I like to say that "calories in/out is true" in the same way that "abstinence is the only 100% effective form of birth control" is true: it's an obviously true

I like to say that "calories in/out is true" in the same way that "abstinence is the only 100% effective form of birth control" is true: it's an obviously true statement that, in practice, is useless at best and dangerously counterproductive at worst.