"Starvation mode"

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Siansonea

You are seriously telling someone it is ok to eat 600 calories in the day then exercise and burn 6-700 calories a day? You really think that's good advice? You really think that's wise of you?

What happens, almost immediately, if a person is actually doing that?

Since that isn't happening to the OP, then the OP isn't in fact doing what you describe above, and your criticism is unfounded.

Where did I say something bad will happen immediately?
If you also think saying to someone, "go ahead net 0, it's fine", then that's on you. Regardless it it's for a day or a year. And don't come back with that bs that our bodies are designed to go through periods of starvation and binging.

Sians did say to the OP to keep doing what she's doing if she feels fine. Saying keep eating 600 doing all the exercise you are doing. Don't back pedal now.

Yeah, I'm sure her math was totally 100% accurate. :indifferent:

tyediri

I am not tag teaming at all, just thought I'd point out why he thought that. Am not taking sides and it is not an attack on my part at all, I don't attack people on forums. Chill! lol

The reason I thought I'd speak out about the low calorie thing is because I was on 1200kcals for ages and I was fine, but I didn't do any crazy workouts then, maybe 40 minutes walking daily. I recently started Zumba, Aerobics and Body PUmp 3-4 days a week, and although I eat all my exercise calories back it made me feel tired and dizzy all the time, made me nearly faint at Zumba even though I wasn't hungry at all and was feeling quite full after my meals. So I have now manually changed my calories to 1400kcals and feel a lot better for it, and still losing. Have been reading up on this since, not purely with a weight loss view, but also a nutritional healthy point of view, so netting -100 to 200 was quite shocking!

But that is what you said. You said to the OP " I'll tell you, if you're losing weight, and you feel satisfied with the amount of food you're eating, you'll be fine" when she said "...my calorie intake each day still only reaches around 700-900???? And then, the days that I do Zumba, I burn 700 and some odd calories. Which will give me -100 to 200 calories."

So you were telling her that it was okay to continue what she is doing as long as she is losing weight and she doesn't feel hunger.

I agree that eveyone is different and works for one may not work for another though, but starving your body of so many calories is NOT a good thing, even if you don't feel hungry.

Are you logging every morsel of food you eat each day? If not, you'll never know if you're doing something wrong. But I'll tell you, if you're losing weight, and you feel satisfied with the amount of food you're eating, you'll be fine. "Starvation mode" is thrown around like it's some kind of Grim Reaper, ready to make you magically gain weight if you don't eat enough calories (never mind the laws of physics that are broken in that scenario). If you have enough energy to do the things you have to do, and you're losing weight, and your overall health is fine, don't worry about it. The first pounds are always the easiest, as you get closer to your goal weight, you'll find that the process slows down. That's normal. Just keep going, and keep tracking everything you eat as accurately as possible.

Using Fitness Frog, I calculate that your upper calorie limit should be 1592-1824, based on a TDEE using your info provided. Something tells me you're overestimating the number of calories you're burning through exercise, though. Honestly, I think MFPs tools make a simple issue more complex than it needs to be. Get your basic equation right, and you don't have to micromanage your exercise, which can lead to misleading numbers. But you should ALWAYS micromanage your food totals. That's the data keeping that really matters.

Jesus.......this is some f'ing terrible advice. OP please don't do the above^^^^^^

Also, please do a search on here. You are not the first to post everything you said, exactly the way you said it. You are not unique or special. You will crash and burn if you continue like that.

Right back at you, chuckles.

Yea you chuckle but you advice is still terrible. You really need to watch the dumb things you tell people to do.

Well golly gee, MrBroDoYouEvenLift, if I'm doing things wrong, why am I losing weight steadily? Do I have a magic metabolism? Can I monetize that somehow?! :noway:

You are seriously telling someone it is ok to eat 600 calories in the day then exercise and burn 6-700 calories a day? You really think that's good advice? You really think that's wise of you?

Sure, but you net 0 calories you will lose weight but does that make it a good idea?

You can joke all you want and put all the emoticons up that you want. Your ignorance on stuff seeps through the monitor.

