Why eating too little calories is a bad idea.....
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I Sincerely hope I'm not tried to g what someone has all ready stated here but, when you start to deprive your body of food and this calories your bodies have been conditioned over hundreds of years that the body behind to feel that the lack of food is indicative of the body being deprived of food due to famine or inability to feed itself. Therefore the body goes into "starvation mode" and begins to hold onto all of the calories it can! Just in case good becomes scarce!28
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vinceinalabama wrote: »I Sincerely hope I'm not tried to g what someone has all ready stated here but, when you start to deprive your body of food and this calories your bodies have been conditioned over hundreds of years that the body behind to feel that the lack of food is indicative of the body being deprived of food due to famine or inability to feed itself. Therefore the body goes into "starvation mode" and begins to hold onto all of the calories it can! Just in case good becomes scarce!
No - Starvation Mode used to be a specific term that was used for Adaptive Thermogenesis and very specific effects years ago.
The effects of actual starvation (as in not eating), and other myths - started to be attached to it - rendering it a useless term because people would just throw the baby out with the bathwater.
AT is real thing - the myths like you mention are not.
Only thing with AT that even approaches what you mention is the fact your body will start slowing you down, daily activity level can go down.
It's not a matter of holding on to calories - it's a matter of not burning as many because you aren't as active.
Perhaps the same end result - but for different reasons.11 -
vinceinalabama wrote: »I Sincerely hope I'm not tried to g what someone has all ready stated here but, when you start to deprive your body of food and this calories your bodies have been conditioned over hundreds of years that the body behind to feel that the lack of food is indicative of the body being deprived of food due to famine or inability to feed itself. Therefore the body goes into "starvation mode" and begins to hold onto all of the calories it can! Just in case good becomes scarce!
Nope. That's not what happens at all. If that was the case, there would be no skinny anorexics and everybody in food-scarce third world countries would be obese.
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/10 -
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I am struggling. My doctor placed me on a diet of 800 to 1000 calories a day with carb restrictions as well. And I have gained 7 lbs. And that is with exercise. But it hasn't been a full week yet. I saw some posts said wait 3 weeks to see results.0
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Sphinxesnest wrote: »I am struggling. My doctor placed me on a diet of 800 to 1000 calories a day with carb restrictions as well. And I have gained 7 lbs. And that is with exercise. But it hasn't been a full week yet. I saw some posts said wait 3 weeks to see results.
find a new doctor13 -
In addition to looking for Dr that isn't just going to run some standard program they happen to know about - are you sure exercise was supposed to be part of it?
Even study programs that go down that low, rarely have exercise included for participants, because it's just a known recipe for losing muscle mass, which everyone will regret sooner and/or later.
And besides, several reasons why the body gains water weight when starting to exercise.3 -
Sphinxesnest wrote: »I am struggling. My doctor placed me on a diet of 800 to 1000 calories a day with carb restrictions as well. And I have gained 7 lbs. And that is with exercise. But it hasn't been a full week yet. I saw some posts said wait 3 weeks to see results.deannalfisher wrote: »Sphinxesnest wrote: »I am struggling. My doctor placed me on a diet of 800 to 1000 calories a day with carb restrictions as well. And I have gained 7 lbs. And that is with exercise. But it hasn't been a full week yet. I saw some posts said wait 3 weeks to see results.
find a new doctor
Just to echo. If you've gained 7 lbs in 1 week at 800 calories.. and is that gross or net?
1. you're not at 800 calories-gross or net
2. If the doctor isn't actively monitoring how/what you're eating you need to fire the bum.6 -
Sphinxesnest wrote: »I am struggling. My doctor placed me on a diet of 800 to 1000 calories a day with carb restrictions as well. And I have gained 7 lbs. And that is with exercise. But it hasn't been a full week yet. I saw some posts said wait 3 weeks to see results.
If you're pre-menopausal, at the right point in your monthly cycle, and just started that exercise program besides, not to mention in the throes of excessive calorie restriction (a significant physical stressor), then 7 pounds of added water weight isn't out of the question. If that's what it is, it isn't fat and you shouldn't worry about it.
Do you have a serious medical condition that is known to decrease calorie needs? If so, your doctor should be monitoring your nutrition carefully (possibly via a registered dietitian or other skilled practitioner, but monitoring closely nonetheless).
If you don't have such a serious medical condition, or are not being monitored closely, your doctor should not have told you to eat 800-1000 calories and exercise on top of that. Sometimes cynical doctors do that, thinking there's no way the person will be compliant with the program, so if they're told 800-1000, they might actually eat more like 1500-2000. (1500-2000 is likely to result in weight loss for a severely obese woman. I lost most of my weight on 1400-1600, and that was after I was out of the obese zone entirely so needed fewer calories just to live.)
