Starvation mode- I'll probably regret posting...

RainbowPearl

IT is possible. I am 4' 11"", 49 and weigh 118 and my BMR is 1066.
Small person, small frame.

I'm suppose to eat 1200 cal. but some days that is hard to do and I lose very little weight. Trying to get down to my after children weight.

ashnm88

Why do people waste money on quick solutions. Put in the effort and do it the healthy way. Eat well and exercise is really all you need.

akaMrsmojo

"Just eat when you're hungry" and "follow your body" is what lead me to be both very underweight at about 103# and slightly overweight at 160#. I'm at my healthiest and look my best pretty much dead center between the two, and if it takes logging my food to make sure I eat enough, not too much, so be it.

My body has already proved to me that it's not very bright. I'll trust my brain instead.

Right there with you.

ashnm88

Not trying to be rude..but if you don't think it's harmful, then try it. What's the point in asking people about it. the way you presented it sounds like you have your mind made up. How is anybody going to change your mind about it?

So if I don't think shooting myself in the foot is harmful, I should try it?

If you do not think shooting yourself in the foot is going to be harmful, then yes! maybe you should try it. bring ya back to reality, but make sure you shoot yourself in the left foot so you can still press the gas with the right and drive yourself to the hospital : )

I agree with that.

Asil76

Whoever told you HCG was FDA approved lied HORRIBLY.

This was on the news this morning and there was nothing positive said about HCG all very negative actually.

FierceFox81

Ok in simple terms... your body needs at least 1200 calories to keep your organs working properly. When you are not giving your body enough calories or a huge caloric deficit, your body is going to "think" it's starving and start retaining everything you eat in order to protect you from starvation.

The HCG is ONLY approved as a fertility drug NOT as a weight loss supplement. There is no magic trick to weight loss, so just stick to creating a proper deficit.

If you are not feeling hungry try to exercise more so your metabolism runs faster.

Exactly what I was taught while getting my Psychology degree. Nicely worded

taso42

I know I can just click search and read a million posts on it, but I'm not going to go through them all. i've done it before.

I don't get it.
(and please don't give me some article that is a million pages long because I won't read it).

lovely.

lupa01

I checked my bmr on this site and it was under 1200. I don't think there is anything wrong with consuming only 1000 cals a day I do it often but thats because I am not hungry and I am not going to force feed myself to meet a standard created in a country full of fat people. No offense to anyone but I would have to be stupid to take diet and fitness advice from a sea of people who can't get their own weight under control. I wonder if the calorie minimum is different in other countries where obesity isn't such a problem. Does anyone know?

This is an international site, the goals do not change based on your locale. If you consider this to be a sea of people who can't get their own weight under control, you are seriously ignorant.

Not to mention, just plain rude.

eliste

Have you regretted posting yet?

I've been reading a lot of scientific studies lately, and I'll refrain from rounding them up and pointing you to them. The simple answer is: all this weight stuff is NOT SIMPLE! How the body works is not simple, and what we are all trying to do here isn't an exact science, because science is still looking for an exact answer to how the body regulates, loses, and gains weight.

There's lots of confusion because there's lots of valid scientific theories of weight loss running around, a bunch more half-proven theories, and three times as much complete nonsense on top of that.

Sadly, there is no One True Answer....or we'd all do it and all have 'ideal' bodies! The best you can do is to try to balance your nutrition (i.e., eat lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, a little dairy, and a moderate amount of fat & protein a day), get your body moving in some fashion you find fun, and enjoy your life! You only get the one.

To help you make some decisions, here are a few things that I think of as facts:

1. BMR, aka Basal Metabolic Rate, aka resting metabolic rate, is real. Your body needs 'X' amount of calories to get through a day even if you lie in bed for 24 hours straight. Because lying in bed still requires your heart to beat, your lungs to draw in air, your cells to repair and divide and grow, your brain to think and dream, your central nervous system to regulate all this....and that all takes energy. You can figure out your BMR through a number of tests, or you can use a calculator online to get a general idea of what yours is. If you do not eat more than this number of calories a day, your body will go into starvation mode.

