Does keto matter?

Okay, a few clarifications.

No matter what, weight loss is always CICO.
HOWEVER, the CO part of the equation is what can be modulated by what you eat.

So for example. If I eat 1700 calories of donuts every day I am going to lose less weight than if I eat 1700 calories of nutrient dense food that allows my body to enter ketosis.

Why? Because the nutrient dense foods and the ketosis will give me a ton of energy (ketones make me hyper) and give me zero cravings, and the donut-only diet will make me lethargic and obsessively craving more sugar and fat. The more energy a diet helps you expend, the higher the CO part of the equation.

These apps don't have an accurate way to evaluate the calories you actually burn in a day, so that's why people think CICO means that eating the same amount of calories will produce the same results no matter what those calories are.

Not true.

What CICO really means is that no matter what you eat, if you produce the same deficit at the end of the day, you will get the same amount of weight loss.

Okay cool.

So what does that mean for Ketosis?
Well, that depends on how ketosis affects you. I don't eat keto, but I do 18:6 IF, which means I spend a lot of time in ketosis, and wowza, my energy is much higher and my appetite during my fading window is non existent.

So the benefit for me of ketosis isn't some magical fat-burning chemistry that seems to defy physics. It's pretty simple, it raises my CO by giving me way more energy, and it keeps my CI low by essentially eliminating cravings.

If keto doesn't have these benefits for you personally, then maybe consider something else.

The key, as someone else already said, is to find something sustainable, enjoyable, and healthy, that makes your body feel good, that generates and maintains a healthy weight over the long term.

For me, IF isn't primarily for weight loss, it's for digestive problems, pain management, and to combat fatigue, so for me, this is a long term lifestyle.

I generally don't have weight targets, I have healthy lifestyle targets, and a healthy weight is a natural byproduct of living an optimally healthy life.

So sure, do keto if it feels like your healthiest, most sustainable option. If it isn't, then do something else. Do the thing that is best for YOUR body, and that thing is likely the lifestyle that produces the best CICO balance.

Keto works
If you have a calorie deficit.
I don't do keto and probably never will because it's too restrictive and let's face it carbs are delicious 😁
But I do try to limit processed carbs as much as I can - because they are high in calories, easy to overeat and do not satiate me.
I have most weekends off plan and I often fall into a carb hole which sabotages my midweek efforts!
Carbs trigger something in me that makes me over eat.
So I can understand why people do Keto.
But I don't think it's sustainable in the long run.