The 1200-calorie/Starvation Mode Myth

randyv99

“The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth.” - Niels Bohr

Eating less than 1200 calories can be unhealthy but that does not mean eating less than 1200 calories cannot be healthy.
Starvation mode absolutely exists but starvation mode is not definite and immediate upon brief periods of significant calorie deficit.

It's great to have so much support and see so many folks so concerned about taking charge of their lives and being serious about what they put in their bodies. However, it is somewhat disconcerting how focused people are on the calorie count, the scale and the fearmongering around starvation mode.

Only you really knows what's going on with your body. No stationary machine, calorie counter, or anything-ometer in the world is going to give you an exact count of your calories in and out.

Some brief info:
Hunger and weight gain are regulated by a variety of hormones in the body most popularly thought to be leptin and ghrelin. Insulin, adinopectin, resistin and a host of other cytokines influence the way your body reacts to food. Just as everyone's estrogen and testosterone levels are different, so too are people's natural levels of these other homrones. So if leptin and ghrelin counter-regulate each other but for some reason your ghrelin levels don't decrease as your leptin increases (AKA you have high levels of fat but are always hungry), then use MFP to help you APPROXIMATE more healthy food intake. If however, you're eating well, are not hungry, have high energy and have no other physiological side effects then don't stress out about eating under 1200 calories every so often or overthink whether you should eat your exercise calories or not.

Your body has a built-in feedback regulation system. Weight loss, fitness and lifestyle changes are about listening to your body and understanding what it needs, not forcing yourself to stringently follow guidelines. You and your body should be the best of pals, try to listen to what it's saying and you'll succeed at being a healthier you.

hairy_bob

good post!

its true that its easy to be really worried about what you should be eating...especially for dieters as clearly they know that what they were doing before trying to diet was wrong!

suzukigrl

“The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth.” - Niels Bohr

Eating less than 1200 calories can be unhealthy but that does not mean eating less than 1200 calories cannot be healthy.
Starvation mode absolutely exists but starvation mode is not definite and immediate upon brief periods of significant calorie deficit.

It's great to have so much support and see so many folks so concerned about taking charge of their lives and being serious about what they put in their bodies. However, it is somewhat disconcerting how focused people are on the calorie count, the scale and the fearmongering around starvation mode.

Only you really knows what's going on with your body. No stationary machine, calorie counter, or anything-ometer in the world is going to give you an exact count of your calories in and out.

Some brief info:
Hunger and weight gain are regulated by a variety of hormones in the body most popularly thought to be leptin and ghrelin. Insulin, adinopectin, resistin and a host of other cytokines influence the way your body reacts to food. Just as everyone's estrogen and testosterone levels are different, so too are people's natural levels of these other homrones. So if leptin and ghrelin counter-regulate each other but for some reason your ghrelin levels don't decrease as your leptin increases (AKA you have high levels of fat but are always hungry), then use MFP to help you APPROXIMATE more healthy food intake. If however, you're eating well, are not hungry, have high energy and have no other physiological side effects then don't stress out about eating under 1200 calories every so often or overthink whether you should eat your exercise calories or not.

Your body has a built-in feedback regulation system. Weight loss, fitness and lifestyle changes are about listening to your body and understanding what it needs, not forcing yourself to stringently follow guidelines. You and your body should be the best of pals, try to listen to what it's saying and you'll succeed at being a healthier you.

agreed.

coniconstance

Like the post, well put

rori_74

great post !!!
and i totally agree

Flawlessk

Well said!

Sometimes i think we get caught up in the counting without really thinking about what we are eating.

A few chocolate bars and cokes will bring up your calories but you will still be hungry. Whereas a lot of healthier food has hardly any calories and fills you up.

Like you said, only you will know what is going on with your body x

andreahanlon

You write that our bodies have a built in self regulation system -- so true! Listening to my body and eating when I was hungry (and being mindful to not eat if I'm not hungry) has been a key for my weight loss.