2. Starvation mode is real. If you are in starvation mode, you will not feel hungry. After not eating enough calories to function for a few days, your body decides that you don't have enough food in the surrounding environment and turns off your emergency siren (hunger signals). It no longer has the resources to waste on making you feel hungry if you can't/aren't going to fix the situation anyhow. The body also slows down your metabolism to try to meet the lower calorie intake--that's what starvation mode means. It tries to keep you going on less, so your body becomes very inefficient at burning and very efficient at storing, so it can try to make up the difference between what you are eating and what it needs.

I think that addresses what you asked. Since I don't know what your BMR is, I can't guess at how many calories you need to get through a day lying on your bed, never mind being up and running errands and working and cleaning and then exercising on top of that. Hunger is only an excellent gauge when you know you are getting the base nutrition and calories your body needs to keep running.

Good luck!

butterfly10398

I myself have suffered with my body going into starvation mode. It isn't something that is going to happen overnight, it will take a long time of abuse to your body before your body will recognize it is starving. What happens is when you go into starvation mode, you can eat 1200 calories a day and still be gaining weight, that is what happened to me. Being careful about your calorie intake isn't all about not going into starvation mode though. I have found that people who don't eat just because they want to lose weight have a higher chance of gaining the weight back when they finish their "dieting" because they didn't make it a lifestyle change, they just wanted to lose the weight, and go back to eating as they were before and gain all their weight and then some back...

I have learned a lot about starvation mode from both research and personal experience. if you would like more information I would be more than willing to discuss it. :-)

slayerdan

Not reading all of this.....in short to add my .05......The FDA approves stuff based on who can pony up the money--its a proven fact. Some trials have a 2 month trial and some have 25000 test subjects---24940 get placebos, 60 get the "med". Bottom line--dont use the FDA as a guidelien--be afraid and wary.

Use the net as a guide and to gather info, but speak to someone in person to get real help--someone that can assess your situation. I did 500 calories a day for 45 days and never once felt hungry and did VERY well everyday as long as I kept a good intake of water.

As for eating when your hungry---do it. But if your body says hingry, then eat 200 calories or less and give it time to tell your body not hungry again. Hungry doesnt mean mealtime...and doctors and nutritionists agree.....many times hunger is a symptom of being thirsty, not truly in need of food.

Thats all. Enjoy.

D

rileamoyer

Have you regretted posting yet?

I've been reading a lot of scientific studies lately, and I'll refrain from rounding them up and pointing you to them. The simple answer is: all this weight stuff is NOT SIMPLE! How the body works is not simple, and what we are all trying to do here isn't an exact science, because science is still looking for an exact answer to how the body regulates, loses, and gains weight.

There's lots of confusion because there's lots of valid scientific theories of weight loss running around, a bunch more half-proven theories, and three times as much complete nonsense on top of that.

Sadly, there is no One True Answer....or we'd all do it and all have 'ideal' bodies! The best you can do is to try to balance your nutrition (i.e., eat lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, a little dairy, and a moderate amount of fat & protein a day), get your body moving in some fashion you find fun, and enjoy your life! You only get the one.

To help you make some decisions, here are a few things that I think of as facts:

1. BMR, aka Basal Metabolic Rate, aka resting metabolic rate, is real. Your body needs 'X' amount of calories to get through a day even if you lie in bed for 24 hours straight. Because lying in bed still requires your heart to beat, your lungs to draw in air, your cells to repair and divide and grow, your brain to think and dream, your central nervous system to regulate all this....and that all takes energy. You can figure out your BMR through a number of tests, or you can use a calculator online to get a general idea of what yours is. If you do not eat more than this number of calories a day, your body will go into starvation mode.

2. Starvation mode is real. If you are in starvation mode, you will not feel hungry. After not eating enough calories to function for a few days, your body decides that you don't have enough food in the surrounding environment and turns off your emergency siren (hunger signals). It no longer has the resources to waste on making you feel hungry if you can't/aren't going to fix the situation anyhow. The body also slows down your metabolism to try to meet the lower calorie intake--that's what starvation mode means. It tries to keep you going on less, so your body becomes very inefficient at burning and very efficient at storing, so it can try to make up the difference between what you are eating and what it needs.

I think that addresses what you asked. Since I don't know what your BMR is, I can't guess at how many calories you need to get through a day lying on your bed, never mind being up and running errands and working and cleaning and then exercising on top of that. Hunger is only an excellent gauge when you know you are getting the base nutrition and calories your body needs to keep running.

