Why is 'starvation mode' 1200 for everyone?

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  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
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    My starvation mode is around 1600.... anything less than that and I am bloody starving!!
  • LeahT84
    LeahT84 Posts: 202 Member
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    I stay between 1200-1400 right now, and I have energy, I feel full, and I'm losing nicely each week. When my weight gets lower and my loss slows down, I will readjust then. I am getting stronger and feel healthier, therefore I will not listen to those that say I'm doing the wrong thing for me, they don't know what's right for me.. I do.

    Do what you think is right for you and the only person you should be consulting with and believing is your doctor. It's nice to have a support team on here, but sometimes it's overkill with the bad advice or misinformed people trying to convince everyone else that they are doing it all wrong.:ohwell:
  • kathymhardy
    kathymhardy Posts: 266 Member
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    WHATEVER... 1200 calories isn't starvation mode for everyone. There are so many "experts" on this site that know it all. Every single body is DIFFERENT. What works for one person may not work for another. I lost on 1200 calories very nicely, (recommended by my cardiologist). I am 5'6", 54 years old and post menopausal. I did NOT starve on 1200 calories, there are thousands of healthy choices to be made at 1200 calories. I've been on maintenance since December 1, 2012 and my daily calorie intake is 1650, and I work out average of 5 days per week. I haven't gone above 135, or below 132 since then. I would encourage people to find what works for them and stick with it.

    Good post :smile:
  • kathymhardy
    kathymhardy Posts: 266 Member
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    Do what you think is right for you and the only person you should be consulting with and believing is your doctor. It's nice to have a support team on here, but sometimes it's overkill with the bad advice or misinformed people trying to convince everyone else that they are doing it all wrong.:ohwell:

    This one too :smile:
  • CatMcCheesey
    CatMcCheesey Posts: 143
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    I read an article awhile back called "weight loss myths" or something like that and the starvation mode was on there. This particular article was saying that you don't go into "Starvation mode" until you get to a dangerously low body fat percentage. BUT the article did say that your metabolism slows down if you eat less than you should be, though the slower metabolism is not enough to counter act your calorie deficit.

    I'm not an expert and neither are most people on this website who act like they know everything. I'm just telling what the article said, so everybody don't get all bent out of shape.

    edit: I forgot to mention that the article was based on a study over a 6 month period. I attached a link to the article below I think this was the article I was thinking of but not entirely sure.

    http://voices.yahoo.com/starvation-mode-dispelling-myths-2900886.html

    Thanks for the link.
  • Annerk1
    Annerk1 Posts: 372 Member
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    WHATEVER... 1200 calories isn't starvation mode for everyone. There are so many "experts" on this site that know it all. Every single body is DIFFERENT. What works for one person may not work for another. I lost on 1200 calories very nicely, (recommended by my cardiologist). I am 5'6", 54 years old and post menopausal. I did NOT starve on 1200 calories, there are thousands of healthy choices to be made at 1200 calories. I've been on maintenance since December 1, 2012 and my daily calorie intake is 1650, and I work out average of 5 days per week. I haven't gone above 135, or below 132 since then. I would encourage people to find what works for them and stick with it.

    THIS! I am at 1000 calories a day and am losing weigh and gaining muscle. I am not starving. Even when I'm at my ideal weight (which is 122-124) anything more than about 1400 calories a day and I begin to gain. (I am similar in age/height/health to you. If I am hungry (and not just wanting to eat from boredom of cravings or whatever, I'll eat something healthy. (A hard boiled egg is one of my favorite snacks as I'm usually craving salt.) I work out, I eat right, that's just the way MY body works.
  • AsylumLynx
    AsylumLynx Posts: 4
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    My understanding of starvation mode is not that you get fat by eating too little!

    BUT it can slow down your metabolism so when you begin to eat more again (if you eat to much after the 'diet') you gain weight faster because your metabolism is slower. This is obviously more of a problem for crash dieters, but I just found it silly that this website complains at me for eating a little under 1200 when its not a lot less than what I should be eating anyway.

    The biggest myth on this site seems to be that you gain weight by eating less which is clearly wrong - eating too little for a reasonable amount of time and then suddenly eating to much will mean you put on weight faster than if your metabolism was at 'normal' speed.

    Starvation mode is not a myth just overblown and misunderstood.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    Another myth on this site is that people believe they will will feel hungry if they are malnourished or missing any essential vitamin or mineral. It's like saying "I smoke 2 packs a day and drink 24 beers a day and my liver and lungs don't have any pain, so I'm doing what's right for my body."
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    My understanding of starvation mode is not that you get fat by eating too little!

    BUT it can slow down your metabolism so when you begin to eat more again (if you eat to much after the 'diet') you gain weight faster because your metabolism is slower. This is obviously more of a problem for crash dieters, but I just found it silly that this website complains at me for eating a little under 1200 when its not a lot less than what I should be eating anyway.

