hi everyone. I'm nowhere near maintenance but am trying to decide on the best diet plan for me. I'm currenly vacillating between calorie counting and low carb.
I've read a few threads here and see that a lot of you seem to have lost your weight counting calories. I'm just wondering if anyone here lost doing low carb and has maintained?
I see a lot of advantages to low carb, but is it really sustainable permanently after the weight is off?
I found that I physically couldn't function on low carb. I was tired all of the time. Normally people get over the "carb flu" after the first week or so, but it lasted six weeks for me. So I learned my body just can't function that way.
I am carb conscious and generally choose foods high in protein, but ultimately I count calories.
I too "did" Atkins for about 4 months. Then I went on a bread binge that lasted about 2 weeks - about a loaf per day. Regained all but 3 lbs. that I had lost.
Restricting carbs for a long time doesn't work for my body. Counting calories does.
The only plan that will work long term is the plan you can stick to.
Many people find calorie counting works for them indefinitely; others get sick of it and stop doing it. Same thing with carbs and other types of diets where you count, measure, and/or weigh calories or foods.
If a person feels constantly restricted, eventually they will want to break out of that plan.
For the short term, a lot of people get fast results with counting one thing or another, or for those who can't be bothered, with programs that deliver diet meals (Medifast, Nutrisystem, etc.). The main difficulty is the transition out of weight loss to keeping weight steady.
Some weight loss programs don't require record keeping, measuring, calculations, etc.--they depend on a set of principles for weight-friendly eating (e.g., the No S Diet). For the long term, these might work better.
I lost my weight on a low-fat diet (it was trendy back then) then eased into a South Beach style of eating for maintenance.
I recommend South Beach (Phase 2 at least) as the basis for a healthy and sustainable eating plan. It's not low carb, but "carb reduced" - but with "good carbs" and "good fats". Because I work out a lot, I need carbs to fuel my workouts. I followed the low-carb Phase 1 of South Beach for four days, then gave up on the morning of the fifth day. Back then, I ran 5k every morning and I just ran out of glycogen stores. Some people can function on low carb, but I'm not one of them.
South Beach fits into JayEll's category of "a set of principles for weight-friendly eating" rather than following rigid measurements. I'm aware of roughly how many calories I'm eating, but I don't strictly weigh and measure.
I'm so glad I posted the question, and the responses are helping me with my decision. I know that maintenance is very difficult indeed for many people - never been there myself - and I don't want to make it any tougher than it needs to be by choosing a plan I can't live with.
I think I'll calorie count, but I definitely plan to reduce the simple carbs because they give me strong cravings and are definitely my downfall. However, I think if I try to tell myself I can never eat them again, ever, I'll set myself up to binge. So I do need some leeway.
Artemis, I think you've made a wise decision. I applaud you for taking the time to really work on what is the best plan that you can live with, and stick to, in maintenance. We all do it differently and have to find what works best for ourselves.
A quick question for the Maintainers..
lol, it's true.
that lasted about 2 weeks - about a loaf 
per day. Regained all but 3 lbs. that I had lost. 
