We turn in food logs every week with summaries of our total carb intake and exercise. No one is forcing us to stay under certain carb levels, although it is encouraged. The study I am in is looking at real world conditions - not what loss could be achieved if everyone were perfect. The intention is to give a group of people all the information and support they need to lose weight (on either method) and see if one method is better than the other in the long term.