Reddit mentions of New Atkins for a New You: The Ultimate Diet for Shedding Weight and Feeling Great.

Wrong - induction is something like 30g net carbs a day, that includes vegetables.

My advice:

1. Drink coffee with a sugar substitute (I like Splenda, it functions and tastes exactly like sugar) and a dash of heavy whipping cream (you don't need much to lighten the coffee up a lot).
   
2. Diet soda - any kind - is fine.
   
3. Watch this video for an "Explain Like I'm Five" approach.
   
   Bonus advice:
   
   

• Only weigh yourself once a week.
  
• If you weigh yourself two weeks in a row and you haven't lost any weight, make sure you're counting your carbs. 50g is the max, 20g is the ideal. So maybe say, "Okay I will only have 35g of carbs a day" and try that for two weeks and see if it starts the weight loss back up again. If not, lower them.
  
• If you've lowered your carbs down to 15 or 20g and you're still stalled, try limiting the diet soda. Maybe two cans/day for two weeks, then one can/day.
  
• If you're still not losing, cut the soda out completely. For some people, it triggers insulin secretion even though there aren't any carbs in it, and high levels of insulin can stall fat burning.
  
• If cutting the soda out doesn't help, cut all artificial sweeteners.
  
• Next step would be to start limiting dairy. Then perhaps caffeine and/or nuts.
  
  I'm a big fan of the "slow and steady" approach. Make little changes, take some time, observe how it affects you. There's no rush to dump weight off; it's more likely to be permanent if you're not obsessing and just "keeping calm and ketoing on".
  
  Bonus resources, if you want to have a deeper understanding:
  
  
• Why We Get Fat is my favorite intro book.
  
• The Art & Science of Low Carbohydrate Living is a very thorough explanation of the diet.
  
• The Big Fat Surprise explains why scientists and public health officials act like fat is bad for you, even though the scientific evidence doesn't support that belief.
  
• Good Calories, Bad Calories is a more detailed & scientific version of Why We Get Fat
  
• New Atkins for a New You is a very easy-to-follow instructional guide if that's what you need (written by Eric Westman, the doctor in the video I linked above).
  
• Here is a list of great keto videos to watch.

Take a look at chapter 11 of the New Atkins For a New You. In that chapter it describes meal choices for fast food along with Indian, Greek, Italian, Mexican, et.al. dining. Atkins is not a ketogenic diet, but it's helpful in navigating through the carb minefield of the standard American diet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1439190275/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1451252590&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=the+new+atkins+for+a+new+you&dpPl=1&dpID=51KGWRFmHqL&ref=plSrch

I used the Atkins book, Atkins website and for recipe ideas, Linda's low carb website and George Stella and Dana Carpender cookbooks.

First off, gastric bypass is something no one should consider at any time, period. The only reason gastric bypass even works to reduce weight is because the patient is FORCED to eat a low-carb diet post-surgery or they will suffer extreme gastrointestinal distress. Just skip the surgery and eat a keto-diet instead. If you have difficulty starting the diet and staying on it try to setup a support system if you have people that can help you. The only time gastric bypass is a viable option is if the person has attempted and failed to lose weight on a low-carb diet MULTIPLE times (at least 12-24 months of constant effort to stay on the diet without cheating while under the direction of a doctor that is familiar with low-carb/atkins).

Aside from that, i would recommend you start by reading at least one book on low-carb so you can get an idea of what foods are healthy and which aren't. The easiest book to follow is probably New Atkins for a New You. Here is the pamphlet that Dr. Eric Westman gives his low-carb patients (it should give you a quick idea of what you need to do, but i still recommend the book).

Exercise is not important for weight loss, get your diet planned out and start making some progress and when you FEEL like it, then consider adding in some exercise. Only add exercise if your body is telling you that it has extra energy it would like to burn via exercise, don't force it.

Edit: And to answer your main question, yes, keto and/or low-carb/paleo is right for you. It's right for anyone that is at least 30 pounds overweight.

The New Atkins For a New You has a week of meals for Induction (20g/day which is pretty close to keto) as well as several weeks of meals for OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss) which is not too far from keto (25-50g/day).

Linda's Low Carb in the side-bar also has a menu section for Induction as well as higher levels of carbs.

Very clear and simple instructions on what to do (literally 18 pages): http://www.amazon.com/Low-Carbohydrate-Ketogenic-Diet-Manual/dp/1482781255 (accompanying video: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&ved=0CEcQtwIwAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F34645752&ei=7rS7UafjO4vM9gTlzYHwCQ&usg=AFQjCNEbYCU1JergzBLmz7ArB4AUUTzQCw&sig2=Y85CmVrHa0yJ4jgfg9YeFQ&bvm=bv.47883778,d.eWU )

More detailed instructions on what to do if the above isn't enough: http://www.amazon.com/New-Atkins-You-Ultimate-Shedding/dp/1439190275/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371255616&sr=1-1&keywords=new+atkins+for+a+new+you

Why to do it: http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About/dp/0307474259/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371255572&sr=1-1&keywords=why+we+get+fat

Extremely detailed and cited info on why to do it for power nerds: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Controversial-Science/dp/1400033462/ref=bxgy_cc_b_img_b

Some other suggestions (mostly for power nerd): the art and science of low carbohydrate living/performance, wheat belly.

