Is there such a thing as starvation mode?

sherisse5

Hello! I just switched to this program from weight watchers. In the WW program they gave you a healthy eating span of points. They said you had to eat the minimum number of points in order to lose weight. Is it the same here? The app is giving me 1200 calories a day. If I only eat 1000 of those calories will I still lose weight? Or should I be trying to come as close to 1200 as I can?

Decapins

you'll still lose weight but you want to aim for 1200 so that you can get all your nutrients and stay healthy.

Crafty_camper123

1200. or more. Your body isn't going to start hoarding calories, but cutting back too much too soon will eventually lead to a crash, followed by overeating. Slow and steady wins the race here.

Meelisv

There is no starvation mode, it's a myth.

However eating 1200 calories is borderline unhealthy, eating only 1000 is definitely unhealthy and leads to all kinds of issues. You're still losing weight by eating that little but you really should eat more. How much, depends on your age, height and activity level. MFP will help to set up your goal.
Eat more, set realistic weight loss goal (not too aggressive) and burn more calories by being more active. Also, make sure that you weigh and log everything you eat. Odds are that you're already eating more than that 1000 cal. Good luck!

FlyingMolly

Starvation mode is a thing, although there are a lot of misunderstandings out there about how it works and what it does. The reason MFP recommends a minimum of 1200 isn’t because you won’t lose weight if you eat less; it’s because it’s unsafe to do so without medical supervision.

It’s extremely difficult to get the micronutrients you need into 1000 calories, and routinely depriving your body of those will have all sorts of ugly side effects. And for most people (excepting older, sedentary, AND short women—not just some of those characteristics but all of them) so few calories just aren’t enough to keep your body functioning.

For most people, even 1200 is a punishingly low amount to eat every day. Is it possible your goal is too aggressive? If so, you can expect fatigue, dizziness, cravings/binges, and burnout. MFP would tell me I could lose 2lbs/week by eating that little, but hey: I could lose 4lbs/week by making sure I walk at least an hour each day and eating nothing at all. Since that would be horrible, I’m aiming to lose 1lb/week, and after about five more I’ll be taking it down to .5.

I know it feels terrible not to like your body, but really: it’s not a race.

malibu927

Not in the way people think. But at 1000 calories you'll be losing muscle and likely not getting in adequate nutrients to fuel your body. Stick to the 1200 at minimum, and I would bet you'd do better with a higher goal than that.

inertiastrength

There is such thing as a starvation response but not to anyone with any amount of bodyfat to lose.

sherisse5

Thank you everyone. I did set up my goals and my profile. 1200 is what the app set for me to be in track to lose 2 lbs a week. If 1200 is the minimum needed for good health should I be less aggressive with my goal? Only 1 lb a week?

malibu927

Both. 1200 is the minimum it will assign, which shows that a 2 pound a week loss is too aggressive for you.

sherisse5

Thank you. I just reset my goal to 1lb a week and it's now giving me 1500 calories a day. So if I aim for a minimum of 1200 and a maximum of 1500, I should do just fine. Right? Here's Hoping!

Poisonedpawn78

sherisse5 wrote: »

Thank you. I just reset my goal to 1lb a week and it's now giving me 1500 calories a day. So if I aim for a minimum of 1200 and a maximum of 1500, I should do just fine. Right? Here's Hoping!

Yes. And if you exercise you earn more calories to eat with as well.

AnvilHead

No.

https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

allenpriest

If you eat nothing at all for many days then you will shrink up and die.

That's starvation mode.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

allenpriest wrote: »

If you eat nothing at all for many days then you will shrink up and die.

That's starvation mode.

thats plain starvation,starvation mode is thought by many as eating little but not losing weight and your body holding on to every calorie,your fat and so on to prevent a famine. your body hold on to nothing when you are starving or in a deficit.There is such a thing as adaptive thermogenesis though

tinkerbellang83

AnvilHead wrote: »

No.

https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

Stealing this for the infographic thread lol

amusedmonkey

Yes and no. The lower your calories are the more efficient your body tries to be to adapt to the low intake, so this adaptation does result in a slower metabolic rate and burning fat less efficiently, in addition to hormonal changes that affect your hunger to push you to consume more food and your movements becoming more sluggish in general which affects non-exercise activity, and yes, that means a slower metabolism. Starvation mode as people think it to be, where you start to gain fat or stop losing at all on a 1000 calorie diet is a myth. When you eat too low you still lose weight, probably even faster than if you had a more moderate intake, but the amount of fat lost per calorie restricted is lower.