Overall, (and as a general rule for most people) the calorie reduction is what is helping you lose weight. The switch to low carb can really help manage the cravings. I’ve never really pushed on long enough with low carb to get through that difficult first bit.
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But that’s still reducing calories overall, what was you intake and exercise before you started.
Everyone seems to have ‘the science’ but people are still fat 
I do 16;8 but because I’m a moron, I overeat in the window.
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I don’t see a single person saying anything different and I’d be amazed if anyone truly believed that.
However eating a 1000 cal of candy floss and being hungry will result in you putting more calories in, therefore we come back to the same thing
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and that’s always the bottom line , laws of thermodynamics, but the CO is the part that changes. a lot of people dont eat anywhere near enough protein, it satiates, but also the atkins/low carb fraternity also bang on about “I dont eat carbs” when most of the protein is being turned into sugar within their system! but as said, doesnt matter how much “science” is known, and most obese people know what they eat is too much and maybe a lot of “empty” energy in fizzy drinks, fruit juices etc, but its tackling the reasons why they cant change is key to long term success.
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Agree, I have restricted calories and ultimately it has been that that has taken weight off me.
That actually wasn’t my primary goal- I was looking for more endurance on the bike, my limitation was food, I really struggle to eat while exercising, I used to throw up quite regularly so I avoided food and bonked a couple of times really badly. It’s not an issue now as I am basically burning fat either consumed or stored as an energy source.
Some days I actually really struggle to get to my calorie goal, particularly if I have had a long exercise session.
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Anecdotally, with some facts, but what has become clear to me through my various weight journeys is exercise is a small contributor, but diet is key.
In simple terms, a mars bar as about 240 calories. I can eat one, or two in about a minute. It would take me probably 30 mins of exercise to burn that off. Its a lot easier to drop a mars bar then include exercise. Of course exercise has other benefits beyond calorie burn.
But there is a limit, I was trying to lose weight training for Ironman, it was miserable, I needed so much food to fuel the training and trying to get a balance at the same time to lose weight was impossible.
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I’ve honestly come across people who have argued that it’s purely about the energy content you put in your mouth and it makes no difference if you eat the same calories from mars bars or from cabbage.
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If you want to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. There isn’t much more to it unless you there other underlying issues, thyroid etc. Eating less will do FAR more to help put you in a deficit compared to exercising.
The above is important, but when trying to help the average obese person loose weight its mostly in the noise and the focus should be on just eating less calories.
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Speaks sense.
But “loose” use of the word “lose” detracts from the facts there 
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The books of Dr Steven Phinney have been my bible on this, worth a look.
you do that whatever you eat, your body just goes for the easiest form of energy as its standard.
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In terms of calories it doesn’t but definitely in terms of how you feel and overall health it does for sure
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That can sometimes be muscle tissue as its easily cannibalised. Its why weight training when in calorie deficit is beneficial to maintain mass and burn fat.
Of course if you just want a lower number on the scales then it doesnt matter but muscle tissue is important
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which is why protein is so important also.
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But previously that easy source was glycogen, but now I have very little of that to hand now. The switch to fat burning has become much easier.
60k fasted training rides are the Sunday morning norm for me now, and they feel completely comfortable- No hunger.
Isn’t the basic problem that people want to have their cake and eat it too? Literally.
I want to eat cake, therefore to keep the overall calories down I must stop eating bread, pasta & potatoes. Why am I hungry all the time?
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ignoring the psychological side, the best way to drop weight if HIIT work , strength training (essentially hiit) and eating a balanced diet with plenty of colours and at least 1g protein for each kg of bodyweight on every plate.
going the other way simple habit changes, eat slowly, use a smaller plate, never eat directly from a cupboard, always put on plate and go to dinner table, pre prepare food so you are less inclined to snack, try to take away the concept of bad food, if you want ice cream have it, maybe swap Ben and Jerry’s for Halo , serve a quarter tub into a bowl rather than get a serving spoon and eat from the tub. Never feel guilty after a dessert, savour the taste and never think oh Im already bad today I’ll start tomorrow, so you ate 4 chocolate cookies, dont eat the other 4 as “I’ve already failed”. Good habits can start again now. It depends on the person how you tackle each individual point of that. If they dont like “green veg” try and find compromise or a starting point, maybe blend it into a tomato sauce etc.
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I bet you have plenty as the body uses other ways to create it
60k is what 2 hours, even the most simple carb heavy human could do that as you store enough glycogen to fuel that.
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I don’t disagree with anything you are saying, I am simply talking about personal experience.
My body has reacted exactly as the science I have read suggested it would, so its a path I will continue to follow. My fat numbers continue to go down, muscle numbers remain stable.
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If you mean going out for a 60km ride without breakfast and only drinking water on the ride. I can happily do that and will be burning fat, assuming the intensity of the ride is correct. But if you want to work at a high intensity, you want carbs for sure. Listen to Inigo San Millan on Petter Attia’s podcast and he covers all this in great detail and he is a true expert in this field. Attia used to be quite a LCHF zealot then Inigo put him right on his science. ETA: see H said pretty much the same re the 60km ride, I reckon anything under 3 Hrs around AeT and I can go on water alone.
The wider health benefits of aerobic exercise around aerobic threshold. For the obese or quite overweight a fairly brisk walking will put them in that area. Make a group social thing and you can help with their self-esteem. Add some HIIT, resistance training and diet as @Hammerer describes and plenty of positve reinforcement and you’re moving in the right direction.
We have seen over the last couple of years the importance of metabolic health as covid really hit those poor in this area the hardest. Decreases insuling resistance, increases fat burning, etc. all come from workng in that aerobic threshold area.
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