    The biggest myth on this site seems to be that you gain weight by eating less which is clearly wrong - eating too little for a reasonable amount of time and then suddenly eating to much will mean you put on weight faster than if your metabolism was at 'normal' speed.

    Starvation mode is not a myth just overblown and misunderstood.

    +1

    Although, I have to say I've not been on long and have not seen anyone say you gain weight by eating less. I have seen claims that you might stall out or plateau because you are eating less. I could see that happening. If you're on a fairly severe restriction and your metabolism eventually slows to try to compensate (plus you are losing weight and therefore burning less) and you don't adjust your calculations, you can end up being at less of a deficit than you think. Then your loss slows to a crawl.

    Two ways to get the numbers moving to the dieter's satisfaction again - a greater deficit, or eat more and get the metabolism back up and then re-introduce the deficit. Guess which I'd rather do :)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    It's not. But it is difficult to get the required micro and macro nutrients on a diet that consists of less than 1200 cals. For some people too low is 1800, others may be 1000.
  • KilikiMom
    KilikiMom Posts: 237 Member
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    I personally would starve to death on 1200 calories a day....but I am also very active and burn anywhere from 300-1000 calories a day through exercise...and probably more just doing normal "farm" work and I eat anywhere between 1500 and 2500 a day


    I did try the 1200 a day for a while (with eating back some exercise calories) and I gained weight, and I was miserable and my stomach was literally yelling at me by the end of the day.....

    for me if you are HUNGRY truly hungry then EAT!!! just make wise choices on what you eat
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    I think you've misundestood, under 1200 calories is "starvation mode"

    Umm no..eating nothing for 72 hours is starvation mode
  • misseseaj2010
    misseseaj2010 Posts: 47
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    I read an article awhile back called "weight loss myths" or something like that and the starvation mode was on there. This particular article was saying that you don't go into "Starvation mode" until you get to a dangerously low body fat percentage. BUT the article did say that your metabolism slows down if you eat less than you should be, though the slower metabolism is not enough to counter act your calorie deficit.

    I'm not an expert and neither are most people on this website who act like they know everything. I'm just telling what the article said, so everybody don't get all bent out of shape.

    edit: I forgot to mention that the article was based on a study over a 6 month period. I attached a link to the article below I think this was the article I was thinking of but not entirely sure.

    http://voices.yahoo.com/starvation-mode-dispelling-myths-2900886.html

    Thanks for the link.

    Your welcome. After I went back and read it though, it was not the same article I read in the past because the other one talked about the study that was done and this article didn't. But you get the idea from this article.
  • AsylumLynx
    AsylumLynx Posts: 4
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    for me if you are HUNGRY truly hungry then EAT!!! just make wise choices on what you eat

    This would be good advice - the downfall is some people (including me) sometimes have problems telling the difference between 'hunger' and 'cravings' :)
  • Annerk1
    Annerk1 Posts: 372 Member
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    for me if you are HUNGRY truly hungry then EAT!!! just make wise choices on what you eat

    This would be good advice - the downfall is some people (including me) sometimes have problems telling the difference between 'hunger' and 'cravings' :)

    Slow yourself down. Stop to think about why you want to put something in your mouth. Learn to separate hunger from the rest. Drink a large glass of water and wait 20 minutes--and find something very busy to do in the meantime.

    If you tummy is growling, you're hungry. If you keep thinking about how good those Doritos would be, you're just craving, and need to find a coping mechanism.
  • ritar4
    ritar4 Posts: 3
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    I'm short - 5' tall - 51 years old- post menopausal - not just small boned but TINY boned. My family has a history of osteoporosis - mother had it and both older sisters have it. Small boned (I'm the smallest BTW) caucasian women have a predisposition toward thinning bones. I'm aware of this. I'm a HEALTHY eater and always have been. Evidence is that I've maintained close to my current weight all my adult life without starving myself (prior to menopause, I could eat carbs with impunity and never gain weight). I'm a nurse. I've educated myself on health and nutrition.

    What stumps me about the 1200 calorie vs. starvation mode argument is that it doesn't seem to address my demographic. I honestly don't know how many calories to eat anymore to maintain my figure as I've always done so innately.

    Suddenly, I find myself not fitting into my cute jeans that fit me well 6 months ago. My post menopausal decline was acutely abrupt and startling! My stomach has always been flat but is now a soft little pooch. I can live with that at my age if I have to, but I'm not going down without a fight! I'm not skinny, just very very small, so don't accuse me of anorexia, please. Those who know me, know how much I love to eat. I didn't eat any different to gain fat (not so much weight, just a couple of pounds over a dreadful winter). BTW, I gained weight just by having a can of tomato soup and a handful of triscuits at lunch every day. That's all it took! Too carby, I guess. I haven't eaten french fries or cake or chocolate or virtually anything not healthy for the past few years.