Good luck!

Good post. Also, open your diary, people can see what you are eating and make helpful suggestions. At least open it to your friends.

cessnaholly

bump

rileamoyer

I checked my bmr on this site and it was under 1200. I don't think there is anything wrong with consuming only 1000 cals a day I do it often but thats because I am not hungry and I am not going to force feed myself to meet a standard created in a country full of fat people. No offense to anyone but I would have to be stupid to take diet and fitness advice from a sea of people who can't get their own weight under control. I wonder if the calorie minimum is different in other countries where obesity isn't such a problem. Does anyone know?

This is an international site, the goals do not change based on your locale. If you consider this to be a sea of people who can't get their own weight under control, you are seriously ignorant.

This is a site to help you be fit and healthy, not just a weight loss site. It is a tool, when used properly, help folks meet their goals (to be fit AND healthy. Many folks on here are fitness instructors, nutritionists, nurses etc. There is a wealth of knowledge here, TOOLS that will help you, if you use them properly. We humans are users of TOOLS. :ohwell:

miss_kisha

"Just eat when you're hungry" and "follow your body" is what lead me to be both very underweight at about 103# and slightly overweight at 160#. I'm at my healthiest and look my best pretty much dead center between the two, and if it takes logging my food to make sure I eat enough, not too much, so be it.

My body has already proved to me that it's not very bright. I'll trust my brain instead.

LUV this thread, especially this post.

meg7399

1200 is what your body needs to function. I assume its an average as everyone is a little different. Going below this puts yourself into starvation mode....meaning your body does not get what eat needs to survive. This is why people suffer from anorexia. Sometimes, yes, you need to eat just because in order for your body to stay healthy and functioning properly!

amymeenieminymo

Who says feeling hungry is the only indication that your body needs food? I've learned along the way that by the time we actually feel thirsty, our bodies are already quite dehydrated so I would think hunger goes the same way. A rumbling tummy is probably our bodies last ditch way to try to get our attention that it needs food. You should be eating long before your stomach actually starts rumbling and eating small amounts all day keeps us well fed and fueled.

Have you ever noticed that if you're feeling so so (not full, but not exactly hungry) you can eat a ton.....but when your really hungry and your stomach is growling, you get full a lot faster? Now this is not scientific in any way, but I think by the time your stomach starts to growl, your body has already started to give up on getting food and begins slowing down your metabolism, which is why you get full faster because your metabolism is not burning it off as quick.

chubbybunnee

I checked my bmr on this site and it was under 1200. I don't think there is anything wrong with consuming only 1000 cals a day I do it often but thats because I am not hungry and I am not going to force feed myself to meet a standard created in a country full of fat people. No offense to anyone but I would have to be stupid to take diet and fitness advice from a sea of people who can't get their own weight under control. I wonder if the calorie minimum is different in other countries where obesity isn't such a problem. Does anyone know?

Under 1200 BMR?? Really. Based on the weight on your ticker and the age you have listed you'd need to be about 2 feet tall to have a BMR under 1200.

5 feet actually

No offense but why are you asking a "sea of people who can't keep their weight under control" if they know anything about calorie minimums in other countries? I seriously hope you were just talking about "Fat, Lazy, America in general" and not about people here on My Fitness Pal, because it's one thing to vent and comment about obesity in America because that is a real epidemic, but to be criticizing people that are on MFP to make a healthy change and support each other, it just defeating the purpose of this website and hurting people. If you were not talking about MFP, then I apologize but it read like you are talking about "us" since you don't want to take advice from people who "can't get their own weight under control." People give advice because they want to help. And just because their weight isn't under control, that does not mean they aren't educated about health and nutrition. Some people are overweight because of their thyroid, some have bad genes, some are sick and have conditions that prevent them from moving around...and just because someone is overweight does not mean they are OBESE and lazy and out of control. For you to make a broad statement like that here, it just really makes you looks close minded and rude. You need to be more careful about how you say things because people using this website are here for comfort and support and don't want to be criticized or stereotyped when they are here for help and advice. If you have to start a sentence with "no offense" then you probably should keep it to yourself or to your face book page where only you and your friends can see it.

amymeenieminymo

Also, there are tons of ways to get extra calories without stuffing yourself. Would a tablespoon full of peanutbutter make you SO FULL? No, and it's got 200 calories in it.....add a glass of milk to that and there ya go, anywhere from 300-350 calories right there and it's healthy.

