"starvation" mode

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  • crissi66
    crissi66 Posts: 98
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    Then maybe MFP isn't for you.

    Everybody is different. this website is a tool and for everyone to use. A beginer is going to have different grasp on information than someone who has already been using the site and meeting goals.

    What i believe this site is not for is negativity!
  • DestinyWeight
    DestinyWeight Posts: 20
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    That is true. That starvation mode thingy is annoying. IF IM NOT HUNGRY THEN IM NOT STARVING. :D
  • fxst78
    fxst78 Posts: 221 Member
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    "Starvation mode" as a reason for no losing weight is a load of garbage.

    If not then why did they POWs in Vietnam (who were on about 800-1000cal of rice a day) not come out fat??"

    They didn't! They had lost all of thier body fat and alot of lean muscle mass.

    The issue with going too low on cals is that you can lose muscle mass. That is starvation mode. It is when you are losing too much lean muscle mass to sustain your metabolism. I can assure you will still be losing weight though!
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    The issue with going too low on cals is that you can lose muscle mass. That is starvation mode. It is when you are losing too much lean muscle mass to sustain your metabolism. I can assure you will still be losing weight though!

    Aw, but by any means necessary. That is all they care about. When they have malnutrition issues, can't walk up stair, struggle lifting their children and have osteoporosis in their 40's then they will wonder how it all began...
  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
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    I hear ya there! My calorie allowance for the day is 1200 calories and I don't normally hit that mark... but I'm healthy and not starving! I get lectured by my friends to eat more- but I'm not usually hungry for more. The "starvation mode" is different for every person because every body metabolizes differently!

    Yes, this is exactly it. I've heard it pointed out that "people who starve to death don't stop losing weight", and that is true. It is also true that people who starve to death aren't healthy and haven't been healthy for a while.

    There IS a real and significant danger of harming your body, and even harming it permanently, by consuming too few calories. There is no magic number of calories that will prevent this harm. In general, our bodies won't shut down if we average 1199 calories instead of 1200 per day for a period of time. Other people WILL have their bodies shut down if they average 1300 calories per day for a period of time.

    The thing is, use common sense. If you are feeling healthy and fit and being as active as you would like, then you are probably OK. The discussion of how many calories is right for you is one that should occur between you and your doctor if you have any concerns. It isn't as black and white as some people here seem to believe.
  • ClaireElanB
    ClaireElanB Posts: 94 Member
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    Thank you for posting this :)
  • ginnyroxx
    ginnyroxx Posts: 763
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    Aw, but by any means necessary. That is all they care about. When they have malnutrition issues, can't walk up stair, struggle lifting their children and have osteoporosis in their 40's then they will wonder how it all began...

    whew!
    i'm so glad my honest questions about "how to make this program work for me" threadjack didn't derail the cynical rant value of the thread. i was worried for a sec.

    proceed.
  • ashley0616
    ashley0616 Posts: 579 Member
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    I think the starvatoin thing actually holds some water, at least in my personal situation. For me, I got to a point where I was sick of my weight and instead of doing it the right way, I severely restricted calories and upped my activity. However, I also had binge moments where I would eat a TON of calories in a sitting one day. There's an article in one of the sticky posts at the top of this board that explains why I was great at maintaining my weight, but not losing. I was always so frustrated that I was eating as little as 900 calories a day and not seeing anything drop, then getting depressed and binging just to start the whole thing over agian.

    I joined this site 2 weeks ago. I lost 1 lb the first week. Then, I started reading why you should eat more to lose, and I did. I gained 4lbs in just a few days. Today, I weighed myself and I have lost not only those 4lbs, but another 1.4 on top of it. I'm eating between 1300 and 1500 a day (which is torture, but I know it has to be done) healthily and working out 30-45 minutes 3-5 times a week, or as often as I can basically. So far, I am really pleased with the progress and totally believe in starvation mode because I honestly think that's where I was for so long.

    Of course, that's just my situatoin and story, but I thought it would add something.
  • shhhhpassiton
    shhhhpassiton Posts: 8
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    I totally agree! some days I have only "eaten" somewhere between 500 and 1000 calories when I include exercise but i'm not hungry if I was hungry I would eat! and I have lost weight quickly. I've read from some people that at night they eat all of the exercise calories as there dinner.. I dont understand how that can work out in your favor. I'm glad you mentioned this because I was so worried about eating too little and I never lost weight but not worrying about it for the past 2 months I have lost close to 10 pounds. totally worth it.
  • Glucocorticoid
    Glucocorticoid Posts: 867 Member
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    I agree with what most people are saying.

    People are different. There is no one golden meal frequency strategy that will work for everyone. You have to do what works for you.

    The bottom line is that there is no scientific research that supports the notion that you must eat every 2-3 hours in order to keep your metabolism running optimally. That notion was actually disproved a long time ago. At the end of the day, the thermic effect of food will still end up being the same.
    It takes a much longer starvation period for your metabolism to be effected.
  • ginnyroxx
    ginnyroxx Posts: 763
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    I think the starvatoin thing actually holds some water, at least in my personal situation. For me, I got to a point where I was sick of my weight and instead of doing it the right way, I severely restricted calories and upped my activity. However, I also had binge moments where I would eat a TON of calories in a sitting one day. There's an article in one of the sticky posts at the top of this board that explains why I was great at maintaining my weight, but not losing. I was always so frustrated that I was eating as little as 900 calories a day and not seeing anything drop, then getting depressed and binging just to start the whole thing over agian.

