It sounds like you know a lot more about this stuff than me. It is my fault in so much as I should have used more precise language. What I meant by 'calorie c

It sounds like you know a lot more about this stuff than me. It is my fault in so much as I should have used more precise language. What I meant by 'calorie counting is a myth' is that a calorie reduction diet is a myth. Sorry for the confusion. Also, I admit, I could be wrong. I'm going off of the research I have done. That said, there is a lot of stuff happening in our body with regards to our food intake that I had no idea about. Insulin, ghrelin, leptin, and of course, testosterone for a man, is extremely important. Even limiting xenoestrogens as a man is extremely important. Also, people seem to forget somehow that your body can excrete calories. I agree with you about the problem of "people will try to eat the same types of food (high-caloric-density), just less of it". In the past, I tried a vegetarian, calorie-restricted diet, and I just felt hungry all the time. It wasn't a one for one diet to what I eat now, but it about the same. In terms of why intermittent fasting works, I don't know for sure, but from what I have read, your body's metabolism doesn't crash because your feeding window controls the ghrelin in your system. With your metabolism maintained, and by only drinking water during the 16-hour fast period, your body is forced to consume your fat stores for energy. Having said all that, you could be right... perhaps I just consumed fewer calories as the plant-based diet was just less calorie-dense. The volume of food may have made it feel like I was eating more when I wasn't. Honestly, I just don't know for sure.