I understand from other post that reading the books are important and If I decide this is the best way I will read them but because of the situation we cannot wait to start something. My boyfriend lives with me and I do all the cooking. We both know we need to loose wait but he just recently went to see a cardiologist. He found out he has emphysema and possible right heart damage. We do not know how bad since he cannot do the stress test. He cannot walk for that amount a time and because of his weight being so bad they cannot do the one where he would lie down because they said his stomach would push into his heart and it would show damage no matter what. He is 53 6'2 and weighs 415. Doctor told him if he does not quit smoking(He has been smoke free for a little over a week) and go on a low carb diet now its not IF but when he has a heart attack(if he has not already). I was looking at using the meal planner on the atkins site until I could get the hang of it. I know from reading through the forums that the prepacked meal are discouraged. I will try cooking stuff ahead of time for him to take to lunch but sometimes that is not always possible. For those times I want to have a few on hand. How do I tell which ones are better than the others. Also my big question is about meat. I need to change both of our eating habits but it needs to be something he can stick to. He is used to eating a lot. I am worried I am going to have trouble getting him to stick to just 1 serving of meat at first. As long as hes keeping his carbs in the acceptable range and eating from the acceptable list would it be Ok if he did eat more than one serving of meat without to many negative affects until he can adjust to this new way? Also I have noticed some people swear by the old way and some by the new but the only real difference I am seeing so far is you can have coffee on one. I am sure I am missing something and if someone can tell me the difference I would appreciate it.

Welcome!!! I am FAR from an expert but I have read the book and am having success... My understanding is that it is not necessary to limit meat portions, granted you don't want to just stuff your self but he said if your used to eating huge portions start with what fills you up to stay satiated in the beginning, you will find that appetite drops and so does portion size on this way of eating. Also it seems that fat is super important in the process, I tried this way of eating with the online Atkins site and just what I could find online and found it is not the way to do it. Reading the book made me understand why I was doing what I do and how it works. keep cooked meat and boiled eggs available for him and when he wants a snack or feels hungry that is the go to food... enjoy them and DONT BE HUNGRY it can lead to poor choices and binging. I was advised to read the 2002 book because it was the last one written by Dr. Atkins himself. I notice the commercial version of this allows much more "crap" and is not the healthy way of eating that was Dr. Atkins goal for us all. It is good to see you, I hope you come back, I find the fellowship, encouragement and accountability of this forum irreplaceable and come back every day!!! Hope to see you too and best of luck to you both.

First of all, I'd like to applaud you for being on board with your boyfriend's cardiologist to get him on a low carb eating plan The importance of reading the book is critical for understanding exactly how & why Atkins, when done correctly, works. That being said, I certainly understand the urgency to begin given your boyfriend's circumstances. Sadly, the Atkins website is based on the "new" Atkins books and not the way Dr. Atkins himself designed the plan. Also, I'm sure you couldn't help but notice the numerous advertisements for the Atkins "products", which should be avoided. You mentioned the pre-packaged meals. They are marketed as being for all phases of Atkins and they are not. They contain ingredients not on the acceptable foods list (especially while on Induction). They also contain preservatives and are basically costly, processed and something to avoid. You want to stick with whole foods. Salad is always a good option for lunches. You can purchase pre-washed lettuce, baby spinach and lettuce blends in most grocery stores. Chop up some raw veggies, add some protein, a little cheese, some full-fat salad dressing and you have an Atkins friendly lunch.
To answer your question about meat. The book says to eat meat "liberally". Keep in mind, there is such a thing as eating too much protein. That being said, 6 to 8 ounces of protein per meal is recommended. Most people don't realize Atkins is a moderate protein eating plan. Induction (the initial phase of Atkins) is 20 net carbs (net carbs are total carbs minus dietary fiber) per day, with 12-15 of those carbs coming from vegetables & salads on the acceptable foods list.
You may want to look at Linda's Low Carb Recipes:
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/index.html
Anything marked with an * on this site is Induction friendly. There are also menu's to give you an idea of what your boyfriend should be eating.
To address your question about the "old" & the "new" Atkins, this is a brief explanation. The "old" Atkins is Atkins 72. This is Dr. Atkins original plan (written in 1972) per his book, Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution. Phase 1 of Atkins 72 is extremely low carb. You are permitted 2 small green salads per day (less than 1 cupful loosely packed), made of only leafy greens, celery or cucumbers and radishes. No other vegetables are permitted during this phase. The phase is only for 1 week. The "new" Atkins (Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution 2002), is 20 net carbs per day with 12-15 of those carbs coming from vegetables & salads on the acceptable foods list. This phase is for at least 2 weeks but, can be done much longer if you have a lot of weight to lose. Lastly, the "newest" Atkins (New Atkins for a New You), permits pre-packaged Atkins products as well as Atkins shakes & bars.
I hope this clears up some of your questions. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have.
All the best to you & your boyfriend