Oh, is that what you thought I was saying? No wonder you're in a snit. That's not what I was saying. Not sure how you arrived at that, but whatever. Get glad in the same pants you got mad in. Or don't. Here's another emoticon: :sad:

Ah, so you and Mr Pectacular are tag-teaming me now, eh?

I also told her what her upper calorie limits should be, and that she should track her calories in and calories out accurately. I think once she does that, her numbers might look a leeetle bit different.

Je suis trés froid. Ask anyone. :bigsmile:

I think we're not as far apart philosophically as it might seem at first glance. But whenever I'm presented with numbers like the OP's, my first thought is that their math is off. Because, well, people's math is usually off. If she was really netting the calories she says she's netting, she'd know it, for sure. And not in a good way. :sick: My first advice to anyone will always be to get their math right first—then we'll all know what we're really dealing with. :happy:

I think it's always tempting to undereat when you're dieting, to lose weight quicker or whatever, but I don't think that's sustainable for any length of time. I encourage the OP to find her numbers for real, and stay with her numbers. In case there's any confusion, I don't advocate eating a net total of less than 1200 calories per day, I hope that's sufficient clarification for everyone. :bigsmile: :drinker:

Yay! We are friends again!

No I agree with you completely. I apologise if I seemed to take sides earlier. I wasn't really! Maybe I should have taken longer to read your answer.

I had to google the French! lol

NikiChicken

Problems with extremely low calorie intake (most of this stuff doesn't happen right away, but later down the road...its kind of like how some smokers end up with emphysema or lung cancer and some don't):

- Malnutrition

"Inadequate caloric intake can lead to malnutrition over time. According to MedlinePlus, malnutrition occurs when the diet does not allow the intake of a sufficient amount of nutrients. A diet with extremely low calories does not allow for adequate consumption of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants the body needs to perform its daily life processes. Vitamin deficiencies can lead to various problems, including fatigue, impaired wound healing and extreme weight loss." *1*

- Slower Metabolism (takes a while, but does happen)

"Metabolism is the rate at which the body burns fuel for energy. The basal metabolic rate is the minimum number of calories necessary to perform daily basic functions such as breathing, growth, cellular repair and digestion, according to MayoClinic.com. When calories are restricted over a long period of time, the body will compensate by holding on to the few calories that are consumed. Instead of burning calories freely, the body will perform basic life processes more slowly to conserve fuel. This can actually lead to weight gain." *1*

- Physical Changes

"A decrease in caloric intake may cause positive physical changes at first, especially in individuals with extra weight to lose. However, an extreme decrease in caloric intake can cause negative physical changes over time. Once individuals lose excess weight, calorie restriction can cause various physical problems. The Calorie Restriction Society indicates that decreasing daily calories too much can lead to reduced bone mass, fatigue, sensitivity to cold temperatures and food obsession due to extreme hunger. The CRS recommends gradual calorie reduction over a period of at least six months to avoid some of the side effects of low caloric intake." *1*

-Side Effects:

"Let’s look at some of the uncomfortable side effects of very low calorie diets:

Dry mouth
Headache
Dizziness
Fatigue and weakness
Cold intolerance
Dry skin and nails
Menstrual irregularities in women
Hair loss
Constipation/diarrhoea
Irritability and confusion
Inability to concentrate
Muscle breakdown
Problems with nerve and muscle function due to an imbalance in minerals and electrolytes
Conditions such as osteoporosis, anaemia, gout, gallstones, clinical depression, heart problems, renal failure, and liver disease" *2*



References:
*1*
http://www.livestrong.com/article/277053-what-are-the-dangers-of-low-caloric-intake/
*2*
http://www.dietriffic.com/2009/05/14/very-low-calorie-diet/

QFT - Read everything here and take it to heart.

JaxDemon

You would need to be eating less than 700 cals per day for weeks before your body went into starvation mode btw.

kaotik26

A pound a day is for sure too fast. You need to eat more, maybe since you get full so fast eat more times throughout the day.