Calories count in terms of both weight loss and weight maintenance, but they are not the whole story. If you
absolutely, positively restrict your carbohydrate intake to 10-20 grams of carbohydrate a day, and keep your
calories under 2000 – if you’re like most of my patients, you’ll lose 5 pounds every week. The problem is you
absolutely, positively cannot cheat. It’s amazing how many calories you can eat, up to a point, and still lose
weight – if you don’t eat any carbohydrate. By any carbohydrate, I mean 5-10 grams per feeding, and 2 or 3
feedings a day. Once you truly get this, it can be life changing. Keep your calories under 2000 a day, keep your
carbohydrates under 20 grams a day, absolutely, positively do not cheat – and you’ll drop about 5 pounds every
week.