Starvation Mode

Thad81

Yeah sagging skin is a real problem especially with fast weight loss.

rlwzgd

So I'm a little late to this party, LOL... Just wanted to say hang in there. My hubbs is super duper fit and can go nearly all day without eating anything, too!

Obviously, I think the huge concern with eating too few calories is that you are not getting enough nutrition. You physician or a dietician can give you the best advice about what you need to eat. I started this journey nearly 14 months ago at 283 pounds (or at least that is the highest I know, I stopped reading the scale since then). I've literally lost 100 lbs since then. I only eat when I am hungry (honest hunger, not bored emotional hunger) and drink a lot of water... There are days when the app yells at me for eating too little. So, what I am trying to say (to make a long story short) is two things: (1) hang in there, it's forever but most of forever is actually lived at a healthy weight. This is the rest of your life we are talking about! and (2) no one on this message board knows how hungry you feel or how much food you need. Listen to your body. It'll ask for food when hungry. Talk to your doctors, they can help you get the perfect picture of what you need, especially with any medical conditions, etc...

To get a better handle on starvation mode, I googled it (really unique, I know). There seems to be a lot of contradicting information out there, but some logical stuff, too. The best you can do, aside from visiting your doctor, is to play around with it. If you eat 1200 calories and normally lose 3 lbs a week (remember, the heavier you are, the more calories you need), then try eating 1400 calories a day for one week and see if you lose 3 lbs, 4 lbs, or 2 lbs... Etc.

Hope this helps! Hang in there and your goal weight will be here faster than you think!

CoraGregoryCPA

*I really liked this response*
I'd like to know the secret of how to turn off the "not eating out of boredom" syndrome. lol The more I think about it, the actual hungrier I get. Today was an eat because I'm bored day.. and now thinking about it.. my tummy hurts from hunger .. grggghh.. Thankfully it doesn't happen very often.

So I'm a little late to this party, LOL... Just wanted to say hang in there. My hubbs is super duper fit and can go nearly all day without eating anything, too!

Obviously, I think the huge concern with eating too few calories is that you are not getting enough nutrition. You physician or a dietician can give you the best advice about what you need to eat. I started this journey nearly 14 months ago at 283 pounds (or at least that is the highest I know, I stopped reading the scale since then). I've literally lost 100 lbs since then. I only eat when I am hungry (honest hunger, not bored emotional hunger) and drink a lot of water... There are days when the app yells at me for eating too little. So, what I am trying to say (to make a long story short) is two things: (1) hang in there, it's forever but most of forever is actually lived at a healthy weight. This is the rest of your life we are talking about! and (2) no one on this message board knows how hungry you feel or how much food you need. Listen to your body. It'll ask for food when hungry. Talk to your doctors, they can help you get the perfect picture of what you need, especially with any medical conditions, etc...

To get a better handle on starvation mode, I googled it (really unique, I know). There seems to be a lot of contradicting information out there, but some logical stuff, too. The best you can do, aside from visiting your doctor, is to play around with it. If you eat 1200 calories and normally lose 3 lbs a week (remember, the heavier you are, the more calories you need), then try eating 1400 calories a day for one week and see if you lose 3 lbs, 4 lbs, or 2 lbs... Etc.

Hope this helps! Hang in there and your goal weight will be here faster than you think!

StacySkinny

*I really liked this response*
I'd like to know the secret of how to turn off the "not eating out of boredom" syndrome. lol The more I think about it, the actual hungrier I get. Today was an eat because I'm bored day.. and now thinking about it.. my tummy hurts from hunger .. grggghh.. Thankfully it doesn't happen very often.

So I'm a little late to this party, LOL... Just wanted to say hang in there. My hubbs is super duper fit and can go nearly all day without eating anything, too!

Obviously, I think the huge concern with eating too few calories is that you are not getting enough nutrition. You physician or a dietician can give you the best advice about what you need to eat. I started this journey nearly 14 months ago at 283 pounds (or at least that is the highest I know, I stopped reading the scale since then). I've literally lost 100 lbs since then. I only eat when I am hungry (honest hunger, not bored emotional hunger) and drink a lot of water... There are days when the app yells at me for eating too little. So, what I am trying to say (to make a long story short) is two things: (1) hang in there, it's forever but most of forever is actually lived at a healthy weight. This is the rest of your life we are talking about! and (2) no one on this message board knows how hungry you feel or how much food you need. Listen to your body. It'll ask for food when hungry. Talk to your doctors, they can help you get the perfect picture of what you need, especially with any medical conditions, etc...

To get a better handle on starvation mode, I googled it (really unique, I know). There seems to be a lot of contradicting information out there, but some logical stuff, too. The best you can do, aside from visiting your doctor, is to play around with it. If you eat 1200 calories and normally lose 3 lbs a week (remember, the heavier you are, the more calories you need), then try eating 1400 calories a day for one week and see if you lose 3 lbs, 4 lbs, or 2 lbs... Etc.

