Confused about starvation mode

Reddak98

Hey all, could someone please explain starvation mode, How does one get there and what do we do about it? I am trying to stay under my daily goals but am wondering if I am eating enough. All help is greatly appreciated.

StarryEyed500

As long as you eat enough to sustain your body, you won't have to worry about "starvation". Most people should eat above their BMR (if you don't know yours, there's a calculator in the Tools menu) so if you eat that as a minimum, you'll be ok

mallory3411

What is your height, weight, and current calorie goals? It's hard to say if you are eating enough based on the little information you gave.

Starvation mode is said a lot around here which freaks a lot of people out.

janstacey

i got a message that said hadn't ate enough and needed to eat more or my body might go into starvation mode, i am watching my intake and trying to keep it higher

maarziipan

You are not going to enter starvation mode. Starvation mode is when the body has exhausted ALL POSSIBLE METHODS of creating energy (sugars, fat stores) and resorts to burning muscle tissue in order to keep running. Essentially, you will have had to deplete ALL of your body's fat stores before going into starvation mode.

mdsjmom98

What is your height, weight, and current calorie goals? It's hard to say if you are eating enough based on the little information you gave.

Starvation mode is said a lot around here which freaks a lot of people out.

Guilty! Freaked me out totally! Still kinda does. At night when I register my food, and am under, (which I almost always am) I have to force myself to ignore the "starvation mode" at the bottom of the page. I know I'm getting enough nutrition, eating plenty of fruit and veggies, and dairy, etc. The way I figure it, if I wasn't going to the bathroom, (TMI I know!!) then I wouldn't have excess to burn. They don't call it "waste" for nothing!!!

maarziipan

Put it this way, folks. People eat NOTHING, and drink only (several gallons, obviously) of water for WEEKS doing extreme cleanse diets. I dont want to be too mean, but I have noticed (and been kind of stunned by) people's ignorance about nutrition and the way the body works.

geezer99

Your body doesn’t know about supermarkets or fast food. It is built around the idea that there are times when the hunting is poor or the crops don’t grow. When your calorie intake drops too low, your body shifts its food processing to keep you alive through hard times. It tries to burn as little energy as possible and it stores every bit it doesn’t absolutely need as fat – just in case things get worse.
So, you want to reduce food intake without convincing your body to take emergency action.

cmriverside

OP, according to your profile, you lost weight before. Just do what you did that time.

Starvation mode isn't going to kick in after a week or two of under-eating. It is a real issue, though the term is used too liberally in these forums. Do some research online at reputable sites, like NIH, WebMD, MayoClinic, etc.

You can affect your health adversely by not giving your body the nutrients it needs - over time. Not in a few days.