Firesign

Great post

clahut

Good post - but not sure there are enough caveats in it about eating disorders Many people who undereat think they are listening to their body and getting what it needs even though they are not eating healthily. Having the 1200 cal a day 'warning' helps some of those at risk of perpetually eating fewer than 1000 (or even 800) cals a day realise that they may be harming themselves...

sharonuk10

Getting tired of this 1200 magic number starvation not starvation. Goodness people eat if you are hungry eat BUT if you are not don't. I for one get hungry and will not drop my calories below 1500. For me this is a lifestyle change not a DIET. The way I eat now I can eat this way for the rest of my life. When I reach my goal I will slowly increase the lighter foods I have with their normal calorie item.

1200 is not a magical number!! Things I have read about losing weight say to cut calories somewhere between 1500 and 1800. No where have I seen cut to 1200. Add to that some more moving about ie exercise and bobs your uncle. My opinion. And sticking to it!!!

SHBoss1673

unfortunately, like any system that is broken, you can't just say "Eat when you're hungry" to an obese person any more than you can count on a broken thermostat in a house to regulate heat correctly.

the body has an enormous capacity to adapt. And there many studies done that prove this concept out.

So while I agree that for a healthy person, it's generally acceptable to "listen to your body", that's not necessarily the case for someone who has issues with over eating or under eating. There is a concept called metabolic adaptation that occurs during prolonged periods of under or over feeding, for someone who chronically under eats you can't just tell them to "eat when you're hungry". Likewise, as the body very slowly reduces it's RMR to account for under-nutrition, most people never recognize when they are feeling sluggish or have a lack of energy (at least not unless they are looking for it or measuring it). Similar to theory of a frog and a slowly boiling pot of water (and yes, I recognize that this is a myth, it's here for insight only not direct comparison), you don't realize you're in danger until well into the process if that process is slow enough.

Cited studies:

http://www.ajcn.org/content/89/3/801.full.pdf+html?sid=2f6841ba-c49b-4533-8fee-5d6166710164

http://www.ajcn.org/content/51/2/309.full.pdf+html?sid=1b56c0fa-7a4e-4d28-9866-08d978de9a98

http://www.ajcn.org/content/49/5/745.full.pdf+html?sid=1b56c0fa-7a4e-4d28-9866-08d978de9a98

angiesteele

Totally agreed! I went to an endocronologist and he even said 1200 is not a magic number and reccomended me flucuating my calories. Most days to keep it in the 900 range and to go up too 1200. I however eat when i am hungry and stop when i am full and combine that with excercise and you will lose the weight. It is all about a lifestyles change.

sarahenagy

I agree with Boss...not only can you not tell an overweight person to just eat when they are hungry, I am a healthy person, at a healthy weight, with a healthy body image and I cannot just eat when I am hungry or I will eat too much. Although I realize that there is no way to know exactly what numbers are going in and out of my body every day, I need the accountabliity of knowing about how many calories I consume and burn. And I need a "magic number" to know about how much this should be. I am currently maintaining my weight, I eat between 1700 and 2000 cals a day and eat back most if not all of my exercise cals and my weight has stayed constant (within 2 lbs) for several months. For those of you who can maintain or even loose weight while just eating whenever you feel like it, I'm truly jealous of you! But give us who need our "magic number" a break!

guardup

I agree with most of this post with the exception that it is quite possible to have a nutrient deficit and not know it. Some nutrient deficits will send your body a message (Fat makes us feel more full than Carbs, lack of Iron can make you lethargic, lack of Fiber can make you constipated, etc). However, not getting enough Calcium (which is true of most women) may not send you a signal until your bones start becoming brittle.

I use MFP mostly to track my nutrients, since my weight loss is not an issue. When I began doing MFP, I was surprised how low my calcium intake was. As well, my Protein intake was half of what it should be for my level of activity and body type (which was determined by how relatively easy it was to grow/maintain muscle when I increased my lean protein intake).

MFP is valuable in that it educates us by getting us into a conscious tracking mode where we pay a great deal of attention to the numbers and measurements. However, at some point, we should be able to find where our body operates best and is getting the nutrients it needs. As long as my nutrient levels are healthy and I am getting enough protein, I don't pay attention to my carbs or fats (except to make sure I am getting healthy fats which MFP doesnt track).

