gnu, you're quite right! I (once!) lost three stones in weight by eating MORE, and MORE OFTEN, with a nice homemade soup containing many different vegetables, including cabbage, and some meat stock. I ate this every two hours or so, as much as I wanted, and I didn't feel at all hungry. I also drank lots and lots of water. I was as full as a stuffed cushion, but I lost weight, at the rate of about three pounds a week, and felt marvellous. The trouble though with all diets is maintaining the ideal weight and not putting it all on again.
I do feel that being fat is rather better than being filled with vituperative hate for all and sundry.