The_Old_Guy - THIS is the thing I always tell people. I can be extreme, but I like to push limits. I think it is easy for ALL of us to fall into the same traps. Quick fix pills, half-a$$ed dieting (where you tell yourself you're on a diet, but a little of this is ok, and this, and that and you have no REAL plan). We all do it at different points.
I've logged a PSMF on here and people often bring up "starvation mode" or "metabolic damage" to me - like being 130 pounds over weight didn't damage my metabolism, but not eating much for a few months will. I always point out that ethiopians don't have a metabolism that just suddenly adjusts and they're OK or can't get rid of that last bit of fat. Muscle retention and caloric deficit is all that it comes down to - the laws of thermodynamics trump everything. But, "Starvation mode" does sell a lot of diet books because it gives people a sense of, "I'm cheating, but I'm SUPPOSED to, or I will kill my metabolism."