, you can have up to 70g of carbs per day. Is this right because, if it is, it must mean a certain type of carbs, like fruit and veg maybe, because with this, I could eat a good few bars of chocolates and still stay under 70g. I worked out that I could have about 3 or 4 jam doughnuts per day but there is no way that that is going to work. It just doesn't seem possible. With the 70g of carbs, do I have to restrict my sugar intake as well?

Because carbs are limited you should focus on good carbs as opposed to sugars. You could eat a jam doughnut to use up your carbs but it would mean you miss out on fibre, vitamins and minerals.

It would probably cause an insulin spike resulting in you craving even more.

According to my carb counting book one doughnut is 38.5 carbs but I could never eat just one so I'd soon be over my carb limit, I did switch to Charles Clark for a while and use the extra carbs for fruit which I'd really missed but didn't bother with the bread which I can live without. I didn't loose weight but I stayed stable and enjoyed the relaxation of the limits, now after slipping back into very bad habits over Easter it's strict Atkins again for me.

I think in the book, the carb counts he gives are just general. The ones I looked at were about 22g of carbs per doughnut so I always check the labels. But if I do eat things like that, I gain weight so it obviously doesn'twork. It must mean good carbs found in fruits, veg, etc.