Do I confuse intensity with progress?
Maybe, if you judge a plan mainly by how dramatic it feels. Demanding workouts, strict diets, and emotional urgency can feel productive, even when they are not producing better outcomes.
Progress is measured by the goal: strength, muscle, fat loss, endurance, health markers, consistency, energy, or quality of life. Intensity is useful only when it supports adaptation and can be recovered from.
Ask what the intensity is buying. If the answer is mostly reassurance, punishment, or identity, the plan may need more evidence and less drama.