Losing 150 lbs in about a year is roughly 2.88 lbs per week which translates into roughly a 1440 calorie deficit per day. That's huge and someone who is on a 500 calorie deficit per day will have a much different experience than you.

Perhaps the degree of your calorie restriction was necessary to lose the amount of weight you did in the amount of time you wanted (and that's a really impressive accomplishment regardless of what happened after), but I think many people will find that just by adjusting their portions so they're not consuming an unnecessary.

Put into the broad context of this thread, do you think that consumption of carbohydrates specifically as compared to proteins has gone up substantially in the US since 1970 and has not in other countries?

While we're throwing around anecdotal evidence, I've been on a diet of trying to maintain a 500ish calorie deficit per day since October. I do this through a combination of portion control and exercise, including weightlifting to make sure my muscle mass stays up. I am definitely stronger than I was at the start and I have lost 25 lbs (I started out 55 lbs overweight). That's much, much slower progress than you, but as long as I stagger meals properly throughout the day, I don't have any prolonged period of hunger.