RYC: I wish. I'm uninsured, so I can only do home treatment. I wear splints on both wrists and take anti-inflammatories. And pray daily that I will not need surgery.
Taking too few calories can hurt you in trying to lose weight. You said this doesn't make sense to you in your first paragraph. If you see your body as a static container, then it won't make sense. But it should make sense if you understand that the body adjusts or evolves in response to environment and circumstances. When you starve yourself, the body response by SAVING/STORING MORE CALORIES. This becomes a habitual tendency and therefore leads to gaining more weight in the long term.
Another reason many fail in losing weight (and keeping it off) is because they are primarily focusing on overall weight. If you want to get slim, you really need to get the lesson at: http://spirfit.blogspot.com/2008/09/do-you-really-want-to-lose-weight.html
If you like that lesson, feel free to see also lessons at http://spirfit.org/Blogs/