So, yes, people need to wait more than a week to see results. Premenopausal women, ideally, should wait for a full menstrual cycle plus a bit to get a true picture, perhaps 6 weeks. (I'm not saying it will take 6 weeks to see any loss; I'm saying it will take 6 weeks to see how fast, on average, your loss is going.) In your case, I'm not sure it's practical to wait that long. Another piece of the standard advice about waiting patiently is that if you start to feel fatigued or weak before the 6 weeks, you should eat more . . . before even worse symptoms show up.
I'm very sorry if this all sounds harsh. It's not meant to be harsh. I'm concerned about you, truly. I'm probably old enough to be your granny (am for lots of folks around here), and I tend to behave this way when I'm worried about someone's health. Be careful!15 -
I'm one of those who is scratching my head about not losing. I've been doing this for 70 days. I log everything and measure portions. I lost 5 pounds immediately and have not lost anything since. I used MFP to calculate my calories based on 1 pound per week. I would be happy for you to look at my diary over the past 2 months and see what else I can do. I would appreciate the input.1
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I do not understand why I see so many women on here trying to eat only 1000 calories a day. It makes no sense.1
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I'm one of those who is scratching my head about not losing. I've been doing this for 70 days. I log everything and measure portions. I lost 5 pounds immediately and have not lost anything since. I used MFP to calculate my calories based on 1 pound per week. I would be happy for you to look at my diary over the past 2 months and see what else I can do. I would appreciate the input.
You would probably receive more input on this by starting your own thread- many posters that regularly help people with issues like this probably won't find it here. I looked through about a week of your diary and noticed some room for improvement with your logging. It's late, so rather than breaking it down for you, here is a post I created to help new ones with their accuracy:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10640205/the-basics-of-accurate-logging#latest
You may think you can't be *that* far off, but there are many here that can attest to a food scale getting things moving again even though they thought their logging was fine. Also, I saw one day where you just logged 1500 for the day. Everybody does that once in a while, but if it happens regularly, it's going to interfere with your progress. The good news is, if that first 5 lbs has stayed off, you are losing, just at an average of .5 lb/week instead of 1. Tightening up your logging should probably fix that really easily
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@2aycocks I lost 7 pounds fairly quickly, but now I have stalled. I tried lowering my calories for the day and felt like I was going to pass out. I guess I need to workout harder. I don't know.
I don't know what kind of time-frame you are talking about here, but if it's just been a few weeks or less, you haven't stalled. Most people lose several lbs of water weight right off the bat and then it may seem like nothing is happening for a while, but the fat loss just needs some time to show up on the scale. If you are logging accurately and in a calorie deficit, the scale will catch up eventually. Do NOT lower calories, or make any changes really, until you have at least a month's worth of data to go on (and for a woman, 5 or 6 weeks, since we have all those fun fluctuations due to hormones) and even then, look at the accuracy of your logging first.2 -
My only issue with posts like these is regarding people, like myself, who work with their doctor and are cleared for a medically supervised low calorie diet. Right now my doctor is ok with me eating 900-1000 calories a day and I work with her, a trained professional who knows my medical history. I understand there are people who really need information like this, but it really irks me when MFP tries to reset my goals that I discussed ad nauseum with my doctor.
I'm about to do that as well, also under medical care. For the next 72 days I am going to be highly monitored and on an insanly low caloric intake pre-surgery. I'm also getting a daily supplement that conatins every micronutrient I need, while having my blood work checked very regularly. Why can't some people understand that when medical professionals (doctors) put you on a diet, they do know what they are doing.9 -
My only issue with posts like these is regarding people, like myself, who work with their doctor and are cleared for a medically supervised low calorie diet. Right now my doctor is ok with me eating 900-1000 calories a day and I work with her, a trained professional who knows my medical history. I understand there are people who really need information like this, but it really irks me when MFP tries to reset my goals that I discussed ad nauseum with my doctor.
I'm about to do that as well, also under medical care. For the next 72 days I am going to be highly monitored and on an insanly low caloric intake pre-surgery. I'm also getting a daily supplement that conatins every micronutrient I need, while having my blood work checked very regularly. Why can't some people understand that when medical professionals (doctors) put you on a diet, they do know what they are doing.
because many times we have seen/heard stories of people being put on VLCD diets by doctors who have provided no nutritional support; or using questionable supplements that only they sell...FWIW, most doctors unless they specialize in weight loss surgery only receive about 5 hours of nutrition training during their med school years14 -
deannalfisher wrote: »My only issue with posts like these is regarding people, like myself, who work with their doctor and are cleared for a medically supervised low calorie diet. Right now my doctor is ok with me eating 900-1000 calories a day and I work with her, a trained professional who knows my medical history. I understand there are people who really need information like this, but it really irks me when MFP tries to reset my goals that I discussed ad nauseum with my doctor.