BobbyClerici

I don't get it.
(and please don't give me some article that is a million pages long because I won't read it).
Can someone please explain to me in plain english what the big deal is?

I know all I need to know as to why you just don't get it.
People will watch 4 hours of TV a day, yet, when it comes to self-education, no time.

Good luck with your goals.....

AmandaJoi25

I checked my bmr on this site and it was under 1200. I don't think there is anything wrong with consuming only 1000 cals a day I do it often but thats because I am not hungry and I am not going to force feed myself to meet a standard created in a country full of fat people. No offense to anyone but I would have to be stupid to take diet and fitness advice from a sea of people who can't get their own weight under control. I wonder if the calorie minimum is different in other countries where obesity isn't such a problem. Does anyone know?

Under 1200 BMR?? Really. Based on the weight on your ticker and the age you have listed you'd need to be about 2 feet tall to have a BMR under 1200.

5 feet actually

No offense but why are you asking a "sea of people who can't keep their weight under control" if they know anything about calorie minimums in other countries? I seriously hope you were just talking about "Fat, Lazy, America in general" and not about people here on My Fitness Pal, because it's one thing to vent and comment about obesity in America because that is a real epidemic, but to be criticizing people that are on MFP to make a healthy change and support each other, it just defeating the purpose of this website and hurting people. If you were not talking about MFP, then I apologize but it read like you are talking about "us" since you don't want to take advice from people who "can't get their own weight under control." People give advice because they want to help. And just because their weight isn't under control, that does not mean they aren't educated about health and nutrition. Some people are overweight because of their thyroid, some have bad genes, some are sick and have conditions that prevent them from moving around...and just because someone is overweight does not mean they are OBESE and lazy and out of control. For you to make a broad statement like that here, it just really makes you looks close minded and rude. You need to be more careful about how you say things because people using this website are here for comfort and support and don't want to be criticized or stereotyped when they are here for help and advice. If you have to start a sentence with "no offense" then you probably should keep it to yourself or to your face book page where only you and your friends can see it.

Yes I was referring to Americans in general.

KayteeBear

In my opinion, there's a huge difference in netting under 1200 calories and only eating 200 calories. I think it's okay to net slightly under 1200 calories if you don't feel hungry. There's a lot of us around 5 feet tall and under who don't net 1200 calories just because we're never hungry and that's okay. But there's a difference to when your body is starving and constantly saying feed me.
Starvation mode is when we ignore the "feed me" and that's the important part. I get to the point of starvation and not being hungry if I ignore the feed me call or if I'm not able to eat at that moment, BUT I always go and still eat something to make up for that. I still eat at least three meals worth of food but I won't force myself to eat extra food if I'm not netting 1200 calories.

I don't think it's really that big of a deal netting under 1200 calories as long as your eating when you feel hungry and you're eating at least three meals worth of food and stuff like that. But if you're netting under 1200 calories and only eating 1 or 2 meals worth of food then that's bad and you probably have gone into starvation mode and really don't think you do feel hungry.

MissMizzy

I'm 5'9'' and weigh 160, and I range my calories from 1000 to 1700. Honestly, some days food just sounds bad, and some days I am so hungry I could eat everything in my kitchen. I don't think it's a problem to eat under 1200, but make sure you aren't finding yourself going on binges, because binging often means that your body feels deprived of nutrients. As long as you stay over 900, and you mix in some days that are over 1200, you should be fine.

krazyforyou

OK here I go. 1200 calories a day is typically on the low side of calories needed to maintain a healthy body. Maybe before you thought you were eating less and maybe you were but it not how much you eat bit what you eat. Before this I typically ate one can of soup a few crackers. a bag of cheetos and something sweet. Your body is depending on you to feed it properly. When you do not ingest enough food or calories a physical switch is turned on. Your body believes it is neeimg starved and begins to slow down to a crawl. You begin to turn calories into fat which is stored as fuel. Your body cant contol this switch you can. By eating a minimum amount of food, protein, carbs the body begins to speed up again and fat storage is slowed. No diet that restricts calories to500 per day is safe. In the beginning you will lose weight but as soon a s you go back to "notmal" eating it will comeback. Hope this helps

Vivian_Phoenix

Caloric values are just numbers.
dont worry so much about them
focus more on quality of food; and eat when you are hungry.
Bottom line, if you have body fat to spare, you aren't going to enter any type of starvation mode anytime soon.

