Calories
 

Ok So I know we're not really supposed to count calories, just carbs.

I noticed that there are days that I dont hit 20 carbs (like yesterday) but I ate something like 2500 calories.

Not good.

Although I do not weigh myself regularly, I feel good, my clothes fit good etc, but I feel like I should be doing "more" to help myself with the LC thing.

I have upped my water intake and been very good there too.
I have stayed at close to induction levels of carbs since I started with a few slip ups.

In DANDR it talks about various studies and the carb limits the subjects had but it aslo says things like 1800 or 1200 calories/day.

I just feel like I can do better, and want to know what you all think/do about the calorie counting (or lack thereof)...

I don't count calories at all but at my size it takes a bunch of calories to "operate the machinery". I would imagine I am in the range 2500-3000 a day. I have never figured it but I eat enough to satisfy my hunger when I eat the right LC foods (meat, cheese). I am certain 6000 calories of "bad" foods ala sugars would not satisfy me.

Lil, you will find people on this forum who tell you that counting calories is absolutely essential (or many not counting them, but the calories themselves). It think you have to find what works for you. Try reducing them and see if you still feel good, not hungry, and lose weight faster. Only you know what you can tolerate, and how you will feel on different caloric intakes.

We're all different, but here's what happened with me: I didn't have to think about calories for the first 50-60 lbs or so. Then my weight loss began to sloooow way down. I probably could have stayed that course, and continued to lose maybe 2 lbs a month, but 1) I was frustrated with that slow rate of loss, and 2) I opened my eyes and looked around me at the amounts of food some of my older friends were eating. The bottom line is that I was simply eating too much for my age, sex, body type, whatever. So I cut back, and after a period of adjustment (mostly mental!!), I'm used to it now. I won't (and don't) go around hungry. And it really cheered me up to start losing again.

Hey Lil!!! I wouldn't worry about reducing calories or such, unless your weight loss has stalled for more than 3 weeks. As in dead stop. Just concentrate on staying less than 20 carbs.
If you stall then it might be time to reevaluate. People who are larger, need higher calories to maintain just bodily functions. As you lose this will go down. That is the time to investigate your options.
But as always YMMV, do what is best for you!! :)

There are some great posts in the low carb war zone about this subject. Some great info from the forum founders who really know their stuff! What I gleaned out of it is that it takes fat to burn fat. So when you are eating a lc diet, instead of a gram of fat being equal to 9 calories, it's the equivalent of 5 calories. So if you eat 150 grams of fat, normally that would be 1350 calories. But instead, because your body uses fat to process fat, it turns out to be about 750 net calories. If you don't keep your calories high enough, your body thinks it is starving and shuts down.

Now, when I started, I didn't know how it worked and I tried to determine what made sense for me. I seem to lose when my calories are in the 1800-2100 range. When I start creeping up to 2400 or so, then I don't lose as fast. I haven't stayed at that high of calories for a long enough period to know if I would gain or not, though.

I think it also relates to your carb count. So if you are eating at 20 carbs you could probably have more calories, but if you are eating at 40 carbs, you'd want less. But that's just my opinion - I don't have any facts to back it up.

Good luck!