> First principles suggested I stop faffing around with diets that operate on clever narratives, assumptions and "magic" rules, and just look at what the science said. And the science was pretty consistent - calories matter above all else. I don't believe 'the science' is consistent about this at all. Tim Ferris cites lots of science when writing 'The Four Hour Body' a decade ago, and decades before that Atkins had a…
> not all calories are equal. Irrelevant. You can eat nothing but twinkies and still lose weight as long as you maintain a caloric deficit. Certain foods are going to make that easier and healthier, but that's orthogonal to the actual weight loss.
As others have noted, eating RDI (or just under) with only carbs - eg the twinkies diet - would be tiring and soul-destroying, likely very difficult to sustain.
Eating the same amount (calories) of proteins and fats would keep you much happier and healthier.
Eating a lot more (calories) of proteins and fats, and avoiding as many carbs as possible, and you're probably lose weight without having to track & maintain a 'caloric deficit' state.