JacksMom12

"FDA approved" does not mean "healthy for you and a great idea to put into your body"

Exactly. The FDA also approves of oxycontin for people suffering with severe pain like bone cancer but it doesn't mean the millions of junkies out there snorting 10 a day to get high can say its okay because it's FDA approved.

savlyon

I don't have a lot of scientific knowledge about this, but if I understand, the GENERAL way of things is that our bodies consume a certain amount of calories just breathing for 24 hours (and all the other stuff they do that we can't see). So, the idea is that we need to consume that many calories in a 24 hour period to continue living. Again, I'm sure 1200 is just a general guideline and not what each person needs. I think my BMR (basal metabolic rate) is around 1400 or so. So, the idea is that, if you go below your bodies basic caloric needs to just live, there is a tendency for your body to kick into survival mode and actually begin storing everything it can get it's hands on.

^^^^^^^ This is basically it in a nut shell. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

mkallie

I did just read a paper (from a legitimate source) about folks who ate 650 cal + low carb twice weekly and normal diet the rest of the time, low carb twice weekly + normal diet the rest of the time, and normal diet, and the 650 cal folks lost the most weight. I suppose that probably has something to do with zig-zagging -- so your body doesn't just think it is starving. If you let it starve then it will slow everything down for you. Although mice studies have shown that slow metabolism actually contributes to longer life, it isn't really helpful when you're trying to lose weight. Other research has shown that it's OK to do a lower calorie diet for a period of time with no negative consequences. Point being, it's OK to eat less than 1200 calories per day, but don't plan on doing it forever.

MFP only alerts you if you eat less than 1200 calories -- period. It doesn't care if you eat back calories to get to a net of 1200 or whatever, it just thinks you ought to get to 1200.

My personal feeling is that you should do what you're comfortable with. Your diet should be sustainable for you, and should be something you can live with for as long a period of time as you will be on it (which for most of us is forever ). If you don't feel like eating 1200 calories per day, don't. Make sure you eat healthy and see what the scale says. If you get to a point where you aren't seeing the results you want, then increase your intake and see if that helps. Worst case scenario, even if you DO slow your metabolism down, is that your body will get over it once you start giving it more food. People used to freak out that if you starved your metabolism would be stuck forever (sort of like the wives' tale about being cross-eyed), but as far as I know research does not support that finding. I don't think any one camp is completely "right" on this issue, but the bottom line is that there are a number of ways you can get results and the method you pick should be one you like and one that seems to work for you.

progresseeker2311

WEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLL...IT SEEMS THE ONLY LOGICAL SOLUTION FOR YOU SIR/MADAM IS TO PAY THOSE PENNIES AND SEE A NUTRITIONIST SO YOU CAN GET GET ADVICE UNIQUE TO YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION. WHERE I LIVE, THERE ARE WEIGHT LOSS CLINICS ON EVERY CORNER AND THOSE WILL DEFINITELY GIVE YOU A THOUROUGH ASSESSMENT OF WHERE YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU NEED TO BE. YOU CAN ASK WHOEVER YOU WANT AND GET MAD OR WHATEVER, BUT ULTIMATELY IT'S UP TO YOU. GOOD OLD FASHIONED DIET AND EXERCISE WORKS FOR ME, BUT THEY DEF. HAVE SOME STUFF THAT WILL HELP YOU LOSE IT QUICKLY (ADIPEX) IF YA WANT.

BTW:everyone is being extremely sensitive and ridiculous. just tell the girl what she needs to hear HUMAN BEINGS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO LIVE ON 1000 CALS A DAY OR LESS, WE ARE ALSO NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIVING ON ARTIFICIAL FOODS. STUFF YOUR FACE WITH WHAT IS GOOD FOR YOU AND NOT WHAT IS BAD FOR YOU. EXERCISE!!!! THERE IS NO WAY AROUND EXERCISE YOU NEED IT FOR OVERALL GENERAL HEALTH. C'MON MAN!!!!!!!