I don’t like defeatist articles like this, but, there is some legitimacy to it, both in physiology and observation. I would suggest that the practical solution

I don’t like defeatist articles like this, but, there is some legitimacy to it, both in physiology and observation. I would suggest that the practical solution is to prioritize exercise and food selection rather than calorie restriction. It may be the case that some people need to eat a lot more to feel normal. Okay, fine, then they also need to exercise a lot more to be healthy. This is inordinately common among world-class athletes by their own admission, and it often shows up in their less-active retirement. So maybe you need to eat 6000 calories a day to feel normal. Okay, fine, do that, and actually put in the work to burn off the excess. Should be about 8 hours, and you’ll be a personal hero of mine at the end of a month of that. I think most people would be a lot better-off if they would ignore the scale and focus only on performance, but be honest about it. For instance, I don’t care how much you weigh, but if you can’t run a mile in under 10 minutes and pick your own body weight off the floor, you’re going to have problems. Focus on improving a broad range of physical ability, eat as much as you need to keep improving, and you’ll be a lot better off in the long term.