How to Make It. 1  Pour boiling water over tea bags, sugar, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Stir until sugar is dissolved; cover and steep 5 minutes. 2  Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large pitcher, discarding tea bags and zest. Stir in 4 cups cold water and next 2 ingredients.
Counting Carbs in Alcohol. The problem with drinking alcohol on the Atkins diet is that alcohol contains around 7 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories per gram in good carbohydrates. The calories in alcohol nearly rival the calories found in fat, which contains about 9 calories per gram.
How the Atkins Diet Works. The Atkins diet works by shifting your metabolism from carb burning to fat burning. During Atkins diet week 1, called induction, you reduce carbs drastically and focus on high protein foods. The carbs you do eat come from leafy green vegetables and other vegetables that are low in starch.