STARVATION MODE?

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todsho
todsho Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been using MFP for a while but this is my first post. I just have a question about "starvation mode". I have been under my calorie count quite often. Sometimes by as much as 300 calories. I get the warning about "starvation mode". I have lost 11lbs in about two months. My last weigh in I gained a pound. It kind of startled me! My question is, What happens when your body goes into "starvation mode"? Could this be why I started gaining? I feel just fine. I have been under my calories because I am satisfied with what I ate, meaning not hungry. I am afraid that if I eat more I will not reach my goal. Any advice?
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  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    I have been using MFP for a while but this is my first post. I just have a question about "starvation mode". I have been under my calorie count quite often. Sometimes by as much as 300 calories. I get the warning about "starvation mode". I have lost 11lbs in about two months. My last weigh in I gained a pound. It kind of startled me! My question is, What happens when your body goes into "starvation mode"? Could this be why I started gaining? I feel just fine. I have been under my calories because I am satisfied with what I ate, meaning not hungry. I am afraid that if I eat more I will not reach my goal. Any advice?
    Are you under 300 calories for what you need to maintain your weight or 300 under a said deficit you were trying to achieve?

    If you go well under what you need for a good amount of time you can get into starvation mode, but by losing 11 pounds in 8-9 weeks it doesnt seem as if you are eating at that huge of a deficit.

    and gaining 1 pound can be anything
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    If you are getting that message you are too much under and need to eat more food.

    Starvation mode as thought of is a myth.

    But if you eat too little for a long period of time your metabolism slows..which makes it harder to lose weight at an appropriate deficet.
  • todsho
    todsho Posts: 9
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    thavoice,
    300 under daily 1360 goal. Sorry, I should give more info..Thanx for the reply
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    1000 calories will not make you gain weight. Starving won't make you gain weight. Sorry.
  • CBworkout91
    CBworkout91 Posts: 26 Member
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    Starvation mode is largely a myth. While your metabolism will slow from starving, "starving" doesn't mean eating 300 calories less than you were supposed to. It means literally starving for a few days.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Starvation mode is largely a myth. While your metabolism will slow from starving, "starving" doesn't mean eating 300 calories less than you were supposed to. It means literally starving for a few days.
    Believe in the fasting literature I read it talked about close to 72 hours plus of fasting before the dreaded starvation mode starts to slowly kicks in.

    I agree, if your eating 1000 you arent getting near it. Most likely just water, fluctuations, or eating more than what you had been thinking.

    1 lb isnt much to worry about.....heck...could be the scale! I know digital scales, if used on a cold floor/room will be off by up to 3 lbs to the bad! (and I have seen thast first hand with mine)
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
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    While "starvation mode" has a lot of hype that surrounds it that is completely unnecessary, I have to diverge from the crowd here. There's a reason you get that warning, and it's because you're eating too little. That's probably not the reason you gained a pound - that is most likely water - but you should definitely be meeting your goal, especially a goal that low.

    Eating significantly below your BMR for a sustained period of time can cause metabolic slowdown. It's not starvation mode; it's more like adaptation. Your body doesn't have the energy it needs, so it sort of reworks itself to be able to run on the number of calories you've been giving it. I don't see that happening in the beginning of a journey, but as you continue to lose weight it may pose a problem.
  • todsho
    todsho Posts: 9
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    Thank you all for the replies...I guess I'm just paranoid about going backward instead of reaching my goal. So would 300 cal under slow matabolism? Or should I really try to be at my aloted 1360?
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    While "starvation mode" has a lot of hype that surrounds it that is completely unnecessary, I have to diverge from the crowd here. There's a reason you get that warning, and it's because you're eating too little. That's probably not the reason you gained a pound - that is most likely water - but you should definitely be meeting your goal, especially a goal that low.

    Eating significantly below your BMR for a sustained period of time can cause metabolic slowdown. It's not starvation mode; it's more like adaptation. Your body doesn't have the energy it needs, so it sort of reworks itself to be able to run on the number of calories you've been giving it. I don't see that happening in the beginning of a journey, but as you continue to lose weight it may pose a problem.

