Starvation mode article that I found very VERY helpful....
Replies
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"Also about 4 years ago after I had my 3rd baby I weighed about 220 lb and went on a diet that was lower than 1200 calories per day and had absolutely no problem whatsoever losing the weight within 6 months time...I went from 205 (to be fair..baby weight) to about 150 in 6 months eating less than 1200 cal per day, lifting weights daily and eating whatever I wanted on a Saturday...And I was 37 years old 4 years ago so the age factor was against me as well! Why was I able to lose this weight so successfully when everywhere I read on here everyone says I must eat well over 1200 to lose...remember I lifted weights every single day and ate less than 1200 (some days probably 900) and still lost around 50 lb in 6 months..."
If eating less than 1200 calories a day worked out so well for you, then why are you here, needing to lose weight again? I am not saying that to be rude or mean. Just something for you to think about.
ETA sorry I haven't figured out the quote function yet.0 -
So you WANT to eat less than 1200 calories? Why?
If I can:
keep more muscle,
have more energy,
enjoy more food,
be more likely to stick with my diet
AND lose weight,
I pick that option.
I eat 2000 calories or MORE.
This ^^ I
me food, I also love my muscle, I'd like to retain a large portion of my hard earned muscle AND lose fat more slowly. 
It's a win. 0 -
when I ate less than 1200 calories a day I lost 50 pounds in 3 months while working out by doing cardio and strength training. I then of course couldn't keep this "diet" up so I gained 60 pounds over the next two years and now 4 years after the 60 pound gain I am eating 1600 calories a day and working out twice a week (eating back my workout calories) I've been doing this for two years now and have slowly lost almost 50 pounds
I feel happier and stronger than ever and I'm never depriving myself of yummy foods. I am 100% against any sort of starvation mode because I know that it is possible to do it in a much healthier way and that starvation not only hurts a body physically, but can also lead to mental damage such as control issues, depression and even anxiety
I'm also minoring in nutrition and all of my classes so far disagree with eating less than 1200 calories per day because it's just not good for your body 0 -
I think this argument has a true and false side. If you have a fair amount of weight to lose, say 30lbs or more, the greater deficit you can have without suffering from "starvation mode" because you HAVE the fat to burn. Your body realizes its extra fat it doesnt need. As you lose weight, and get down to having say 5-10lbs left to lose, you obviously have less fat to burn, therefore your body holds onto it more in fear of losing too much, enter starvation mode. I personally had this happen to me recently. I'm 120lbs and want to get down to 115, maybe 110 because I want to have good muscle tone. I WAS eating 1200 cal a day, eating back some exercise calories, and i started noticing less and less change, not to mention constant bloating, gas and heartburn. Last week I upped my calories to 1400, plus some exercise calories, and the bloating is gone, I'm WAY less irritable, and my stomach already looks better! Ideally if you have 5-10lbs left to lose you're deficit should only be enough to lose .5lbs a week, MAXXXX 1lb a wk, otherwise you're bod is gona have a harder time letting it go...which will only result in frustration!!!0
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My niece lost weight on 500 calories a day and I have much better muscle tone at age 54 than she does at 27. If I'm gonna go through all the hard work of lifting weights to build muscle, I'm for sure, gonna eat enough food to support them, not lose them.0
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I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
Wow....I don't even know what/how to respond to this.
under 1000 calories is not healthy at all, much less 750.
Not being rude, being honest.
Good luck to you.
Has anyone every thought about how many calories veggies have? not that much.
Im eating tons of veggies and filling myself up and what the hell am i supposed to do if its still not getting over 750?
Im not going to go and eat a bunch of trash food to make it there.
Who said you had to eat trash food? Eat a healthy balanced diet. Yes, it takes a little planning. But it's not freakin rocket science.0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
^^^Thank-You for this comment... i hear this all the time that I am not eating enough so I ate till I was so sick to my stomach...never again. no thank . I'll take my chances of continuing to loose inches and a 1.5 a week than stuff my stomach beyond a busting point.. Exercise and cutting my meals in 1/2 or eating 5-6 small meals a day works for me.. love how the ones that say that I am doing it wrong, or I must me trying to starve myself I see no PHd. behind their screen name..0 -
my money is on four pages before lock, who's in?0
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My niece lost weight on 500 calories a day and I have much better muscle tone at age 54 than she does at 27. If I'm gonna go through all the hard work of lifting weights to build muscle, I'm for sure, gonna eat enough food to support them, not lose them.
I think this is the crux of the problem - the people eating that little just care about the number on the scale going down.
It doesn't matter to them that they are losing lovely lean muscle instead of fat, they just want to see the lower number.
That is such a shame as they could eat more, lose fat, and look so much better.0 -
I lost a bunch of weight eating 1200 calories a day and working out about 2 hours a day and not eating it back.
