Thanks to those of you who answered the questions, no matter HOW poorly worded they may be... I like to get an idea of what others think. rest assured, I don't see a lot of "sweeping generalizations" OR think anyone's theories are "dumb" or "silly"...

I guess the calorie level for the starvation response would be a HIGHLY individual number. It would also make sense that smaller people need fewer calories in GENERAL than bigger people, depending on the factors being discussed.

I remember right before my Dad had his stomach stapling done. He couldn't have possibly been eating over 1,000 calories a day, yet he continued to gain. OTOH, if I eat 1,000 calories a day (aside from FEELING starved) I lose weight.

I don't think we'll ever have a one-size-fits-all answer!