If it takes even more than what I tried then I hardly believe it's even worth it. I'd rather live happily for one less year than never get to eat fulfillingly and live on a bootcamp exercise regimen.
One of the main problems people have with counting calories is accurately being able to do so. While I don't think counting calories is for everyone, if you do try again, try to weight everything you eat. Don't forget the teaspoon of olive oil in the salad and those kinds of small things that add up. Research has shown that comparing food logs of people that say they have a slow metabolism and that they count calories, when subjected to something I think is called, reverse isotope water (or similar), shows that they are not accounting for a lot of the things they eat.
Also, a month isn't a long time to notice changes even on the scale. It isn't uncommon to not drop weight due to water retention during a few weeks (depending where you start) when starting a diet.
Apparently my BMI is 'obese' but I don't feel or look 'obese', by whatever value of obese seems to be my intuition gained over time, oddly. Maybe overweight is so common that it looks normal.
BMI is not really accurate on the individual level. Most athletes will score on the 'overweight' range for example while athletes that play in weight division sports will be in the 'underweight' category a lot of the time (I was for example, but I doubt anyone would consider me underweight at the time).
You also don't have to live a bootcamp experience, since essentially all your weightloss will come from not eating too much. Calories are flexible though, if you note which foods you get most saity/calorie then it is better to go with those foods than others that may be "healthier". In my case the key turned out to be meat and higher fat content plus bread.
Your month may have sucked, but you can absolutely do it, you will live better for it and whether you die earlier or not your quality of life is going to be much, much better when you aren't fat. It isn't just a matter of dying earlier - that tradeof may seem worthwhile - but a matter of whether you will spend ten years in a wheel chair, whether you can reach your own butt to wipe yourself, whether you need a machine to make sure you don't die in your sleep, etc.
You can totally do this. I know because I have been down that route and yes, the payof is worth it. Email me.
The water/muscle sound like reasonable explanations.
My overweight relatives had reasonable mobility etc into their 80s while still being overweight, so maybe my genetics are fine for it, but being healthier might be a net positive as you say anyway. I'll consider it.