The 1200-calorie/Starvation Mode Myth

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  • LisaKyle11
    LisaKyle11 Posts: 662 Member
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    Hi Guardup-

    I have a question for you... a little off topic, but not much. Regarding weight training (since it seems that its something you have knowledge about and do often), is it something you do 3-4 times a week...or more? Do you also work in cardio workouts - or do you feel that more than a 20 min cardio session is essentially a waste of time (precious time if you are a busy mom like me!)?

    I have been doing power yoga about 3 times a week (60-90 min sessions). These sessions seem like strength training to me...lots of full/whole body movements and core training. After these sessions, I would rather just do a few 20-30 minute hikes during the week rather than embarking on full 45-60 min cardio workouts. Any thoughts?

    Again, I am a busy Mom of 4 and don't have a ton of extra time on my hands.

    I guess my other, possibly, hidden question is...should I just start lifting to see real results??

    Thanks!
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
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    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.

    Do this^, and you're most of the way there.

    I don't get caught up in the details. If you're hungry, eat. If eating makes you go over your calorie goal, plan better next time. If you're consistantly hungry with your calorie goal, change it. It's possible to eat with a slight deficit and never be hungry. No reason for this process to be uncomfortable.
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
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    It's easy to say some of the things the OP said, but the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of people here close to their goal weight (comparitively) that have stalled in their weight loss, despite the low calorie diet and tons of exercise that they do, and come here looking for answers. They don't "eat their exercise calories" because they're not hungry and don't see the point. However, there are countless examples of people increasing their calorie intake and getting back on the weight loss track. I think this is a big issue for people who are trying to make their calorie deficiet 50%+ of their daily maintainance budget.

    I understand people get frustrated with the issue, but it seems like almost every single day somebody comes here looking for help, asking why they have stalled. You look at their diary and they are eating 700-1000 calories a day and working out every single day.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    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

    This is so key to understanding why MFP is useful and so helpful for anyone needing to change eating habits! As someone said in a thread a while back (Trent, I think) - Our bodies are lying *kitten* sometimes! :laugh: :grumble:

    And lots of other good comments (despite my groan when I saw the title.)

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