Starvation mode article that I found very VERY helpful....

Lance_K

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D446

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.

This puzzles me.

rockerbabyy

reading the first few pages of this has gotten me confused. When I signed up for MFP and entered my current weight and goal weight it told me to lose 1 lb a week I should be eating 1200 cals a day. Is this wrong? would I be more succesful eating more?

ETA: its worked great so far but im also on the south beach diet and have only been on for 2 weeks so I know most of my weight loss has been water weight.

you could try setting your goal to match your BMR.. then make sure you eat back your exercise calories. you might lose a bit slower, but youll lose.
i set mine to my bmr (1845) and lost about a pound a week last month.

AmyMcDonald808

reading the first few pages of this has gotten me confused. When I signed up for MFP and entered my current weight and goal weight it told me to lose 1 lb a week I should be eating 1200 cals a day. Is this wrong? would I be more succesful eating more?

ETA: its worked great so far but im also on the south beach diet and have only been on for 2 weeks so I know most of my weight loss has been water weight.

you could try setting your goal to match your BMR.. then make sure you eat back your exercise calories. you might lose a bit slower, but youll lose.
i set mine to my bmr (1845) and lost about a pound a week last month.

thank you! Ok I will try that, do you know how I could lose faster? lol sorry im impatient even tho I know..slow and steady wins the race.

LorinaLynn

reading the first few pages of this has gotten me confused. When I signed up for MFP and entered my current weight and goal weight it told me to lose 1 lb a week I should be eating 1200 cals a day. Is this wrong? would I be more succesful eating more?

ETA: its worked great so far but im also on the south beach diet and have only been on for 2 weeks so I know most of my weight loss has been water weight.

You're already quite small. When you don't have a lot to lose, even one pound a week is too much.... you don't have enough excess body fat to support a larger calorie deficit.

The very GOOD news in that, is that if you set your weight loss goal to a half pound a week, get adequate protein, and add strength training, a much larger percentage of the weight you DO lose will be from fat, so it'll look like you've lost more. Check this blog post... my weight is only two pounds different from last June to when I took those pics, but my body, especially from the back, is completely different. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LorinaLynn/view/in-defense-of-bikinis-215624

auntiebabs

I had a revelation about starvation mode a couple of months ago...

It's less about the number of calories you eat... and more about the nutrition that you get...
You can eat 3500 calories a day but if they are all empty calories and you're body is going to want to hang on to every thing it can store it as fat to use later...

Malaika946

great article thanks for sharing...

AmyMcDonald808

reading the first few pages of this has gotten me confused. When I signed up for MFP and entered my current weight and goal weight it told me to lose 1 lb a week I should be eating 1200 cals a day. Is this wrong? would I be more succesful eating more?

ETA: its worked great so far but im also on the south beach diet and have only been on for 2 weeks so I know most of my weight loss has been water weight.

You're already quite small. When you don't have a lot to lose, even one pound a week is too much.... you don't have enough excess body fat to support a larger calorie deficit.

The very GOOD news in that, is that if you set your weight loss goal to a half pound a week, get adequate protein, and add strength training, a much larger percentage of the weight you DO lose will be from fat, so it'll look like you've lost more. Check this blog post... my weight is only two pounds different from last June to when I took those pics, but my body, especially from the back, is completely different. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LorinaLynn/view/in-defense-of-bikinis-215624

yeah your right, I can see the difference you look smaller and more muscular even tho the scale says you were about the same.. I will change my weight loss per week to half a pound and hopefully it makes a difference. I also go to the gym 3x a week and do about 40 mins of cardio and 20 of lifting. I am definetly getting lots of protien but low on carbs (south beach) thank you! btw what do you mean by strength training (excuse me im new) like lifting?

giggles1973

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Skinny_Beans

why not change your screen name from committobefit to committobeskinny?
[/quote

because skinny has become a derogatory, pro-ana related word, maybe just as you have used it. What's wrong with wanting to be skinnier? You can be fit and skinny, but once you say you want to be skinnier everyone acts like you're crazy.

