Is it true....

kmillar1224

That you should never eat below your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) or your body goes into starvation mode and you won't lose weight?

Whitezombiegirl

No (in my opinion). Starvation mode (in the way it is applied by most people) is a myth imo.

dls06

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

nxd10

The research that I've read says that if, over time, you are under the calories your body has set as 'homeostatic' (baseline healthy), it will become more and more efficient at holding onto those calories. It will, as they say in animal husbandry circles, become very 'thrifty'. If you're over your set point your body doesn't process calories very efficiently and stores some of them as fat.

It's not a day to day thing, however.

Your calculated basal metabolism may not be your true caloric need, however. It depends on how much you've gained and lost in the past. That's the problem with yo-yo dieting. If you've dumped a lot of weight and then regained it, when you try to lose again, you'll have a lot harder time because your body is thriftier.

One of the (many) reasons very low calorie diets aren't effective in keeping weight off long term is that they can't be maintained over the long haul and thus you never change your setpoint, so your body keeps desperately trying to hold onto calories. It takes a year or so to change your setpoint and exercise seems essential in doing so.

So, bottom line, if you eat under your bodies' needs, of course you'll lose weight quickly - first fat, then muscle. You are then very likely to put it back on and then it will be harder to lose the second (or third or tenth) time. If you want to lose weight long term, lose slower and work very hard to maintain it, including exercise.

However, you should figure out what your own real calorie needs are. This site and others give averages, but every person is different, depending on their genes, their activities, their muscle/fat ratio, and their life history of food intake and weight.

nxd10

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

This is a really good post - thank you for pointing to it. I'm a little over the two month mark. I hit my first goal - the 10 lbs I chunked on last year. I feel really good because I did it while traveling, which is hard. But I am DISAPPOINTED because a pound a week is JUST A POUND A WEEK.

I feel so virtuous (and I look a lot better and my clothes all fit again) but I've still got months left to go. I keep telling myself - it takes 30 years to put on, if it takes a while to take off, it ain't that surprising. The sensible plan has worked so far. And I'm in this for the long haul - I want this change to be permanent.

Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim

Bump