Dipping below 1200 calories

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cblebrun
cblebrun Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've read from a lot of posts not to dip below 1200 calories b/c your body will go into starvation mode, but what if you don't feel hungry? I typicallly do not wait until I'm starving to eat. When I start to get the hunger signals I eat appropriately; however, there are days where I do a lot of high impact cardio and burn 700+ calories and go below 1200 and don't feel hungry enough to eat those calories - is this a problem?

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  • SkyeBows
    SkyeBows Posts: 80
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    A lot of people will yell at you about this and warn you of starvation mode. I don't know.... I was anorexic for two years while I was younger. And I just don't get how your body will stop losing weight when you don't eat. I personally am not hungry enough to eat back my calories. I don't know maybe my stomach is smaller or maybe its the 80 to 100 oz of water but I am never hungry enough to eat over 1400 calories a day. I eat anywhere from 1100 to 1400 a day and I burn anywhere from 500 to 1000 during my workouts 7 days a week.
  • temptech
    temptech Posts: 17 Member
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    A personal trainer told me to eat more protein on the days that I work out even if I'm not hungry. I usually drink a protein shake or
    eat a small chicken breast.
  • wiggleroom
    wiggleroom Posts: 322 Member
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    There's no hard and fast line -- but your body will struggle at a certain point and start retaining water, digesting more slowly, etc. The total abstinence of anorexia is, I think, different. Maybe because it's prolonged so the body can't fight for that long -- I'm not sure.

    But I know that when I go below 1200 (not necessarily "net," but actual intake), I stall and/or gain. I try to stick between 1400 and 1500 calories a day, and then I burn about 300 every day with exercise. When I'm consistent with that, I lose. Haven't been consistent lately... =(
  • JillyCornwall
    JillyCornwall Posts: 376 Member
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    There's no hard and fast line -- but your body will struggle at a certain point and start retaining water, digesting more slowly, etc. The total abstinence of anorexia is, I think, different. Maybe because it's prolonged so the body can't fight for that long -- I'm not sure.

    But I know that when I go below 1200 (not necessarily "net," but actual intake), I stall and/or gain. I try to stick between 1400 and 1500 calories a day, and then I burn about 300 every day with exercise. When I'm consistent with that, I lose. Haven't been consistent lately... =(

    In anorexics as also with anyone unable to eat such as terminally ill..they lose weight because the body starts to canibalise the lean tissue/muscle mass of the body...so weight loss or wasting occurs..sadly the heart is also a muscle..which is why many anorexics die of major organ failure. An occasional dip below 1200 or even 1000 cals is not a problem...continuosly being below will slow the metabolism (unless you are obese in which case its not such a problem)
  • GinaJ2006
    GinaJ2006 Posts: 67
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    There is a personal trainer that is a regular guest on the local news show I watch and he talked about the starvation mode once and said that that occurs after eating too few calories for an extended amount of time (can't remember how long, but I think it was a couple weeks). So dipping below from time to time shouldn't hurt anything.
  • young1726
    young1726 Posts: 347 Member
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    I was anorexic for two years while I was younger. And I just don't get how your body will stop losing weight when you don't eat.

    I think anorexic is a seporate issue... It's not necessarily that your body will stop losing weight. The problem eating less than 1200 and gaining weight is that your body thinks it's starving...then when you eat more calories (for example decide to have a couple pieces of pizza one day) your body will store those calories for the next time it's "starving". When you're anorexic, you're continually starving your body; there is NOTHING for your body to hang on to to make you gain weight. Two separate issues, both not good situations.

    In my opinion, if you occasionaly eat below 1200 it is ok. If you continually eat below 1200 your body gets used to it and that's when it starts trying to collect all those extra calories you eat, when you do - in turn making you gain weight. If you're not hungry to eat your calories, but are still pretty low...eat a spoonful of peanut butter and move on.
  • mygirl15
    mygirl15 Posts: 16
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    I am the same way. I only eat about 700-800 calories a day...forcing myself to even eat that many. I work out 2 hours a day and just am never hungry (there will be times im starving) but normally i have to force myself to eat during the day. I eat plenty of food (2 salads and a decent size breakfast) however, I feel myself slipping with workouts from pure exhaustion. People say you should only eat when your hungry but it is so different when your never hungry. You still need to eat you need the energy!!!

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