The American and world-wide obesity epidemic is caused by excess carbohydrate comsumption. We’ve
replaced fat calories (pretty darn harmless – http://nutritionandhealth.info/downloads/softsciencefat.pdf ) with
carbohydrate calories, that cause excess fat storage. The average American eats about 150 pounds of sugar a
year. Before the turn of the century, we ate about 20. Most patients can maintain weight, by limiting their
carbohydrate intake to less than 100 grams a day. Most patients easily lose weight by limiting their carbohydrate
intake to 10-20 grams per meal. If you are have trouble losing weight, you may have to limit your carbohydrate
intake to 5-10 grams per meal. Calories do count though, somewhat. You’ll lose twice as much weight on 1500
calories of protein and fat (without carbohydrate) as you will on 1500 calories that’s mostly carbohydrate. But
you probably won’t lose any weight eating 3000 calories a day of protein and fat (withot carbohydrate); it’s just
too many calories. We don’t know the magic number, but at some point, calories count. I tell my patients to try
to keep their protein and fat calories under 1500 a day to lose weight, but the exact number is a secret.