Starvation mode

MaximalLife

Simply stated....
You are going to fail with this approach.

Starvation diets don't work.
Why?
Because if your calorie deficit is too great you can easily suffer from
loss of muscle mass (slows down your metabolism) and impaired general progress.
You have to find what is right for you but you also need to remember that your body
is a machine and without the right type and amount of fuel there could be problems
either with loss of muscle, loss of energy, less weight loss/plateaus, etc.

Stick with the MFP recommendations.

erickirb

You will go so many differing opinions on here...I havent been a member on here long but have been losing weiht for a year and lost around 70 lbs so far so am at least able to go on my own experience of what works for me...

Personally I do NOT buy into the whole "eat back your workout calories" theory. I work out to burn calories, not so that I can consume more, my body has plenty of stores to burn!

I would say though to ensure you do consume at least 1200 calories to be safe and if you want a bigger deficit then work out.

I have to say though you dont really look like you have 20 lbs to lose, so you may have to expect it to be a slow process!

As I said, just my opinion of what works for me, guarantee I will be agreed with as well as contradicted...

Good luck!

Start tracking your body fat and we can show you the affects of "not eating back your exercise calories" on your metabolic rate and the amount of lean muscle you lose.

I don't eat my exercise calories back and I consistently lose body fat % every week.

Do you track your body fat?

Most likely you they would be losing muscle and fat by not eating them, but still more fat then muscle, but if they did eat them back they would lose less weight but be a lower BF% at their goal weight.

There's too many factors to make a generic statement about this. I would buy that if the person was solely doing cardio for an exercise routine. But I strength train 4 days a week I take 13 measurements every week to track my progress and I am adding LBM while burning fat.

Simple fact of the matter is this. My body preserves muscle over fat especially since I am constantly putting said muscle under stress with resistance training. The body stores fat for energy for when it's at a deficit and I've got my fair share of reserves.

If you have a lot of fat gaining muscle in a deficit is a possibility, but the OP does not have this excess, so most likely would lose some lean mass while cutting.

PepeGreggerton

You will go so many differing opinions on here...I havent been a member on here long but have been losing weiht for a year and lost around 70 lbs so far so am at least able to go on my own experience of what works for me...

Personally I do NOT buy into the whole "eat back your workout calories" theory. I work out to burn calories, not so that I can consume more, my body has plenty of stores to burn!

I would say though to ensure you do consume at least 1200 calories to be safe and if you want a bigger deficit then work out.

I have to say though you dont really look like you have 20 lbs to lose, so you may have to expect it to be a slow process!

As I said, just my opinion of what works for me, guarantee I will be agreed with as well as contradicted...

Good luck!

Start tracking your body fat and we can show you the affects of "not eating back your exercise calories" on your metabolic rate and the amount of lean muscle you lose.

I don't eat my exercise calories back and I consistently lose body fat % every week.

Do you track your body fat?

Most likely you they would be losing muscle and fat by not eating them, but still more fat then muscle, but if they did eat them back they would lose less weight but be a lower BF% at their goal weight.

There's too many factors to make a generic statement about this. I would buy that if the person was solely doing cardio for an exercise routine. But I strength train 4 days a week I take 13 measurements every week to track my progress and I am adding LBM while burning fat.

Simple fact of the matter is this. My body preserves muscle over fat especially since I am constantly putting said muscle under stress with resistance training. The body stores fat for energy for when it's at a deficit and I've got my fair share of reserves.

If you have a lot of fat gaining muscle in a deficit is a possibility, but the OP does not have this excess, so most likely would lose some lean mass while cutting.

I agree, my first thought was 20lbs from where?

mandylooo

I personally think this 1200 calorie number is BS. I'd venture a guess no one here can even tell you where it came from. But there's no way it's the same for me a 6' male as it would be for a 5' female with two totally different lean body mass weights.

erm, no. 1200 is BMR x 1.2 to allow for some daily activity. Agreed it's approximation, and it is higher for men than women and is weight dependent. You need to check your settings.

