"Starvation Mode"

FelizMi

I don't agree with this.

According to all the calculators, my BMR (which is supposed to be how many calories I would burn if I did nothing but rest) is over 1800. I never eat more than 1800 calories in a day unless it's a day that I have worked out, but my net is always way under 1800 calories. And I work out (usually an hour of zumba) 3-4 times a week, which I've been told that for a normal weight person, which I am over 100lbs overweight, burns at least 800 calories. Plus I work full times, a single parent with 2 kids, yadda yadda, so the only rest I get is my sleep at night which is only 5 - 7 hours.

Now I've been doing this same thing since I had lap band surgery almost 2 years ago. Since the beginning of this year I have lost nothing, not a single pound. I will flux 5 or so lbs up and down, but I'm actually netting a gain right now. If all it is to weight loss is calories in vs calories out, why have I not lost anything all year?

ziggylove

Eat real food, lift heavy things, and move quickly in short bursts and your body will right itself. Eat until satiety but eat the right things is probably the best advice I was ever given. Figuring out 'the right things' is a bit more work but its worth putting the time in.

I agree with the eating right part for sure, but what's that about lifting heavy things and moving quickly in short bursts? How/why will those two things cause one to lose weight better than sustained cardiovascular exercise?

PB67

hate to break it to you but most nutritionists are pretty clueless beyond what they were taught in school. Maybe your friend is different, but I don't buy it as "this is true b/c my nutritionist friend said so".

I read A LOT of bio-chemistry (nutritional, metabolic, disease, etc) and most of what you said is contradicted there. The laws of thermodynamics and 'calories in calories out' are quoted all the time and is such a crock of hooey that its laughable. First of all people are not closed systems, so the second law of thermodynamics does not apply here. Calories are a measure of energy as well, and weight is mass. You can't just use the two interchangeably, it is a lot more complicated than that.

I'm not even sure where to being with addressing the rest of it. People need to stop wasting time with the energy balancing crap. Eat real food, lift heavy things, and move quickly in short bursts and your body will right itself. Eat until satiety but eat the right things is probably the best advice I was ever given. Figuring out 'the right things' is a bit more work but its worth putting the time in.

Stop talking about things which you don't understand.

FelizMi

So, what is the problem then? One pound is 3600 calories, right? Just using the math, I should have lost a pound. How does this fit in with the common sense route in the OP?

The problem is energy and mass are not the same thing and there are more things at play here than what you put into your body vs what you expend. Your body chemistry just isn't that simple. Your body is a complex system of hormones and chemical responses. What you put in (food quality) is more important than calories (food quantity).

Agreed! I think hormones, heredity, and who knows what else have a lot to do with it! It's not as simple as the people, who by the way most seem to not have weight problems, say!

riccoismydog

I agree with OP. I think starvation mode only applies when your being really reckless or irresponsible. Obviously the smaller you get the more your bmr is going to drop. The more efficient you get at doing the exercise you are doing, the less calories you are burning. Even the best chart or hrm is at very very best, an educated guess. I'm only 5'2.5. Right now my bmr is 1200. I really wouldn't be starving myself to only eat 1000 calories a day. 1200 is not a magic number. If I make it to my goal weight, my bmr is only 1100.

If i sit on my couch all day and eat 1200 calories, I know I wont lose weight.

If you plateau, re check your bmr, and, up the ante on your exercise because you are definitely going to burn less calories the better you get at it (think of marathon long distance runners, if they burned the 100 calories in the ten minutes I burn while running, they would burn up all their fat reserves while trying to make to that last mile of a long race.) I'm aerobically challenged. So I get to burn more calories. The better I get the less I will burn. Your body will learn to adapt to any stress you put it under. Thats why, if your workout doesn't hurt a little, if your not pleasantly out of breath, it's not going to do a lot (it will still burn more calories than sitting on the couch)

If you've hit a plateau.....congratulations! Your becoming fit! Now work harder!

MSHug

Thank you for posting this. Im always under what this site says i need for my calorie intake, and it kept telling me i was putting myself in starvation mode. so this is reasuring.
also to some others on here, your not suppose to eat the same amount of calories, or the same rotunine food every day. Our bodies where ment to be for the life of hunter gathers. we would walk, and run to get out meals, and we didnt live in one place, so we would eat any food that was around us. there for exercise, and a different intake of food variety, and calories. I am trying to stick to this more than anything, and i have lost some weight already.

adtrevors

Our bodies where ment to be for the life of hunter gathers. we would walk, and run to get out meals, and we didnt live in one place, so we would eat any food that was around us. there for exercise, and a different intake of food variety, and calories. I am trying to stick to this more than anything, and i have lost some weight already.

Keep at it, I have been doing the same thing and have dropped 7% body fat and 30lbs in 4 months.

