Thanks, all, for discussion of an article I don't intend to read. May I comment anyway??

My lifelong goal as a "weight watcher" (and I've done all the diets!) has been not to count anything. Following LC guidelines as basic as "no sugar, no starch" is what it comes down to for me. In addition, I have to kick my own butt regularly about alcohol consumption. I've totally rejected fast food and processed food for decades, and I think that's a pretty good start for most people.

Finally, there's self-acceptance. I often wonder if these studies incorporate the experiences of "never fat" (or temporarily fat) persons compared to "always fat" persons--as in childhood obesity--or weight gain during early adulthood that arrives at a kind of stable obesity. The "yo-yo" experience is a universal challenge. Anyone--any diet--can produce weight loss. Maintenance? Not so clear.

Another issue I seldom see in a study is the location of body fat. Upper body--back and chest? Internal abdominal? Stomach and belly? Lower body--butt and thighs? Fat accumulation patterns do not change. Do different diets produce anything other than total fat reduction? What does that tell us about the persistence of fat cells and their relation to individual health?

I've gone way beyond the study at hand. But these are things I think about as I continue to wrestle in my 55 years of weight management. Maintenance is very, very hard, because the body has ideas of its own. No study can address all the variables.