Scott,
If there IS such a thing as a starvation mode (it hasn't been proven), eating 1500-1700 calories isn't it, it would be more along the lines of 300-400 which is what you see in 3rd world countries. What really happens when calories are scarce is that the body starts using muscle as energy, slowing the metabolism. This can be seen looking at starving children in africa who are painfully thin but still have large stomachs.

I can't believe that eating 1400 calories a day is detrimental in any way as long as you can stay on plan. Now the real key here is exercise, primarily weight training. If you reach your goal, but have lost so much lean tissue doing it that you rebound back, you're screwed and theres nothing you can do about it.

I firmly believe that my emphasis on weight traing has kept me from stalling...ever. I am 15% stronger now than at the beginning of last year when I weighed 316. What does that mean? It means I am losing fat exclusively. Now I may lose slower than others (about 1.25 lbs a week) because I am adding lean tissue at the same time, but I won't have a rebound at goal (another 17 lbs) either.