You can still lose weight with some carbs

I used to be a strict low carber and was keeping my total carbs for the day around 20-30. Recently I decided to low carb again because I had gained some weight over the holidays, but I haven't been as strict as I was in the past. Most days I'll eat low carb, but 1 to 2 days a week I've been eating potatoes and rice as a part of my dinner. While doing this weight loss has been 8lbs lost during the first month and 7lbs lost during the second month. This is with no exercise. I thought about how the Japanese people eat rice regularly, but they still manage to stay thin. This is what inspired me to try some carbs and somewhat go against the low carb advice that I've followed. I still think low carbing does cause weight loss as I'm still losing, but it's ok to have an occasional meal with carbs. I'm not sure of what the effects would be from an occasional meal with bread or pasta since I haven't tried that yet.