Ok, explain this to me.....

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sexylonglegs
sexylonglegs Posts: 278
in Health and Weight Loss
Just for kicks I lowered my calorie goal per day to 1000 calories.....it states I will lose approx. 2.3 (?) pounds per week. And, I know all the discussions re: starvation mode we have had.....but why does mfp say you will lose more pounds by eating less calories? AND when I didn't eat at all this past weekend I lost three pounds. I'm so confused. And then you throw anorexia into play, people who don't eat at all & they lose tons of weight (not saying this is healthy!!). :indifferent:

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  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    Because MFP calculators are just based on numbers. Just a dumb calories in vs. calories out formula that doesn't take anything like your actual metabolism into consideration.
    Your body doesn't work that way. :wink:

    MFP has no way of knowing how your body is going to react to what you feed it. Everyone is different. Take 2 people & but them both on 1000 calories a day. One person may actually lose 2.3 pounds per week. The other may gain a pound per week because their body is trying to conserve all fat. Either scenario is possible.

    Edit to add: I was the 1st person in that example for the first 4.5 months. Now I'm the 2nd person. My body freaks out about large calorie deficits at this point and I started GAINING weight eating 1200 calories a day and exercising. Now I'm losing weight again eating 1500-1900 calories a day depending on exercise. Mathmatical sense? Nope. But the body doesn't run on a simple equation.
  • twilight1542
    twilight1542 Posts: 403
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    Starvation Mode isn't an immediate thing! It's a cumulative effect that happens over time....One person could go into starvation mode in a few weeks whereas another person could take months....The point is that I have yet to encounter anyone on here who has done less than 1200 cals per day LONG TERM, has had steady weight loss, and has maintained the weight loss. I have done 1200 cals per day + 75% -100% of my exercise calories (I use a HRM) for the last 11 months and have steadily lost weight with no plateaus...Sure I might have lost faster if I didn't eat those exercise calories but I don't want to end up storing extra fat and losing muscle because I'm starving my body.....I love to eat toooo much! So I EAT and I still lose weight and I'm doing it healthily!
  • knittygirl52
    knittygirl52 Posts: 432 Member
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    Total truth about the calculator just being numbers! I like to eat too much to go into starvation mode, but my daughter inadvertently did it in college (lack of money, living in an apartment). All she wanted to do was sleep and she didn't lose weight in spite of exercising daily and walking all over a state university campus. You can do 1000 cals. for a week or so (maybe to squeeze into a wedding dress or something) and it won't be a problem, but do it long-term and you will stay stuck at one weight for months! Not worth it, my friend.
  • lcouterm
    lcouterm Posts: 138 Member
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    Well your body will go into starvation mode only after a long period of not eating on eating very little, I've been losing a whole lot (almost 30 pounds in the last little over a month. what i've been doing is eating sensible diet Mon - Fri blowing it a little (just a little on the weekends) and the second week Mon & Tues regular diet and weds and thurs I do a Juice (maple syrup, cayanne pepper, lemon juice and water) fast, maybe a cracker or bite of something being the only cheat. My losses have been huge 3--7 lbs a week. See i'm fooling my body it see's i'm getting enough food even though some day's i'm not.
  • VictorianJade
    VictorianJade Posts: 705 Member
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    Having had eating disorders in the past, I can truthfully tell you that I easily lost 85 lbs while I was sick, twice.

    As soon as I started eating, I gained back over 100 lbs, each time.


    Your body doesn't immediately begin to starve. It takes a sustained period of caloric deficit in order for your body to realize "hey, we're not getting fed, so.... let's not burn, k?"... your body gets into a rhythm of food intake. If you normally eat 3 squares per day, with a few snacks thrown in, your body gets used to that. If you miss a snack, here and there, or skip a meal here and there, you'll be okay, as your body figures it's just an aberration. If, however, you consistently don't eat, you are TRAINING your body against expecting food, and it conserves, which is starvation mode.

    I had the flu from hell a little while ago, and lost 10 lbs in 7 days. I could not consume, I was constantly voiding anything I ate... and when I started eating normally again, I gained quickly. So if you get your body into starvation mode (which usually takes a couple months), it will rebound with major force, packing on the pounds once you begin eating again.

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