I Lost, then Gained.. Now on Atkins, Is this Safe??

[solaris=amazing]

Hello everyone. First i'll start by telling you that i am 23, 5'7 and weighed in at 270 in 2002. I got on my own diet, mainly oatmeal in morning, fruit for lunch, and either a little rice with chicken or 2 slices of pizza(one without the cheese of coarse) for dinner. Oh, also coffee-i love coffee, but light on the cream and like maybe 2 sugars. After doing that for like 5 months-and light cardio(walking running etc) i lost 60 lbs. So i went from a size 46 waist to a tight 36. So being at 210, which is still overweight for me(but i was happy) was not hard to maintain. Now, the reason it was easy to maintain was cause i was working 6 days a week. Now i am un-employed. 5 months ago the store i worked for had to close, and i get un-employment now. With all the free time i've had in the last 5 months i swear it friggin wendy's and white castle killed me. I am now at 233 lbs cause of all the junk food. I gained 23 lbs and am at waist 40-yikes. So a week ago i decided to give the atkins diet a try, and let me tell you it works great. I'm never hungry, eat the food i like (eggs w/cheese bacon beef steak etc) and resort to diet soda rather then regular. And i use splenda in my coffee instead of sugar.

After that being said, is this diet-or any other LOW CARB diet bad for you. I swear it i feel like a bull on this diet-all the protein makes your muscle's heal really fast after some weight lifting. I say i am 233 lbs cause last week i weighed 238, so i lost 5-probably mostly water weight but i can see it in my gut. My ideal weight i wanna be is 170-nice and lean you know. But if i get to 190 i'll be happy.

PS.. On the first diet mentioned, i always felt under powered, weak at times. And also starving. With this atkins diet, i have all the energy i need. Atkins says to give up caffiene, but honestly i cannot-still losing weight while drinking it so i think it's working. I want to stay one this diet maybe the next 2-3 months, then go back to moderation in all foods.