Hope this helps! Hang in there and your goal weight will be here faster than you think!

hahah I'm the same way. My body will actually produce hunger pains just by thinking about food sometimes even though I know I shouldn't be hungry. It's extremely difficult for me to tell the "real" hunger pains from mind created hunger pains, they both feel very real. The only way I can tell a difference is when I wait long enough past the belly pains to hear the actually growling of the stomach that I can hear loudly with my ears. lol I don't usually like to wait that long though, as by then I'm so hungry that I don't have as much control when it comes to choosing healthier options.

Arynamber

I might get blasted for this.. but there are many days I do not reach 1200 calories. Some would say I am in starvation mode...Do I feel hungry or starving? no. I eat when I am hungry and I stop when I feel almost full. I drink lots of water (sometimes your body will THINK its hungry when its thirsty). I also drink green tea to curb any snacky cravings (which isnt really hunger either) and guess what? I'm losing.

Basically what i am telling you is this, Your body is smart if you would only take the time to listen to it. Put healthy food in your body, and eat healthy filling snacks. eat when you are hungry, stop when you are almost full. and thats it. every person is unique and so i believe that every person needs a different amount of calories.

When I first started eating healthy and eating less.. I did feel hungry. Thats ok. Give yourself a week to adjust to the new lifestyle as your body will be pretty much in shock at first..then after that week if you are still feeling hungry after that week, then eat more.

Eat only one piece of fruit however is NOT healthy. still strive for three meals. breakfast is very important. You should wake up and feel hungry and ready to eat. if you do not, then perhaps you ate to late the night before. Its ok to go to bed not feeling completely stuffed.
Anways this is what I have been doing and its working for me.. Good luck on your journey

StacySkinny

Thanks, Arynamber! That makes a lot of sense.
The advice you guys have given has been fantastic!

6heatherb6

I might get blasted for this.. but there are many days I do not reach 1200 calories. Some would say I am in starvation mode...Do I feel hungry or starving? no. I eat when I am hungry and I stop when I feel almost full. I drink lots of water (sometimes your body will THINK its hungry when its thirsty). I also drink green tea to curb any snacky cravings (which isnt really hunger either) and guess what? I'm losing.

Basically what i am telling you is this, Your body is smart if you would only take the time to listen to it. Put healthy food in your body, and eat healthy filling snacks. eat when you are hungry, stop when you are almost full. and thats it. every person is unique and so i believe that every person needs a different amount of calories.

When I first started eating healthy and eating less.. I did feel hungry. Thats ok. Give yourself a week to adjust to the new lifestyle as your body will be pretty much in shock at first..then after that week if you are still feeling hungry after that week, then eat more.

Eat only one piece of fruit however is NOT healthy. still strive for three meals. breakfast is very important. You should wake up and feel hungry and ready to eat. if you do not, then perhaps you ate to late the night before. Its ok to go to bed not feeling completely stuffed.
Anways this is what I have been doing and its working for me.. Good luck on your journey

Well said...and me too!!! Healthy food and under is fine!!

singkat53

Hi Stacy,
Great job on the 43 lbs! I am 58 years old and have struggled with my weight my whole life. I am 257 lbs. But i have learned a lot about dieting over all of these years.

Trust the program Don't go below 1200 calories per day. If you want to have a lower daily calorie count, get a little exercise in. Show your boyfriend that number. The exercise will bump your metabolism up and make your body burn weight faster. If you drop below the 1200 calories your body will erode your muscle mass. If you have less muscle, your metabolism slows down and you burn less calories.

Slow and steady wins this race. I know i have not been all that successful, but i'm right on this one... don't shortcut that way... good luck... kathy

lucy1945

My experiance is.... if you take it off fast, you gain it back faster! I hope you decide to slow down. Afterall, you didn't gain all of your weight overnight so you shouldn't try to lose it overnight. Focus on being healthy. If you don't change your life style then you're at a huge risk of gaining it back. ...I sure wish you the best of luck!

lucy1945

Oh, and I'm so proud of you for losing 43 lbs! that's a ton of weight! Great job! You must be doing something right!

heybales

And now for something completely different for an estimate of calories, and macronutrient makeup.

http://www.starlighter.com/zone/zoneproi.htm

Protein amount is based on lean body weight and your activity level, everything else is based off that.
So this has calcs for rough body fat estimate, therefore lean body weight.

Worked for the mexican guy that lost 400 lbs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM1_wM_u2mk

So yes, you can loose more than 2lbs a week possibly.

