Binary search is a great example of why you can't just look at the loop control variables to understand what body does for the iterations.

You have to look at both. If it turns out that the body's behavior can be easily described in terms of the loop control variables (or the reverse), great, but assuming that it does and trying to fix up things when that gets complicated is a disaster.

Of course, if you dislike break, you can fake it with continue and a flag, as long as your loop control guarantees termination. However, that complicates understanding the loop's behavior in terms of said control.