I want to discuss a possibility that most low carb dieters 
probably don't want to consider -- more on that in a minute. 

First, let me make the observation that most low carb dieters 
follow a form of the low carb diet that says nothing about 
counting calories. In fact many low carb diets promise that 
you won't have to count calories at all. 

Let's take the Atkins diet as a prominent example. The key to 
fat loss, according to Atkins is to make sure you get the right 
number of grams of carbohydrates. If you simply get your carb 
count fine-tuned, you will lose or maintain weight according to 
your goals. 

And the thing is, this works very well for a while. Most people 
who start the Atkins diet lose 5-10 pounds the first two weeks, 
and then, if they stick to the plan, go on to lose a bunch more 
weight. 

For some people the protocol works perfectly. They reach their 
goal weight, go on maintenance, and maintain their weight the 
rest of their lives. 

But for many, probably a majority, it doesn't work quite so 
perfectly. 

Many people lose weight for a while, and then stall for a 
considerable period of time, well short of their goal. This 
discourages them, and often they start eating carbs again and 
put much of their weight back on again. 

And some find that if they have high levels of stress in their 
lives they can put weight back on, even while sticking to the 
low carb diet, even with a carb count under 20 grams a day. 

Now I think these people still come out ahead in the long run. 
Low carb nutrition is helpful for a number of reasons, not just 
weight loss, but it sure can be discouraging when you gain much 
of your weight back again. 



So what is the solution for these people? 

I hate to say it, but, if you find yourself in this position, 
it is entirely possible that you will have to begin counting 
calories, even while following a low carb diet. 

And I'm not going to sugar coat this (no pun intended). Counting 
calories is a pain. 

You eat dozens of different food items in a week. That means you 
have to figure out the calorie count of each and every item. And 
early on, you have to measure your portions very carefully to 
make sure you have an accurate count of your caloric intake. 

You also have to make sure you record every meal. 

Feel like snacking? Well, first, you either have to make sure 
you snack on a food you know the calorie count for, or you have 
to take time to figure out the calorie count for the snack -- 
and this can be harder than it sounds when you're really hungry! 
Then you have to record the item on some sort of daily calorie 
tracking device (for most people a simple notepad will do). 

It is tedious, but it can be done. And, really, only a week or 
two of truly rigorous calorie counting is needed, because you 
will get a sense for calories after that. Although maybe every 
six months or so you will want to count calories for a couple 
weeks again to re-calibrate. 



But Don't Start Counting Just Yet 

Counting calories won't help if you don't know some very 
important pieces of information. 

First, you need to know how many calories you burn in a day. 
That way, if you know that you burn 2000 calories in a day, 
you can set your diet up to take in only 1600, and you will 
come close to losing a pound a week. Or you can burn off an 
extra 200 calories with exercise and eat 1800 calories and 
achieve the same results. 

Second, you need to know that your body fat burns calories even 
when you are at rest. This is important because, as you lose 
fat, you will burn fewer calories. Some estimates show that for 
every 20 pounds of fat you lose, your daily calorie burn will 
drop by 100. 

This is one of the main reasons for diet plateaus. You start 
with 2000 calories a day and lose 30 pounds. But then you can't 
lose any more, because 2000 calories a day has now become your 
maintenance level. And it has nothing to do with having a slower 
metabolism. It's just that there is now less of you there to 
burn calories when you are at rest. 

So you need to figure out how many calories you need to consume 
to maintain your weight, and you need to be prepared to cut back 
your calorie count a little bit as you lose weight. 

Almost no low carb diet plan talks about these things. The only 
one I know of is Dr. Gregory Ellis's plan in his book, Ultimate 
Fat Burning Secrets (If you are interested, just do a Google 
search). 

Now Dr. Ellis's personality has been described as abrasive, but 
don't let this turn you off. He is the only one I know of who 
teaches low carb dieters about the importance of calorie 
counting. And he does a very good job of that. I am on record 
elsewhere saying his book is one of my three favorite low carb 
diet plan books (along with Dr. Loren Cordain's The Paleo Diet, 
and Dr. Wolfgang Lutz's Life Without Bread) 



So How Do You Determine How Many Calories You Need? 

There are two approaches to determine how many calories you need 
to eat to maintain your weight. 

First, if you keep a very good record of how many calories you 
consume for a couple of weeks or so, you can see what your 
weight does during that time and get a feel for how many 
calories you need to consume. If you reach the end of two 
weeks, and your weight hasn't changed, you have discovered the 
number of calories you need to eat to maintain your weight. If 
you want to lose weight, you can then make the necessary 
adjustments. 

If, after two weeks, you have gained or lost weight, you can 
adjust your calories a couple hundred calories in one direction 
or the other and try again. You will eventually determine your 
maintenance calorie level. 

Second, Dr. Ellis has some very scientific methods for 
determining how many calories you burn at rest in a day based 
on your weight, your age, your sex, and your height. You then 
add the calories you burn from exercise to get your total 
calorie expenditure, and then determine how many calories you 
want to eat from there. 

The formula is a little bit too complicated to cover in this 
article, so I'll refer you to Dr. Ellis if you want to take 
this route. 



If I Have To Count Calories, Why Should I Choose A Low Carb Diet? 

Now some of you were attracted to a low carb diet precisely 
because someone promised you that you wouldn't have to count 
calories if you ate low carb. 

But now you've hit a plateau, and I'm here telling you that you 
should consider counting calories. Why not do a typical high 
carb diet, then. If you're counting calories, won't you lose 
the same amount of weight either way? And, if you eat a high 
carb diet, you can have all the pasta, bread, and desserts 
you've been missing out on. 

There's nothing wrong with this reasoning so far. You can lose 
weight either way, as long as you are keeping close track of 
your calories. 

But I want to encourage you not to lose sight of something very 
important that you've almost certainly learned by experience. You
will find that you will face much more hunger with a high-carb, 
restricted-calorie diet than you will with a low-carb, 
restricted-calorie diet. A high carb diet will prove more 
difficult to stick to than a low carb diet. 

I'm not saying counting calories will be a piece of cake on a 
low carb diet. When you are counting calories on a low carb diet, 
there will be times when you have eaten all your calories for the
day and you'll still be a little hungry. You will have to stand 
firm. To help you stand firm, you can use many of the techniques 
I discuss on my site and in my book. 

But keep in mind that, however much you struggle to keep your 
calories down on a low carb diet, it will be much more difficult 
on a high carb diet. 

NOTE: Information about Dr. Ellis's Book can be found here: 

http://www.the-low-carb-way.com/go/ellis.php