I agree that its okay to go low or high on something for a short term. The body isn't that fragile. I also think that the purpose of MFP as a tool is to educate us to the point where we are doing this monitoring almost unconsciously... and then leave the tool behind.

But before you can be good about "listening to your body", you need to know what your body needs and what it is saying. Many people receive hunger signals, not because they are hungry, but because they are depressed or in an anxiety state. Being able to ascertain this and address it in a more healthy manner (exercise to release stress, talk to a therapist or good friend, use Cognitive Behavior Therapy or other simple tools to reframe your thought patterns) is far better than putting simple carbs into your mouth because you think your body is giving you a message.

Establishing consistent patterns at the start allows us to reach a settle point where we can begin to get in touch with how we feel. It also starts to equalize our nutrients and hopefully address deficiencies. Once we are settled in this place and get a better feel for where that point is, I think its a good idea to start moving off of the plan... because the plan isn't suited for all body and activity types. We can make adjustments and pay attention to how we feel and what signals we are getting (and ask ourselves why).

This is when we should throw out the door the sweeping rules which state "never" or "always"... and find what works for us as individuals.

In sum, I agree that the 1200 calorie Starvation Mode CAN be a myth... it can also be a truth for someone. The same with low fat diets or too much protein. This is why MFP gives you the ability to customize your own levels. There will be days that your body needs more or less because of hormones or activity type... or some nutrient that MFP doesn't track (I would love my own dream version of MFP which tracks far more nutrients).

The function of MFP and so called "rules" should be to give us a starting point. Much like learning to read and write. Then, as we become proficient at this process and in listening to our needs, we should move beyond the rules to what fits our self and start to write our own story.

lessertess

Although I agree that eating 1200 calories a day is not a magic number, unless you're a petite inactive woman, I sincerely doubt that eating less than that daily on a REGULAR basis could be considered healthy.

I disagree that you should listen to your body regarding hunger singles. Anorexics claim that they are not hungry. For them, For many of us who have become obese or morbidly obese, our hunger signals are inaccurate. I still struggle with differentiating between real hunger and emotional hunger. There are many physical and psychological factors that impact hunger signals. Basically.....what Boss said.

I also agree that there is a difference between hunger and proper nutrition. I could eat six candy bars today and not feel hungry but my body will be starving for nutrients regardless of rather or not it's starving for calories. I

And I agree that the term "starvation mode" gets thrown around here too easily and is often used inaccurately or is seriously misunderstood. That doesn't make it any less a scientific fact.

stormieweather

As I posted in another thread on the topic:


Being 'not hungry' does NOT mean you have taken in adequate nutrition.

In some cases, it can simply mean your ghrelin hormone levels have adjusted to the lower calorie intake and since ghrelin controls your hunger, you feel less hungry. Ghrelin also promotes fat storage during low (food) intake periods. The problem is, once you begin to eat normally again (after you've lost the weight), your ghrelin levels will increase, as will your hunger. Subsequently, 95% of dieters who lost more than 10 pounds will, within 1 year, regain all the weight they've lost.

So, eating enough food to fuel your body helps maintain the delicate balance of metabolic hormones.

Healthy, long term, sustainable weight loss IS more than just calories in/calories out.

http://themonterydiet.com/ghrelin_and_leptin.html


Also, on bodybuilding.com, the women who are working to lose weight are eating 1600-2000 calories, and doing so very, very successfully (that includes exercise calories). Why do people here think that they have to eat 1200 calories to lose? It's unnecessary for most, in my opinion.

randyv99

Good post - but not sure there are enough caveats in it about eating disorders Many people who undereat think they are listening to their body and getting what it needs even though they are not eating healthily. Having the 1200 cal a day 'warning' helps some of those at risk of perpetually eating fewer than 1000 (or even 800) cals a day realise that they may be harming themselves...

