How do you determine if you are in starvation mode?

MrsUnderwood

I've heard many of you write about "starvation mode", but I'm totally clueless about when you actually enter that place and what it means for your body. I've been eating well under my goal most days.

jamie1888

I'm sure someone can explain better than I can.... but, from what I understand, it's when you aren't eating enough calories to support your activity level. Your body will start to store fat, instead of burn it. I don't know that you would actually know you are in starvation mode; most people don't.

jamie1888

Found this on the internet:

"Starvation mode is a state in which the body's metabolism decreases or 'shuts down' as it adapts to defend against loss of energy reserve. Prolonged starvation can lead to organ damage. Signs of starvation may include weight loss, diarrhea, skin rash, heart failure, and dehydration"

So, you could actually be losing weight and still be in starvation mode. But, you are probably losing valuable muscle instead of ugly fat!

kpopa

Although I'm no expert I know that you have to eat at least 1200 calories a day (eat more if you're exercising)! This, for most people is the standard to not "starve".

Some other signs:

- not losing weight (your body goes into preservation mode)
- feeling lethargic and/or depressed (signs you're not getting enough nutrients)
- feeling HUNGRY! (obvious!)

Hope this helps

TateFTW

Your body doesn't always absorb nutrients from food the same way. True, some people have naturally faster or slower metabolisms, but your body also changes how it absorbs foods based on what it's getting. I'm not a fan of the term "starvation mode", because it makes it seem like there is a switch that is flipped at a specific point. This isn't the case. Most people diet by starving themselves, and the see great results for the first few days because their metabolism is still burning. But as the body starts to "sense" that it's not getting the nutrition it needs, the metabolism reacts by slowing down. If someone continues to starve themselves, the metabolism can get very, very slow and will store everything consumed. Part of the idea behind this site is maintaining a specific calorie deficit. If you want to lose 1 lb/week, then you have a daily 500 calorie deficit, which means you will consume 500 less calories then you would need to maintain your current bodyweight. This is not an exact science, and many have to experiment to really find out what their "maitanence calories" are for them specifically.

The hope is that if you stay right around the 500 calorie deficit, you will be able to continue to lose without having your body feel starved, which hopefully keeps your metabolism from slowing as a reaction to too high a deficit.

jamie1888

Found this too:

Why does a very low calorie intake slow down weight loss?

Quite simply, your body goes into 'starvation mode'. This mechanism, which is thought to have evolved as a defence against starvation, means the body becomes super efficient at making the most of the calories it does get from food and drink. The main way it does this is to protect its fat stores and instead use lean tissue or muscle to provide it with some of the calories it needs to keep functioning. This directly leads to a loss of muscle, which in turn lowers metabolic rate so that the body needs fewer calories to keep ticking over and weight loss slows down. Of course, this is the perfect solution if you're in a famine situation. But if you're trying to lose weight, it's going to do little to help you shift those unwanted pounds.

lotusfromthemud

Although I'm no expert I know that you have to eat at least 1200 calories a day (eat more if you're exercising)! This, for most people is the standard to not "starve".

Some other signs:

- not losing weight (your body goes into preservation mode)
- feeling lethargic and/or depressed (signs you're not getting enough nutrients)
- feeling HUNGRY! (obvious!)

Hope this helps

Actually, one of the primary symptoms of starvation mode is that your appetite disappears, to the point where you get essentially grossed out by food. (when I started at MFP, it was to increase my calories to a healthy level after seriously undereating for about a year). I had gotten to the point where I cut into an apple, and freaked out because the seeds looked like bugs.

When you say you're eating "under" your goal, by how much on average? What does MFP have your goal at and what are you averaging? Are you exercising? How much?

It's actually much harder to go into starvation mode than some think. You can't do it in a day, or even in a couple of weeks. Feel free to PM me if you don't feel comfortable sharing the answers to the above questions.

HTH.

MrsUnderwood

Your body doesn't always absorb nutrients from food the same way. True, some people have naturally faster or slower metabolisms, but your body also changes how it absorbs foods based on what it's getting. I'm not a fan of the term "starvation mode", because it makes it seem like there is a switch that is flipped at a specific point. This isn't the case. Most people diet by starving themselves, and the see great results for the first few days because their metabolism is still burning. But as the body starts to "sense" that it's not getting the nutrition it needs, the metabolism reacts by slowing down. If someone continues to starve themselves, the metabolism can get very, very slow and will store everything consumed. Part of the idea behind this site is maintaining a specific calorie deficit. If you want to lose 1 lb/week, then you have a daily 500 calorie deficit, which means you will consume 500 less calories then you would need to maintain your current bodyweight. This is not an exact science, and many have to experiment to really find out what their "maitanence calories" are for them specifically.