I'm about to do that as well, also under medical care. For the next 72 days I am going to be highly monitored and on an insanly low caloric intake pre-surgery. I'm also getting a daily supplement that conatins every micronutrient I need, while having my blood work checked very regularly. Why can't some people understand that when medical professionals (doctors) put you on a diet, they do know what they are doing.
because many times we have seen/heard stories of people being put on VLCD diets by doctors who have provided no nutritional support; or using questionable supplements that only they sell...FWIW, most doctors unless they specialize in weight loss surgery only receive about 5 hours of nutrition training during their med school years
That bites. I have two MD's working with me. One is an MD, registered dietician, and internist (he holds two separate MD's). So yeah, I trust him with nutrition. The other is a plastic surgeon and dietician as well, while I never had weight loss surgery, I am getting my flap removed due to massive weight loss that I did over several years. The looser I can get my skin, the better for surgery, while remaining healthy.
My situation is far from normal and not recommend without being under very strict medical observation.2 -
deannalfisher wrote: »My only issue with posts like these is regarding people, like myself, who work with their doctor and are cleared for a medically supervised low calorie diet. Right now my doctor is ok with me eating 900-1000 calories a day and I work with her, a trained professional who knows my medical history. I understand there are people who really need information like this, but it really irks me when MFP tries to reset my goals that I discussed ad nauseum with my doctor.
I'm about to do that as well, also under medical care. For the next 72 days I am going to be highly monitored and on an insanly low caloric intake pre-surgery. I'm also getting a daily supplement that conatins every micronutrient I need, while having my blood work checked very regularly. Why can't some people understand that when medical professionals (doctors) put you on a diet, they do know what they are doing.
because many times we have seen/heard stories of people being put on VLCD diets by doctors who have provided no nutritional support; or using questionable supplements that only they sell...FWIW, most doctors unless they specialize in weight loss surgery only receive about 5 hours of nutrition training during their med school years
My situation is far from normal and not recommend without being under very strict medical observation.
Exactly... your situation is an exception. The majority of users on MFP are either doing this on their own with no professional guidance or have been given generic advice by a GP like "only eat 1000 calories" or "cut out carbs" (with the generic expectation that people won't comply, but will likely lose something anyway). We see it all the time, sadly
Posters don't typically tell people to disregard a doctor's instructions, but do encourage them to press for the reasons for such instructions (the medical necessity) and seek the help of a registered dietician. At least, this is what I've seen in my experience. 7 -
Sadly we have also seen advice thrown out by someone that is under Dr orders and very watchful care - apparently not realizing that is the case, and giving advice to others that is specific to them only.
Frequent posters will jump on such advice, and inform them that it is NOT for other new posters.
Kind of like some will use MFP with the avg weekly TDEE method with exercise included, and tell others with no caveat that they should not eat back exercise calories, that you'll never lose weight if you do that. Totally missing the fact they are the ones doing things differently.8 -
My situation is far from normal and not recommend without being under very strict medical observation.
So you see how/why a general use web site (geared to people who are NOT under strict medical observation and testing and do NOT have a time sensitive medical need that will offer them more health benefits than the risks they're taking to get there) is primarily addressing a different audience?
There are many things in life that we CAN do.
They even sound like good ideas at the time.
And yet they sometimes bite us in the *kitten*.
And then we look back and think: "hey, this ended up being a bad idea. Should have done a better cost-benefit analysis".3 -
One is an MD, registered dietician, and internist (he holds two separate MD's).
That is not quite how a medical degree works. No one goes through medical school twice - i.e., holding two MDs.
In the US what a MD/DO does, is pursue internships/residencies/fellowships that lead to being eligible for board certification in a specialty, if that is his/her end game (goal). Being dual boarded - spending 3-8++ years, twice, immersed in the guided training for a specific specialty and then sitting and passing its boards - is not as rare as it once was.
Your MD likely holds two separate board certifications (also commonly known as being a diplomate of whatever specialty). If I had to assume, it would be one from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the other from the American Clinical Board of Nutrition (ACBN or DACBN - there's an example of using that Diplomate designation). Or perhaps he was a RD (registered dietician) who decided to pursue a MD. Dunno; not my doctor so do not know what list of acronymized credentials trail after his name, or in what order.
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grinning_chick wrote: »One is an MD, registered dietician, and internist (he holds two separate MD's).
That is not quite how a medical degree works. No one goes through medical school twice - i.e., holding two MDs.
In the US what a MD/DO does, is pursue internships/residencies/fellowships that lead to being eligible for board certification in a specialty, if that is his/her end game (goal). Being dual boarded - spending 3-8++ years, twice, immersed in the guided training for a specific specialty and then sitting and passing its boards - is not as rare as it once was.
Your MD likely holds two separate board certifications (also commonly known as being a diplomate of whatever specialty). If I had to assume, it would be one from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the other from the American Clinical Board of Nutrition (ACBN or DACBN - there's an example of using that Diplomate designation). Or perhaps he was a RD (registered dietician) who decided to pursue a MD. Dunno; not my doctor so do not know what list of acronymized credentials trail after his name, or in what order.
Two MD's. One is from the former Soviet Union and not recognized in the US, the other is from the US.5
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