Eating too few calories?
lgreenich
Posts: 10
I'm currently on the mend from a foot injury, that requires me to stay off of my feet for most of the day. So I'm obviously not able to exercise much right now other than some Pilates for about 40 minutes per day. I was told to calculate my BMR and that if you eat below that, you risk sending your body into 'starvation mode' and that it will prevent me from losing weight. I only have about 10 pounds to lose, but I'm finding it very hard to lose these 10 pounds. It's not that I CAN'T lose it, because I've been my 'ideal' weight before... but I'm wondering if I'm eating too few calories? There are some days I don't even make it to 1200. Everything I've always heard makes it sound like less calories in = weight loss. But that's not working for me. So, taking into consideration that I'm NOT using much energy all day being on bedrest, if I eat less than 1200 calories or so per day... is that not enough? My BMR was around 1300 when I calculated but I don't really understand how all of this works. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
0
Replies
-
With 10 pounds to go a reasonable amount of weight to lose would be 1/2 pound a week. Daily fluctuation - water, waste, etc. it's sometimes hard to see that kind of loss.
Starvation mode is grossly exaggerated. BMR - the calories your body would use if you stayed in bed all day. So if you are eating that, then your deficit is activity level + exercise. Yes, that's hard to do with an injury. Can you do chair workouts?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xC9khisFPA
1200 is based a lot on nutrition. It's really hard to get all the vital nutrients with less. Because you are close to goal and can't exercise, you are already at a disadvantage for maintaining lean muscle. Personally, I wouldn't eat less than 1200. But I'm old and really need to keep as much muscle as possible.0 -
Starvation mode is a myth.0
-
@TeaBea, I'm making sure I eat nutrition dense foods as I don't want to GAIN weight while on bed rest, so they're not 'empty' calories. Normally I wouldn't eat quite as low as 1200 calories, but with no activity/exercise I don't have a big appetite. I guess my question here would be, if I eat LESS than 1200, am I setting myself up for weight gain somehow? Is that going to mess up my metabolism? I can do certain exercises, and I have been, but the exercises I'm able to do don't really burn more than about 150-200 calories per day. So if I'm eating around/slightly under 1200 calories, all very nutrition dense foods, while on bedrest... is that too few calories?0
-
It will do nothing to your metabolism. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.0
-
jennifurballs wrote: »It will do nothing to your metabolism. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.
That's what I've always heard, but looking around the MFP forums there's so many people talking about 'starvation mode.' They said if you go below 1200 calories per day then you will signal your body to hold onto weight, which is definitely not something I want to do... so that's slightly confusing.
0 -
@TeaBea, I'm making sure I eat nutrition dense foods as I don't want to GAIN weight while on bed rest, so they're not 'empty' calories. Normally I wouldn't eat quite as low as 1200 calories, but with no activity/exercise I don't have a big appetite. I guess my question here would be, if I eat LESS than 1200, am I setting myself up for weight gain somehow? Is that going to mess up my metabolism? I can do certain exercises, and I have been, but the exercises I'm able to do don't really burn more than about 150-200 calories per day. So if I'm eating around/slightly under 1200 calories, all very nutrition dense foods, while on bedrest... is that too few calories?
Chances are 1200 is too few even on bed rest.
exercise isn't paramount to weight loss, caloric deficit is.
That being said, exercise is paramount to aid in weight loss as a way to hold onto more lean body mass, and lose mostly bodyfat.
You should eat more than 1200, always.
Eating below 1200 for too long can affect your metabolism.
0 -
I understand. Don't believe everything you read. I read all kinds of stuff on these forums that people state as if it's fact and they really don't know what they're talking about. The science of it all is that, barring some rare, hormonal condition, you will lose weight if you burn more than you consume.0
-
BMR is a calculated number only meant to get you close to your target daily caloric requirement. Feel free to adjust calories up or down a little based on your own personal experience. But for now, with so little actual physical activity available to you, I think you should just keep doing what you are doing and not worry about your weight.0
-
jennifurballs wrote: »It will do nothing to your metabolism. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.
That's what I've always heard, but looking around the MFP forums there's so many people talking about 'starvation mode.' They said if you go below 1200 calories per day then you will signal your body to hold onto weight, which is definitely not something I want to do... so that's slightly confusing.
I am frequently under 1200 calories a day - not on purpose, I've never eaten much. I've lost 53 pounds so far. And around 50 inches. I'm not starving and my body certainly isn't holding onto fat.
0 -
jennifurballs wrote: »It will do nothing to your metabolism. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.
That's what I've always heard, but looking around the MFP forums there's so many people talking about 'starvation mode.' They said if you go below 1200 calories per day then you will signal your body to hold onto weight, which is definitely not something I want to do... so that's slightly confusing.
Starvation mode that many here promote is a falacy and untrue.
Eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight.
0 -
jennifurballs wrote: »It will do nothing to your metabolism. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.
Pretty sure if you eat under 1200 calories everyday for an extended period of time it can and will affect your metabolism. Mind you we are talking many many months0 -
jennifurballs wrote: »It will do nothing to your metabolism. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.
Pretty sure if you eat under 1200 calories everyday for an extended period of time it can and will affect your metabolism. Mind you we are talking many many months
I think eating at a deficit in general effects metabolism over extended periods of time, yes. So, eating the most you can while still facilitating weight loss is probably a generally wise idea.
OP, just because you eat nutrient dense foods doesn't mean your body is getting the proper amount of nutrients it requires, keep that in mind. Ideally with 10 lbs left, .5-1lb a week loss is probably a wise course of action to try and make sure you maintain what lean mass you can while being inactive.
0 -
how to know your burn calories ??
