Actually, Jude, I didn't answer your poll because there wasn't an "I don't bother" answer.
When I started low-carbing, I didn't know how to tell when I was full, but I didn't count calories then and I don't now. Dr. Schwarzbein never mentioned limiting calories up or down, so I just tried to learn to tell when I was full. I think I have because my portion sizes have gone to about half or even less of what they were when I was high-carbing. I have occassionally checked and I tend to eat between 2000 and 3000 calories a day. Sometimes less.
I do believe that we shouldn't have to count calories. But sometimes, if we haven't learned yet to read our own responses to food, we need that guide.
Now to my suggestion to "read the book"
. I am currently reading The Protein Power Lifeplan, in fact I've only just reached chapter 4. And I'm not planning to switch to that plan instead of TSP. I've been on TSP for 8 months now, and it's still working for me.
Now to the book: Chapter 2 talks about insulin resistance, reversing it, and controlling calories. They do recommend controlling calories. And they give a good argument for it.
They also talk about how low-carbing will reverse insulin resistance and that when you reach your goal and have a more normal insulin response, you will be able to eat more calories/carbs than you could when you started. This was the part I was most interested in since one day I will reach my goal, and I'm curious about how I will modify my eating at that time -- probably not much
.
The most interesting part, however, was a case study of a woman who followed their weight-reduction plan of not eating more than 30 grams of carbs a day, but ate over 5000 calories a day. She didn't lose weight. But the encouraging part was that she also didn't gain weight, which on a high-carb diet she most certainly would have done.
One more reason to read as much as we can. At least as much as I can. I'm on a journey now to read all of the major low-carb books.
;-Deb