No I think you're wrong. I think the truth is, and it will be proven eventually, that everyone is different. For instance I have had my metabolism tested twice and my BMR is anyplace from 1280 to 1500 -- likely total cals for the day 1400 to 1800. But the math doesn't add up. Typically it takes 800 cals or less to see a 1 lb weight loss per week.

I am not just a dieter, I am an expert dieter. I have tried EVERYTHING... several times over. Sometimes I think well, the good news is that I know what doesn't work.

At first, of about 50 things tried, I tried weight watchers. I watched the calories and about 30 lbs came off. However, then I got stuck. What I like to call.. "mega plateau". Reducing food and increasing exercise did nothing. I stayed like that for a year. Until I just couldn't any longer. This same pattern has gone on for years. I can lose weight but, then I hit a mega plateau. My most famous one was a liquid diet. I did that to prove to the naysayers that I wasn't "cheating" and guess what happened? I hit mega plateau. Even the diet plan had no answers for me.

Almost everything people suggest doesn't make much of a difference.
- weight lifting? Nada.
- exercise, nada.
- Changing what I eat to improve gut bacteria, nada.
- diet pills.. work a little.

Logging calories is my specialty -- along with getting on the scale. But this time around I have decided that is a mistake. It just makes the focus on the dieting too much. I just try to keep a rough estimate in my head and try not to go over 1000 calories.

I don't think I am alone either. There is a famous weight loss blog where they main person has exactly the profile as me. She also hasn't succeeded.

My sister recently lost weight with legal marijuana. It was just legalized where I am. Right now it is impossible to get into a shop but I hope in 6 months when I could be hitting mega plateau it will work.

ETA: One reason I lay things at the feet of working is that when I was a kid I was thin. I would play sports for about 4 hours every day. But, I cannot make that kind of commitment anymore. I don't have 4 hours to play games. People always say I should exercise but the point is I need to do a LOT of exercise for a difference and I no longer have the time or energy to do that on a consistent basis.