0 -
Unless your going to be laid up for a prolonged period of time (more than 6-8 weeks) my suggestion would be to switch from trying to lose to maintenance mode while you heal.0
-
I looked up Sylvester Stallone's diet... well, I tried to, anyway. It looks like he really did not eat a heck of a lot, and he exercised like crazy. I am not exactly sure at what point the body will stop burning calories, i.e., stop losing weight. The only thing I can figure, since we burn calories sitting around, is when we are dead.
When I was in the army, in the infantry, we had huge calorie deficits during our training, sleep deprivation, too, and stress. I got in really good shape off that. Lots of exercise and eating a balanced, albeit a calorie-deprived diet. Hummm..0 -
It would take a long time to go into starvation mode. You would have to consume a small amount of calories for a long time for your body to go into the starvation mode people talk about in those forums you said you have read. It is not like it happens in a week. You're body has to get used to only getting that many calories (so eating under calories has to be a consistent thing you do) and it takes a long time for the body to get used to that.0
-
jennifurballs wrote: »It will do nothing to your metabolism. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.
Pretty sure if you eat under 1200 calories everyday for an extended period of time it can and will affect your metabolism. Mind you we are talking many many months
It hasn't affected mine. I think everyone's different and we all have to do what works for us.
0 -
Starvation mode doesn't exist. Caloric deficit = weight loss. Exercise is not required. I0
-
It depends on how much you weigh to begin with. I eat around 1100 calories a day and I don not feel hungry. The weight is coming off at a steady pace. I think the main thing is not to allow your body to be hungry. This is what makes your body go into the storage mode. The stomach sends a message to the brain and the body starts to store fat and slow down your metabolism....
0 -
This content has been removed.
-
jennifurballs wrote: »jennifurballs wrote: »It will do nothing to your metabolism. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.
Pretty sure if you eat under 1200 calories everyday for an extended period of time it can and will affect your metabolism. Mind you we are talking many many months
It hasn't affected mine. I think everyone's different and we all have to do what works for us.
Being in a calorie deficit does have its drawbacks. It's just the nature of the beast. Have you gone into maintenance yet? If you're still in weight loss, it's hard to say what your maintenance calories will be or whether extended periods of VLCD has effected metabolism.
Again, this is over many, many months not just a few weeks and those with a great deal to lose can cut more aggressively without the negative impacts those with less to lose would have.0 -
I'm not in maintenance. I've been losing for many months. Lost 100 and have 100 to go.BombshellPhoenix wrote: »jennifurballs wrote: »jennifurballs wrote: »It will do nothing to your metabolism. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.
Pretty sure if you eat under 1200 calories everyday for an extended period of time it can and will affect your metabolism. Mind you we are talking many many months
It hasn't affected mine. I think everyone's different and we all have to do what works for us.
Being in a calorie deficit does have its drawbacks. It's just the nature of the beast. Have you gone into maintenance yet? If you're still in weight loss, it's hard to say what your maintenance calories will be or whether extended periods of VLCD has effected metabolism.
Again, this is over many, many months not just a few weeks and those with a great deal to lose can cut more aggressively without the negative impacts those with less to lose would have.
All the talk by many on these boards of your body going into starvation mode and storing fat is completely wrong. It is also completely wrong when people say you can't build muscle when you're in a deficit.
I wish that these folks who spout all these "facts" would include their medical degrees they hold since they clearly seem to know everything and state their theories that simply do not hold true.
0 -
I am trying to look at what I eat more so than the calories in it. Carbs leads to forming fat on me so I lay into the fats and proteins somewhat when trying to lose body fat.
jennifurballs thank you for your post above. I agree with all of your points.0 -
This content has been removed.
-
It depends on how much you weigh to begin with. I eat around 1100 calories a day and I don not feel hungry. The weight is coming off at a steady pace. I think the main thing is not to allow your body to be hungry. This is what makes your body go into the storage mode. The stomach sends a message to the brain and the body starts to store fat and slow down your metabolism....
Listening when I felt hungry was how I got overweight. Hunger signals are terrible wujennifurballs wrote: »
I'm not in maintenance. I've been losing for many months. Lost 100 and have 100 to go.BombshellPhoenix wrote: »jennifurballs wrote: »jennifurballs wrote: »It will do nothing to your metabolism. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.
Pretty sure if you eat under 1200 calories everyday for an extended period of time it can and will affect your metabolism. Mind you we are talking many many months
It hasn't affected mine. I think everyone's different and we all have to do what works for us.
Being in a calorie deficit does have its drawbacks. It's just the nature of the beast. Have you gone into maintenance yet? If you're still in weight loss, it's hard to say what your maintenance calories will be or whether extended periods of VLCD has effected metabolism.
Again, this is over many, many months not just a few weeks and those with a great deal to lose can cut more aggressively without the negative impacts those with less to lose would have.
All the talk by many on these boards of your body going into starvation mode and storing fat is completely wrong. It is also completely wrong when people say you can't build muscle when you're in a deficit.
I wish that these folks who spout all these "facts" would include their medical degrees they hold since they clearly seem to know everything and state their theories that simply do not hold true.
Well that's certainly not what I'm talking about. There's a thing called metabolic adaptation, though. That's different. Of course weight loss is thermodynamics, you will always lose weight in a deficit....
0 -
If you're eating at a deficit, and to lose weight you have to, you're going to have some metabolic adaptation while in deficit. There is no 'on' switch at 1199 or one's BMR estimate and it's not 'long term damage'.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11063433?dopt=Abstract
CONCLUSIONS:
"Energy restriction produces a transient hypothyroid-hypometabolic state that normalizes on return to energy-balanced conditions. Failure to establish energy balance after weight loss gives the misleading impression that weight-reduced persons are energy conservative and predisposed to weight regain. Our findings do not provide evidence in support of adaptive metabolic changes as an explanation for the tendency of weight-reduced persons to regain weight."0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions