Good point, Doc. I think part of the problem concerns portion sizes (and I know I'm not alone in saying this). Look up calories and carbs in most references and they tell you how many for a portion size of 3-4 ounces or 100 grams. That may be a convenient standard to use, and it may result in the proper healthy consumption of 2-3000 calories, as you mention. But I, personally, consider a portion size of 3-4 ounces of meat, fish, etc to be downright miserly! (Again, if this works for you, by all means do it.) I expect larger portions than that in a restaurant - I think most people do - and we generally have larger portions than that at home, too (which is why it's even more important for me to eat healthy items and skip some meals).docjohn said:The average overweight person who can't loose weight often underestimate thier total caloric intake each day.I am a fan of diet control but in combo with as much useful excersice as your time and body habitus can safely endure.Much mistisism has been placed on the process of weight loss in part because it makes "experts" gurus ect rich.If all of you who find yourselves stuck, will just take an exact accounting of your total calories(assuming a well ballanced diet) each day and realize that if you are not engaged in any prolonged physical activity you really should'nt be consuming more than 2-3000 calories depending on your frame.Thats not much considering what a can of coke has,a twinky,piece of pizza ect.
There is a tendency to eat enough food to feel full, but if you do, you are almost certainly exceeding the 2-3000 calorie intake that will maintain your weight. I once dated a woman who would eat about a third of her food at a restaurant dinner, and take the rest home. She was smart, from a weight control standpoint. (Guys, don't do this on dates, as it will make you look miserly! ) If you are counting calories or carbs, you need to not only look at the nutritional information on the package label, but also at the portion size; many times those per-portion numbers assume that a package of food has 3-5 portions when in fact many of us will consume the entire thing ourselves as a single portion.