starvation mode question.

jcbgs
jcbgs Posts: 26
in Food and Nutrition
I was wondering how long does it take for your body to go in to starvation mode. It has been really hard to hit my target calorie goal on most days. The last two days has been really bad. How can I tell if my body has gone into starvation mode? I have not lost any weight and I am thinking its because Im not eating enough. Also my diet hasn't been the greatest. I am going shopping today and planning on buying more healthy food. Any suggestion will be appreciated.

Replies

  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
    It takes weeks.

    Some symptoms:
    Excessive loss of hair/shedding
    Thinning hair
    Irritability
    Mood swings
    Loss of libido
    Constant fatigue
    Lack of motivation
    Obsessive thoughts about food
    Food hoarding
    Ritualized consumption of food
    Wolfing down food

    Please do a search on the forums for '1200'. Read just some of the literally hundreds and hundreds of posts from people eating 1200 calories or less and not losing weight. Notice how nearly all of them have found success by gradually increasing their diets to a sane level.

    Take from that what you will.
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
    It's different for everyone cuz every Body is different. Eating at a calorie deficit for a prolonged time will do it but that could be a few weeks (for me) anyway. Just 2 days won't do it though.
  • jcbgs
    jcbgs Posts: 26
    thanks for he replies. I am working on getting at least 1400 calories a day. Some days it is hard.
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    It takes weeks.

    Some symptoms:
    Excessive loss of hair/shedding
    Thinning hair
    Irritability
    Mood swings
    Loss of libido
    Constant fatigue
    Lack of motivation
    Obsessive thoughts about food
    Food hoarding
    Ritualized consumption of food
    Wolfing down food

    Sweet Jaysus, that's a typical Monday for me ;)
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
    Starvation mode = myth
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
    Starvation mode = myth

    There is peer-reviewed research for slowing of metabolic rate and prolonged caloric deficits. I don't agree with most people on here who think they have it but don't disregard it as a whole.
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    sometimes the body hits a wall, called a "Plateau". Try changin up your workout. Something as simple as just moving the exercises around may do it. I had to ad 3 days of racquetball to mine.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I was wondering how long does it take for your body to go in to starvation mode

    At least a year going by your tracker.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    There is peer-reviewed research for slowing of metabolic rate and prolonged caloric deficits. I don't agree with most people on here who think they have it but don't disregard it as a whole.
    True. A metabolic slowdown to the tune of a candy bar a day has been observed and documented.
  • M8R5on8ym
    M8R5on8ym Posts: 23 Member
    https://www.google.de/search?q=christian+bale+starvation&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a


    The second link is interesting

    http://voices.yahoo.com/christian-bales-weight-loss-machinist-this-66659.html?cat=40


    I think this is the best of the bunch

    http://www.moreprimetime.com/look-younger-workouts/visual-impact-for-women/visual-impact-for-women-diet/christian-bale-weight-loss-an-advanced-approach-vs-matt-damon-weight-loss
  • alyngard
    alyngard Posts: 103
    There is peer-reviewed research for slowing of metabolic rate and prolonged caloric deficits. I don't agree with most people on here who think they have it but don't disregard it as a whole.
    True. A metabolic slowdown to the tune of a candy bar a day has been observed and documented.

    Agreed. I can understand going into starvation mode if you are already of "normal/healthy" weight. But for someone who is severely overweight, it just makes no sense. Why on earth (if you are still at least eating a decent amount of healthy whole foods and calories-1100-1200/day) would your body think it's starving it? People also keep saying "you will lose muscle if you eat below 1200/day, and you won't lose fat/metabolism will slow down etc", again, makes sense for someone who is of a healthy weight, but the entire point of fat is to feed your body when you aren't getting enough food (think back to cavemen days). So tell me (because I would honestly like to know), why my body would eat my muscle first when I still have about 90lbs of fat to lose? I'm just not buying into it. I'm not promoting anyone eating only a few hundred calories a day (I think that is ridiculous/have tried it and it absolutely doesn't work), that being said, I think eating at, or slightly below 1200/day is perfectly fine for someone who needs to lose a large amount of weight. That obviously may need to be reevaluated as more weight is lost (more calories/activities added), but as I said, I just don't understand all of the uproar over it. Not to mention everyone is different and everyone IS "as special snowflake" (as people in these forums like to say). What works for one person may not work for the next. If you need to eat more than 1200 to feel full and satisfied and to be able to function properly, than I think that is great and wonderful and you should absolutely do that. But at the same time, if you are eating 1100-1200/day, and feel completely satisfied, are getting all the proper nutrients and eating healthy clean foods then what is the big deal? It would be so great if people would respect other's weightloss journeys without getting their panties into a bunch over it. If you disagree, do it respectfully. Speak in terms of what worked for YOU, because again, that may not work for everyone. And from what I can tell from the research I have done online, there is still tons of differing opinions as to when/how "starvation mode" comes into play.
    Okay, enough ranting on my part. Good luck to everyone on here and I honestly hope everyone finds what works for them!
  • athandtia
    athandtia Posts: 28 Member
    Lucky you! Most of us struggle to keep it down! I sincerely doubt your body is in starvation mode. I'm afraid it's the old blah blah...eat healthily and exercise. I'm doing the 5:2 fasting diet and it's working well for me, but I recently went off piste so not in a good place at the moment.There are some pretty good tips from people on this site. Good luck :smile:
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
    sometimes the body hits a wall, called a "Plateau". Try changin up your workout. Something as simple as just moving the exercises around may do it. I had to ad 3 days of racquetball to mine.

    ^^^this.... or you can also just ride out a plateau and eventually it will break on its own. Plateaus or stalls happen.. you don't lose weight in a straight line.. it's more like a stair step pattern. In the month of April I lost 3 pounds for the whole month.. THREE AND A HALF OF THOSE WEEKS I lost ZERO... Actually I gained a few pounds and then lost them during that time, but my total loss was ZERO. The month of May I've already lost 13 pounds Same calories, same exercise! Also in April.. even though I only lost three pounds, I dropped three notches on my belt and started fitting into clothes that I couldn't previously so clearly a lot of crazy stuff happens to your body during a plateau.... I like to think of a plateau as your body's way of "finding itself"
  • kazmurphblin
    kazmurphblin Posts: 114 Member
    It takes weeks.

    Some symptoms:
    Excessive loss of hair/shedding
    Thinning hair
    Irritability
    Mood swings
    Loss of libido
    Constant fatigue
    Lack of motivation
    Obsessive thoughts about food
    Food hoarding
    Ritualized consumption of food
    Wolfing down food

    Sweet Jaysus, that's a typical Monday for me ;)

    LOL!!! xx

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