I deal with people on the " STEM FAST" diet on a daily basis. True, it works great. It has a few side effects..
You lose your teeth,burn your fingers, and your breath smells like you ate a sh*t sandwich w/o the bread!

I did the EAS "body for life" challenge about a year ago.
Lost about 12 pounds but lost crazy inches. It is strict but it works. I dropped about 4 percent body fat. Got lazy, put on some butter..thinking of doing it again. Lots of water.. smaller more frequent meals!