    Since January, I have not eaten so much as a piece of bread. Almost no carbs. Not even a triscuit. A couple times a week, I eat oatmeal for breakfast and once or twice a week, rice with dinner. For much of the time, my carb levels have been almost Atkins levels - no weight loss. I have a male sedentary friend who loses crazy amounts of weight on Atkins - I lose nothing! Not even an ounce! Now mind, I just want to get down to the weight/jean size I was 6 months ago. I have tried EVERYTHING! I've tried Dr. Oz's suggestion and have a Faturday (my faturday is pretty healthy because I've given up all foods that aren't nutrition packed) just to kick start my metabolism. I eat almonds, salmon, salads loaded with colorful veggies with olive oil based dressing, grapefruit, brothy soups, chicken, turkey, broccoli, eggs, greek yogurt daily, occasional whole grain cereal with skim milk etc. and drink loads of black tea and green tea and have two cups coffee every morning (my coffee is sacred to my mental well- being, so don't mess with it!) I take calcium and Vit D3 daily. I drink water with cut lemons, I take cinnamon pills with chromium to speed up my metabolism, I take antioxidants (astrathanthin). I even do the occasional TBS of cider vinegar but will soon that because it may affect my already dwindling bone density. I challenge anyone to find fault with what I eat. I did my BMR and it said for my height and weight it was 1150 calories for sedentary to maintain weight. Dr. Oz had an expert on the other day who said that you should never go below 1200 calories because it slows the metabolism down. This certainly sounds plausible to me. But it's been over four months of trying various amounts of calories and exercising 7 DAYS A WEEK hard (elliptical, 4-5 mile fast walks, daily bike rides, step aerobics, Tai Bo workouts, mini trampoline workouts, just very very active all the time). Not a whit of difference in my jeans. They're even slightly tighter.

    I could accept this "new normal" but fear that I will be GAINING weight if not for going through what seems to me to be an unreasonable amount of exertion and effort. I can accept never being able to eat another french fry or slice of birthday cake, but this is ridiculous! It is possible that my thyroid is slightly off, I suppose, but I don't suffer any fatigue or sluggishness associated with that. My skin is glowing, and I'm full of energy. BTW, I look exceedingly young for my age. I can't go to a doctor and request a TSH 3 or 4 test because they'd tell me I need my head examined!

    I've come to the conclusion that the exact calorie intake that would facilitate calorie deficit is the exact point that my particular metabolism slows down. That is the only way to explain this. Is this what post menopause does to a person? And if I up my calories by a couple hundred calories, I gain weight. I never was and am not now interested in dieting to the nth, believe me. And I've already analyzed my eating habits for hidden calories/carbs, etc. I just want stability and balance in my eating habits and not steadily gain weight. Plus, I don't want to keep buying jeans...
  • ahmadfahmy
    ahmadfahmy Posts: 214 Member
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    starvation mode is achieved when you eat 0 calories for 72+ hours....
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,021 Member
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    It's just a misinterpreted term. Humans over millenia have adapted a way to preserve life from times of food scarcity and that is to lower our RMR. Fat and some muscle is used to fuel that food shortage and when we deplete most of our fat stores the body in a last ditch effort for survival will sacrifice mostly lean mass, bone and organ material when dealth is immanent. If someone is obese and not losing weight, look at miscalculations of the energy balance equation for the answer.
  • Fay132010
    Fay132010 Posts: 24 Member
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    My personal opinion is that low calorie diets are not starvation, but do have the potential to be nutrient deficient, just like a high calorie diet. If you eat rubbish, it doesn't matter what number of calories you're eating, your body is starved of the nutrients it needs to function and you will see the results of this in disease and illness. Your body has so many ways of telling you that its needs for certain nutrients aren't being met.

    I'm very hesitant to call anything 'starvation' unless someone is not eating for days on end, such as someone with an eating disorder or someone living in extreme poverty. Personally, I feel using the word "starvation" in reference to a low calorie diet, where an individual can still meet their nutritional needs if done properly, trivialises situations where people actually ARE starving.


    Edit: By low calorie diet, I mean a minimum of 1200 net cals.

    THIS is correct, i'm eating about 1000 a day (give or take) and am losing steadily about 1-2 lbs a week, the 1200 is a ROUGH estimate! you need to take into account your age,height,weight and MANY other factors. i am still getting all the nutrients required for me to live healthyily (i am under in my sat. fat but i'd rather not risk a heart attack). i know a girl who was suffering from malnutrition because all she ate was rubbish processed junk ( and was way above 2000), and shedidn't look emaciated, as you would expect someone suffering from malnutrion to look, so don't just go by the set numbers, find what works best for you
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Its not. It depends on your height, weight, age and general day to day activities.

    Use this - http://www.globalrph.com/harris-benedict-equation.htm

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