I do a combination of calorie counting and low carb, limiting my fat intake to healthy fats (nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, low fat dairy, lean meat). I keep my carbs under 100 grams per day, coming mostly from fruits, vegetables and twice a week I have some wholegrain bread. Around 40% of my calories come from protein, 30% from carbs and 30% from fats.
It's not a good idea to limit either your fat or carb intake too much, your body needs both to function properly. Going under 50 grams of carbs per day is not recommended, for example (I don't know what the minimum value is for fats).
I've seen diets that advocate below 5% fat but my definition of low fat is 10-20% of your calories come from fat. So if you eat 1500 calories, 300 calories could be fat calories. Even as a low fat eater, I still eat avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, etc but just in limited quantities.
I do a low/healthy carb plan and it works well for me. When asking your MD, make sure to specify what types of carbs- some people assume low carb means all meat, all fat, all the time. I still have lots of carbs- they just come from vegetables. I eat fruit once, maybe twice a day, 5+ cups of veggies a day, and have a starch no more than a few times a week, and always whole grain. It works well for me, it feels balanced, and gives me lots of energy while staying full.
Going under 50 grams of carbs per day is not recommended, for example (I don't know what the minimum value is for fats).
I know that I could not do the 50... that would not be something I could stick with. but the <100 per day I do believe I could do. I have done quiet a bit of reading on here there past few hours and have come to several conclusions that I am going to discuss with my dr.
Low carb, combined with calorie counting works best for me. I experienced that low carb reduces my sweet cravings. But I am not strict on an Atkins or SB diet. Just cut out refined sugar, flour, etc. But I do eat some spelt pasta, brown rice and those atkins crackers.
I do a combination of this. When I was losing, I counted points(basically counting calories) and ate plenty of carbs. As I approached my goal weight and afterwards, I switched over to whole filling foods. I like to eat a large quantity of food versus a small portion of rich food. I do restrict my carbs and eat low fat too. I tend to eat the same things during the week and then "splurge" on one day of the weekend. I didn't start doing this till I was at maintenance I'm sure it wouldn't have worked if I was still losing weight.
