Following up on deirdra's comment, another way you can restrict calories is to be fussier about your food. Only eat food you cook at home, for example, or only grassfed beef or restricting to eggs and meat when eating away from home. Or my personal favorite only eat within a certain time frame (intermittent fasting). When you find yourself wanting to eat outside of these parameters, you will find it doesn't make so much sense anymore. You can still count calories if you like, but there are other mental "hacks" that will help you stick to plan and also make your life easier and your eating healthier. One of the biggest benefits of low carb is the freedom from thinking about food all the time.