Starvation mode.. eating back calories... not getting it! :S

tisgriggs

Hello! I just started out about 2 weeks ago. I am terribly confused about what constitutes as starvation mode and if you should eat back your calories. My BMR is around 1700 calories, MFP says to eat around 1800 calories/day. I have been looking over different posts made and have been looking around on the interenet for different answers. Seems to be hard since no one has the same answer. I am wanting to make a lifestyle change and not just lose the weight. I am looking at about 60lb weight loss. I have lost 5lbs so far. I just have this horrible fear of starvation mode. I have seen some people say to eat back your calories. I don't get this either, would that defeat the purpose of a calorie defecit? I'm truly not understanding any of this and I would truly like to do this the right way. I also read somewhere to avoid a plateau to increase calories when you are starting to plateau. Any answers would truly be appreciated!! Thank you in advance!

erickirb

MFP gives you a caloric deficit to meet your weekly weight loss goal. If your goal it to lose 2 lbs/week your daily deficit is 1000. If you exercise and burn 400 calories your deficit is now 1400 (1000+400), since your goal is a 1000 cal deficit MFP adds back the400 cals to keep your deficit at 1000 cals/day in order to meet your goal of 2 lbs/week.

If your caloric deficit gets to large (according to MFP over 1000 is too large) you may hit a plateau and stop losing fat, and possibly burn muscle instead, which would further slow your metabolism down. So your 1800 cals are based on your weekly goal, to keep your deficit the same whether you workout or not, you must eat the calories you burn through exercise.

reese66

Very hot topic. If you go to the message boards and type in eating exercise calories in the search you will get some great advise. Happy journeys...

GlutenFreeWench

Here's a great site for you to figure your calorie needs

http://www.h3daily.com/nutrition/caloric-intake-worksheets/

I think this is the most on target (agrees with bmr, etc)

Babyblessing12

Starvation mode doesnt usually occur until you eat less than 1200 calories a day.

kimmerroze

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition


Read this! read all four links! it will help you... one of them gives you insight as to why you eat your exercise calories. Follow it! it works!

hotmooglelove

You eat back EXERCISE calories. That is to say, if you burn 200 cals taking a run, you eat them back. You don't eat back your diet's deficit cals.

lbares

Spread your calories through many small meals through out the day. I know you have heard this before. Me, I eat 200 cal at 8:00, 150 cal at 10:00, 350 cal lunch, 150 cal 3:00 snack and 350 - 400 cal dinner, leaving me a few calories in the evening (total cals 1400-1500 /day for me). SO, 6 meals a day, not going over 400 - 500 calories in a single sitting (too many calories AT ONCE, and you body has not choice but to store it!). I have no idea what eating back you calories is either. Just don't eat too little, and if you eat too much every once in awhile, I don't think that sets you back! good luck!

kimmerroze

MFP gives you a caloric deficit to meet your weekly weight loss goal. If your goal it to lose 2 lbs/week your daily deficit is 1000. If you exercise and burn 400 calories your deficit is now 1400 (1000+400), since your goal is a 1000 cal deficit MFP adds back the400 cals to keep your deficit at 1000 cals/day in order to meet your goal of 2 lbs/week.

If your caloric deficit gets to large (according to MFP over 1000 is too large) you may hit a plateau and stop losing fat, and possibly burn muscle instead, which would further slow your metabolism down. So your 1800 cals are based on your weekly goal, to keep your deficit the same whether you workout or not, you must eat the calories you burn through exercise.

your next question is probably "why exercise then?" If it is then here is your answer exercise is not JUST to help lose weight, it helps build muscle and works out your organs. When you build muscle you must feed it nutrience to help repair it. this is another reason for eating your exercise calories. Because you are already eating at a deficit like the poster that I am quoting says, you can eat back up to that deficit and still lose weight. Working out only helps speed up your metabolism and build muscles that aid in weight loss.

anubis609

Short answer - MFP gives you the alloted calorie deficit to lose X amount of pounds per week already factored in, i.e. 500 calorie deficit per day x 7 days = 3500 net deficit calories = 1 lb of weight loss per week. Exercise adds calories to eat back which will still give you a 500 calorie deficit for the day. The option to eat none/some/all of those extra calories from exercise then becomes the greatest topic discussion of life on these boards.

I will now allow the rest of the community to jump on this topic because I know they will. You have been forewarned. Ultimately, it's your choice. Just make an informed decision and do what feels right to you.

scagneti

Those who encourage the not eating back of exercise calories do so to increase the speed of weight loss, unconcerned about future side effects.

Since you're not concerned about timeline, your best option is to take your BMR of 1700 and multiple it by your activity level (usually around 1.2 for sedentary, etc) and take off a deficit of 500 or 1000 calories per day (500 for 1lb per week, 1000 for 2lbs per week) and eat back your exercise calories. MFP will do all the math for you, you just have to tell it how active you are and what you think is a reasonable amount to lose per week.

Good luck!

lynnie07

Hi,

Sorry to hear you are so confused. I know that it is very hard to understand since one says one thing and the other says another. I studied in Phys. Ed. and the one thing that I learned was that your minimum intake of calories should never fall below 1000 calories why because your body starts to go in starvation mode; metabolism slows down and your body will keep the fat as storage. Not really what you are looking for, huh! So if you can eat up to 1800/day, I would say keep you calories at approx between 1200 and 1500. This way you won't fall in the starvation mode. Also, make sure that if you exercise lots to eat protein to insure your muscles gets enough nutrients in order to rebuilt. Remember, more muscles, more your metabolism works harder, more you loose. This site is really awesome to help you achieve your goal.

