No food is inherently bad.

No food is inherently bad, even processed foods and sugar serve a purpose on a lifestyle plan.

Saturated fat does not cause heart disease and carbohydrates do not cause diabetes, but excess of anything is not good for us.

We gain weight because we eat excess calories. There's a reason why studies have shown that people on both low-carb diets and low-fat diets lose the same amount of weight, both groups are consuming less calories then they are burning. I've lost weight doing both types of diets, the problem was I couldn't maintain that lifestyle and i gained the weight right back.

If you eliminate an entire food group like carbohydrates, the odds are you will lose weight. You won't have as many food options and so you eat less. In example is when someone brings cookies to work. If you are on a regular calorie restricted diet, you may take one, but if you are on a strict "no-carb" plan, then you will pass. Same is true when eating out, you options are simply limited.

The biggest advantage of eating low-carb, high fat & protein, I believe is hunger and hormones. Protein helps us feel full longer and fats are necessary for hormone production. So maybe it's easier to stick to, at least in the short-term.

When it comes to weight loss it is, calories in versus out, but the issue is it isn't as black and white as that. The types of calories we consume do affect our calorie output, also hunger can be affected by the foods we choose.

I don't force six meals a day, I eat when I'm hungry. I focus on eating protein and fiber with each meal. I get the good fats I need, and If a slice of cake fits in my calorie goals, I have it.

Even sugar and trans fats aren't all bad if they fill an emotional craving or hunger we have.
Depriving ourselves leads to failure so I believe it is extremely important to learn how to "walk the line" for long-term results.

I also believe we have it all wrong, and too many people see a "diet" as a quick fix. I used to, and I ended up gaining weight after each diet.

What I learned is the way we choose to lose weight has to become our lifestyle, if you can't see yourself following a certain plan long-term then you need to find a new one.
The reason I've kept off the weight now for several years, is I've never stopped or changed my diet plan. This is why no food can be taboo for me, if I want it, I'll have it. I just strategically time when I do.

The main point is we can't demonize certain foods, that happened with fat in the 80's and 90's, and now it's sugar. One type of food is not the cause of obesity. You can in fact eat all kinds of foods while losing weight.