I posted something like this recently. People don't have long-term willpower. If someone sticks to a diet and exercise routine which makes losing weight easy-i

I posted something like this recently. People don't have long-term willpower. If someone sticks to a diet and exercise routine which makes losing weight easy-ish and natural, there's a good chance they'll lose weight; if their routine makes them constantly hungry, tired, and stressed, there's a good chance they'll gain weight. Ignoring the effects on metabolism, unprocessed food generally causes the former, insulin spikes cause the latter. Even if "CICO" is absolute and 500 calories of broccoli = 500 calories of chocolate, that's not really important. Because 500 calories of broccoli is an insane amount that you probably can't eat even if you tried, while 500 calories of chocolate you can eat and still be hungry afterwards. But there's one caveat: a lot of people find that occasional "cheat meals" make sticking to a diet the other 90% of the time easier. Even some pro athletes and bodybuilders have cheat meals. I really doubt smaller amounts of processed food cause the metabolic changes the article describes or any significant changes, so while the quality of food matters, that doesn't mean people need to avoid junk food entirely.