MountainMia

Yup. That is true. Fat people aren't "starving" for calories because they have plenty of calories stored. But not enough is known about how the body responds to "nutritional starvation" or hormonal responses to imbalances or dramatic changes in our behavior. Our bodies have an uncanny ability to adapt to the conditions we are forced, or force ourselves into. It's true that not everyone who isn't losing weight can even claim this, but the fact that our bodies adapt is indesputable.

Anyone who actually believes that all weight lost in diet/exercise efforts comes from fat stores is more than a bit naieve. And anyone who believes that loss is isolated strictly to calories out vs calories in is waaay off the mark. But hey, it's a free country. You are completely entitled to diet how you want to and criticise everyone trying to make sure they get enough nutrition to sustain muscle and lose fat at a pace that is manageable and maintainable. It doesn't make you smarter or healthier, it just makes you an a**.

Seveen

yep i get that little warning from MFP whenever i eat less than my 1200 calories

so i had to do some investigating

i read many articles on the web and none of them said an overweight person would go into starvation mode - even weight watchers

yes metabolism slows but not that significantly

and your body is not going to start eating muscle unless it has already burned through all your fat

the minnesota starvation experiment which was conducted in 1950 is the basis of this "starvation mode myth"

but seldom is it mentioned that the men that participated in that study started at normal weight - not overweight - so yeah weeks without food starved them

when you reach your goal weight - you go on maintenance - that means eating to stay the same weight so an increase in calories is expected to maintain weight - and that is a balancing act and then it is even more important to maintain your food diary to find out what that balance (caloric intake) is for maintenance - maintenance doesn't mean - i lost the weight now i can eat anything

read about the minnesota starvation experiment here - there are some good reference articles at the end

and if you can find me one article that says an overweight person is going to go into starvation mode - i will buy you one big fat bubba burger - lol

BTW - those HCG diets put you on a 500 calorie diet - not sure what the shots are for


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment

AmyMcDonald808

and your body is not going to start eating muscle unless it has already burned through all your fat

TRUE?

shanea98

first off I just want to note that for everyone reading this article and declaring it a golden rule remember:
1. this article was not written by a medical expert with notable research on the subject
2. there is a big difference between starving your self and starvation mode ( ie low metabolism).
3. he was on a liquid diet for a reason- loss of lean muscle mass is what happens in those with cancer as once the fat is gone there is nothing left to eat ie increase energy catabolism to build cancer cells.
4. He was under medical supervision while all this was going on.

sooo in the normal population this would never happen if say you calculated kcal needs for weight loss were 1200 kcals and you burnt 600 kcals a day, but continued to only eat 1200kcals. This happens in 500 kcal diet people also referred to as very low kcal diets. What does happen to the normal population whom dont supply adequate energy from kcal intake to there bodies is that the metabolism slows down and the body hoards kcal, therefore slowing weight loss progress.

Sorry this is my 2 cents as I hate unsubstantiated materials on the internet that the average person reads and takes as golden new. RD

EbbySoo

and your body is not going to start eating muscle unless it has already burned through all your fat

TRUE?

FALSE.

watboy

I agree 100% I net about 650 on average every day and eat about 1300 or so. I'm not starving or on "starvation mode" I can't eat anymore, sorry I can't . Tons of people don't eat all of their work out calories back all the time and are perfectly healthy. I am kinda not sure why this keeps being such a huge debate. Really why care so much about people you will never meet who don't care for your opinion shoved down their throats like the calories they can't eat anymore. Lay it to rest we don't have the same metabolism or medical issues. Some people just want you to so badly feed into their own way of thinking they lose site of the fact you are not a
Cookie cutter human being. We are all different accept it, move on and attain your own goals. People are going to make themselves sick by eating more than they physically can. End rant.

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.

