Losing weight is simpler than you think, if I can convince you that you absolutely, positively cannot freely feed on protein and fat. Low carb diets don’t work, if you eat as much as you want. Freely feeding, over the course of a month, your calories are going to go to stupid, and you’ll stop losing weight. Use portion control (a 4ounce hamburger is 200 calories, a 6 ounce filet is 300 calories, half a chicken without skin is 640 calories, etc.) to keep your calories under control. The other thing I need to convince you to do is to push salt. The major side effect of a truly low carb diet (less than 8 grams of carbohydrate a feeding, less than 20 grams of carbohydrate a day) is sodium depletion. If you have 2-4 bouillon cubes a day (drink bouillon instead of coffee or tea), you’ll have more energy, fewer sweet and starch cravings, and be far less hungry. Half the time when patients are having trouble following a low carbohydrate diet, they are not eating enough salt. The other half the time, they are not drinking enough water (always drink at least a gallon (128 ounces) of non-caloric fluid a day), eating too many calories (try to stay under 1500, but don’t make yourself too crazy about this number), or eating too much carbohydrate (less than 20 grams a day).