Starvation Mode

krystonite
krystonite Posts: 553 Member
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm eating a lot of protein lately, which keeps me full and satisfied for hours. However this means that I'm not consuming as many calories as I should. In fact, not even close. It's supposed to be 1200 and the past week I'm eating about 500 - 600 a day. But I'm truthfully not even remotely hungry and don't want to force myself to eat if I'm not. So my question is, can my body go into starvation mode if I'm NOT even hungry?

Replies

  • I'm eating a lot of protein lately, which keeps me full and satisfied for hours. However this means that I'm not consuming as many calories as I should. In fact, not even close. It's supposed to be 1200 and the past week I'm eating about 500 - 600 a day. But I'm truthfully not even remotely hungry and don't want to force myself to eat if I'm not. So my question is, can my body go into starvation mode if I'm NOT even hungry?

    Absolutely. You need to eat more. Try foods higher in calories. Nuts, whole grains, etc. I eat a lot of protein and I'm never really hungry. But I do force myself to eat!
  • Just because you're eating a lot of protein, doesn't mean you remove carbs or fat from your diet. You need all of them to have a balanced nutrition. 500-600 calories a day isn't all that much protein anyway, that's a pretty normal amount to get, along with the other macro-nutrients.
  • Just because you're eating a lot of protein, doesn't mean you remove carbs or fat from your diet. You need all of them to have a balanced nutrition. 500-600 calories a day isn't all that much protein anyway, that's a pretty normal amount to get, along with the other macro-nutrients.

    Agreed. I eat a limited carb diet and I still get almost 1900 calories a day.
  • atucker0821
    atucker0821 Posts: 106 Member
    I'm eating a lot of protein lately, which keeps me full and satisfied for hours. However this means that I'm not consuming as many calories as I should. In fact, not even close. It's supposed to be 1200 and the past week I'm eating about 500 - 600 a day. But I'm truthfully not even remotely hungry and don't want to force myself to eat if I'm not. So my question is, can my body go into starvation mode if I'm NOT even hungry?

    i have been wondering the same thing and given the fact that my main issue is binge/overeating, it seems counterproductive to force myself to eat when i'm trying to get control of that problem.

    it's confusing to me...
  • tldfatty
    tldfatty Posts: 7 Member
    I occasionally go under the 1200 cals, but usually it's only 40 to 70 cals under. I set my daily cals for 1300 and balance without hunger and still losing weight gradually. Stick with the recommendations and you'll get there.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    Forcing yourself to eat more is counter-productive. I do agree with eating more calorie dense food/snacks such as almonds and granola. Even though you're not getting any hunger pangs from the fullness of the protein doesn't mean that you're organs are getting all the nutrients they need.
  • krystonite
    krystonite Posts: 553 Member
    Just because you're eating a lot of protein, doesn't mean you remove carbs or fat from your diet. You need all of them to have a balanced nutrition. 500-600 calories a day isn't all that much protein anyway, that's a pretty normal amount to get, along with the other macro-nutrients.

    Well I'm doing low carb at the moment. Before I was having plenty of veggies, protein and fruits but the sugars in fruit were just crushing my weight loss goals. Right now I'm eating high protein and veggies, low carb. Just having a hard time working up the appetite to eat more.
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    Just because you're eating a lot of protein, doesn't mean you remove carbs or fat from your diet. You need all of them to have a balanced nutrition. 500-600 calories a day isn't all that much protein anyway, that's a pretty normal amount to get, along with the other macro-nutrients.

    Well I'm doing low carb at the moment. Before I was having plenty of veggies, protein and fruits but the sugars in fruit were just crushing my weight loss goals. Right now I'm eating high protein and veggies, low carb. Just having a hard time working up the appetite to eat more.

    This is exactly what I was doing. I was getting around 900-1000 a day though because I'd indulge in peanut butter, which is SUPER high in calories. I lost 20 lbs in 8 weeks! I find being around 1000 calories works best for me. Maybe try to bump it to 1000 calories?
  • LOVEsummer
    LOVEsummer Posts: 304 Member
    You are doing whether you know it or not, a "very low calorie diet". In my opinion, even though sub 1200 cal diets can be healthy for some, you should def see a doctor to make sure you are staying healthy, getting enough vitamins etc. Be safe and be healthy but most of all be happy :)
  • darla499
    darla499 Posts: 402 Member
    I'm eating a lot of protein lately, which keeps me full and satisfied for hours. However this means that I'm not consuming as many calories as I should. In fact, not even close. It's supposed to be 1200 and the past week I'm eating about 500 - 600 a day. But I'm truthfully not even remotely hungry and don't want to force myself to eat if I'm not. So my question is, can my body go into starvation mode if I'm NOT even hungry?

    I was wondering the exact same thing. I've been averaging between 100 - 110 gms of Protein daily and managing about 600 calories per day. I get the protein in the form of protein shakes which has all the nutrients and minerals. Plus I take vitamin supplements. Am I really going to go into starvation mode?

    Count me confused ....
  • I ad more fat, like olive oil and butter while I cook....and it hasn't slowed me down!
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