Excellent point about the starvation! I hadn't quite thought of it that way. It's not as if I'm still in starvation mode per se: from my reading, I gather that after the first few days of reduced eating, the body does convert pretty efficiently to using its stores of fat, and I'm still the Costco in that regard.

But I suppose that dipping into the savings a little every day does begin to set off alarms.

Since random bouts of deep shame and horror are something I've experienced all my life in response to stress, it's no surprise that I'd have them now where other people wouldn't. There have been nuances of these attacks, however, that strike me as unique to the stress of losing weight, and I think your idea about starvation and its implications is a valuable thought for me to pursue.

PS: Yay for feeling powerful!