"I would normally agree that thyroid issues are generally over diagnosed via WebMD or Google, but in this case she has been told by a medical professional that she has lumps on her thyroid. So it's reasonable to look into as a potential metabolism problem that might be easily fixed.
Your thyroid rules your metabolism, so problems with it can drastically change your ability to lose weight, even while being very careful about cutting calories"
--Like I said, it is fairly uncommon and I said if you were concerned you should consult a doctor. It changes your ability in as much as it effects your conversions. A doctor would clearly give you better advice if this IS the case, but like I said, if there are no other signs chances are its something else. Also, I'm not saying it may not be harder for some people, what I'm saying is that even if you have a bigger hill to climb, it is climbable.
"So if going too low in calories makes you feel weak and hampers you in the long run, then why is "starvation mode" crap?"
-- I'm saying it is a possibility. It is also possible that you could have a 1,500 calorie deficite and feel fantastic. The reason I brought this up is so she is not scared to do what it takes to see the results she wants because she is afraid of some mythical starvation mode that happens to people with very low body fat%.
"Your brain's #1 priority is self preservation. If it gets signals that your caloric intake is really low for more than a short period of time, it will slow or shut down processes it doesn't prioritize. So you will still have blood pumping and be able to stand, but everything will slow down. Your thinking might be fuzzy, your muscles won't perform as well as usual, they won't rebuild much after a workout, and this all slows down caloric burn because that's how it works.
In your rock moving example, no it won't magically use 50 calories instead of 100 to move the rock. It will just impair your ability to move the rock in the first place.
And the less excess fat you have, the more this happens. Someone with 200 pounds of fat on their frame can generally cut calories a lot without too much negative impact. Someone that is only a few pounds overweight will feel it a lot sooner and with a smaller caloric deficit."
--What processes get shut down after eating fewer calories? Please source this. You are talking about all out lack of nutrients like the type of things that happen to your joints after not having protein for 21 days. We are talking reduced calories. Like I said several times, pay attention to your body and your energy levels and balance exercise vs intake accordingly. It may be the case she needs to eat all her food calories in a day and create a deficit via exercise, this however may not be the case.
-- Yes, you should be shooting for the same percentages not necessairly the same numbers as a larger person I 100% agree. 2% loss a week will look different for someone who is 200lbs then someone who is 150lbs. I'm bigger I can have a larger deficit then someone smaller then me my 2% may look like 1400 calories where theres may look like 700.
"There are a number of people here that have stalled out for a long time, then increased their caloric intake, only to find their bodies functioned better, and that allowed them to start losing weight again."
-- Again here, I don't disagree and I addressed this. I said it was better to be slow and steady so you don't bag yourself. Some people lose weight inefficiently by trying to do it all in one day opposed to spread out over a week and it will effect your energy levels along with your psychological motivations.
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