I never got stuck, I actually went way under my goal.
However I would have preferred to have still lost the weight and eaten a bit more, but that is done and now I do eat back my exercise calories.0 -
I really don't think that she was stating any of this to say she just wanted to be skinny. I think she was just saying the crap that people read other people who dont know **** say, isn't always true. Truth is, there ARE studies that show that your body does go after muscle if you starve yourself for long enough especially after you get below 35% body fat. i can even attest to this.... I used to eat about 300 calories a day (I no longer do)... but i definitely lost fat. I worked out 6 times a week lifting and HIIT cardio and ate VERY healthy for the amount of calories I ate. I did get concerned about increasing my cals so I did that before I hit my goal and am now working on losing the rest of my body fat calorie cycling (trying to see over the next few months if it is actually an effective way to lose weight or not--- we will see).
But the problem with starving myself was that I lost weight very fast and my body was sluggish and tired alllll the time. I didn't have effective workouts and was getting weaker as a result. So no-- it's not healthy. However... I am also 4'10.5... if I eat under 1200 calories its not going to slow my metabolism down all that much.... tech 1200 calories is VERY close to my maintenance goal... so really... it's all relative.0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
Wow....I don't even know what/how to respond to this.
under 1000 calories is not healthy at all, much less 750.
Not being rude, being honest.
Good luck to you.
Has anyone every thought about how many calories veggies have? not that much.
Im eating tons of veggies and filling myself up and what the hell am i supposed to do if its still not getting over 750?
Im not going to go and eat a bunch of trash food to make it there.
Who said you had to eat trash food? Eat a healthy balanced diet. Yes, it takes a little planning. But it's not freakin rocket science.
If you were to see my food log you would know i am eating a balanced healthy diet, and you would see that im eating ALL THE TIME0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
Wow....I don't even know what/how to respond to this.
under 1000 calories is not healthy at all, much less 750.
Not being rude, being honest.
Good luck to you.
Has anyone every thought about how many calories veggies have? not that much.
Im eating tons of veggies and filling myself up and what the hell am i supposed to do if its still not getting over 750?
Im not going to go and eat a bunch of trash food to make it there.
eat more often?0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
^^^Thank-You for this comment... i hear this all the time that I am not eating enough so I ate till I was so sick to my stomach...never again. no thank . I'll take my chances of continuing to loose inches and a 1.5 a week than stuff my stomach beyond a busting point.. Exercise and cutting my meals in 1/2 or eating 5-6 small meals a day works for me.. love how the ones that say that I am doing it wrong, or I must me trying to starve myself I see no PHd. behind their screen name..
I find it hilarious that your on a weight loss site tracking 750 calories if you have such a hard time eating more, how did you gain weight in the first place to wind up here unless your already disordered in some way? The mind can be a powerful thing, working for you or against you, in most cases with ED's against.
Oh and I also find it hilarious that anyone would want to live the rest of their lives on less of a daily caloric intake that my growing toddler needs for good health/energy functions. In fact it is science that if you weigh a certain amount, your body will NEED a certain amount to sustain daily functions BEFORE activity for overall health, It's safe to say that not a huge % of people need less than 1k per day, unless they are already around 100 lbs and very petite as well as sedentary most of the day or have some sort of underlying metabolic disorder.0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
^^^Thank-You for this comment... i hear this all the time that I am not eating enough so I ate till I was so sick to my stomach...never again. no thank . I'll take my chances of continuing to loose inches and a 1.5 a week than stuff my stomach beyond a busting point.. Exercise and cutting my meals in 1/2 or eating 5-6 small meals a day works for me.. love how the ones that say that I am doing it wrong, or I must me trying to starve myself I see no PHd. behind their screen name..
Im glad someone understands what im saying0 -
I feel happier and stronger than ever and I'm never depriving myself of yummy foods. I am 100% against any sort of starvation mode because I know that it is possible to do it in a much healthier way and that starvation not only hurts a body physically, but can also lead to mental damage such as control issues, depression and even anxiety I'm also minoring in nutrition and all of my classes so far disagree with eating less than 1200 calories per day because it's just not good for your body
*Applause!*
How many times have we seen thread where someone with a low calorie goal is all stressed out because they *gasp!* ate a slice of pizza? Or had to share a piece of fruit with someone because it had too many calories? That's not a healthy, normal approach to food.
I don't think I've ever seen any of my friends who eat around 1800 or so have bouts of food-guilt.0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
Wow....I don't even know what/how to respond to this.
under 1000 calories is not healthy at all, much less 750.
Not being rude, being honest.
Good luck to you.
Has anyone every thought about how many calories veggies have? not that much.
Im eating tons of veggies and filling myself up and what the hell am i supposed to do if its still not getting over 750?
