Under daily calorie limit- is starvation mode a myth??

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meerkat2012
meerkat2012 Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Im just wondering as ive read all sorts on the net and dont know what to think. MFP worked out my intake for my current weight to be 1950. So to lose 0.5kg (1lb) a week it was worked out as 1450 daily limit to create a deficit. I am usually just shy of 1450 however on certain days i have got to the end of the day and im at 1200 or so and today it it was 1003 until i had some toast to up the cals. I add up the walking i do also and this then gives me extra cals for the day. However i dont usually eat back the cals unless it is rediculous.

Im just wondering wether this actually has the opposite effect and my body will hold on to fat instead of lose it because it thinks its starving-or is this a myth?

I also wanted to know if i have been on target each day or slightly under the limit and then one day i have a pizza does this mean i will not lose any weight this week because i went over the daily limit for one day??......damn that pizza....:grumble:

Do you think the figures are right for me to lose weight?

thanks :)

Replies

  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    1) It takes quite a bit more than one day or even a couple of days.

    2) Not unless you ate at least 5000 calories in one day. If you've got 500/day deficit, then the weekly deficit for the other 6 days should be 3000 - so you'd have to eat 3000 over 1950 in order to cancel out EVERYTHING.
  • thatawesomechick82
    thatawesomechick82 Posts: 132 Member
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    It isn't a myth, but you have to seriously be starving yourself by quite a bit for quite sometime to put yourself there. Another thing to consider: The U.S. FDA has a 20% calorie allowance, meaning companies can be 'off' on their labeled calories by up to 20% and still be within the legal limits to produce. So, taking that into consideration, you are most likely just fine and within your calorie range when you average out your week or month. I wouldn't worry about being under a few days. Also, some people suggest you eat back your exercise calories. I personally do not so I am constantly "under". I know how my body works and it works best when I eat healthy and don't eat back what I have worked off. No worries, as long as you're eating well and feeling good, and the weight is coming off, you are a long way from starvation mode!
  • bluefish49
    bluefish49 Posts: 102 Member
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    I don't think starvation mode is a myth, but with your numbers, I don't believe thats the issue.

    Also, I eat pizza all the time. 2 slices of Papa Johns Veggie is 540 calories. Plan for it earlier in the day, so there is enough calories at dinnertime to eat 2 slices.
  • unFATuated
    unFATuated Posts: 204 Member
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    Starvation mode isn't a myth as such, just misunderstood. It's more that if you consistently undereat (and we're talking many months of doing so) your metabolism can become very efficient at using what calories you do eat and you will find it harder and harder to lose even by dropping the number of calories you eat. But again I stress that you would need to undereat for quite a while before something like that became a problem. I'm not advocating eating so few calories, definitely not, but just making the point that learning how to eat to a certain calorie amount every day takes time and you won't do damage in the short term if you have a few days where your intake is less than it should be.

    And I agree with a PP that going over the calories for a day also won't cause an issue (unless you overate by a huge amount). Maybe try planning what you eat in advance so you can make sure you are eating enough and you can work in treats like pizza. Although having an uncounted meal once in a while also won't harm your progress. You might find that high sodium meals cause you to retain water (therefore putting your scale number up temporarily) so I would not recommend weighing the day after eating them, it may mess with your head a bit.
  • Qskim
    Qskim Posts: 1,145 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/475726-very-low-calorie-diets-and-metabolic-damage
  • droxeene
    droxeene Posts: 43 Member
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    I've asked my Dr. the same thing. I'm trying to lose 40-60 lbs. He likes me to aim for 1200-1500 calories a day. Some days total to only 800-900 calories & I was worried about messing up my metabolism. He told me that was fine but to make sure that I ate at the same time every day (3x in my case) if my daily calories were under 1200.

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