The hope is that if you stay right around the 500 calorie deficit, you will be able to continue to lose without having your body feel starved, which hopefully keeps your metabolism from slowing as a reaction to too high a deficit.

So does the calorie goal on MFP account for the deficit or do you eat 500 less than the calorie goal?

jamie1888

If you plugged in your profile that you want to lose 1 or 2lbs per week, then it's already putting you at your deficit.
That's why, a lot of folks on MFP will eat some/all of their calories they've burned through exercise.

Mindful_Trent

So does the calorie goal on MFP account for the deficit or do you eat 500 less than the calorie goal?

MFP estimates your normal daily calories burned before exercise, and then takes your deficit off of that to give you your goal. This estimate is based off of age/gender/weight/height and activity level (sedentary, lightly active, etc.) - that's why it's important that you pick the appropriate activity level for your lifestyle. Please note - it does NOT include any exercise in that, which is why you should be logging exercise and eating at least some of your exercise calories back. I aim for 50-75% of mine, and have been steadily losing weight.

MrsUnderwood

Actually, one of the primary symptoms of starvation mode is that your appetite disappears, to the point where you get essentially grossed out by food. (when I started at MFP, it was to increase my calories to a healthy level after seriously undereating for about a year). I had gotten to the point where I cut into an apple, and freaked out because the seeds looked like bugs.

When you say you're eating "under" your goal, by how much on average? What does MFP have your goal at and what are you averaging? Are you exercising? How much?

It's actually much harder to go into starvation mode than some think. You can't do it in a day, or even in a couple of weeks. Feel free to PM me if you don't feel comfortable sharing the answers to the above questions.

HTH.

My calorie goal is 1850/day. I do exercise but have been sick lately. After exercising I am usually WAYYY under my caloric intake goal as I work out at the end of my workday, generally before dinner.

On a normal day I fluctuate from between 30-500 under. I have actually added you and my food diary is viewable to my friends so you can take a look and tell me what you think.

lotusfromthemud

A couple things.

I looked back at a week or so at your diary. At a quick glance, it looks like you're averaging a healthy amount of calories. You might want to do what I do: at the end of every week, I take my "calories under" and then average them out. Your appetite will fluctuate a lot over the course of a week, so if you have a way under day, it might be followed by a little bit over day.

Just judging from your goals, it looks like you have a bit to lose, which means that you can actually maintain a slightly larger deficit. Personally, unless you're under the goal MFP has you shooting for by 500-700 calories consistently, I wouldn't worry about "eek! starvation mode!" The smaller you get, the smaller your deficit needs to be.

That being said, you may want to watch for the following issues:

significant lack of energy/moodiness/headaches/irritability

loss of appetite.

and

stall in weight loss that lasts at least a month. (it takes a month for it to be a true plateau)

Those are the primary signs that you need to up your calories. Easy ways to up your calories (I would do this gradually) are nuts, a glass of milk, avocados and healthy fats such as olive oil.

HTH.:flowerforyou:

kpopa

Actually, one of the primary symptoms of starvation mode is that your appetite disappears, to the point where you get essentially grossed out by food. (when I started at MFP, it was to increase my calories to a healthy level after seriously undereating for about a year). I had gotten to the point where I cut into an apple, and freaked out because the seeds looked like bugs.

Thanks for the correction!!! :flowerforyou:

clipsychic

Great question! I always wondered too

Beebee78

A way to determine for sure if your body is in starvation mode is to check your urine for ketones - once your body is in ketosis it is starving xxx

stormieweather

For me, I lose my appetite. My head hurts, and I get foggy, shaky, irritable, sleepy. Sometimes a bit queasy too. Undereating is a big problem for me, as I can easily go days with only a few hundred calories.

Then, when I finally do start eating, I can't stop. Which makes my blood sugar go nuts and I get sweaty and sick.

Nasty, viscious cycle. Only way around it is to eat adequately, regularly.

edorice

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binary_jester

Sally Struthers show up at your doorstep offering for people to sponsor you for $1 a day.