re: Paleo diet ranked worst diet plan for second straight year

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Really only thing we cut out is sugar and most grains.

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The only other thing we do is find wheat alternatives. Nobody in our crew has celiac, but replacing empty wheat with healthier alternatives (e.g. almond flour) is a smart substitution, IMHO.

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Calories do matter but they are not the end all be all.

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Ultimately it is about a calorie balance, but the quality of input affects the output and result - the straight calorie counters forget that.

As an example - if I ate my 1800 calories with 100% sugar, versus 100% protein (egg whites) - I would feel a whole lot better eating the protein, but my kidneys would take a beating with all the protein I can't use. The 100% sugar diet is likely to result in very poor health. Likewise, people who cut nearly most of the fat out are typically hungry all the time. A good balance - and more importantly, finding the right balance for you - whether that's 50/25/25, or 45/35/20 - or whatever it takes to get you there - is as important as total calories - in the long run.

Eating a macronutrient balance, with an appropriate caloric load, is going to give you the best bang for your buck. Most Americans need to eat fewer total calories, fewer grams of carbs and more fiber - small percentage shifts in those 3 areas would solve most people's "intake" problems.