Hope this helps and hope I didn't confuse you even more.

ErinBeth7

I've read someones testimony on here where she ate back the calories she had worked off. So, lets say she had to eat 1200 per day and she worked off 200 which her leaves her with 1000 calories consumed. She would have to eat those 200 calories she burned off to keep it a an even 1200. She said she lost weight that week. Of course, this site calls "starvation mode" anything that goes under their recommended intake. This simply means your body is recognizing itself as not getting enough food and will store more fats and nutrients and burn less.

Personally, I don't think you always have to eat back. If you burn at lot of calories in one day I would definitely eat some of that back because your body needs to replenish itself. Everyone does this a little differently. We all lose weight in different ways. Try doing whatever is comfortable and works best for you even if that means you have to experiment to find your best fit.

NoAdditives

Starvation mode doesnt usually occur until you eat less than 1200 calories a day.

Everyone's body is different, some people need more calories than others. For some people, 1200 calories a day is not enough and can cause your metabolism to slow down.

Eating your exercise calories is a good idea because MFP already gives you a calorie deficit based on your desired weekly weight loss. I've always eaten all my exercise calories and it hasn't hindered my weight loss one bit.

erickirb

Starvation mode doesnt usually occur until you eat less than 1200 calories a day.

not necessary it can occur at any caloric intake, think about it this way you eat 1600 calories and your maintenance is 3200 and you go to the gym and burn 400. so eating 1600 cals would put you in a deficit of 2000 cals, which may lead to slowing your metabolism even though you still ate 1200 net (1600-400). It is more about you BF%, and the caloric deficit you are having.

kimlausan

I'm having a hard time EATING back my calories. It's like heathly food keeps me fuller and I tend to naturally eat less. Any tips for increasing my calorie intake?

erickirb

I'm having a hard time EATING back my calories. It's like heathly food keeps me fuller and I tend to naturally eat less. Any tips for increasing my calorie intake?

Nuts, seeds, dehydrated fruit, nut butters. Add olive oil to soups and sauces. Add avocado to salads and sandwiches. have a glass of juice instead of 1 glass of water. Eat higher fat versions of food you eat/drink (milk, cheese, yogurt, salad dressing etc.)
You don't have to eat more food to eat more calories, just make different choices.

tisgriggs

I'm having a hard time EATING back my calories. It's like heathly food keeps me fuller and I tend to naturally eat less. Any tips for increasing my calorie intake?

My next question exactly. And THANK YOU so much for the advice given, it is very much appreciated!!!!

kimlausan

I see ...add Healthy fat.

holtee

If you look at your diet profile, you'll see that myfitnesspal automatically puts your daily goal at a calorie deficit if you indicated you wanted to lose weight. Commonly, most people want to lose 1-2 lbs per week, which is considered safe weight loss for an adult. Initially, more can occur with increased activity but most often it's because people aren't closely tracking food and their intake can't keep up. That sends the body into starvation mode, meaning the body needs to store all necessary nutrients. Probably through your research you understand that. To burn off a single pound, you have to burn 3,500 calories, so you want a daily calorie deficit of 500-1000 calories, which again myfitnesspal does for you. The reason you "eat your calories back" is because myfitnesspal doesn't account for your daily activity outside of what you put into your profile. Also, eating below 1,200 calories a day isn't considered healthy unless instructed so by a physician and is usually closely monitored due to possible nutrient deficiencies that can occur. The reason we eat our calories back is to insure healthy weight loss that is sustainable over a lifetime; in other words, a lifestyle change. Your sustaining weight diet is different than your weight loss diet because you don't need such a calorie difference. This is when the exercise comes more into play.

erickirb

I see ...add Healthy fat.

And healthy cabs (juice, and dehydrated fruit) but limited amounts.

tisgriggs

I see ...add Healthy fat.

And healthy cabs (juice, and dehydrated fruit) but limited amounts.

dehydrated? or can I have just raw fruit

shannonshock13

MFP gives you a caloric deficit to meet your weekly weight loss goal. If your goal it to lose 2 lbs/week your daily deficit is 1000. If you exercise and burn 400 calories your deficit is now 1400 (1000+400), since your goal is a 1000 cal deficit MFP adds back the400 cals to keep your deficit at 1000 cals/day in order to meet your goal of 2 lbs/week.

If your caloric deficit gets to large (according to MFP over 1000 is too large) you may hit a plateau and stop losing fat, and possibly burn muscle instead, which would further slow your metabolism down. So your 1800 cals are based on your weekly goal, to keep your deficit the same whether you workout or not, you must eat the calories you burn through exercise.

Okay so MFP gave me a deficit of like 680 or something like that.... i put in that i wanted to lose 2lbs a week but its still only telling me that id lose like 1.4 or somethin.

????????

so since it only gave me a 680 deficit would i want to workout and burn 320 calories and NOT eat them back to lose 2lbs a week?

twooliver

I am not a doctor, a nutritionist, or medical person - like most of the folks here...

Although I do have an opinion...which is that I don't agree with eating back calories burned through exercise. If I exercise a lot in one day, I see the burned calories as a cushion so that if I get hungry, I will eat - this is my body's way of telling me what it needs.

Try it both ways - 2 weeks one way - 2 weeks another....and see what results you get.

Listen to your body....it's your greatest teacher.