Of course, it's necessary to do things "by the book" when you first start out, but if you're still stressing about being 1 or 2 grams of carb over your limit for the day and the color of the ketone strips 6 months into it, it's time to relax! It also helps not to compare your rate of loss to someone else's...it'll drive you buggy if you do! If this is for a lifetime, does it really matter if you lose the weight in 10 months or 30? You're still getting the same health benefits of this WOL even if the weight isn't flying off of you. When you're not losing as fast as you'd like or think you should, it's easy to get into the mindset of "I must be doing something wrong...person X is losing 3 lbs a week, but I'm only losing 1." and begin microanalyzing everything you do. You could be doing something wrong, but then again, maybe your body just doesn't want to let go of the fat as fast as person X's body does. Once you get the basics of low carbing, relax, settle in and enjoy the ride! Ask questions as you go and read, read, read...but above all...RELAX!! (stress makes you stall )