Low fat and low cal are the wrong way.   Low fat means high carb.  So you have some carbs, trigger your insulin response and then your hungry but you can't eat.  So you feel like you are starving.   These diets must fail because you can't live life hungry all the time.  

Overweight seems to cause metabolic disease and once that happens it hard to live on a balanced diet.   Your body seems to crave the carbs.   This at least is what I have found...