    I joined this site 2 weeks ago. I lost 1 lb the first week. Then, I started reading why you should eat more to lose, and I did. I gained 4lbs in just a few days. Today, I weighed myself and I have lost not only those 4lbs, but another 1.4 on top of it. I'm eating between 1300 and 1500 a day (which is torture, but I know it has to be done) healthily and working out 30-45 minutes 3-5 times a week, or as often as I can basically. So far, I am really pleased with the progress and totally believe in starvation mode because I honestly think that's where I was for so long.

    Of course, that's just my situatoin and story, but I thought it would add something.

    that's awesome! i'd love to know how you're doing that while watching your sodium levels. or do you not track that? i checked out your diary bc i'll have close to 1000 calories for dinner after my workout and i'm at a loss on how i'm going to get that done w/o going over my sodium level. there's NO WAY i could eat what you had. my body is a sodium sponge.

    hmmm....i think i need to search low sodium foods and see what i get.

    either way, i thought i'd ask you bc i've been convinced today that this is the way to go. :)
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    2500 mg guideline for sodium is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. If you are going over or reaching 2,500 mg of sodium then your sodium intake is too much for less calories. Taking in 1,000 calories in one meal is not a great plan for weight loss, especially at dinner.

    Eat like a king for breakfast.
    Eat like a prince for lunch.
    Eat like a pauper for dinner.
  • ginnyroxx
    ginnyroxx Posts: 763
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    2500 mg guideline for sodium is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. If you are going over or reaching 2,500 mg of sodium then your sodium intake is too much for less calories. Taking in 1,000 calories in one meal is not a great plan for weight loss, especially at dinner.

    Eat like a king for breakfast.
    Eat like a prince for lunch.
    Eat like a pauper for dinner.

    yeah...i understand that. but seeing as though i just wrapped my head around this eating my exercise calories thing this afternoon, it's a little too late for that tonight.

    thanks for the help tho
  • ginnyroxx
    ginnyroxx Posts: 763
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    2500 mg guideline for sodium is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. If you are going over or reaching 2,500 mg of sodium then your sodium intake is too much for less calories. Taking in 1,000 calories in one meal is not a great plan for weight loss, especially at dinner.

    Eat like a king for breakfast.
    Eat like a prince for lunch.
    Eat like a pauper for dinner.
    also i tried to view your diary to get some tips...but it's private. :ohwell:
  • Glucocorticoid
    Glucocorticoid Posts: 867 Member
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    2500 mg guideline for sodium is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. If you are going over or reaching 2,500 mg of sodium then your sodium intake is too much for less calories. Taking in 1,000 calories in one meal is not a great plan for weight loss, especially at dinner.

    Eat like a king for breakfast.
    Eat like a prince for lunch.
    Eat like a pauper for dinner.

    yeah...i understand that. but seeing as though i just wrapped my head around this eating my calories thing this afternoon, it's a little too late for that tonight.

    thanks for the help tho

    You can choose to believe anecdotal stories that have worked for people, like above. But I could also show you anecdotal stories that worked for people doing exactly the opposite. Last night, I pretty much had all my calories before I went to sleep.

    "Taking in 1,000 calories in one meal is not a great plan for weight loss, especially at dinner. " edorice, could you show some evidence to back that statement up?

    I think some people are confusing what the OP was trying to argue. Your caloric requirements should be met based on your goals. The deficit created may vary, again, depending on your goals.

    But don't tell me WHEN during the day I should eat and how often because I will get fatter and my metabolism will slow down if I don't follow this golden rule. It's simply a myth that is long overdue to die.
  • ClaireElanB
    ClaireElanB Posts: 94 Member
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    There's a diet on the bodybuilder forums that advocates not eating anything all day then all your calories for dinner - supposed to mimic the old caveman hunter thing of being out all day and eating the rewards of the hunt at night.

    At the end of the day there's no 'right' answers - some do well on different regimens than others. There's no merit to passing judgment. The only thing people should be leaving here is their own personal experiences IMO.
  • Ngolden1
    Ngolden1 Posts: 58 Member
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    I 100% agree with you!!!! Starvation mode is SOOOO overblown on here. I think people are wayyy too worried about it, to the point it most likely derails their progress. In my life, whenever I have restricted calories, I have lost weight and kept muscle tone by working out.
  • Heliconia
    Heliconia Posts: 166 Member
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    So what is TFR and how does someone boost their calorie intake correctly?
  • Heliconia
    Heliconia Posts: 166 Member
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    You know when I see pictures of people in concentration camps or from countries suffering from famine, I seldom see a chubby whose body resisted weight loss due to "starvation mode."
  • gnutrifitness
    gnutrifitness Posts: 169 Member
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    I'm totally agree with the post! Me too I'm just 5' and I gain If I eat 1200 cal. I know my body a lot and I know how it works, for me 900 cal it's perfect and I try to eat this amount....People who usually say that they don't lose when they eat less than 1200 for the "starvation" theory is because they binge on weekends or during the week for the big calorie restriction they're doing and because they really need to eat more...I really feel full and satisfied eating less than 1200 but somedays I feel hungrier to eat more and I do it...I think we have to listen to our bodies, and that's all...:wink:

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