In a New York Times article, an Italian cooking instructor takes on low carb mania and says that one’s relationship with food is what really counts when it comes to staying thin. She points to the more active lifestyles of Italians, the fact that they generally eat smaller portions than Americans do, and their general appreciation of food as reasons why Italians stay thin without going on the various diet du jour. If you prefer it in scientific terms, if you eat less calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight. If you eat more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight. Everything else is just details.