CICO (calorie in calorie out) has been discredited. Yes, the intuition is strong, especially since it's been ingrained in our minds since the 70s. But it's *not* how/why we gain weight. It turns our our bodies are far more complicated than such simple arithmetic.

I don't want to get into the mechanics of it--there are plenty of books (I liked Nina Teicholz's 'The Big Fat Surprise' best so far. BYU's Ben Bikman has a new one out called 'Why We Get Sick').

If I understand the science right, you have your conclusion exactly backwards. Low calorie dieting works because it limits the carbs. You're literally starving yourself, which causes ketosis. But you don't have to starve yourself to keep your blood sugar low and, thus, achieve ketosis.

But you *do* have to break your addiction to carbs. This is the problem with keto diets. Our bodies are so used/addicted to the blood sugar high that they crave carbs. nearly all of the foods we crave are carb-laden. And grocery stores are chock full of carbs. It takes serious discipline and learning to figure out how to live a low carb lifestyle, although its getting easier as more and more people go low carb and the food manufacturers are catching on.

The problems that high carb diets cause are far more than mere weight gain (that's what Bikman's book is about). More people need to read up on the new science. We've been killing ourselves over carbs, and sugar in particular.