No, and No (once I got in a routine of what to eat) BUT yes to the second question to start with – it is all too easy to deceive yourself!

In my experience, if you eat all your tdee, you will either not lose or gain. Tdee seems to be quite high, again, for me.

I personally practice 16:8 (16 hours fast, 8 hours eating window) ,or the next 2 weeks, 19:5. And ha e eliminated all but the tiniest bit of carbs from my diet. Therefore, I don’t count calories at all. Carbs, even those in fruits and vegetables, increase insulin, which tells your body to store fat. The fasting period is your body “eating” the fat you have already stored. And I have plenty of thighs and belly for it to feast on!

I hope that helps!