[beagle3]

It works for some people (my not-really-scientific observation is around 70%), but not for others. And part of the culture is dismissing anyone for which it doesn't work with "you're doing it wrong". It's like telling someone who has a magnet "gravitation is the only force". There was a point in history when that was common, but it no longer is. In 100-200 years, calorie counting will probably be revised to the point that it is only a small part (and when properly managed, negligible) part of the weight management equation.

For me the rule seems to be something like: no carbs - weight goes down at a rate of ~0.4kg/day (with a lower limit at ~82kg), regardless of calorie count, and yes, I varied the amount of taste-free-fat from nothing to ~2000kcal/day. With wheat: wait gain with sickness-upper limit of ~100kg (when I get there, I feel physically sick to the point of not eating) -- REGARDLESS OF CALORIC INTAKE (~800 average daily for over a few months, while constantly gaining weight). Some carbs but no wheat - mostly stable weight, I'm still working on figuring out the good carbs from the bad carbs.