Very true but this post was primarily directed to the users who post in forums about being concerned that they are not eating enough of their exercise calories or that they haven't been doing everything EXACTLY right. Long term nutrient deprivation is a serious problem which is why I began my post with the Niels Bohr quotation.

randyv99

unfortunately, like any system that is broken, you can't just say "Eat when you're hungry" to an obese person any more than you can count on a broken thermostat in a house to regulate heat correctly.

the body has an enormous capacity to adapt. And there many studies done that prove this concept out.

So while I agree that for a healthy person, it's generally acceptable to "listen to your body", that's not necessarily the case for someone who has issues with over eating or under eating. There is a concept called metabolic adaptation that occurs during prolonged periods of under or over feeding, for someone who chronically under eats you can't just tell them to "eat when you're hungry". Likewise, as the body very slowly reduces it's RMR to account for under-nutrition, most people never recognize when they are feeling sluggish or have a lack of energy (at least not unless they are looking for it or measuring it). Similar to theory of a frog and a slowly boiling pot of water (and yes, I recognize that this is a myth, it's here for insight only not direct comparison), you don't realize you're in danger until well into the process if that process is slow enough.

Cited studies:

http://www.ajcn.org/content/89/3/801.full.pdf+html?sid=2f6841ba-c49b-4533-8fee-5d6166710164

http://www.ajcn.org/content/51/2/309.full.pdf+html?sid=1b56c0fa-7a4e-4d28-9866-08d978de9a98

http://www.ajcn.org/content/49/5/745.full.pdf+html?sid=1b56c0fa-7a4e-4d28-9866-08d978de9a98

Interesting reading. Completely supports what's been said about energy expenditure and the body's ability to adapt to environmental energy stressors. My post is of course a generalization directed toward all the people actively taking part in changing their behavior who are needlessly stressing out about exactly how many calories they are taking in. There is no evidence to suggest that someone who is endeavoring on a new weight loss or fitness journey will be adversely affected by the occasional under 1200 calorie day or not eating exercise calories. It is more important for those individuals to be aware of the nutritional components of what they're putting in their bodies than to worry about starvation mode. Except for the clinically ill (i.e. those with eating disorders and/or malnourishment) and those without access to energy sources have to seriously worrying about the effects of starvation mode.

I'm so delighted to start a conversation around this issue, I deliberately entitled "myth" to incite discussion.

randyv99

I agree with Boss...not only can you not tell an overweight person to just eat when they are hungry, I am a healthy person, at a healthy weight, with a healthy body image and I cannot just eat when I am hungry or I will eat too much. Although I realize that there is no way to know exactly what numbers are going in and out of my body every day, I need the accountabliity of knowing about how many calories I consume and burn. And I need a "magic number" to know about how much this should be. I am currently maintaining my weight, I eat between 1700 and 2000 cals a day and eat back most if not all of my exercise cals and my weight has stayed constant (within 2 lbs) for several months. For those of you who can maintain or even loose weight while just eating whenever you feel like it, I'm truly jealous of you! But give us who need our "magic number" a break!

You can no more tell someone struggling with over/underweight issues to eat when necessary than you can tell somone with major depressive disorder to cheer up. However, there are plenty of people without image or eating issues who can respond to the eat when necessary mantra rather than stay above 1200 or always eat your exercise calories mantras. Also sounds like you've been doing a great job listening to your body and finding something that works for you and using MFP as a tool to help you get there which is the point I was making. Do what works for you! And the warning that automatically pops up from MFP is fine, I just don't think people should worry too much about it.

Also I totally need MFP to keep me accountable. I had no idea I was eating nearly 4000 calories on some days before I started tracking, Anyhoo good work and good job.

randyv99

I agree with most of this post with the exception that it is quite possible to have a nutrient deficit and not know it. Some nutrient deficits will send your body a message (Fat makes us feel more full than Carbs, lack of Iron can make you lethargic, lack of Fiber can make you constipated, etc). However, not getting enough Calcium (which is true of most women) may not send you a signal until your bones start becoming brittle.

I use MFP mostly to track my nutrients, since my weight loss is not an issue. When I began doing MFP, I was surprised how low my calcium intake was. As well, my Protein intake was half of what it should be for my level of activity and body type (which was determined by how relatively easy it was to grow/maintain muscle when I increased my lean protein intake).

