I’m probably the last person anyone should listen to about the Atkins Diet, because I’ve broken as many rules as I’ve followed.

Just for the record, I’ve lost 19 pounds since July 15. As a result of my loose interpretation of the diet, I’ve been plateaued for well over a month, but I think I’ve figured out what I can get away with and not gain weight. I’d like to lose another 10 to 12 pounds, but my lifestyle right now isn’t really appropriate for regimented eating.

When I start doing the induction phase again, I’ll pay closer attention to the protocol. However, I have to confess that I’ve not read the books cover to cover, so even when I’m trying to obey the rules, I’m probably doing things wrong without even knowing it.

What I’ve discovered is that I can maintain my weight if I avoid wheat, corn, potatoes and refined sugar. Note that I used the word “avoid,” which is not a complete ban on these particular foods. What I’m suggesting is that I can eat them sometimes, in small amounts, and not gain weight.

For example, a couple of mornings a week, when I don’t have time to cook a low-carb breakfast, I eat a whole-grain cereal that contains some whole wheat and sugar. One serving with soy milk has a net carb count of 35 grams, so that’s about half the carbs I should get all day. If I eat hard-core Atkins meals at lunch and dinner, my metabolism doesn’t seem to notice.

I’ve also eaten in Mexican restaurants but haven’t eaten the chips before the meal. I order entrees that have more meat and lettuce than anything else. As an occasional treat, a taco shell doesn’t seem to be deadly, and since the diet allows me to eat guacamole and sour cream with impunity, it seems like a feast.

The point is moderation, which is easier said than done. That’s why I was overweight. However, the one thing the Atkins Diet has going for it is the appetite suppression thing that happens when your blood sugar drops as the result of eating a low-carbohydrate diet. The Atkins literature refers to such metabolic processes as lipolysis and ketosis. What all this means is that the craving to eat between meals goes away when I keep my carbohydrate intake within certain boundaries.

I can tell when I’m over my carb limit because I get hungry sooner than I should. Even so, I don’t have food cravings like I used to.

When I do get antsy to eat, I’ve figured out a couple of tricks to hold me over until the next meal. I often snack on spicy deli meat. Peppered turkey is particularly good for this.

I also eat nuts and have even been known to eat a spoonful of peanut butter to stifle hunger. When I was a kid, my mother scolded me for eating peanut butter straight out of the jar. I prefer to think of this as one of the high privileges of adulthood.

A time or two when I’ve really missed eating bread I’ve bought the low-carb product sold by Farm to Market. The company is based in Kansas City and its products are available in some grocery stores in the outlying areas. Each slice of bread contains just 4 grams of carbohydrates. This is pricey stuff, the loaves are tiny and the bread is chewy — but, slathered with real butter, it serves its purpose.

For me, it has been important not to treat the rules as dietary law. I have never worried about buying nitrite-free bacon and I drink a Diet Coke every day and a cup of caffeine-laden tea every night. Dr. Atkins would be shocked. When I eat peanut butter, I’m well aware that there are 3 grams of sugar in that teaspoon. Somehow, it all works itself out by the time I step on the scale.

One of the reasons this diet has worked for me is that I can eat plenty and not feel that I’m losing weight by being hungry. My interpretation of this diet involves trade-offs, rather than deprivation. When I’m waiting for my food in a Mexican restaurant and am ignoring the chips, or when I’m turning down ice cream, I’m usually not having to do it when I’m hungry.

When she’s not writing about foods and gardening, Gwyn Mellinger is teaching journalism at Baker University. Her phone number is (785) 594-4554.