Starvation mode

floridachristmas · October 2013

Hi everyone.
Quick question, today I'm about 124 cals UNDER the 1200 MFP tells me to eat. I'm going to go to bed soon. Would I be better eating something to get those cals or do I not bother please? MFP keeps telling me it's too few and my body will go into starvation mode but very often I'm around this number under the 1200.
Many thanks.

Mokey41 · October 2013

MFP lies. You will not slip into starvation mode overnight although most likely you should be eating more than 1200 calories a day to start with.

Siansonea · October 2013

Starvation mode isn't what people think it is, and it's absurd that MFP is so histrionic about it. Go ahead and eat a small snack if you're hungry. No reason not to. But if you're really not hungry and don't feel like eating, listen to your body.

FizikallyFit · October 2013

I often come in at 1200 or under because of the calorie burns from exercise. I have yet to go into starvation mode.

floridachristmas · October 2013

Thanks everyone. I try to plan my meals for the day and then as soon as i try to save it I get the stern message telling me I'm not eating enough but if anyone cares to look at my diary, I think there's plenty of food on there! Then, I panick and start planning in things that I don't really want but feel I'd better eat just to get the calories up.
:sad:

cwolfman13 · October 2013

keep in mind that chronically under nourishing your body can lead to very real problems down the road. Being 100 calories or whatever isn't that big of a deal...but if you're under that 1200 calorie goal (already a huge deficit from maintenance) and exercising on top of that, you're doing yourself a huge disservice. It is very difficult to actually get adequate and proper nutrition with a VLCD...I'm sure you have your vitamins and minerals covered, but getting your requisite fats and protein can be very difficult when you're severely restricting calorie intake.