MFP is valuable in that it educates us by getting us into a conscious tracking mode where we pay a great deal of attention to the numbers and measurements. However, at some point, we should be able to find where our body operates best and is getting the nutrients it needs. As long as my nutrient levels are healthy and I am getting enough protein, I don't pay attention to my carbs or fats (except to make sure I am getting healthy fats which MFP doesnt track).

I agree that its okay to go low or high on something for a short term. The body isn't that fragile. I also think that the purpose of MFP as a tool is to educate us to the point where we are doing this monitoring almost unconsciously... and then leave the tool behind.

But before you can be good about "listening to your body", you need to know what your body needs and what it is saying. Many people receive hunger signals, not because they are hungry, but because they are depressed or in an anxiety state. Being able to ascertain this and address it in a more healthy manner (exercise to release stress, talk to a therapist or good friend, use Cognitive Behavior Therapy or other simple tools to reframe your thought patterns) is far better than putting simple carbs into your mouth because you think your body is giving you a message.

Establishing consistent patterns at the start allows us to reach a settle point where we can begin to get in touch with how we feel. It also starts to equalize our nutrients and hopefully address deficiencies. Once we are settled in this place and get a better feel for where that point is, I think its a good idea to start moving off of the plan... because the plan isn't suited for all body and activity types. We can make adjustments and pay attention to how we feel and what signals we are getting (and ask ourselves why).

This is when we should throw out the door the sweeping rules which state "never" or "always"... and find what works for us as individuals.

In sum, I agree that the 1200 calorie Starvation Mode CAN be a myth... it can also be a truth for someone. The same with low fat diets or too much protein. This is why MFP gives you the ability to customize your own levels. There will be days that your body needs more or less because of hormones or activity type... or some nutrient that MFP doesn't track (I would love my own dream version of MFP which tracks far more nutrients).

The function of MFP and so called "rules" should be to give us a starting point. Much like learning to read and write. Then, as we become proficient at this process and in listening to our needs, we should move beyond the rules to what fits our self and start to write our own story.

Totally agree with you!

randyv99

Although I agree that eating 1200 calories a day is not a magic number, unless you're a petite inactive woman, I sincerely doubt that eating less than that daily on a REGULAR basis could be considered healthy.

I disagree that you should listen to your body regarding hunger singles. Anorexics claim that they are not hungry. For them, For many of us who have become obese or morbidly obese, our hunger signals are inaccurate. I still struggle with differentiating between real hunger and emotional hunger. There are many physical and psychological factors that impact hunger signals. Basically.....what Boss said.

I also agree that there is a difference between hunger and proper nutrition. I could eat six candy bars today and not feel hungry but my body will be starving for nutrients regardless of rather or not it's starving for calories. I

And I agree that the term "starvation mode" gets thrown around here too easily and is often used inaccurately or is seriously misunderstood. That doesn't make it any less a scientific fact.

Agreed. Hunger signals are by no means the only means by which you should be listening to your body. Headaches can single thirst before dry mouth does. Dizziness can signal lack of carbs. Learning to understand our bodies and its signals is more important than making sure we worry about 1200 calories (which for petite women) ARE to many or too few. Weight, and more importantly healthy nutrition, like any other manifestation of the human body is far too complicated to be defined purely by calories or hunger, which is why were need to learn and listen to our bodies.

randyv99

As I posted in another thread on the topic:


Being 'not hungry' does NOT mean you have taken in adequate nutrition.

In some cases, it can simply mean your ghrelin hormone levels have adjusted to the lower calorie intake and since ghrelin controls your hunger, you feel less hungry. Ghrelin also promotes fat storage during low (food) intake periods. The problem is, once you begin to eat normally again (after you've lost the weight), your ghrelin levels will increase, as will your hunger. Subsequently, 95% of dieters who lost more than 10 pounds will, within 1 year, regain all the weight they've lost.

So, eating enough food to fuel your body helps maintain the delicate balance of metabolic hormones.

