I read that article earlier today. 

I was thinking the same thing, Welcome to Calorie-Count;-)

it re-confirms what you and the other million Calorie Counters already know!  

still, it's important to stay within a reasonable range of fats/carbs/protein, don't you think? they used a minimum of 15% protein and a maximum of 65% carbs, and it does matter for long-term health, i think, not to go outside that range.

i still find it's difficult to keep enough protein in my diet without adding fats.  and i think that's because protein is almost always found with fat (meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, soy products) and when it isn't, (other beans), requires long cooking.  and it's almost always unstable, requiring refrigeration so it's not something you can just grab off the shelf when you are hungry.  it takes planning and preparation.  but that's off the subject.

anyway, it good to hear that you are still working on promoting weight control.  i think it's one of the best ways we can tackle that big issue of health care in the united states.  we've known for a long time that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

keep up the good work!!!

very interesting!

I just went to read the study . 

Because I have conducted experiments on myself and I KNOW that if I eat starches and sugars, it makes me feel hungrier later on making it more difficult for me to stick to my calorie goal, and if I don't eat them (or eat small amounts compared to amount of protein) then I really feel little hunger.

So I wanted to find out how they determined that the people in the study adhered to the macronutrient profile they were assigned. 

Mean reported intakes at 6 months and 2 years did not reach the target levels for macronutrients (Table 2). The reported intakes represented differences from target levels of fat, protein, and carbohydrate intake of 8.0, 4.2, and 14.4 percentage points, respectively, at 6 months and 6.7, 1.4, and 10.2 percentage points, respectively, at 2 years. Reported energy intakes and physical activity were similar among the diet groups. The participants who completed the study had a mean weight loss of 6.5 kg at 6 months, which corresponds to a reduction in daily energy intake of approximately 225 kcal. (link)

So yeah, all groups got a similar result because none of them adhered to the macronutrient percentages they were assigned.

Interestingly, the participants logged their food and exercise on a web site so the researchers could determine their adherance to their diet.

So what this proves is that a 225 daily reduction in calories results in about a 12 lb weight loss after two years.

Another interesting passage from that study:

Most of the weight loss occurred in the first 6 months. Changes from baseline differed among the diet groups by less than 0.5 kg of body weight and 0.5 cm of waist circumference (Figure 2). After 12 months, all groups, on average, slowly regained body weight.

Maintenance is the absolute toughest part of any and all weightloss.

Calorie counting has been the most effective method for me, certainly. But I am starting to realize that almost all the diets out there rely on it whether they admit it or not. The pre-packaged meal plans especially.

Why spend money on pre-packaged food and programs, when every single tool you need - including an excellent support system- is right here and is absolutely free?

Thanks, Calorie-Count. (Yeah, I like to keep the old school dash in the name, reminds me how long I've been here. Sorry, Igor  )

@nomo: the fact that many people didn't manage to stick to their dietary prescriptions is a whole another interesting point per se. In fact, they actually made it one of the findings of the study. Here's an excerpt from the ABC News coverage:

One of the study findings was that cutting calories was easier for those who ate fats, carbohydrates and proteins in the same proportions as they usually did. "You can focus more on reducing calories rather than switching to a completely different diet type," Sacks said. "The more challenging diets were diets that departed a lot from usual intake."

Here is another interesting reaction from a CNN nutritionist in response to this study:

Dr. Melina Jampolis, the diet and fitness expert for CNNhealth warned against drastic measures like completely focusing on one macronutrient. "People want to be extreme," she said. "You say cut back on sugar, they cut it completely. The take-home would be that there is no markedly superior diet. If there was, people wouldn't stick with it anyway."

I definitely agree with you that people shouldn't take away the wrong lessons from this study - the point is not to stop eating healthy foods, but instead to stop obsessing about macronutrients to the point that it only further complicates their goals.

Here's a random thought that just came to my mind - in a way, the choice of the proper dieting method is somewhat similar to the choice of the proper exercise method: it's true that certain advanced workouts get more accomplished than just regular exercise. But - and this is a big but - the amount of committment required to follow some of those strict workout is highly unpractical and way too ambitious for most people with busy lifestyles. Over time, focusing your attention on the consitency and frequency in your exercise will get more accomplished than focusing on the type of the workout. If you can do both - great. If not, focus on what matters the most.

I was glad to see that study because it is exactly what my last year produced. I lost weight from cou ting total calories with mixed food types. In the past I had done Atkins, etc but could never maintain after the initial weight loss. I stay around 2000 calories now and eat almost anything although I focus on healthy stuff, low fats and no trans fats. I easily maintain my weight at the 200lb level where in the past I hovered at 235.

Well you dont have to choose a diet made by specialists you can ake your own.

E.G.:

Monday: jog and push ups

tuesday: cycle and situps

wednesday: long walk with friends

thursday: jog and push ups

friday: cycle and situps

Saturday: sport

sunday: relax

u dont have to take specialists diet all u have to do is just make your own one exercise and no junk food then mabye if you go a complete week like this then you can have something small to treat yourself on sunday for completing a week

Since I've been following the classic food pyramid paradigm and eating a balanced diet of all the food groups every day, I've finally lost weight consistently.  Some days my fat percentage is 40% and sometimes it's 15%, and my carbs and proteins vary just as much.  As long as I stick to my weight loss calorie level, I lose.

Thanks for writing about it!

The MSM stating the obvious.  I wonder how much dough they wasted on that survey.  Eat less than you burn = lose weight.  That's why Calorie Count is so invaluable - tracking calories burned is as critical as calories consumed.

Sometimes all of the research and info available can be overwhelming and can stop a person from acting on anything at all!

Nice to know that you can mix it up and still reach your goal as long as you count calories! YAY!

My doctor has a very simple saying for weight loss:

Eat less, move more...

and it works....

Well I started calorie count on April 16 and have lost two pounds every week since then. I log everything ( and I mean EVERYTHING) I eat and I find it amazingly easy to keep myself on track because I know what i'm eating and there are no excuses. I find I am also planning meals in advance and am amazed how easy it is to eat in restaurants when I go in with an idea of what I will order. I have also found that many restaurants post their menus (and some even their nutritional info!) online. That REALLY helps. Anyway what I want to say is calorie counting is definitely what works for me. I also love the nutritional grades that are included. I am eating foods that are much better for me and I am never hungry. I find it hard to crowd in more than 1500 calories a day, even though my profile says I should have much more.

Discovering an exercise program I love also helps. I ZUMBA several times a week and have never sweated so much. If you can find a class, try it. It's great fun.

So thanks to whoever you are who came up with this site. It may just save my life!

Also, this study focused on only people classified as obese. In my opinion, the leaner you get, the more you need to manipulate your macronutrients in order to acheive further results.

I find that portion control is key!

I went out to a dinner with a couple of friends and she offered to share her french fries. Of course the "Red flags" went up, but then I said to myself "I can eat one or two of these and it's not gonna deter me." So I ate two and was satisfied! All I really wanted was the taste of it, which is true for most deserts and fried foods!

If people would stop "super sizing" and buying large versions of everything and incorporated exercise, they would be fine indeed!