We actually do understand this, scientifically. They are suffering from a high caloric but low nutrition diet. If you put someone on a diet that is high in all

We actually do understand this, scientifically. They are suffering from a high caloric but low nutrition diet. If you put someone on a diet that is high in all of their required nutrients (all the vitamins, all the minerals, all the different amino acids) but otherwise has a caloric density approximating their BMR (so, slightly below their maintenance requirements), their brain won't drive them into a panic and missing a meal isn't a big deal. Insulin mismanagement is a bitch.