Concern re: starvation mode and metabolism.

orangelobster
orangelobster Posts: 151
in Health and Weight Loss
I've had a really rough week and a bit - some life crisis things happening, a lot of stress, late nights/early morning and insomnia. I just haven't been eating much at all - no appetite whatsoever. When I'm like this I become extremely fidgety, I've got a pretty physical job as well as regular bike commuting to work so I've continued to burn calories. (no time to go to the gym however)

The other day I got a warning from MFP that I wasn't eating enough.

My question is about starvation mode and one's metabolism slowing down because of it. How much time are we talking about. Should I worry about a "bad week" messing up my metabolism.

edit: I should mention that I'm only about 3-5 pounds away from my goal weight currently. My ticker says I lost 13 pounds but I've actually lost about 22, I discovered MFP about 1/2 thru my plan.

Replies

  • morticiamom
    morticiamom Posts: 221 Member
    A week won't mess up your metabolism. At least that's one thing you don't have to worry about. Sorry you've got so much else going on though.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    One bad week won't mess you up. It's mostly a warning against people who think that losing weight means that they can't eat anything other than plain salad. :)
  • megleo818
    megleo818 Posts: 595 Member
    Lots of people say the whole "starvation mode" thing is a myth. I don't know about that. But I do know that even a few weeks of under-eating due to stress has never done anything to my metabolism. I think you can safely concentrate on your other stressors and not add fear-of-starvation-mode to the list! :smile:
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    You need not worry about one back week with very low caloric net. It would only be an issue if you already were assuming a substantial deficit, chronically, prior to this bad week. To clarify, everyone's Resting Metabolic Rate declines during calorie restriction. Many factors go into how much of a decline occurs but two are the size and duration of said deficit.
  • orangelobster
    orangelobster Posts: 151
    Thanks for the reassurance you guys, really appreciate it. I've got enough things to worry about currently without having a messed up metabolism too.
  • netteswift
    netteswift Posts: 2
    I have a question.... I eat at least 6 small meals per day... sometimes LESS.... i.e., protein shake for breakfast, snack, shake for lunch, snack, sensible dinner and if I am hungry a light snack ... I exercise 5 days a week... but a LOT of times I don't go over 1200 and my BMR says I need way more... will I go into starvation mode eating that frequently tho not many calories????
  • morticiamom
    morticiamom Posts: 221 Member
    Whether or no you go into true 'starvation mode', limiting your calories by that much will slow your metabolism down. It doesn't matter how often you eat if the total is below what it takes to power your heart and other organs on a day to day basis.

    I felt run down, without energy, and got sick easily when I did that.

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