[glenra]

Wait, what do you mean the claim "has never been duplicated in a laboratory"? The article was about EXACTLY THAT THING.

A dozen former Biggest Loser contestants went into a laboratory for a few days for a study in which they had their metabolism analyzed and it was verified that six years after losing weight on the show, all their metabolic rates were substantially reduced - by an average of 500 calories/day - from what would be normal for someone their weight.

In the context of this study result, a small woman failing to lose weight on an 800-calorie/day diet should not constitute an extraordinary claim.

(Doing the math: imagine her normal metabolism level might previously have required 1200 calories/day. Subtract ~500 due to having dieted, add ~100 for her "hour of exercise", and we're at ~800/day.)

[tomp]

If their metabolic rates were reduced by 500 from a high level (> 2500/day) that doesn't mean you can generalize this effect to people with BMR of 1200.