I started low carbing in around 2003. I read Charles Clarke and Atkins and then decided I would just do my own thing and see what happened.
Doing Atkins properly is very strict and I wasn't really sure about it. The first two weeks (induction) are no alcohol, and I didn't want to do that!
So this is what I've pretty much done since then:
I eat no bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, pastry, flour or sugar. This also means no fruit juice and very limited fruit. (I'm not a great fruit fan anyway, so it's not too much of a hardship). If I have any fruit it will be rhubarb, which I love (sweetened with Splenda not sugar), raspberries, blueberries or strawberries.
I minimise consumption of starchy veg such as carrots and parsnips, and beans/pulses are out (which is a shame because I love these. If you eat a low GI diet I believe you can include these, but I haven't tried this)
I eat breakfast every day (I used not to do this in a vain effort to keep my calories down), usually eggs in some form although occasionally I have plain yoghurt (full fat) with fruit as above if I fancy something sweet.
Fat is positively encouraged, and this is very hard to start with, as it runs so counter to all the advice we're given about healthy eating. The first week was a real leap of faith - I couldn't believe that I could eat bacon and eggs for breakfast, use butter on veg and cook with cream but still lose weight - but I did.
Lunch is usually something like chicken or ham or tuna with salad (dressed with an olive oil vinaigrette and sometimes with mayonnaise as well)
For dinner, I have whatever the rest of the family is having (because I'm not going to cook separate meals!), but just avoid the carb component and have extra veg/salad. If I'm cooking pasta then I do something different for me, unless it's bolognese, where I substitute thinly sliced, boiled white cabbage for the pasta. That works surprisingly well.
If I'm making them mashed potatoes, I have either mashed celeriac or swede - with lots of butter!
Salad and green veg in particular is encouraged - veg such as broccoli, spinach, celery, cauliflower, courgettes are all very low carb.
I still drink alcohol, although I am trying to avoid this during the week, as it definitely slows and/or stops weight loss. It is the first source of fuel that your body will use. White or red wine or white spirits with sugar free mixers are fine - beer is not.
I can snack - nuts and cheese are allowed (although you do have to be careful with both!), and there are even sweets/chocolates that can be consumed. Sugar free confectionery is available and Thorntons make diabetic chocolate stuff which is good - but do contain polyols which can cause wind/diarrhoea problems if you eat too much!!!)
That said, the focus of this way of eating is about natural foods as opposed to processed foods. I have always cooked from scratch, so this is OK by me. All the low fat or low cal stuff that I used to buy was full of horrible artificial stuff. Why have horrible low fat spread with goodness knows what in it when you can eat real butter?
I don't worry about portion size - I eat what I want to satisfy my hunger.
In my experience and opinion this is a great way to eat. I can honestly say that I am never hungry. Sometimes I have even forgotten to eat if I'm busy - it can be 2 or even 3pm before I feel hungry.
There are, of course, downsides. Eating on the hoof is very difficult. All on-the-go snacks or meals are carb-based - sandwiches, pastries, sweets, crisps, fruit, chocolates, etc If I'm travelling to a client meeting then I have to plan around this.
And there are times when I feel deprived - I can't eat pasta or potatoes. But then there is deprivation on any diet.
But the best thing is eating out. If you're counting calories, for example, most restaurant meals are difficult. With low carb there is (usually) much more available to you. Restaurants are usually quite happy to serve you a dish without the potatoes or rice and substitute these with a salad or veg. Chinese or Thai are harder, although not impossible to negotiate.
Food, above all, is a pleasure again.
I hope that this is of some help!