New...again

Hi, Debbie, and welcome!

Have you been diagnosed by a doctor as diabetic, pre-diabetic, or insulin resistant? Or, do you have concrete reasons to think you might have one of those conditions? If not, low-carb eating is one optional way to reduce calories.

Have you talked with your nutritionist about your difficulties with low carb? (Also, is your nutritionist a degreed, registered professional dietitian? In some places, the only thing legally required to practice as a nutritionist is to call oneself a nutritionist.)

Many of us find that when we start calorie counting, a lot of the foods that are easiest for us to reduce are carb-heavy filler kinds of things like pasta, bread, rice, etc. It's not that those are specially evil, just that they tend to be relatively higher in calories, not very nutrient-dense, and possibly not very filling for the calories compared to other foods. Those factors make them relatively easy reductions.

On top of that, some people do find that cutting to very low carb levels helps reduce their appetite . . . but that seems to be pretty individual.

If you find that low carb makes things more difficult for you, and you don't have a medical condition pushing you to manage carbs, maybe consider relaxing your carb limit. It's important to get enough protein and fats (there are minimums for adequate nutrition), but carbs can be more flexible depending on subjective factors (as long as no medical issue).

When I was losing weight (class 1 obese to healthy weight at age 59-60), I ate 150g or more of carbs most days. (Most of the carbs were from veggies, fruits, and no-sugar-added dairy foods, not cookies or candy.) I lost weight fine, and have maintained a healthy weight for 7+ years since eating 225g+ carbs most days. Importantly, I'm not diabetic, pre-diabetic or insulin resistant, and wasn't at the start AFAIK.

Good overall nutrition matters IMO, food choices can matter subjectively even within equivalent nutrition, but low carb isn't universally necessary for weight loss.

Also, age is not a barrier, nor does age in itself dictate particular strategies. Recent research suggests that our metabolism stays pretty constant from 20s into 60s, with only slow decline thereafter. What changes with age tends to be our daily life routines (less physical, more sedentary), and our muscle mass (unless we keep challenging it through appropriate exercise) . . . but those are things within our control.

Just some thoughts.

Best wishes for success!