One study. Three headlines. Only one is accurate. A new paper in the European Journal of Applied Physiology compared two high-protein diets (isocaloric vs. modest deficit) in trained lifters over 10 weeks. Both groups ate 2.5 g/kg/d protein. Both lifted 4×/week. Both were supervised. Here's what happened: The deficit group lost 2.94 kg of fat. The isocaloric group lost 1.41 kg. Both gained nearly identical lean mass (~1 kg). The authors conclude these findings "challenge the traditional model of energy balance." I'd push back on that. The deficit group lost twice the fat. That's not energy balance being challenged — that's energy balance doing exactly what it predicts. Modern CICO models already account for thermic effects, substrate oxidation, and lean mass–driven changes in expenditure. This isn't new. Protein calories count. They just count differently. They're harder to store as fat, more likely to support lean tissue, and more likely to raise energy expenditure, but they ar...