Healthy, long term, sustainable weight loss IS more than just calories in/calories out.

http://themonterydiet.com/ghrelin_and_leptin.html


Also, on bodybuilding.com, the women who are working to lose weight are eating 1600-2000 calories, and doing so very, very successfully (that includes exercise calories). Why do people here think that they have to eat 1200 calories to lose? It's unnecessary for most, in my opinion.

Exactly! I want everyone who is worried about 1200 calories to read this thread and read all the information we have all put forward here to understand that calories don't tell the whole story. I'm certainly enjoying all of the responses this post has been receiving.

buggaboo73

I am so *&^%$#@!!! sick of this topic.

eveunderground

I think this is a nice thread, lots of people weighing in on the discussion constructively.

My opinion regarding listening to your body, is that people with weight issues and/or eating disorders have trained themselves to bypass those signals in order to follow the path they desire (overeating or starvation). So it is not easy to just start hearing those messages and acting on them. In addition there are also certain types of food (usually highly processed) that cause the wrong signals to be sent "keep eating more", when actually you've already eaten enough calories, but you don't feel like you have.

I've been maintaining for 9+ yrs and I still can't interpret any signals (the only signals I feel are when I'm very hungry or very full...but nothing in between), it's the visual assessment of portion sizes and the mental math of total calorie count that stops me from over eating, it's not listening to signals.

I agree the 1200 calories per day is not a magical number and has nothing to do with starvation mode. I consider 1200 calories to be a guideline that helps prevent people (who may have very limited knowledge about nutrition) from creating their own weight loss plan that involves practicing extended periods of under-eating. Periods of extreme restriction can put their health at risk. Also operating at a very large calorie deficit for an extended period of time often results in overeating/bingeing once the "diet has ended"...followed by fast weight gain, bringing on the next cycle of extreme restriction, on so on. I believe the goal of enforcing 1200 calories per day minimum is mainly to prevent this very common but also very unhealthy behavior.

guardup

Also, on bodybuilding.com, the women who are working to lose weight are eating 1600-2000 calories, and doing so very, very successfully (that includes exercise calories). Why do people here think that they have to eat 1200 calories to lose? It's unnecessary for most, in my opinion.

This is because these women are burning 1000+ calories a day in their weight lifting routine. If they were eating only 1200 calories they would soon starve to death.

I can easily burn 600-700 calories in a good 2-3 hour lifting day - and I am not a competitor. I just love the buzz of endorphins that I get from lifting... it's akin to an alcohol buzz only my senses don't get dulled and my body is relaxed instead of numb. I hear that some people can get this from running... they call it the "Runner's High". Running for me is more like a death sprint.

I would suggest that anyone with a high calorie burn rate might be endangering their health if they eat 1200 calories a day for long. You simply cannot get enough nutrients and protein to offset the demands on your body. You'd likely get signals like feeling light headed and even fainting if you did this.

But again, that's listening to your body.

I think the issue here is that the number 1200 is a baseline... and can go up with additional exercise.

I just got back from 6 days in Cancun where I consumed about 2000 calories a day OVER my baseline (gotta love those mango daiquiris :drinker: ) AND where I did nothing but lie in the sun and an occasional dip into the ocean. I put on a good 4 pounds.

So my current baseline is 1300 calories a day. This will get me back to my original weight in about one month. (BTW - it was SO worth the 6 days of decadence :happy: ) However, this doesn't mean that I am only consuming 1300 calories a day. I burn about 400-800 calories a day in exercise. If I burn 400 calories, I usually consume all 400. However, if I burn 800, I will usually not consume all 800. I will make sure I have enough protein and other nutrients and I will take the extra deficit gladly... as long as I am not going to bed hungry.

bbygrl5

This is a great post! I love your opening quote! For me and my body, I stay away from going as low as 1200 calories. I workout hard, I need energy. I know I would put myself into starvation mode... BUT that's ME!

If there is one thing I've learned about this journey I've been focused on for 2.5 yrs, it's that so many things we may believe are finite, end up proving us wrong, or being different for someone else.

Fitness/Health/Nutrition are all sciences, but very complex ones. There are so many components that go into weight management, fitness, body fat loss. What works for one person, isn't always going to work for everyone else. Some people swear by supplements, other people think they are evil!