    That's all correct and well, but some people think it will make them GAIN weight. Their metabolism would only slow from starvation after the fat reserves were used up. I've never seen fat, starving people, and that's why starvation mode is widely frowned upon here. :/
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Thank you all for the replies...I guess I'm just paranoid about going backward instead of reaching my goal. So would 300 cal under slow matabolism? Or should I really try to be at my aloted 1360?

    You should eat your 1360 because your body needs the nutrients and fuel. Consider your long term health.
  • todsho
    todsho Posts: 9
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    I have been eating a lot more fruits and vegitables which tend to fill me up which is why I think I am often under the 1360. I always had a problem with "moderation" in the past. Now, since I started eating differently, I feel very full most of the time after eating.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I have been eating a lot more fruits and vegitables which tend to fill me up which is why I think I am often under the 1360. I always had a problem with "moderation" in the past. Now, since I started eating differently, I feel very full most of the time after eating.

    but your body still needs the calories for fuel.

    there are ways to get calories in without treats.

    Full fat milk, olive oil, avocadoes, bananas, ice cream, butter, peanut butter....eat a good marbled steak....
  • ambermwatson2
    ambermwatson2 Posts: 7
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    Dont worry about going under you calories not a big deal; what is a big deal is nutrition. Look at your daily nutrition in your MFP if you are getting enough vitamins and minerals then you will be fine. If you aren't try adding a supplement shack or multi vit
  • KariOrtiz2014
    KariOrtiz2014 Posts: 343 Member
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    If you are getting that message you are too much under and need to eat more food.

    Starvation mode as thought of is a myth.

    But if you eat too little for a long period of time your metabolism slows..which makes it harder to lose weight at an appropriate deficet.

    THIS. If you eat more than 1200 calories I bet you will still lose weight. I don't mean more than your TDEE!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I need to find an animated .gif of a transformer transforming into a skinnier transformer with the tagline "Starvation mode, activate!". I think it would come in handy at times like this.

    I'm sorry but I can't take people who think that somehow they will gain weight by eating less than an amount where they were already losing weight. That is just so blatantly illogical I don't even know what to say.
  • todsho
    todsho Posts: 9
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    I was just worried about my metabolism slowing down due to not enough calories..thats all
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I was just worried about my metabolism slowing down due to not enough calories..thats all

    Yes, you can make your metabolism slow by eating less which means that you might not lose as much as you would have expected based on your intake and your previous loss rate. But you will never, ever, gain weight as a result of eating less.

    That one pound you gained is most likely water weight due to you starting exercise. When you exercise your muscles retain water.

    The idea that you can put on fat by eating to little is a laughable fallacy and it doesn't take thinking about it very long to see why.

    That said its a bad idea to eat that little and you probably should eat more than you are if you are only netting 800 calories.
  • Yep_imchicbad
    Yep_imchicbad Posts: 66 Member
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    I had been eating 1200 calories with the same work out for over a year only lost 25 pounds the first 4 months, and haven't lost since I first started 2 years ago and have plateaued ever since. I was hungry, tired, had headaches and my hair was falling out. Then I upped my calories as I burned more and start lifting heavier- I've lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks. My body is more defined, I've lost inches and I way upped my protein to hit my macros. This matters. Same thing as gassing up your car, the further you go, the more fuel the body needs. Always changing your routine, the body does get use to it and stops responding, you have to switch it up, now maintaining is a different story. Starvation mode is real. Your metabolism gets all messed up
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Starvation mode is real.

    No, no its really not. You cannot gain fat by eating at huge deficits. You can lower your metabolism but you cannot lower your metabolism so low that 800 calories becomes an amount that you put fat on.

    If you eat slightly below your maintenance level you can lose fat healthily. If you eat way below your maintenance level you will lose both fat and some muscle. If you eat drastically below your maintenance level you will lose fat and muscle and your metabolism will lower in an attempt to compensate. At no point during this process do you stop losing weight and you most certainly do not start to put fat back on.

    This reminds me of a post from someone who seriously believed that proof of starvation mode was starving malnourished children in Africa who had large engorged bellies. She thought they were fat because of it. Not kidding, she was serious.

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