starvation mode

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simplepuremaddness
simplepuremaddness Posts: 33 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
At what point (calorie wise) does our body go into starvation mode. Im roughly eating between 400 to 500 calories a day. Someone told me starvation mode is a myth and our bodys are only in it for a small period of time. True or false :)
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  • Mairgheal
    Mairgheal Posts: 385 Member
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    I think you made a typo, you mean you're eating between 1400-1500 cals a day, right?

    If not, get yourself ready for the comments you'll be receiving about.............. now!
  • simplepuremaddness
    simplepuremaddness Posts: 33 Member
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    sadly no. 400-500. if that. today im on 380ish.
  • koizumi6
    koizumi6 Posts: 274 Member
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    starvation mode is not a myth and it's not healthy to be eating only 500 cal a day. bump it up to 1200 and you will see results... perhaps even better results because your body will be burning the fat instead of trying to store it
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
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    sadly no. 400-500. if that. today im on 380ish.

    Wow. Well I figure you'll be able to function a few more days maybe a couple weeks before needing to hospitalized. You know thats not good for you so I wont even go there.
  • miriamtorason
    miriamtorason Posts: 208 Member
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    Not a myth. I was eating between 800 and 1000 calories a day for five years. I gained 50+ pounds. Since being here, I've been eating a minimum of 1200 net daily and I've lost 13 in three months. You need to eat more to lose more. I'm hoping you did make that typo and skipped a 1, but just in case - NO. STARVATION/SURVIVAL MODE IS NOT A MYTH.
  • simplepuremaddness
    simplepuremaddness Posts: 33 Member
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    i have to really controll what i eat or i over eat in the excess. eating too few is better than eating 2500 no?
  • monkeybuttsmommy
    monkeybuttsmommy Posts: 343 Member
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    Starvation mode ONLY occurs when your body runs out of fat deposits! LOOK IT UP! There are arguments on both sides but the studies support that it only happens when you run out of fat and by that time your so sick it doesn't make any difference. IT IS HOWEVER DANGEROUS to eat only 500 cals a day. Your body muscle, bone and organs can be damaged. It is not thr right way to lose weight.
  • Kirk_D
    Kirk_D Posts: 85
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    Your body will try to store fat when you are not getting enough calories. Also, you'll start to burn up lean muscle when you limit your calories (especially only 500-600 cal. a day).
    I went through a divorce a few years ago and I dropped a bunch of weight in a short period of time. Because of the limited calories, my body began storing fat in my liver and I developed Fatty Liver Disease. Don't starve yourself. Give your body the calories it needs.
  • Emilystbt
    Emilystbt Posts: 7
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    You definatly should be eating more cal than that, even if your trying to lose weight with regular exercise I'd say between 1600-1800 cal for sure otherwise your body will just store everything as fat because it thinks your starving it. Even if your not looking to lose any weight your body needs the nutrirents to support immunity and growth.
  • ohdear1986
    ohdear1986 Posts: 110 Member
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    i am new to this board but have lost 68lb since june 4th 2010. i zigzag my calories, and it works. 400-500 is too low though. on my super low days i eat around 800, low day 1000, medium 1200, high 1600 and super high 2000+. yest i ate 900 but today i have eaten 1300 already and i will probably eat 400 or so more. you will go into starvation mode if you eat too little hence a high then low day, you need to trick your body into thinking you are eating.
    hope i make sense
  • herky
    herky Posts: 68 Member
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    400 calories is not healthy at all. if you continue eating that few of calories, you are gonna notice the negative effects within a few weeks
  • kykykenna
    kykykenna Posts: 656 Member
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    Take it from me. I was stuck. Ate less than 1000 calories a day, generally. You have weight to loose it says? WELL......my way didnt work. OBVIOUSLY.So, in listening to the very wise words of the people on here (who actually LOST weight), I increased my calories. Changed my goal of 2lbs a week loss to 1lb........and guess who FINALLY after so so long being stuck, lost a lb in 4 days increasing calories? Yup. Me. Eating more. Eating more often. Feeling better. People on here know what they are talking about. I am no pro...just telling you to follow the advice they are about to give you. IT WORKS. :)
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    You are going to hurt your body in the long run if you keep eating like that. Its ridiculous.
  • FAKECED
    FAKECED Posts: 61
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    Girl go eat something. your body is storing and storing fat.
  • chanstriste13
    chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
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    Here's a little blurb from Dr. Jamie Ackerman Foster from Ohio State University about starvation mode. It's summed up pretty well for anyone interested:

    Question:
    at what point does my body go into starvation mode?

