It's so funny that so many diet plans have stemmed from Atkins, but I hear all the time how "BAD" Atkins is. And it can be, if you don't follow along correctly! I think that any nutritionist can agree, though, those carbs can hurt! Just changing to Splenda and Soy Flour can help a lot! Atkins is very hard for carb lovers like me.... but it's for the best.
No, you don't gain all the weight back by cheating here and there, but it is a strict diet - especially in Phase 1, but when you look at that scale going down a pound a day, you can forget the suffering (from lack of carbs) for a bit