Oh brother...... 
Whats wrong with taking out a food group to lower calories?
I see it like this, there are essential fats (can't take those out for health reasons), essential aminos (other than the muscle building properties of protein, there are aminos our body needs from outside sources), but there are no essential carbs. Micronutrients are extracted from fruits and vegges, which I keep (at least the vegge part) throughout the whole diet. Any time I go on a strict diet the first thing I do is take carbs out. Lowers calories and I don't hinder my health. Plus, the satiety factor of protein keeps me from craving shitty food.