Why would I want to do that?

In the immortal words of Asleep at the Wheel: "You've got to dance with who brung you". Congratulations on your loss, I bet you feel so much better! Just tell those nosy interfering people that you have found your "sweet spot" and you are going to stay with what works.

Probably not worth getting into with some people, but going low carb will not make you lose faster unless you reduce your calories even more with it. It is just a fad that comes and goes (this is the 3rd time low carb dieting has become a "thing" in my lifetime). As long as you are losing at a safe rate, feel good, and have the energy you need, there is no reason to try anything different.

Congratulations on all of your progress! I'm glad you have such a healthy approach.

I've experienced the same instances as you where people are in disbelief that the ~*secret*~ to weight loss is eat less and/or move more. They do the same as I do, but don't lose weight so my metabolism is "fast". They "eat healthy" but can't lose. They don't have time to count calories because they have a busy life, so the implication is that my life is about nothing but weight loss. It's all thinly veiled insults so they don't have to take responsibility for the fact that they aren't as busy/active as they think and they also eat too much.

Low-carb diets are not necessary. The reason why people think you lose weight faster on a low-carb diet is because when you go low-carb your glycogen stores are depleted and you initially lose more water weight; it stabilizes in time. This is why after a week or two of going low-carb, people claim to "stall" since they aren't seeing the scale moving anymore or people claim that it doesn't work. Then when you reintroduce carbs to your diet, your glycogen stores are replenished. Many people who eat carbs again after a brief stint on a low-carb diet will then claim that they "gained all the weight back" or the low-carb diet simply doesn't work instead of realizing it's just some of that water weight coming right back.

Fad diets are a crock. This is why most people fail. If it's not sustainable for life, there's no point. People would argue that calorie counting for life isn't sustainable either, but it's really not that hard to track your food intake. Also, people can easily stop tracking their food and see how they do based on instinct for two weeks. If they gain weight, they can easily reassess their intake and adjust it. Calorie counting teaches you about portion control and after a while you become accustomed to what you should be eating on a daily basis.

You know what works for you. I agree with jemhh, just smile and nod. Many who give advice are trying to help, (even though it isn't helpful if you've found a successful WOE) it doesn't hurt to just nod.

I get the same thing. They are amazed at the noticeable loss then proceed to tell me I'm not going to lose weight counting calories. I just walk away lol.

I would suspect these people may be carrying a few extra pounds themselves?! I agree that nobody wants to believe calories and exercise are the key to long term, sustainable weightloss... but it is and is clearly working for you! Very well done for making the change, keep it up!!

I think people notice this kind of thing much more when it pertains to weight loss because it's such a very personal battle. People (especially family members) are going to have an opinion about everything you do. Whether it's your diet, your hairstyle, how to finance your car, how to raise your kids, your choice in men/women, your career...what have you. I think giving advice is basically a conversation starter for some people. Like @jemhh said, you just have to smile and nod. Then change the subject as soon as they pause to take a breath, lol.

This is why I don't go into detail with people when they ask what I am doing to lose weight. If I don't tell them about some magic fat burning miracle, or overly restrictive VLCD, they are disinterested at best, or, at worst, tell me that what I'm doing doesn't work. So I started just giving really vague answers and then changing the subject:

"What are you doing to lose weight?"

"Oh, you know...this and that. Just being careful. Hey....is that a dinosaur?"

Eventually they stopped asking.

ilex70 wrote: »

Everyone has an opinion.

My spouse (I hope) has finally stopped trying to get me to do 5:2, which he kind of half does. Just last night he acted annoyed and said that he thought it was "too anal" that I was using a food scale to measure my dinner. But even he had to admit that "it's working".

So keep on, and just smile and nod.

That's funny. The only thing 5:2 does is allows people to eat more five days of the week and the sacrifice is eating next to nothing for two of them. That seems more anal and a drastic measure that could easily be avoided by using a food scale and maintaining a decent deficit every day like you're doing. There is zero benefit of IF over your method.

How rude that you've done so well and people are advising how to lose more!

Agree with all of the above, just ignore the "noise" and stick with what works for you.

You could perfectly honestly and seriously say that you have medical concerns that dictate your diet and you and your medical team are happy with your progress. Then change the subject.