@BatGoonMcClintock
I 100% get the point that not all calories are equal but I'm not sure how calorie deficit is rubbish.
At the end of the day if you are consuming more calories (even the better ones) than you are burning the body will store the excess energy.If you want to "unstore" all that energy that I have been packing away for the last 20 years then I'm going to have to force my body to start using it.. hence start putting less in the top end.
Personally I have very little sugar in my diet (although I appreciate its in a lot of food unless you prepare it fresh - but then I don't eat a lot of not fresh food), I have plenty of energy (usually) and even when I have gone days without a single refined Carb I'm not sure I have ever craved them.
Obviously I am a bit down right now as people had been saying it looked like my body shape had changed but I kept on saying I saw no difference... I got convinced they must be right so I had been really hopeful that today was going to show the progress other people had said they could see.... Frankly even if they do see it, the numbers don't show it so it looks like I was right after all and I'm just a bit annoyed at myself for getting drawn in to the way other people think they need to motivate me... I don't need to be told how well I am doing, I need to be helped to get the result.
@Boondougal Calorie count is meaningless because if you ear 1,200 calories in simple carbs, your body will metabolize far more differently than if you eat 2,000 calories from protein, fat and complex carbs from fruits...therefore, calorie counting is largely meaningless.....I was far slimmer eating 3,500 calories a day from meat and fat than 1,800 calories from a 'balanced' diet that included grains....even though I worked out far less while eating 3,500 calories...
I know everyone gets sugar is the enemy but far more dangerous, because they've been extolled as good, are grains such as wheat, rice, oats and corn.....my turning point was cutting out wheat completely, it is the biggest enemy in how it messes with your insulin, makes you insulin resistant....the easiest way to do this is cut out all grains.
Tell you what....go to Mark's Daily Apple and follow his 30 day challenge....see if it makes a difference, stick with it through the keto flu, low carb flu....if you have to cut down on your exercise, so be it as you may feel sluggish due to low carb intake...your body is learning to get energy from a different source, turning from sugar-alcohol to fat-ketones....give it that space..and if you must exercise, left heavy weights and sprint, short and intense otherwise, walk a lot....
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-blueprint-30-day-challenge/Here's all the things you can eat....and without counting calories:
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-shopping-list/If it's not on the list, don't eat it....once you're past the 30 days, you can allow yourself a cheat meal once in a while...