LabRat529

Regardless of whether there is or is not a "starvation mode", there is no good reason (in my opinion) to run a large calorie deficit when trying to lose weight, and there are a lot of good reasons not to to run large deficits. I personally believe your body does adapt, that your metabolism does drop if you're running too big of a deficit, but it's possible that I'm wrong. However... metabolism dropping or not... your body needs nutrients beyond simple calories. Proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, and minerals... it's not just about energy in and energy out. You need these things to function optimally and if you're not eating enough... well... I'll put it this way. It is possible to be malnourished while still being fat. If you run too large a deficit, you risk doing damage to your muscles (including your heart!!!!), your neurons (they don't regenerate!), your kidneys, liver, and other organs. I don't know when you start doing damage, but I know that it does happen... if nothing else... you're not going to feel good without fuel to keep your brain working well.

Is it really worth the risk? Just to be thin? Starvation mode or not?

Slow and steady seems the wisest plan to me.

Jeannelin

Thanks for the post. My calorie intake usually comes in abuout 300-400 under the magic 1200 and I was worried about this "starvation mode" but I'm good now thanks to your post. However I do find that the calories I am consuming seem to be "empty" and my sodium intake is way too high. Can you suggest any really fast on the go snacks with more of the nutrients I need?

Celery, baby carrots, grapes, raw almonds. I always have a ton of fruit in the house. Kids eat the celery and carrots and grapes. Yogurt is another good one. I keep things like dry edamame in my truck for moments when starvation strikes. You can buy it in snack bags in the health food snacks or in the bulk bins. Good Earth tea bags in my water bottle help my sweet attacks.

M3CH4N1C

I think the biggest aspect to focus on is calories vs. nutrients. If you consume mass amounts of calories but they are "empty" calories, and contain very little nutrients i.e. american diet, then your body can still be in hunger mode because its starving for nutrients. Technically, your diet can consist of little calories but if high in nutrients will satisfy your body, and vice versa. Remember all these ideas and information are a part of science, not law. There are still mysteries of the human body yet to be learned, and thats a good reason why you should pay good attention to to yourself and how you feel. Instead of using these guides like they are holy nutrition books. If you are only paying attention to calories, then maybe your body is in starvation mode?

Bluestar083

Best post ever.
just got told off after a poster said he/she wasn't losing weight on 1200 cals and would he/she GAIN weight if he/she ate 1000 calories....believe the starvation mode people
When I pointed out people in famine stricken countries aren't GAINING weight and I sometimes ate 1000 calories a day i was reported for encouraging eating disorders.
Um. Right.
Idiots.
Best post ever.

suzieduh

Best post ever.
just got told off after a poster said he/she wasn't losing weight on 1200 cals and would he/she GAIN weight if he/she ate 1000 calories....believe the starvation mode people
When I pointed out people in famine stricken countries aren't GAINING weight and I sometimes ate 1000 calories a day i was reported for encouraging eating disorders.
Um. Right.
Idiots.
Best post ever.

:bigsmile: :bigsmile:

jellybaby84

Brilliant post, I totally agree.

I hate seeing the constant "eat more" "up your calories" "you're in starvation mode" responses all the time from soooo many people.

bigbugboo

When this happens to me I go a day or two with no exercise and more calories..seems to confuse the heck out my body and usually gets me outta the no weight loss rut

Funny you should say that! Yesterday I was out all day at auctions, so couldn't do my usual workout. I was sat around most of the day in the auction room and went a little over my prescribed 1200 calories, and voila! A very unexpected loss of 1lb this morning!

engineman312

‎"You cannot "eat more" calories to force your body to "lose weight". The laws of physics and thermodynamics will simply not allow it.

myfitnesspal scoff at physics!! ha ha!!

These aren't my words .They're from a facebook friend who's a nutitionist!

if it was on facebook, then it has to be true.

Gigi_licious

Best post ever.
just got told off after a poster said he/she wasn't losing weight on 1200 cals and would he/she GAIN weight if he/she ate 1000 calories....believe the starvation mode people
When I pointed out people in famine stricken countries aren't GAINING weight and I sometimes ate 1000 calories a day i was reported for encouraging eating disorders.
Um. Right.
Idiots.
Best post ever.

I really hope that it was not my friend who really can't eat over 1,000 because she WILL gain due to the medication she's on and her doctor AND a specialist have told her not to eat more than that. She has tested it and tried it, in her case she physically CAN'T eat more than than without facing a big disappointment on the scale. I only say I hope it wasn't her because she does post in the forums a lot trying to get advice, and I have seen people get really snarky with her. I was one of them before we were friends.

LilMissFoodie

hate to break it to you but most nutritionists are pretty clueless beyond what they were taught in school. Maybe your friend is different, but I don't buy it as "this is true b/c my nutritionist friend said so".

Really? I'm not a nutritionist, but I am a registered dietitian. I could not tell you any of the things I learned at university (although, they may be similar to the things I am still learning about now), since I have learnt so much more since I started working. I am legally required to document a certain amount of continued professional development each year... I'm not sure how you would get away with not knowing anything beyond what you were taught in school!

Tisha247

I agree whole heartedly to this post! it is common sense.

suzieduh

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iwatts

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