Im not going to go and eat a bunch of trash food to make it there.
Who said you had to eat trash food? Eat a healthy balanced diet. Yes, it takes a little planning. But it's not freakin rocket science.
If you were to see my food log you would know i am eating a balanced healthy diet, and you would see that im eating ALL THE TIME
750 calories is not a "balanced healthy diet". You are clueless.0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
^^^Thank-You for this comment... i hear this all the time that I am not eating enough so I ate till I was so sick to my stomach...never again. no thank . I'll take my chances of continuing to loose inches and a 1.5 a week than stuff my stomach beyond a busting point.. Exercise and cutting my meals in 1/2 or eating 5-6 small meals a day works for me.. love how the ones that say that I am doing it wrong, or I must me trying to starve myself I see no PHd. behind their screen name..
I find it hilarious that your on a weight loss site tracking 750 calories if you have such a hard time eating more, how did you gain weight in the first place to wind up here unless your already disordered in some way? The mind can be a powerful thing, working for you or against you, in most cases with ED's against.
Oh and I also find it hilarious that anyone would want to live the rest of their lives on less of a daily caloric intake that my growing toddler needs for good health/energy functions. In fact it is science that if you weigh a certain amount, your body will NEED a certain amount to sustain daily functions BEFORE activity for overall health, I find it very hard to believe many people need less than 1k per day unless they are already around 100 lbs and very petite as well as sedentary most of the day.
That works for my body so i will continue to do what i please.0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
^^^Thank-You for this comment... i hear this all the time that I am not eating enough so I ate till I was so sick to my stomach...never again. no thank . I'll take my chances of continuing to loose inches and a 1.5 a week than stuff my stomach beyond a busting point.. Exercise and cutting my meals in 1/2 or eating 5-6 small meals a day works for me.. love how the ones that say that I am doing it wrong, or I must me trying to starve myself I see no PHd. behind their screen name..
I find it hilarious that your on a weight loss site tracking 750 calories if you have such a hard time eating more, how did you gain weight in the first place to wind up here unless your already disordered in some way? The mind can be a powerful thing, working for you or against you, in most cases with ED's against.
why do you find it hilarious that people want to track their calories and their exercise? not to mention read my profile you will see that clearly it states i have a history of an ED... no big secret. dont pass judgment until you know my story. What can be a powerful thing is a grandmother that would tie me up at the age of 7 and force food down my throat, therefore, began the FEAR of food. KNOW my story, get a PHd then you can tell me what I am doing wrong or question why I would belong to this site...0 -
bump to read later0
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I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
^^^Thank-You for this comment... i hear this all the time that I am not eating enough so I ate till I was so sick to my stomach...never again. no thank . I'll take my chances of continuing to loose inches and a 1.5 a week than stuff my stomach beyond a busting point.. Exercise and cutting my meals in 1/2 or eating 5-6 small meals a day works for me.. love how the ones that say that I am doing it wrong, or I must me trying to starve myself I see no PHd. behind their screen name..
I find it hilarious that your on a weight loss site tracking 750 calories if you have such a hard time eating more, how did you gain weight in the first place to wind up here unless your already disordered in some way? The mind can be a powerful thing, working for you or against you, in most cases with ED's against.
why do you find it hilarious that people want to track their calories and their exercise? not to mention read my profile you will see that clearly it states i have a history of an ED... no big secret. dont pass judgment until you know my story. What can be a powerful thing is a grandmother that would tie me up at the age of 7 and force food down my throat, therefore, began the FEAR of food. KNOW my story, get a PHd then you can tell me what I am doing wrong or question why I would belong to this site...
Thanks for the life story, it actually totally explains your mentality and exactly the point I was trying to convey, that someone who has or is recovering from an ED will have some psychological response causing them to under eat or feel full despite what their body actually needs for better longevity or overall health. It happens a lot with depression, anxiety, people who take prescriptive meds etc.0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
^^^Thank-You for this comment... i hear this all the time that I am not eating enough so I ate till I was so sick to my stomach...never again. no thank . I'll take my chances of continuing to loose inches and a 1.5 a week than stuff my stomach beyond a busting point.. Exercise and cutting my meals in 1/2 or eating 5-6 small meals a day works for me.. love how the ones that say that I am doing it wrong, or I must me trying to starve myself I see no PHd. behind their screen name..
I find it hilarious that your on a weight loss site tracking 750 calories if you have such a hard time eating more, how did you gain weight in the first place to wind up here unless your already disordered in some way? The mind can be a powerful thing, working for you or against you, in most cases with ED's against.
Oh and I also find it hilarious that anyone would want to live the rest of their lives on less of a daily caloric intake that my growing toddler needs for good health/energy functions. In fact it is science that if you weigh a certain amount, your body will NEED a certain amount to sustain daily functions BEFORE activity for overall health, It's safe to say that not a huge % of people need less than 1k per day, unless they are already around 100 lbs and very petite as well as sedentary most of the day or have some sort of underlying metabolic disorder.
