I didn't do any of the yo-yo methods. Counting calories is the only thing that's ever worked for me. I'm down about 65 pounds; I "counted" kCals for three or four months, and stopped two months ago, give or take. The weight hasn't returned, actually, it keeps coming off.

There are a lot of things that are different with this method; it's less difficult to stick to, because you can eat anything you like. But it also forces you to learn how weight gain, loss, and maintenance works, specific to your body. We all have a pretty general idea of that, but it's usually pretty hazy. Seeing what the food you eat "costs" and what your "budget" is from exercise and from your natural burn rate, firms this up. Demystifying the whole process puts some "power" back into Clyde's hands. Finally, it's true of all people that using more energy than you consume will lose you weight, but I think yo-yo diets are usually pseudo-science?