Seveen

this weight watchers article is also very good

note:

"For example, if an individual needs 2,000 calories per day to maintain weight, reducing intake to 1,500 calories, assuming exercise stays the same, should provide a 1 pound per week weight loss (Note: 1 pound of weight is equivalent to about 3,500 calories). Furthermore, reducing to 1,000 calories should result in a weight loss of 2 pounds per week and going down to 500 calories a day should result in a weight loss of 3 pounds per week. However, if an individual actually reduces their intake to 500 calories, the weight loss would not likely be a steady 3 pounds per week because of the reduced metabolic rate. It would likely be around 2¼ to 2½ pounds. This "lower than expected" rate of weight loss is a lot different than "no" weight loss as the "starvation mode" notion proposes."

source:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501



"

Seveen

i think this subject keeps coming up because MFP flashes that "starvation mode" message when you eat below your proposed daily caloric intake - i have learned to ignore it :-)

I agree 100% I net about 650 on average every day and eat about 1300 or so. I'm not starving or on "starvation mode" I can't eat anymore, sorry I can't . Tons of people don't eat all of their work out calories back all the time and are perfectly healthy. I am kinda not sure why this keeps being such a huge debate. Really why care so much about people you will never meet who don't care for your opinion shoved down their throats like the calories they can't eat anymore. Lay it to rest we don't have the same metabolism or medical issues. Some people just want you to so badly feed into their own way of thinking they lose site of the fact you are not a cok
Cookie cutter human being. We are all different accept it, move on and attain your own goals. People are going to make themselves sick by eating more than they physically can. End rant.

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.

watboy

Some people say its impossible to build muscle with a calorie deficit but it's not and there are studies also proving this. I'm condoning starving yourself to lose weight that's terrible but if you are you going to make yourself sick by eating more than you physically can that's just as bad. Be healthy not skinny:)

The article is pretty good. I have one major contention - your body will burn you muscles for energy before it attacks fat, because it requires too much energy to maintain muscles unless you eat enough and exercise. However the whole "starvation mode" is a misnomer, it's more conservation mode when it turns to burning muscles. But, maintaining muscle mass requires getting enough protein. I lost a lot of weight on a medical weight loss plan, but did not lose a lot of muscle because I exercised and ate almost all protein! So near starvation level diets work, but only under carefully watched conditions!

chattipatty2

Ok, here's a take from the other side of the tracks. A few years ago, I was cardio, cardio, cardio. maybe 1/3 of the time in gym, some strength on machines. Ate like a champ, looked better, but lost nothing. Now i stopped due to a death in family, got out of swing of things and am back.
I don't "try" to eat every single cotton pickin calorie back, but Im eating healthy, and if im hungry and on the run? I got a cooler full of healthy choices. With that said, I may fall 100-300 cals under goal, hardly ever over.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm here to learn healthier eating styles and get ideas on meals, exercise, etc..
Im not only eating a well balanced diet, and drinking plenty of water, but Im learning how to exercise. I think this is why we all came and stay.

70davis

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MLA5FL

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mom2lakenjj

"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.


Haven't had time to read everything yet but I'm going yo take the time to respond to this...I kept my weight off for about 2
2 1/2 years but then fell into a deeeeep depression due to things id prefer hog go discuss here...stopped working out
, ate horrible foods all day every day & gained it back..THIS would happen to anyone who lost weight whether it was the
Way I SUCCESSFULLY did or the way YOU think is right...got my depression under control & now I'm back & ready to do it again! !
So there ya' go that's why I'm back

OH & to the guy that said I should change Mg name so rudely put..PSSH your clueless bro & that's all the time ill waste
On your comment

PJilly

this weight watchers article is also very good

note:

"For example, if an individual needs 2,000 calories per day to maintain weight, reducing intake to 1,500 calories, assuming exercise stays the same, should provide a 1 pound per week weight loss (Note: 1 pound of weight is equivalent to about 3,500 calories). Furthermore, reducing to 1,000 calories should result in a weight loss of 2 pounds per week and going down to 500 calories a day should result in a weight loss of 3 pounds per week. However, if an individual actually reduces their intake to 500 calories, the weight loss would not likely be a steady 3 pounds per week because of the reduced metabolic rate. It would likely be around 2¼ to 2½ pounds. This "lower than expected" rate of weight loss is a lot different than "no" weight loss as the "starvation mode" notion proposes."

source:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501

It's that reduced metabolic rate I would like to avoid like the plague. To me, that is the definition of starvation mode: eating so few calories that you slow your metabolism to a rate lower than it would be if you ate more. It doesn't make sense to me that someone would deliberately WANT to do that.