    Answer:
    When you are consuming very little to no calories, you body goes into starvation mode. There is really no clear cut answer as to exactly when the body goes into "starvation mode", since this is a gradual process, and it varies from person to person due to differences in metabolism.

    Stored glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrate in our body, is the primary fuel source in early starvation, and is depleted in about 24 hours. Your body then begins to use lean tissue or muscle to keep it functioning. This directly leads to a loss of muscle, which in turn lowers metabolic rate so that the body needs fewer calories and weight loss slows down.

    It is important when dieting to eat an adequate amount of calories to prevent your body from entering into starvation mode, so that your body is burning fat and not muscle.

    Here's the link if you want to peruse the site: http://www.netwellness.uc.edu/question.cfm/45914.htm
  • DATIN1
    DATIN1 Posts: 2
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    IF YOU CONTINUE THAT "DIET" YOU CAN VERY WELL GO INTO CARDIAC ARREST!!!!! GOOGLE IT!
  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
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    You are going to hurt your body in the long run if you keep eating like that. Its ridiculous.
    Impressive weight loss!
  • SeasideOasis
    SeasideOasis Posts: 1,057 Member
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    At what point (calorie wise) does our body go into starvation mode. Im roughly eating between 400 to 500 calories a day. Someone told me starvation mode is a myth and our bodys are only in it for a small period of time. True or false :)

    Please...Eat....More.

    Fact: Starvation mode is true.
    Fact: Anything under 800 calories will eventually hospitalize you. Even people who have an 800 calorie diet are almost ALWAYS under incredible amounts of care via a doctor.

    Honestly, you dont eat enough, your bodies organs stop functioning, and you eventually will see the wrong effects when you finally decide to eat normally again, if you havent been hospitalized.

    Eat at least 1200 calories a day...If you're worried about eating too much, pre-portion food so you'll still get 1200 calories a day without going too far over.
  • denise980
    denise980 Posts: 296
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    You are not eating enough food for your body to run. Look at your BMR under the tools section. You need to be eating close to that in order for your body to function properly.
  • Raynamama
    Raynamama Posts: 480 Member
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    sadly no. 400-500. if that. today im on 380ish.

    I am saying this out of sincere worry - 400-500 calories per day is not safe, nor sustainable. Your body needs more fuel than that to function properly. What does MFP say your daily calorie goal should be?

    I found this info on Wikipedia:

    "Starvation mode is a state in which the body is responding to prolonged periods of low caloric intake levels. During short periods of caloric abstinence, the human body will burn primarily free fatty acids from body fat stores. After prolonged periods of starvation the body has depleted its body fat and begins to burn lean tissue and muscle as a fuel source.[1]

    Ordinarily, the body responds to reduced caloric intake by burning fat reserves first, and only consumes muscle and other tissues when those reserves are exhausted.[citation needed] Specifically, the body burns fat after first exhausting the contents of the digestive tract along with glycogen reserves stored in muscle and liver cells.[2] After prolonged periods of starvation, the body will utilize the proteins within muscle tissue as a fuel source.

    Starvation ensues when the fat reserves are completely exhausted and protein is the only fuel source available to the body. Thus, after periods of starvation, the loss of body protein affects the function of important organs, and death results, even if there are still fat reserves left unused. (In a leaner person, the fat reserves are depleted earlier, the protein depletion occurs sooner, and therefore death occurs sooner.)"

    Take care of yourself

    All the best,

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