Metabolism and Starvation Mode

alexreyn13

Is it true eating too little calories can mess with your metabolism and cause Starvation Mode to occur? I eat slighly less than 1800 calories most days, but sometime drop around the 1200-1500 area from time to time. I'm not specifically eating less, I just have days where i really can't eat that much food (I'm very sedentary)

Will these sorts of inconsistencies cause any slow downs in my weight loss, or is being under your deficit (no matter how all over the place it can be) the only thing that matters?

nutmegoreo

Being under calories is where the weight loss comes in. Over time being in too steep of a deficit can influence your body make up (losing more muscle than you would like), which may influence your maintenance calories. At 1500-1800 calories, you don't likely need to worry about it too much. Although, as a 20 y/o male, you should be able to eat 1800 and lose nicely. You may not like the composition of your body once you get to where you are going. As a woman more than twice your age, I lose on 1700/day (as a reference point).

CrazyMermaid1

There is no starvation mode causing weight gain thing. It's all about eating fewer calories than you burn.

alexreyn13

Thanks for the replies, this makes me feel a lot better. I guess the amount of food I eat FEELS like a lot, since my eating window is usually between 12pm and 7pm (I tend to skip breakfast, not nearly as hungry as i am at lunch/dinner) so i get paranoid that I'm "Over-eating" even though I'm obviously not.

Also something else I wanted to ask, does Sodium/Water Weight effect your weight? I know they make you heavier, but does it specifically effect how much fat you lose?

PixelPuff

Starvation mode is a complete myth. If it was real, anorexics wouldn't be as skinny as they are [yes, I know average and overweight people have eating disorders as well, but the term for anorexia specifically applies to those underweight; it is otherwise EDNOS].

PixelPuff

alexreyn13 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, this makes me feel a lot better. I guess the amount of food I eat FEELS like a lot, since my eating window is usually between 12pm and 7pm (I tend to skip breakfast, not nearly as hungry as i am at lunch/dinner) so i get paranoid that I'm "Over-eating" even though I'm obviously not.

Many people eat in windows, actually. It is called intermittent fasting. Depending on the person, can work either great or terribly. For instance, I don't eat breakfast - if I did, I'd throw it up everywhere. I'm such a non-morning-person that I can't even hold down food. xD So lunch [if that] and a large dinner are all for me.

nutmegoreo

The best way to tell is through results. I look at a lot of averages, for myself. When I am aiming to lose 1.5lb/week, then I watch to see what my average daily intake is that week, and see if my results are what I expect. This requires several weeks of watching, because weight fluctuates a lot from day to day. High sodium meals with cause water retention, as will an intense workout. So watch how things are going in the coming weeks and see if your results are what you expect. If yes then great. If you are losing more than you expected, you will want to eat more.

kshama2001

My favorite starvation mode link: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/