stavation mode is this true

slimpickings36

Hi I have been losing weight since june 2010 but was never so strict on calories untill I started logging on here.
All last week I was under calories eating less than 1000 a day while still exercising and then yesterday I had a really bad day felt very weak and so hungry so I went over calories. Is the stavation mode true? do you think its better for me to eat more of my exercise calories so I don't get that feeling again I just feel like I am cheating all the time if I eat more than 1000 I was never like this before please advise.
( I think my mind is set if I want to lose weight I need to be hungry all the time)

tomhancock

I'm sure the lower amount of calories slowed your metabolism a good bit. Thing is, scientific studies show that even when your body does go into starvation mode, it still continues to burn fat at the same (and often greater) rates. There was a Minnesota starvation study back in the 1950s (google it)

Even when the people in the study had their metabolism drop 40% or more, they were still burning fat, until they got down around 5% body fat.

Now, the weakness and hunger is another issue. No diet is worth feeling awful over, especially if it causes you to cheat and go over calories.

I would recommend trying to make sure that a LOT of your 1000 calories are high in fiber and protein to keep you full and give you some energy. I'm sure they already are but if you look for ways to replace calories low in fiber and protein with calories high in fiber and protein you will feel more full and have more energy.

Starvation mode is a real phenomenon, but most of us trying to lose weight have enough body fat that our bodies aren't shutting down on us.... its just typical calorie and food cravings that we try to rationalize by saying "my body is in starvation mode"

What it is with you, only you can know. Good luck

Heather2784

I'm sure the lower amount of calories slowed your metabolism a good bit. Thing is, scientific studies show that even when your body does go into starvation mode, it still continues to burn fat at the same (and often greater) rates. There was a Minnesota starvation study back in the 1950s (google it)

Even when the people in the study had their metabolism drop 40% or more, they were still burning fat, until they got down around 5% body fat.

Now, the weakness and hunger is another issue. No diet is worth feeling awful over, especially if it causes you to cheat and go over calories.

I would recommend trying to make sure that a LOT of your 1000 calories are high in fiber and protein to keep you full and give you some energy. I'm sure they already are but if you look for ways to replace calories low in fiber and protein with calories high in fiber and protein you will feel more full and have more energy.

Starvation mode is a real phenomenon, but most of us trying to lose weight have enough body fat that our bodies aren't shutting down on us.... its just typical calorie and food cravings that we try to rationalize by saying "my body is in starvation mode"

What it is with you, only you can know. Good luck

One of the best responses I've found on this site to the whole starvation mode question.

yarwell

we can't see what you're eating, and you didn't say how much exercise or much else, but if you create an excessive calorie deficit you won't feel good.

Imagine you're using 2000 calories sat around, you exercise 800 so that's 2800 burned and you ate less than 1,000 - that's more than 1800 to come from your fat reserves which according to some published study would need 60 lbs of fat reserves to supply it ( 30 kcal per day per lb of body fat). If you can't get enough energy something has to give.

You could eat more, or exercise less, just reduce the deficit to a more manageable level especially if it trips you into overeating.

TeaBea

we can't see what you're eating, and you didn't say how much exercise or much else, but if you create an excessive calorie deficit you won't feel good.

Imagine you're using 2000 calories sat around, you exercise 800 so that's 2800 burned and you ate less than 1,000 - that's more than 1800 to come from your fat reserves which according to some published study would need 60 lbs of fat reserves to supply it ( 30 kcal per day per lb of body fat). If you can't get enough energy something has to give.

You could eat more, or exercise less, just reduce the deficit to a more manageable level especially if it trips you into overeating.

There's aother problem with this scenario .... not everything your body needs comes from fat stores. I'm not any kind of expert ... but it seems to me that my body requires other nutrients for building blood cells & skin cells for example.

You read horror stories about women who go on very low calorie diets for extended periods ... their hair falls out. 1,000 net calories for an extended period .... unless you are extremely petite .... this sounds too low.

SteveTries

I'm sure the lower amount of calories slowed your metabolism a good bit. Thing is, scientific studies show that even when your body does go into starvation mode, it still continues to burn fat at the same (and often greater) rates. There was a Minnesota starvation study back in the 1950s (google it)

Even when the people in the study had their metabolism drop 40% or more, they were still burning fat, until they got down around 5% body fat.

Now, the weakness and hunger is another issue. No diet is worth feeling awful over, especially if it causes you to cheat and go over calories.

I would recommend trying to make sure that a LOT of your 1000 calories are high in fiber and protein to keep you full and give you some energy. I'm sure they already are but if you look for ways to replace calories low in fiber and protein with calories high in fiber and protein you will feel more full and have more energy.