Fireserpent - If all the phases and restrictions are too much to understand right now, you may want to read the book and just jump in. 20 net carbs is extremely low for someone used to eating a lot. I know, cause I tried it. Vegetables have quite a bit of carbs if you eat more than one or two cups. I started and have continued with a goal of 30 net carbs per day, no phases, and didn't do induction. My menu includes vegetables, salads, meat, eggs, olives, sugar free full-fat dressing and mayo, raw almonds and GNC Total Lean shakes. I only kept an eye on vegetable serving sizes the first few weeks. I didn't believe it at first, but after a week or two, your appetite really goes down, and there are days I could easily forget to eat dinner. For someone like me who can eat an entire pizza plus a dessert in one sitting, this is a huge difference! The one thing to keep in mind is DON'T CHEAT. I though I could do Atkins all week and have a cheat day on the weekend to eat whatever. You can't do that and continue to lose. You have to train your body to stop looking for carbs to burn. Congrats on starting this journey together! You have each other for support and that is awesome!

FYI-When I went on the Atkins diet, I was 58 y/o. I'm a 5'6" female with a really big appetite. I do not tolerate being hungry well at all. I read the original book (1972), & decided to take him at his word & eat all the meat & fat I wanted to appease hunger. I ate huge amounts of food and lost the 30 lbs I needed to get rid of in 2 months. And that was with no to little exercise. Unfortunately, I had the diet mentality at that time & thought I could go back to eating "normal". WRONG. 7 years later I had a lot more to lose and insulin resistance to deal with. I lost weight with more carbs, but, having maintained the loss for almost 5 years---my go to woe when I start getting into carb cravings is to go back to 30NC daily til my appetite is under control. Then slowly add carbs back.

My main point is that Atkins works & you should not go hungry. Let your guy eat all the meat & eggs he wants. Prove the diet by taking advantage of being well fed on the thing. Please read the book. Good luck to you both.

Fireserpent- I've been lurking for a bit, but had to join so I could reply to your post! I'm a Registered Nurse and work on a cardiac/telemetry unit. Please please get a referral to a nutritionalist. When starting a very restrictive low-carb diet there can be a lot of fluid and sodium fluctuations which can be a super big deal to people with heart issues. Without knowing all of BF's medical history, he may have other issues as well. I do not want to cause you necessary alarm, you are on the right track. Just that with compromised health, having an expert on board is the safe thing to do. Think clean eating. I'm a vegetarian so this is even trickier. I do a lot of deviled eggs, mozzerella string cheese, raw almonds, etc. his doctor should be more than happy to give a referral to a nutritionalist. They aren't there to lecture or badger but find things that work for you! They can help with low carb meal planning, options, etc. and your BF meeting with them can only help with his buy-in to the weight loss program. He's got to be motivated to do it as well.

OK, I'm getting off my soap-box now! I hope this doesn't discourage you. Again, you're on the right track!