I gotta agree...doesnt make any sense...unless there is a lack of understanding how to enter calories/how much calories are in different foods/not accounting for things...0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
^^^Thank-You for this comment... i hear this all the time that I am not eating enough so I ate till I was so sick to my stomach...never again. no thank . I'll take my chances of continuing to loose inches and a 1.5 a week than stuff my stomach beyond a busting point.. Exercise and cutting my meals in 1/2 or eating 5-6 small meals a day works for me.. love how the ones that say that I am doing it wrong, or I must me trying to starve myself I see no PHd. behind their screen name..
Im glad someone understands what im saying
NP... since 2/23 I have eaten less than 1k a day, have lost 3lbs, -1" chest; -2" stomach, -2.5" hips... due to daily exercises, including cardio and strength, I eat 5-6 small meals a day... This is what works for me, and trust I totally understand what you are saying..0 -
LOL at the "get a PhD" remarks. We do have PhD's on this site. And there is plenty of literature out there from people with PhD's. Maybe some of the PhD's on the site will chime in. Or maybe not as debating the same topic over and over again with people who live in fear of food and have allergies to logical reasoning becomes very tiresome.0
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I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
^^^Thank-You for this comment... i hear this all the time that I am not eating enough so I ate till I was so sick to my stomach...never again. no thank . I'll take my chances of continuing to loose inches and a 1.5 a week than stuff my stomach beyond a busting point.. Exercise and cutting my meals in 1/2 or eating 5-6 small meals a day works for me.. love how the ones that say that I am doing it wrong, or I must me trying to starve myself I see no PHd. behind their screen name..
I find it hilarious that your on a weight loss site tracking 750 calories if you have such a hard time eating more, how did you gain weight in the first place to wind up here unless your already disordered in some way? The mind can be a powerful thing, working for you or against you, in most cases with ED's against.
why do you find it hilarious that people want to track their calories and their exercise? not to mention read my profile you will see that clearly it states i have a history of an ED... no big secret. dont pass judgment until you know my story. What can be a powerful thing is a grandmother that would tie me up at the age of 7 and force food down my throat, therefore, began the FEAR of food. KNOW my story, get a PHd then you can tell me what I am doing wrong or question why I would belong to this site...
Thanks for the life story, it actually totally explains your mentality and exactly the point I was trying to convey, that someone who has or is recovering from an ED will have some psychological response causing them to under eat or feel full despite what their body actually needs for better longevity or overall health. It happens a lot with depression, anxiety, people who take prescriptive meds etc.
WOW I am so glad you have a DX for a total stranger.. Kudos to you. and not that it is any of your business... I am prescriptive meds free always have been.. but thanks for the suggestions, your degree hanging on your wall is not just there to collect dust bunnies...0 -
That isn't even a scientific article - it's just a blog - someone's personal opinion.0 -
LOL at the "get a PhD" remarks. We do have PhD's on this site. And there is plenty of literature out there from people with PhD's. Maybe some of the PhD's on the site will chime in. Or maybe not as debating the same topic over and over again with people who live in fear of food and have allergies to logical reasoning becomes very tiresome.
and many of your post are either demeaning or for better of lack of words...have no meanings...0 -
But won't you lose muscle mass in addition to fat??
When I had mono and couldn't eat anything for 2 months and all I did was lay in bed (for 2 months - and had to be carried to the bathroom at 19 years old, and bathed by my Mother), I lost nearly all my muscle. Without nourishment, my body took from itself.
Sure, I lost 40 lbs in 2 months time - but it was all muscle. When all was said and done - I couldn't walk by myself most of the time. I was so exhausted, I couldn't stay awake. My friends had to carry my backpack for me to all my classes.
Just saying - you might lose that weight fast - but is that how you REALLY want to lose it??0 -
I think personally it goes back to whether or not starvation mode is real or not. Its more about sustainability. We have ALL lost weight on less than 1200 calories....and we are all back here on mfp trying to lose the weight that we gained back and more from not changing our lifestyle PERMANENTLY. I know for a fact there is no way I will be able to live at 1200 for the rest of my life. I enjoy food and I see it as fuel. My workouts are better I'm more efficient...I'm more clear and focused when I eat more. If it takes me longer to lose weight (btw patience is not my virtue) than it will have to just take longer. I refuse to do what I did previously and just subsist off plain salads.
If it works for you and you want to do it I wish all the best on losing and sustaining your loss!0 -
Some people insist on learning things the hard way. In a way, it's good, because that ensures people never forget what they have learned.
I wish you all the best in reaching your fitness goals.0
This discussion has been closed.
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