Starvation mode is a real phenomenon, but most of us trying to lose weight have enough body fat that our bodies aren't shutting down on us.... its just typical calorie and food cravings that we try to rationalize by saying "my body is in starvation mode"

What it is with you, only you can know. Good luck

It's refreshing to see a voice of reason on this topic. I'd add a couple of things.
-Starvation mode is indeed real, but it's effect are grossly exaggerated. The metabolic shut down is not at all a cliff edge.
-The biggest cause of weight loss stalling is over-estimating calories out and underestimating calories in.
-Starvation mode is hysterically applied often by those that just don't want to accept they need to reduce their intake.

I'm certainly not advocating huge caloric defecits, I think that is a sure fire way to failure mentally and physical issues, but 700 Cals under TDEE with a refeed day each week? Absolutely viable and workable.

I think you'll be fine. Just observe yourself for signs that you're overdoing it and are not getting unhealthy. Excessive tiredness or getting sick is an indicator. As is a lot of hunger actually. Moderate defecits don't tend to leave you feeling hungry all the time.

SteveTries

we can't see what you're eating, and you didn't say how much exercise or much else, but if you create an excessive calorie deficit you won't feel good.

Imagine you're using 2000 calories sat around, you exercise 800 so that's 2800 burned and you ate less than 1,000 - that's more than 1800 to come from your fat reserves which according to some published study would need 60 lbs of fat reserves to supply it ( 30 kcal per day per lb of body fat). If you can't get enough energy something has to give.

You could eat more, or exercise less, just reduce the deficit to a more manageable level especially if it trips you into overeating.

this is true too. It's the overall defecit we need to be careful of, not just the caloric reduction piece

grinch031

I'm skeptical when people say they stopped losing weight despite eating so little calories and exercising several days a week. Because when the body slows its metabolism to conserve calories, the body cannot continue to do the same amount of work on less calories. Something has to give. But because you are feeling tired and weak, that's a likely sign that your metabolism is slowing and your body is trying to conserve energy. I would recommend increasing your calorie intake.

LadyKatieBug

I ate 1,00 calories and under felt hungry so I upped my calories to around 1400. here is a good place to go that has been a huge help its on mfp eat more to weigh less group

sheri02r

I'm sure the lower amount of calories slowed your metabolism a good bit. Thing is, scientific studies show that even when your body does go into starvation mode, it still continues to burn fat at the same (and often greater) rates. There was a Minnesota starvation study back in the 1950s (google it)

Even when the people in the study had their metabolism drop 40% or more, they were still burning fat, until they got down around 5% body fat.

Now, the weakness and hunger is another issue. No diet is worth feeling awful over, especially if it causes you to cheat and go over calories.

I would recommend trying to make sure that a LOT of your 1000 calories are high in fiber and protein to keep you full and give you some energy. I'm sure they already are but if you look for ways to replace calories low in fiber and protein with calories high in fiber and protein you will feel more full and have more energy.

Starvation mode is a real phenomenon, but most of us trying to lose weight have enough body fat that our bodies aren't shutting down on us.... its just typical calorie and food cravings that we try to rationalize by saying "my body is in starvation mode"

What it is with you, only you can know. Good luck

One of the best responses I've found on this site to the whole starvation mode question.

Agree!

Quasita

I have written several blogs about this topic. Even a google search will bring them up. Less than 1k a day is very dangerous, especially if you are eating that and exercising on top without eating exercise calories back. Even gastric bypass patients eat more than 1k a day, and they have a regimine of vitamin therapies to counteract any deficiencies from their food.

It is almost impossible to get the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you need to have your body work efficiently on that low of a food intake.

Please speak with your doctor about the appropriate calorie levels for you, deficiencies, and how to refeed back to a normal calorie intake.

19kat55

Bump for later. Is is possible some people don't need 1200 calories a day? Can a 56 year old still be healthy eating less calories than a 22 year old? I always hear in the forums that you have to eat at least 1200 calories a day or it isn't healthy. I've been generally eating 900-1000 calories since 10.1.2011. My skin looks healthy. My hair isn't falling out. I'm not dizzy or lightheaded. I don't feel hungry, ever. Am I killing my body?

Motivated__

I'm sure the lower amount of calories slowed your metabolism a good bit. Thing is, scientific studies show that even when your body does go into starvation mode, it still continues to burn fat at the same (and often greater) rates. There was a Minnesota starvation study back in the 1950s (google it)

Even when the people in the study had their metabolism drop 40% or more, they were still burning fat, until they got down around 5% body fat.

Now, the weakness and hunger is another issue. No diet is worth feeling awful over, especially if it causes you to cheat and go over calories.

I would recommend trying to make sure that a LOT of your 1000 calories are high in fiber and protein to keep you full and give you some energy. I'm sure they already are but if you look for ways to replace calories low in fiber and protein with calories high in fiber and protein you will feel more full and have more energy.