I read New Atkins for a New You and it suggests adding 5-10 g carbs each week of different types of carbs until you can maintain weight in order to determine your carb tolerance.

It should help you transition better to lifetime maintenance a lot smoother and help you understand what foods can make you gain unexpectedly.

You've taken the first step. Be mindful that this is a journey that does not end. This is a lifestyle change. You will falter. You may even hold up for a while. If you persist you will achieve your goals. Only by quitting do you fail.
Personally, I have had great luck with a modified Atkins diet. For the first 3 months - no carbs - seriously. That means no bread, rice, potatoes, corn, cauliflower etc. Cut back on your sugar intake. Also no fizzy drinks - that means beer too. Sorry. Drink lots of water.
It may seem severe but after 3 months you can start introducing things back in your diet. In moderation, though.
Use smaller plates - like 8 or 10" instead of 12". Dieting is a bit of a head-game.
Portion control is essential as well. Eat more slowly. Chew your food twice as long. You honestly don't need all the food that we typically put on our collective plates.
Shopping advice - stay away from the inner aisles in the grocery store. The outer aisles are your friends. Meat, fish, produce etc. Not canned. Not manufactured food.
Restaurant advice - Lots of restaurants have "tapas" or small plates. Eat from those or off the appetizer menus. When you order an entre, there's usually enough food to feed 2 or 3 people.
I read this book and used it for reference when planning meals.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439190275/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Nuff said. Best of luck.

This is a YMMV topic. Some sources such as Eric Westmans New Atkins for you it is stated that sugar alcohols can be discounted like fiber from the total carb content. But! may still cause an insulin reaction or act as a laxative.

If you are going to get an Atkins book, get this one:

http://www.amazon.com/New-Atkins-You-Ultimate-Shedding/dp/1439190275

Highly recommended. Read (and watch) anything you can by those authors (Westman, Phinney, and Volek).

However, don't touch the Atkins-branded food. It's just "fake version of carb food x" when you should be preparing real food from now on. Animal fats, eggs, real cheese, fresh green veggies, coconut oil, avocados, etc.

I use My Fitness Pal since it has a lot of choices but it’s not the best at counting carbs unless you pay for that version, which I don’t.

Definitely check out the Keto sub, lots of great info there! Keep things simple, don’t overwhelm yourself by doing too much too fast. Unless you are the kind of person who needs to totally immerse yourself to be successful? I’m a little changes at a time type person.

Also, I like this book. Idk if I’ll get crap for linking to it but it’s helped me, especially when I’ve needed to get back to basics. It’s not completely the same as Keto but close enough to where I recommend it.

New Atkins for A New You

Seriously, every person should at least know that there is a good and relatively easy way to change body metabolism that has lots of positive impacts, including weight loss. But one has to READ about this first, to understand how and why it works. I recommend the book "New Atkins for a New You"

Yeah. Sounds like you're off to a good start. Like blue mentioned, people don't get overly concerned with going over that magical 20 number so long as it's non-starch veggies. Basically anything green. I end up having to force myself to get enough carbs in a day, so something mildly carb heavy like green beans or tomatoes are fine for me.

I would recommend tracking everything you eat with myfitnesspal and reading "A New Atkins for a New You."

Doing these 2 things helped me discover that eating upwards of 30-35 net carbs a day keeps me losing same as zero carbs would, and the book has lots of veggie suggestions and other tips and tricks of the trade.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Atkins-You-Ultimate-Shedding/dp/1439190275/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301798084&sr=8-1

http://charm.cs.uiuc.edu/users/jyelon/lowcarb.med/

Look, you can choose to be completely fucking ignorant if you want. Low carb diets are consistently the most efficient and healthy ways to lose weight.

Also, it's possible for a journalist to use research done by scientists to come to conclusions. I suggest you read it before pretending like you know something.

EDIT:

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-saturated-fat-review-article-by-dr.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akz9B-zMS-4

http://www.crossfitoakland.com/archives/2010/04/free-cfj-video-lecture-series

http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/PIIS0899900710002893/fulltext

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-saturated-fat-review-article-by-dr.html

I'm sure you're going to find reasons to reject all that information too, won't you?

It's an illustration of what I lost/gained :) New Atkins diet is basically no carbs Paleo style diet. Meat, Eggs, cream, nuts, cucumbers, salads, green peppers etc. And lot of coffee :D (it helps to burn down the fat)

http://www.amazon.com/New-Atkins-You-Ultimate-Shedding/dp/1439190275