Cutting out fruit to cut out sugar seems backwards to me.
The Atkins diet (and most other "diets") seem insane to me. I've seen people do everything from literally starve themselves to trying the latest fad diet, and RARELY (not never) do they work. In most cases, the person gains back what they lost and more, all at the possible expense of their long-term health (all meats and cheeses, no carbs, as originally interpreted for the Atkins diet...)
Seriously, eat good things in large quantities and bad things in moderation and you'll be fine. For most people, we don't have a problem that needs extensive work to fix. Me, I need to quit eating chips and eating large meals at the end of the day (I eat very little throughout the day while in shift work, then eat a lot when I get off.)
The other thing is being active. I haven't worked out (for real) in years; I'm just lucky my job gets me off my butt, running around, up and down stairs and ladderwells often (there's an elevator, but I choose the stairs every single time.)