I was informed that when you count calories to lose weight that you don't just count the calories on the nutrition list ut you have to count the calories from fat and protein and carbs. Is this true? And if it is how many of each do you need? I always thought you just needed like 1200-1500 calories a day

its really easy to overthink this... what you want is some balance... you want to be able to hold to your diet without performing mental mathematical gymnastics that frustrates you... and you also want to get the most out of your effort, right? If you are on a diet, you want to be able to get the biggest bang for the buck.

so...

the problem with the idea of just cutting calories back is if the calories you consume aren't "right" you might struggle. For ex, eat less of a highly processed food and you'll feel hungry, lack the nutrition you need, and probably not see sustainable results. So 1000 calories of healthy food doesn't equal 1000 calories of junk food.

so think about the food you are eating, with the goal of filling the calories you have available with food with value. The less processed the better. Eat an apple or orange instead of the juice. Choose whole grains instead of bleached, processed grains. Baked, skinless chicken is better than fried, but even just losing the skin off fried chicken drops the fat content tremendously.

I think most people can see big changes with some small efforts. Instead of overhauling your diet into some maddening plan that is distracting and unsatisfying, make little changes. The whole grain switch, for ex. Take portions that are maybe 3/4 of what you were taking and you won't notice it hardly at all. Add fruits in place of dessert at dinner and you'll be craving it.

the reason why many find counting specific calories to be beneficial, I believe, is it requires you to document, to be really engaged... and studies have shown that those who keep food journals and exercise journals lose twice the weight as those who don't. Why? You are on a schedule, keeping track, not mentally working it out.

so sure... you should think about whether you are getting too much fat in your diet... but more important, I think, is to consider incorporating better fats into your diet, such as using olive oil for cooking...