rumncoke: You do need to be exact about the amount of carbohydrate you eat, but I have never bothered to count calories.

On the other hand, I've never worried about the amount of carbs I ate. I lost 45 lb in 6 months (that's about the maximum reasonable loss of 2 lb a week) just eating a little less and exercising a little more (well, quite a lot more, but not obsessively). I didn't cut anything out or add any "special" foods...just estimated my calories and reduced the portion sizes I'd been used to.

It stayed off except for about 10 lb which crept on when I was fairly immobile for several months following ankle surgery, but that's on its way off again using the same technique.

I tried Atkins years ago and found it unsustainable for me....whereas carbs fit into my overall feeling of wellness perfectly well.

Phil Cooper: We do know larger folks that don't eat a lot that just keep the weight on.

Whenever I've encountered people who supposedly eat very little but keep the weight on, it's inevitably turned out that they're actually eating more than they think (or more than other people think) at a level that doesn't match their activity levels. It's remarkable how little a very sedentary person needs to eat to maintain weight....and equally remarkable how a bit of exercise can shift the equation. I convinced an exceptionally sedentary friend a year or two back to go for a half hour walk at lunch time every day and she lost 12lb in the year without modifying her eating habits at all.