That Many Calories? Really?

I've been reading a lot of other bloggers who are on weight loss journeys in hopes I'll learn things that I'm currently clueless about.  One of those bloggers is JewliaGoulia who mentioned calorie intake causing a body go into starvation mode.  I would have never thought of this! So this is what the information says from the information I put in on the Women's Nutrition Guide

Your results for the Women's Nutrition Guide Calorie Calculator

These results will help you to know how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, and the number of calories needed per day to achieve your goal weight in a healthy, steady manner.

You need 2303.7 calories per day to maintain your current weight without exercise. (Oh heck no!)
You need 1920.8 calories per day to reach your goal weight slowly and maintain that weight without exercise.
If you reduce your current caloric intake to 1803.7 calories per day you will lose one pound per week without exercise.
If you increase your current caloric intake to 2803.7 calories per day, you will gain one pound per week.

Exercise and Calorie Needs
If you exercise for 30 minutes each day, you may increase your caloric intake to 2567.5 calories per day and still maintain your current weight.

If you exercise for 60 minutes each day, you may increase your caloric intake to 2897.3 calories per day to maintain your current weight.
If you exercise for 30 minutes each day, you will be able to reach your goal weight with 2138.6 calories per day.
If you exercise for 60 minutes each day, you will be able to reach your goal weight with 2411 calories per day.

Macronutrients
The United States Department of Agriculture suggests that approximately 50 percent of your calories come from carbohydrates, about 30 percent from fats, and approximately 20 percent from protein sources. One gram of protein has about four calories, one gram of fat has about nine calories, and one gram of carbohydrate has about four calories.

You need 288 grams of carbohydrates, 76 grams of fat, and 115.2 grams of protein per day for 2303.7 calories to maintain your weight of 235 pounds.
You need 240.1 grams of carbohydrates, 63.4 grams of fat, and 96 grams of protein per day for 1920.8 calories to maintain your goal weight of 145 pounds.

(I prefer a diet closer to what diabetics use. Carbs love sticking with me & I have a family history of diabetes.)

This is SO interesting to me and makes total sense when put like that.  I would've absolutely gone into starvation mode and given up completely when my body didn't melt off the pounds. Now I have a better foundation when I look at all the numbers on nutritional labels!