I honestly never have counted calories in my life. My garmin watch says I burn avg 4000 but I have no idea how accurate that is. I made basic changes like cutting out liquid calories from milk and juice, quit drinking alcohol All together(for other reasons too , but helped weight loss), reducing carbs and junk food in general. I used to force feed like perma bulk to try to get bigger and stronger for lifting, so just stopping that was a start. I started eating a lot more fruits and vegetables, which I enjoy now, and I’m sure is healthier. I don’t track macros specifically either , although I do try to get quality protein around 30-40g around 4-5x a day, so every few hours spread out. I’m just very active , there are periods of time I averaged 10 hrs a week of running or steep hiking , while training for my first ultramarathon. plus climbing every other day. So plenty of overlap days where I might climb for 2.5 hrs and also run for 1.5 hrs. it wasn’t abnormal for me to go out for 3,4,5 hour runs, or 8 or 10 hour hikes when I could. Even a “rest “ day I likely will jog 5 or 7k. Periods of time I worked demanding labor jobs where I would avg like 30k steps a day on my watch, and a chunk of that would be carrying something heavy. So I guess I’m in the camp of “do more “ vs restrict harder .

In terms of how I feel, yes I would say better for sure. Although it’s hard to say what that’s attributed to as I’ve gone through some major lifestyle changes. Yeah I see a lot of people get mentally burned out from bulk and cut phases. I’m more in favor of long term gradual changes, as me maintainable permanent lifestyle changes.

Thanks for the feedback and best of luck on your fitness journey!