Starvation mode !

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lailamtg
lailamtg Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi
Im currently following an 800 calorie diet per day
It is going well so far, I lost 7 kg which is about 14 lbs
Everytime I log to fitnesspal app on my ipad it warns me that the 800 calories per day are too low and I might enter a starvation mode
I made a little research about starvation mode I don't have any of the common symptoms

What should I do? Am I doing something wrong here?



Btw, i used to consume 1200 calories per day which resulted on gaining few kilograms :( !
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Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    No, just no!
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
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    It would not be possible to gain weight at 1200 calories, unless some severe medical condition.

    If you really want to drop fast, for a short period of time, a legit method used by people.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/the-rapid-fat-loss-handbook


    But I don't recommend it either way
  • lailamtg
    lailamtg Posts: 10 Member
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    I really did maybe I should go to a doctor or maybe its just my body is lil different :s
    I don't really wanna drop faster, I believe the faster I lose the fats the faster they'll come back
    Thanks for ur reply :)
  • alyngard
    alyngard Posts: 103
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    I would agree, if you're gaining on only 1200 cals, you may want to go to a doc and see if there aren't any underlying medical issues going on with you, and IMO, 800 cals/day is a recipe for disaster. You may not have issue right now, but if you continue, it may catch up with you. I'm currently eating around 1200/day and my hair is falling out like crazy and I've been sick for 2 weeks straight. Also, on only 800, you will eventually get so hungry that you will binge. When I have dieted in the past and eaten at that level, that was always the outcome for me. I didn't look at your diary (not even sure if it's open), but maybe you should look into what you are eating, setting appropriate macros etc, I know that has made a difference for me.

    Good luck!
  • mumstojaz
    mumstojaz Posts: 2 Member
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    I'm the same as you. If I eat more than, or close to 1200, I gain and that's not eating back my exercise calories. Been to the doctors multiple times for thyroid problems, and all tests come back normal.

    I honestly struggle to eat 1200, now that I'm trying to lose the weight and logging. I'm not hungry. I did some research lately too on the starvation mode, and it's hard to say...there are conflicting reports. If your not feeling deprived, its working, and your feeling healthy, do what works for you.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    It's very difficult to get all the nutrition your body needs on only 800 calories.

    What's your current height and weight? Goal weight? Exercise routine?
  • lailamtg
    lailamtg Posts: 10 Member
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    I don't really struggle or anything its perfect for me I don't even reach exact 800 my only struggling is with the fat and sugar I can't seem to stay under the specified range
    Yea I know about the conflicting reports that's why i'm here I need someone who actually tried the 800-calorie diet without going into starvation mode and yea actually it's working perfectly and i'm not sick or anything -till now-

    And oh, get well soon alyngard :)

    Thanks for ur replies much appreciated :)
  • lailamtg
    lailamtg Posts: 10 Member
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    My height is 169 cm which is 5.7 weight : 75 kg which is 165.3 lbs and I exercise 3 times a week

    Goal weight : 63-60 kg - 136.6 lbs
  • plantboy2
    plantboy2 Posts: 224 Member
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    Hey! Your basic body functions (function of vital organs, hair and nail growth, etc) will be supported with a certain amount of calories - much more than your 800 calories.

    Going on your figures, you need 1580 calories just to function (your Basal Met Rate - BMR) and your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is 2180Kcals per day - this is the amount you use including your exercise and everything else.

    Eating 800 calories will damage you in the longer term and as a diet is bound to fail.

    After your initial loss, losing weight becomes much harder and has to be done at a steady pace, sensibly too be successful. Try eating somewhere in between your BMR and TDEE if you are exercising 3 times a week. If you honestly stick to this then you WILL lose weight - healthily and steadily.

    EDIT: You will need to adjust these figures as you lose weight. Search for TDEE calculator and BMR calculator on Google
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    With such a large gap you are likelier to lose lean body mass (ie muscle) which will result in a lower metabolic rate and the metabolic adjustments (adaptive thermogenesis) commonly called "starvation mode" - this can be about a 200 calorie drop in your TDEE which you wouldn't notice otherwise moslty from the fat free body mass loss and also from a reduction in non-exercise activity.


    A few references
    Doucet E, St Pierre S, Almeras N, Despres JP, Bouchard C, Tremblay A. Evidence for the existence of adaptive thermogenesis during weight loss. Br J Nutr 2001; 85: 715–723.

    Leibel RL, Rosenbaum M, Hirsch J. Changes in energy expenditure resulting from altered body weight. N Engl J Med 1995; 332: 621–628.5.Prentice AM, Goldberg GR, Jebb SA, Black AE, Murgatroyd PR, Diaz EO.

    Physiological responses to slimming. Proc Nutr Soc 1991; 50: 441–458.
  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
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    800 calories is a meal, not an amount you should be eating a day. You will have lost so much water weight from having very little amounts of carbs which can make the difference in 10+ pounds in a day. If you carry on you can pretty much say goodbye to your health, go see a doctor, no-one sane would recommend anything that little.
  • agggie550
    agggie550 Posts: 281 Member
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    How can you only eat 800 Calories in a day, that's not even two meals for me. I eat any were from about 2500-3200 Calories a day to net around 1200 Calories, so if your only eating 800 and not eating back exercise calories what is your body using for fuel? Like everyone else said if you really do gain at 1200 Calories, you are either making very Salt intensive choices that your body is retaining water, or I don't know even know... it just doesn't seem possible, a doctors visit might be a good idea. Remember weight loss and life style changing is not a sprint, just because you get there fast doesn't mean you win, its a slow steady process that needs to be maintained and practical.
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
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    go to a doctor.
  • leebesstoad
    leebesstoad Posts: 1,186 Member
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    I hate to say this, but it is possible that your metabolism has already gone into starvation mode. Some studies have suggested that it can take months or years to recover from this. If you get checked by a doctor and get cleared of any possible underlying medical issues, which is an absolute must, I think you need to seriously consider that some damage may have been done to the metabolism already. That would account for you gaining weight at 1200 calories. Other than medical problems, that would seem to be the only logical solution to me. If that is the case, I think you might want to consult with a good Registered Dietician, someone who really knows their stuff, and work on a plan to get your metabolism back. It can be fixed. Any damage to it isn't permanent. But staying at 800 calories for the rest of your life isn't sustainable. You just won't get the nutrients your body needs and in the long run will hurt you in the end.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    you have to eat nothing for 72 hours to be in starvation mode...

    that being said 800 a day is not that healthy and will lead to metabolic slowdown and eventually your weight loss will plateau...

    You are probably over estimating your calories when you thought you "gained" on 1200 a week...
  • bethanrosex
    bethanrosex Posts: 6
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    I think I'd gain if I ate 1,200 a day. I was wondering if it's different for different people? :S
    I used to eat 200 a day, that was bad cos it lead to binging!
  • pan0ramic
    pan0ramic Posts: 16
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    First, take everything everyone says on here with a pinch of salt. Perhaps the best thing to do is to talk to a nutritionist. I'm wondering about starvation mode and calories as well as I'm full on fewer than 1200 calories every day.

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