Wasn't speaking about my settings, simply making a statement.

Indeed, and an incorrect one at that.

skconrad

Only talking from experience, but yes your body will let you know if you are not getting enough. I have been doing a weight loss program at our local fitness center - at 4 weeks into a heavy weekly workout routine and consistently under 1200 calories - I gained .8 pounds. I was so frustrated. But if this happens - my trainer had me eat high (2000 calories) one day and then up my daily to 1400. Have to say it worked the past two weeks have had 3.8 and 3.2 losses.

DelilahNguyen

Simply stated....
You are going to fail with this approach.

Starvation diets don't work.
Why?
Because if your calorie deficit is too great you can easily suffer from
loss of muscle mass (slows down your metabolism) and impaired general progress.
You have to find what is right for you but you also need to remember that your body
is a machine and without the right type and amount of fuel there could be problems
either with loss of muscle, loss of energy, less weight loss/plateaus, etc.

Stick with the MFP recommendations.

Very simply put, thank you!

DelilahNguyen

Many different opinions, I will definitely aim to eat 1200 calories from now on!

I'm 5'2, 19 and was weighing 123.5lbs on new years day. Cut out junk food as best as I could and gave up on pop. Recently started TurboFire. I want to lose 20lbs because that is what I gained from my first year in college and I used to feel extremely sluggish everyday!

You probably dont' have 20 lbs to lose. That gets dangerously low on the scale. You would be better off working on burning body fat than losing weight. Weight is kind of meaningless and won't determine how you look in a bathing suit.


http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blweightfemale.htm

Okay so what should I be doing instead? How can I ensure I lose fat and not muscle mass??

You said your schedule was hecktic, but do you have the ability to do strength training? You want to be able to calculate your TDEE and then back off 20% for a deficit and eat enough protein (about 80% of yoru body weight in grams)

Yes very hectic but as long as I manage my schedule I will be able to do whatever is necessary. What is TDEE?

sc1572

You will hear a LOT of differing views on this, but here is my personal opinion.

If I exercised and have some remaining calories but I'm not hungry, I won't force myself to eat. However, I try to net at least 1200 calories a day. Also, from personal experience, I found that I broke my plateau and started losing more by eating more. Sounds weird, but it's true!

If you find it's hard sometimes and you don't know what to eat, go to high calorie foods that are good for you...ex: almonds, nuts, peanut butter with apple or banana, stuff like that! That's what I do!

junyr

You probably dont' have 20 lbs to lose. That gets dangerously low on the scale. You would be better off working on burning body fat than losing weight. Weight is kind of meaningless and won't determine how you look in a bathing suit.


http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blweightfemale.htm

The military has a skewed view of what healthy is too, at least the Air Force anyway. Their max waist size for any male is 39 inches... You can't tell me the guy that is 5ft 2in tall should have the same max waist size as the guy that's 6ft 4in tall... They have a single cookie cutter measurement for a population that can vary by near over a foot in height.

DelilahNguyen

Only talking from experience, but yes your body will let you know if you are not getting enough. I have been doing a weight loss program at our local fitness center - at 4 weeks into a heavy weekly workout routine and consistently under 1200 calories - I gained .8 pounds. I was so frustrated. But if this happens - my trainer had me eat high (2000 calories) one day and then up my daily to 1400. Have to say it worked the past two weeks have had 3.8 and 3.2 losses.

Is this like calorie shifting?

psuLemon

Yes very hectic but as long as I manage my schedule I will be able to do whatever is necessary. What is TDEE?

TDEE = total daily energy expended. Its the amount of energy you burn throughout the day from normal life and exercise on top of your metabolic rate (BMR).

So if you use the tool above (BMR calculator), your estimate metabolic rate is 1300 calories. This is the amount of calories you burn in a day. lets say you sat at a desk for 8 hours, your TDEE multiplier would be 1.2 according to Katch McArdle formula (see guidelines below). And you workout and burn 300 calories.

TDEE = 1300 * 1.2 + 300 =1860. This is what you burn in a day. So to do body recomposition, you want to add about a 20% deficit (used for generic purposes).

