I agree with everything you wrote, and kudos for finding something that works for you. I'll point out that IF didn't work for me, at least after an initial sma

I agree with everything you wrote, and kudos for finding something that works for you. I'll point out that IF didn't work for me, at least after an initial small drop of bodyweight (2-3kg IIRC). As you said, the reason IF works is the same reason any diet works - it helps restrict calories. But in my case, there were a few problems: 1. I was soon adjusting to the "eating window" and was eating extra portions, cramming in dessert before the window closed, etc. This meant I wasn't eating less calories. 2. I found it very inconvenient to stick to - family dinners, going out to nice restaurants for celebrations, etc caused issues. A different approach worked much better for me, namely tracking calories using MyFitnessPal, and learning to eat more satiating foods (low calorie density foods as some call them). And especially "anabolic" recipes as they are known around YouTube (basically, low calorie high protein foods). This gave me way more flexibility, for one thing, but also a much better understanding of how food and energy work - what kind of substitutions are "free" from a food-enjoyment perspective, but super helpful to lose weight. But like you said - whatever diet is sustainable for you and causes you to eat less calories is a diet that will work.