Seveen

how would you know if your slow weight loss was due to metabolism? or a plateau?

watboy

So yeah make her eat more than than she can physically eat so she can meet your standards. Great. I agree if you can eat more eat more if you can't you can't. I can't eat a ton I don't have an eating disorder I Iove food. I think it's unfair and unhelpful to be so judgmental.Some people do have an Ed this term does not need to be thrown out like it has no meaning. Ed is a serious thing and just because people don't eat as much as you can does not mean they have an ED.

I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not be cause 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.

What's the issue? Anorexia. Eating that little is disordered eating. That's the nutritional requirements of a 30 pound Cocker Spaniel.

bones24

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!!!

These are very good points you make. I'm also at the 5-10 lb mark of losing weight and it's coming off really slow now! Just upped my calories, hoping for the same great results as you!

LorinaLynn

So yeah make her eat more than than she can physically eat so she can meet your standards. Great. I agree if you can eat more eat more if you can't you can't. I can't eat a ton I don't have an eating disorder Iove food. I think it's unfair and unhelpful to be so judgmental.Some people do have an Ed this term does not need to be thrown out like it has no meaning. Ed is a serious thing abd just because people don't as much as you can does not mean they have an ED.

It's not my standards I'm worried about. It's her own body's nutritional requirements, which cannot be met on so few calories.

If she's incapable of eating more than 750 calories, she should be seeing a doctor. Eating disorders are a very serious problem. That's why I express concern when someone is depriving themselves of the nutrients they NEED to survive.

I know I was misinformed and ignorant of the facts not so very long ago, and thought I was eating enough because I didn't feel hungry. I wasn't eating enough... I was eating so little that my body stopped sending hunger signals, and I hurt myself in the process. I would like to help others avoid that if I can. I *wish* someone had told me then that I was doing it wrong... that what I was doing was counter productive... that there was an easier, more effective way to reach my goals... that I, in fact, would NOT reach my goals by so severely limiting my food intake. My weight goal? Yeah, I reached that. My body goal? Nope. It was the same body, just smaller. Still flabby.

Yeah, how horrible of me to want people to be healthy and happy.

Seveen

you can't eat enough food to satisfy the recommended daily vitamin intake

that's why you you need a multiple vitamin - dieting or not

i doubt folks are counting the grams of vitamin c, vitamin d - my food diary doesn't do that

watboy

It's a beautiful thing you want to help people. I applaud it , thank you. But do we need to tell people they have an ED because they can't eat a lot of food? It's not your intentions in question it's your aproach. To everyone reading this take my opinion with a grain of salt. It's not going to make a difference either way i'll still be me and you you. Nothing wrong with that. We can all be happy if we accept that.

So yeah make her eat more than than she can physically eat so she can meet your standards. Great. I agree if you can eat more eat more if you can't you can't. I can't eat a ton I don't have an eating disorder Iove food. I think it's unfair and unhelpful to be so judgmental.Some people do have an Ed this term does not need to be thrown out like it has no meaning. Ed is a serious thing abd just because people don't as much as you can does not mean they have an ED.

It's not my standards I'm worried about. It's her own body's nutritional requirements, which cannot be met on so few calories.

If she's incapable of eating more than 750 calories, she should be seeing a doctor. Eating disorders are a very serious problem. That's why I express concern when someone is depriving themselves of the nutrients they NEED to survive.

I know I was misinformed and ignorant of the facts not so very long ago, and thought I was eating enough because I didn't feel hungry. I wasn't eating enough... I was eating so little that my body stopped sending hunger signals, and I hurt myself in the process. I would like to help others avoid that if I can. I *wish* someone had told me then that I was doing it wrong... that what I was doing was counter productive... that there was an easier, more effective way to reach my goals... that I, in fact, would NOT reach my goals by so severely limiting my food intake. My weight goal? Yeah, I reached that. My body goal? Nope. It was the same body, just smaller. Still flabby.

Yeah, how horrible of me to want people to be healthy and happy.