GeneaCindy

First off, congratulations on already losing 43 pounds - that's awesome. It seems like what you are doing is working, so I'd let your boyfriend know that you don't need his help. Do it gently if you think he's a keeper; otherwise tell him to mind his own business.

Two pounds a week is great - keep it up!

psuLemon

If you want to have a better estimate of your bmr, just get your body fat done read. This will allow you to understand your caloric needs better.

UptownRosy

All this is brilliant advice and very sensible - but I'd like to highlight that that 2lb per week and the timescale..
2 sounds like a small number right?? ONLY 2?

How about you get a block of butter out of your fridge..see what it says on the wrapper
They're normally about 1/2lb in the UK ~ 2lbs a week is FOUR blocks of butter....

4 blocks of butter, 4 blocks of lard, 4 blocks of FAT!
It you thought about losing 4 blocks of fat off your body each week
how excited are you about it now??

Even if it slows down some weeks, EVERY 1/2 lb off is a block of fat less to carry,
a block of fat less to clog your arteries and a block of fat less to wear..
Thats a victory every time you lose 1/2 lb!

3500 calories less fuel than your body needs per week = 1lb of Body Fat lost
Thats achievable long term without giving up, so is 2lb

You didn't wake up heavy overnight and you wont wake up thin either
but stick with it and tell that generally lovely fella of yours that eating only Bananas is for Chimps!!

Happy Holidays
Rosy x

fifibudiati

Not until I fasted for 40 days for religious reason that I lost 14 Kg in 40 days, I have been able to maintain it with 1200 or less calories and exercise (cardio and yoga) 7 days a week. Although my measurements go down, I have not yet able to lose more weight, until I go back to fasting. During fasting month I eat once a day at 6pm (I eat variety of food, mostly Asian), and water. But I agree, everybody's different...:)

fteale

While I don't really believe in starvation mode, I think aiming for more than 2 lbs a week loss is unsustainable and dangerous. It took you more than 2 years to gain weight, it is going to take at least that long to lose it. There's no magic cure, you can drop 100lbs in a months. The slow way is the only true way there is, so don't beat yourself up over it, just get started straight away and commit to the long term. That's the healthy way.

psuLemon

Not until I fasted for 40 days for religious reason that I lost 14 Kg in 40 days, I have been able to maintain it with 1200 or less calories and exercise (cardio and yoga) 7 days a week. Although my measurements go down, I have not yet able to lose more weight, until I go back to fasting. During fasting month I eat once a day at 6pm (I eat variety of food, mostly Asian), and water. But I agree, everybody's different...:)

There is a good chance you are under eating and when you do lose weight you lose muscle. This is very common with people I have helped on here. Below are two good threads that talk about eating more to lose more. Remember, food is the fuel source for your body and metabolism to work and as scary as it can be, eating more can be very beneficial. I know it seems counter intuitive but eat more truly works. I also pose this question. Do you really think you will live off of 1200 calories for the rest of your life? Because once you stop and after all the muscle loss you have incurred with a LCD, the amount of weight that will come back one will be astonishing. This is why I say, eat more, build muscle and enjoy your calories. I eat 2600-3000 calories to lose weight so when I have a bad food day, I don't gain weight. Something to thing about.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395881-people-who-lost-weight-eating-more

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395948-caloric-intake-results?error_user_id=252210&error_username=psulemon&server_addr=10.252.195.31

OP, If you want to lose weight fast but still be able to eat 2000+ calories, I would look at programs like p90x or insanity. You can burn a bunch of calories within an hour meeting which means you can eat more.

KCarpenter83

I do agree it exists, but if it is important to you to have your BFs support- you should go see a nutritionist and maybe if a "professional" tells you it exists and gives you a personalized plan, he will be more on board. I know not having support can be an issue.

Vivian_Phoenix

People who are starving in third world countries and anorexic patients are in starvation mode.
Thier body has used up all/mostly a dangerous level of fat stores and most of its muscle...

Eating below 1200 calories will not cause you to retain weight indefinitely, it will cause a slower weight loss though, but weight loss will not stop entirely it will just be slowed down.

Starvation mode is real,but it is not affecting people who have a healthy amount of fat on their bodies. It is used it is vastly over-exaggerated and used improperly.

Your boyfriend is right. just eat intuitively, if you are hungry eat, if not dont. you dont have to go out of your way to count some numbers and live by that... in my opinion it is a bit silly; no one knows how many calories are in anything, it is just an estimate at best, use your body signals...if all he needs in a day is a banana then thats all he needs; it doesn't mean he will keel over and die! that is just ridiculous hehe. This number business is out of hand, and this starvation mode paranoia is laughable.

We as a society are so diet phobic that we overuse, over-exaggerate medical terms and scare ourselves out using common sense.

Dont worry about starvation mode if you have extra fat on your body. You will only enter starvation mode after using up all/most of your body fat.