Starvation mode is a real phenomenon, but most of us trying to lose weight have enough body fat that our bodies aren't shutting down on us.... its just typical calorie and food cravings that we try to rationalize by saying "my body is in starvation mode"

What it is with you, only you can know. Good luck

One of the best responses I've found on this site to the whole starvation mode question.

Agree!

LOVE IT! Thanks for the great answer!

clobercow

I've read that same study and many others. It turns out that when we drop our calorie intake, our metabolism naturally drops because of many factors. Several reasons include the thermic effect of food, decreased organ stress, weight loss. Overtime with weight loss, we drop TDEE from activity, fat maintenance, reduce skin and many more. So people tend to "stall" and call it starvation mode.

The reality is that its not actually starving or becoming cataboilic. So long as we keep to good nutrition, there is no minimum calories we must consume.

In-fact, there are MANY studies that prove fatloss will occur until there simply is no fat left on the body to consume.

There are downsides to taking an extreme calorie deficit, and a big one is malnutrition. This can cause muscle loss, organ consumption and shutdown. So if going extremely low calorie, we must do it under supervision. The amount that makes a deficit extremely low greatly varies between people and their needs. So we just cant set a number and call it the starvation mode number. However, malnutrition can be fixed while being very low calorie. Seek nutritional advice before before committing to ultra low calorie or long term fasting.

This is the reason more and more people are adopting intermittent fasting as healthy aid to fatloss, hormone control, insulin control any many other good reasons with no negative health results.

To sum up, if your goal is 1200 calories, and you stall, get your TDEE checked again. It may have changed. But its not likely. Everyone stalls at some point and so long as we keep a calorie deficit, just push through it and we will continue to lose fat. That of course is someone who has a TDEE above 1200 calories.

So giving the advice to stick to 1200 calories or more is misguided and fear mongering. Speak to your doctor. Listen to your body. It will tell you what you need!

averysmami

While everyone sounds like they know what they're talking about, the only person you should really be taking advice from is an accredited nutritionist.
So many people have so many different opinions and ideas. It's easy to get steered in the wrong direction.
You can find a nutritionist online or get your doctor to refer you to someone. Talk to them about what you're trying to achieve. They'll work with you to develop guidelines that are right for you.
Good luck!

yarwell

Less than 1k a day is very dangerous

Why ? This for anybody including a 300 lb man ?

It is almost impossible to get the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you need to have your body work efficiently on that low of a food intake.

Unless you wander down the road and buy a nutritionally complete meal replacement plan that does just that. Or engineer one yourself.

SteveTries

Less than 1k a day is very dangerous

Why ? This for anybody including a 300 lb man ?

Yup, it's a magical number that applies to everyone in the whole wide world.

1200 Cals is also the magical number you shouldn't go under for effective and safe weight loss. It applies to everyone too since it's magic. Just do not ever, ever go to 1199 or else your metabolism will actually stop, then reverse and you'll start to GAIN weight. Pretty soon you'll be down at only 1kg of celery a day which of course take more cals to process than you ingest.

Gotta love the dogma, pseudo science and mass generalisations......

wackyfunster

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2495396/?page=1

382 days, 0 calories per day, 276 pounds lost.

There is not a single validated scientific case of metabolic adaptation exceeding caloric restriction (i.e. your metabolism will never slow down so much that you stop losing weight at a caloric deficit).

lizziebeth1028

Starvation mode and it's infinite debate is a mute point here and the least of your worries -

Eating under 1000 calories a day is UNHEALTHY. period. For a healthy sustainable weight loss plan you need to eat at least 1200 calories a day.

clobercow

Starvation mode and it's infinite debate is a mute point here and the least of your worries -

Eating under 1000 calories a day is UNHEALTHY. period. For a healthy sustainable weight loss plan you need to eat at least 1200 calories a day.

You must believe the world is ending in 2012 also. I say that because there is no science that proves the world is ending just the same as there is no science to back up what you say.

Stop being a dogma zealot.

neilisfat

You can drop your intake and your activity, your body will do ok. However, your brain desires calories any way it can get it. If it doesn't get enough food, your body will digest itself to feed the brain. There is no way around that. That is why so many people who do "cleanses" lose muscle mass. You keep your body barely satiated, but your brain eats your muscle and organs.

Normally, if I string together 3 days of solid calorie debt through vigorous exercise, I will enjoy eating a bit extra on the ensuing rest day. The exercise will do more than enough to counteract one bad day. Its easier on the emotions too. I ended up losing 25 pounds in 8 weeks. I have since slowed down a good bit to maybe 3 or 4 pounds in the last month. I have cared a bit less about staying on track with counting calories due to the fact that my clothes are getting too loose.

If you can enjoy upping the intensity on the exercise, you won't have to sweat denying yourself the emotional satisfaction of eating.