You are assuming that the average person is a weight lifter like yourself. Most people aren't, most people get very little structured exercise.
The truth of the matter is that most people don't have the time to go throw 45's around a gym for an hour a few times a week, and that diet and metabolism are the two main factors in a persons weight.
Edit: Also, most people aren't eating 3500 calories a day. They are probably eating maybe a couple hundred calories more than they should, but the calories that they are consuming is causing insulin resistance which causes your fat stores to take up additional calories. Even cutting out the extra calories won't help once insulin resistance happens. And here's the kicker, not everyone's body will exhibit insulin resistance, that is why there are people that seem like they can eat what ever they want and not get fat.
Here's my anecdotal evidence, I used to eat whatever I wanted, though I ate mostly (what I thought to be) healthy, eg: oatmeal, fruit, veggies, etc. But I hurt my back and all of a sudden, despite my reduced caloric intake, the pounds started being put on. It wasn't until I discover HFLC diets, and began to do my own research that I realized it wasn't how much I was eating, but what I was eating that was causing the weight gain.
I haven't changed my exercise routine, so my total energy expenditure has not changed. Cutting calories is just as difficult for me as it is for anyone else
I am not sure how common insulin resistance is, but given that it is a metabolic disorder, I don't think you can draw general conclusions about metabolism from those individuals.
I never claimed that you did change your exercise routine but that has nothing to do with anything that I said. Again, most people don't have 1500 calories that they can cut from their diet. If they did cut that much, it is more likely to put their body in starvation mode, which is bad. For people that are overweight, what we want is the body to be in ketogenesis, that is, breaking down fat in order to provide calories.
Also insulin resistance is the precursor to diabetes, considering that America is currently suffering from rising levels of diabetes, I am comfortable saying that insulin resistance is fairly common (as in, you know someone that is insulin resistant).
“most people don't have the time to go throw 45's around a gym for an hour a few times a week”
“For people that are overweight, what we want “
“cutting out the extra calories won't help once insulin resistance happens.”
It sounds like you are overweight, sedentary, and insulin-resistant.
I mean this in all sincerity and without any mean spirit:
Please find a way to get healthy. If what you are doing is working, great. If not, reconsider your approach. Please do not give nutrition advice to others until you are actually healthy.
How many extra calories does ketosis burn? I've read that it's only about 300 per day.
Again - I suspect that most low carb diets work because you're eating less calories. Mainly because people don't realise how many calories there are in carbohydrates.
The truth of the matter is that most people don't have the time to go throw 45's around a gym for an hour a few times a week, and that diet and metabolism are the two main factors in a persons weight.
Edit: Also, most people aren't eating 3500 calories a day. They are probably eating maybe a couple hundred calories more than they should, but the calories that they are consuming is causing insulin resistance which causes your fat stores to take up additional calories. Even cutting out the extra calories won't help once insulin resistance happens. And here's the kicker, not everyone's body will exhibit insulin resistance, that is why there are people that seem like they can eat what ever they want and not get fat.
Here's my anecdotal evidence, I used to eat whatever I wanted, though I ate mostly (what I thought to be) healthy, eg: oatmeal, fruit, veggies, etc. But I hurt my back and all of a sudden, despite my reduced caloric intake, the pounds started being put on. It wasn't until I discover HFLC diets, and began to do my own research that I realized it wasn't how much I was eating, but what I was eating that was causing the weight gain.