“I have never known anyone who this worked out for well in the long term.”
It has for me. At around the 6-7 year point.
I think part of it is WHY one goes on a restricted diet. I was a very fat kid. Lots 50 pounds in the 9th grade and did yo-yo “Low fat, count calories” diets for the next 45 years. I think someone who was a very fat kid has a different solution than someone who got fat when they were in their 30s versus someone who has never been fat at all.
MY solution isn’t needed by a lot of people - but what works for a lot of people FAILS with me!
BTW - after years on very low carbs, I think I’ve reached the point I can allow a little higher carbs - maybe 50/day - provided I eat them in one meal, no more than once a day. Others might be able to go back to a more normal diet, while others might not need to severely restrict carbs at all.
I think we need to be open to ideas and accept that what is best for me may fail for someone else, and vice-versa.
It is good that you realize that various diets work for some people but not for all. I am glad that with my current activity level... eating absolutely anything that I want while trying not to make pig out of myself works out OK for me. But my digestive system works better and I do feel better if I eat a green salad before going to bed.
When I was a teenager, I was skinny as a rail. This was despite winning my driver's education class pizza eating contest. The nearest competitor was our wrestling coach who ate 13 slices of pizza while I ate 26 slices. After the contest I ran 3 miles home and went on a 40-mile bicycle ride. However, I was a nationally ranked endurance athlete who traveled all over the country to compete in bicycle races.
At this point this all sounds like a joke, but I can assure you that it was not. I rode 10,000 miles a year from the ages 14 to 19... then I had to start working at a lumber mill owned by my family which put an end to my dreams of traveling to Europe and becoming a professional bicycle racer.
People used to complain about teenagers who ate them out of house and home. My parents had a real eating machine constantly cleaning out whatever was left in the fridge. My favorite restaurants were all buffets or other places which had all you can eat specials.
Now as a retired person in my mid 60s who is far less active, a Wendy's $5 Jr Bacon Cheese Burger Biggie Bag which comes with a burger, fries, chicken nuggets, soft drink and tiny “frosty” is about all I can handle in a sitting. If I snack on candy and junk food it starts adding weight fairly quickly. But it wasn't until I got married 35 years ago that I had to stop making a pig out of myself or face the consequences.
I am curious however, I do not follow the low carb lingo very closely... when you refer to “higher carbs - maybe 50/day” are you talking about calories or grams?