I'll challenge this a bit, but do agree with your statement on the caloric deficit being a key driver to weight loss. I lost 60#s in 6 months on keto doing 25g per day or less of carbs. The whole point of keto is to exhaust blood and liver glycogen, which is driven by carb intake, in order to "flip" to burning fat for fuel. I felt the best I ever felt on keto and was able to increase my net carb intake to 75g after the 6 months and was still getting into ketosis with time-restricted eating and regular 20-24 fasts. By restricting carbs, you burn more fat than you will with 100-150+g of carbs, even if you are in a caloric deficit. The extreme restriction of carbs optimizes the weight cut because you burn through blood and liver glycogen faster, thereby flipping to fat for fuel faster.
It boils down to your body type, goals, and honestly, what kind of discipline you have, but you can survive without carbs and still have gas in the take. The carnivore diet is an extreme example of this and given the right physiology, it's a great method for achieving a healthy body and mind, and achieving optimal performance.
Good luck, Jon! My GERD/heartburn is going to force me to get my shit straight very soon. I've been considering 28 days of carnivore eating only deer, fish, seafood, drinking bone broth, and eating eggs. Treat it as a "cleanse" and reset of my body.