So you're running a calorie deficit though ketosis. Great! But that's still a deficit, which is exactly what I've been saying all along. Sure, in this case it's Calories "Absorbed" rather than Calories In, but it's the same idea. It's still that simple.

So now the goalpost moves... That's not what you were saying, and it's not the same, it's very different from what you were saying. Incidentally, one can ABSORB calories from fat and then excrete them without utilizing them. The body isn't a fire that simply oxidizes everything, kcal in/out is not the right way to think about metabolism.

That I disagree with. A 500 calorie deficit (1 lb a week) is totally manageable with very ittle hunger. I personally find eating what I usually eat, just at a deficit to have been a bit more sustainable than only eating a pound and a quarter of bacon daily, but whatever works for you!

The bacon example is obviously drastic, but it proves a point.

Running a 500 kcal deficit is not a sustainable diet for the vast majority of people, and it typically leads to failure. It may work for you, but if it does long term, then you are an outlier.