Caloric needs = 1860 * .8 = 1488.


* Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
* Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
* Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
* Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
* Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

mamitosami

This makes me rethink everything... (sent to me by a fellow MFPer)

http://fitnessblackbook.com/main/starvation-mode-why-you-probably-never-need-to-worry-about-it/

I must admit I'm pretty confused now...

Teresa527

There is a very good chance that if you are netting less than 1000 cals that a large portion of any weight loss will come from lean muscle, not just from fat. With only 20lbs to go your goal should be set to lose 1lb/week at the most, and to eat back what you burn (provided you calculate that correctly). Too large of a deficit will cause you body to burn muscle as fuel.

To increase calories you don't have to eat more just make different choices.
For a snack have nuts, seeds or dehydrated fruit
add nut butters to your existing snacks
avoid diet and lite foods
drink and eat higher MF% milk products (don't eat 0% yogurt go for 2-5% instead)
drink some calories (instead of 1 glass of water have a glass of juice)
add olive oil to soups and sauces
add avocado to salads and sandwiches
etc.

I agree with this! ^^^

I think it takes a long time to go into starvation mode. I think that term is used way too loosely these days and especially on this site. Is there a such thing as starvation mode? Sure. But, you're not going in it from a few days.

What I do believe is that your body is a very smart engine. You keep giving it a very low amount of calories and that is what it is going to start requiring from you. Then when you do eat more you are going to wonder why you aren't losing weight still even though you are in a deficit. You wouldn't run your car (or a plane! :laugh: ) on low or no fuel for fear of breaking down so don't do it to your body.

Also, you are burning many calories with Turbo Fire. If you do not eat enough calories your body will attack your muscle mass and burn it for energy. Personally, I'd rather eat a few more calories to prevent that the best I can.

If you are having a hard time eating enough since you are so busy, just add in something that is simple and high calorie. Trail mix is a great option. It is really high in calories and good fat. But, it's also really good for you. Or you could find a protein bar that you like.

I also agree that you shouldn't be focusing on losing more than 1 pound per week. Twenty pounds is what I have left to lose and while it's driving me crazy to only be losing 1 pound each week, I know it is what is healthiest for me and will help me keep it off in the long run.
Hang in there, girl! You'll be there in no time. :flowerforyou:

grinch031

Simply stated....
You are going to fail with this approach.

Starvation diets don't work.
Why?
Because if your calorie deficit is too great you can easily suffer from
loss of muscle mass (slows down your metabolism) and impaired general progress.
You have to find what is right for you but you also need to remember that your body
is a machine and without the right type and amount of fuel there could be problems
either with loss of muscle, loss of energy, less weight loss/plateaus, etc.

Stick with the MFP recommendations.

If you work your muscles and eat adequate protein, why would your body choose to burn muscle mass instead of its more abundant fat stores?

ZarrX86

Many different opinions, I will definitely aim to eat 1200 calories from now on!

I'm 5'2, 19 and was weighing 123.5lbs on new years day. Cut out junk food as best as I could and gave up on pop. Recently started TurboFire. I want to lose 20lbs because that is what I gained from my first year in college and I used to feel extremely sluggish everyday!

You probably dont' have 20 lbs to lose. That gets dangerously low on the scale. You would be better off working on burning body fat than losing weight. Weight is kind of meaningless and won't determine how you look in a bathing suit.


http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blweightfemale.htm

Okay so what should I be doing instead? How can I ensure I lose fat and not muscle mass??

eat around 1200 cals a day and try doing some weight training

mommyrox05

When I started I was eating 1200 calories a day, and found it hard a lot of times to eat back my exercise calories. I think as long as you are listening to your body and trying to eat back at least 1/2 of your exercise calories then you will be fine! I have been using MFP since the end of April 2011, and have successfully lost 67 pounds. I never went into starvation mode. Just make sure that you are listening to you what your body says. If you are hungry eat, make sure that you are drinking plenty of water and you should be successful! Good luck :happy: