A few years ago I did exactly what the author says not to do. I counted calories. Meticulously, in a spreadsheet, every day. Everything that went in my mouth was carefully measured and went in the spreadsheet, except for diet sodas, of which I drank gallon upon gallon — which is also supposedly something that will destroy your willpower. There were hard days and there were easier days. And over about 5 months I lost 60 pounds, and have kept most of it off.
That said, it became obvious pretty quickly what things were going to keep me under my limit and what things weren’t, and moreover, what things would give me the most bang for the calorie. And over time I gravitated toward the sorts of foods discussed here.
So, more than one way to skin and eat a cat I guess.