I think the important thing to remember, especially when supporting one another is to let our voices be heard and share our insights with one another, but not to cram our opinions down everyone else's throats. It's hard sometimes because we get so passionate about what we've learned and what has worked so well for us, that we really want to convert people sometimes.

People are also at different stages of their goals and maybe they are good at managing their calories, but they are not ready yet or ever to completely give up fast food. I think we just need to, again, be a support system, voice our opinion on the matter, then leave well enough alone for people to find what works for them and their goals.

Anyhow, I didn't mean to get on a soapbox, lol. I've had these thoughts in my head and thought this was a good thread to express them on. Thanks for being so open-minded.

stormieweather

Also, on bodybuilding.com, the women who are working to lose weight are eating 1600-2000 calories, and doing so very, very successfully (that includes exercise calories). Why do people here think that they have to eat 1200 calories to lose? It's unnecessary for most, in my opinion.

This is because these women are burning 1000+ calories a day in their weight lifting routine. If they were eating only 1200 calories they would soon starve to death.

I'm not talking about the competitive body builders, the ones I am referring to are normal women, with school, jobs, and kids who are trying to get in shape in an hour or less a day.

twistygirl

Thank-you for writing this, I have never eaten my exercise calories until I joined this site. I had never been told to do so and my weight loss has been very slow. I been tripping over my calorie intake this all feels like a full time job that many days make me want to call off and quit. You have open my eyes, I have to rethink the way I'm doing things. I want to enjoy the journey instead of thinking about food intake and calorie burn constantly..........thanks.

Mindful_Trent

unfortunately, like any system that is broken, you can't just say "Eat when you're hungry" to an obese person any more than you can count on a broken thermostat in a house to regulate heat correctly.

the body has an enormous capacity to adapt. And there many studies done that prove this concept out.

So while I agree that for a healthy person, it's generally acceptable to "listen to your body", that's not necessarily the case for someone who has issues with over eating or under eating. There is a concept called metabolic adaptation that occurs during prolonged periods of under or over feeding, for someone who chronically under eats you can't just tell them to "eat when you're hungry". Likewise, as the body very slowly reduces it's RMR to account for under-nutrition, most people never recognize when they are feeling sluggish or have a lack of energy (at least not unless they are looking for it or measuring it). Similar to theory of a frog and a slowly boiling pot of water (and yes, I recognize that this is a myth, it's here for insight only not direct comparison), you don't realize you're in danger until well into the process if that process is slow enough.

Cited studies:

http://www.ajcn.org/content/89/3/801.full.pdf+html?sid=2f6841ba-c49b-4533-8fee-5d6166710164

http://www.ajcn.org/content/51/2/309.full.pdf+html?sid=1b56c0fa-7a4e-4d28-9866-08d978de9a98

http://www.ajcn.org/content/49/5/745.full.pdf+html?sid=1b56c0fa-7a4e-4d28-9866-08d978de9a98

Thanks for this!! One of the most well-written explanations I've seen for why you can't always just listen to your body. I'll have to check out those studies...

DKWaggoner

I eat almost 1900 calories a day & have lost weight.The thing I always tell people is.."ok if you want a piece of chocolate cake its fine,ya just have to make up for it with exercise" i realize as I continue to lose weight I wont be able to keep that caloric intake but to me its not really hard to figure out that I have to burn any extra calories i eat..

SHBoss1673

I eat almost 1900 calories a day & have lost weight.The thing I always tell people is.."ok if you want a piece of chocolate cake its fine,ya just have to make up for it with exercise" i realize as I continue to lose weight I wont be able to keep that caloric intake but to me its not really hard to figure out that I have to burn any extra calories i eat..

you'll be surprised at how little your maintenance calories change. Put it this way, I lost 60 plus pounds and my maintenance went from about 2850 or so to 2650, not that much IMHO. Mostly because fat is a metabolically inactive tissue, I.E. it doesn't really require much in the way of energy, so losing it doesn't really change your body's metabolic needs that much. There is some minor change because muscles don't need to work as hard, but it's not that big of a difference.