Starvation Warning??

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LH2011
LH2011 Posts: 176 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi I am doing MFP for only a week and finding in great my daily allowance is 1200 calories and can keep to it and am under by a small amount today (68 calories) but you under this warning comes up I am assuming if you are only under by a small amount its ok I find it impossible to come in on target. Thanks

*Based on your total calories consumed for today, you are eating too few calories. Not only is it difficult to receive adequate nutrition at these calorie levels, but you could also be putting your body into starvation mode. Starvation mode lowers your metabolism and makes weight loss more difficult. We suggest increasing your calorie consumption to 1,200 calories per day minimum.
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Replies

  • chrisyoung0422
    chrisyoung0422 Posts: 426 Member
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    I dont listen to it. Mine says it all the time and I eat what I need to feel full. I also do not believe in the whole scare tactic starvation mode bs.

    A lot do believe in it on here and that is cool but what I am doing is working just fine! :bigsmile:
  • smitty328
    smitty328 Posts: 164 Member
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    I see that a lot....I don't worry about it. :)
  • Jalachri
    Jalachri Posts: 47
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    Ya im always under by 60 or so and it always says that but I still have been loseing so I think we will be ok. I really think if you go way less then that then your body will start storeing the food and then when you do eat 1200 you will gain-thats just my thought so I really try to go no less then 100 cal. below 1200.
  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,411 Member
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    As long as you are generally close to your goal you will be fine. I have seen the 'starvation mode' kick in on some folks but you really have to be doing it regularly and by quite a bit to kick it in.
  • ElaineDianne70
    ElaineDianne70 Posts: 243 Member
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    The only thing I would say to those who don't believe it: when your weight loss stalls try increasing your calories by 100 or so each day until you start losing weight again. I used to "starve" myself at 1200 calories per day for MONTHS and it wasn't until I started eating 1800 or so of "clean" food that I lost 20 pounds and kept it off for over a year. :-)
  • Buddie616
    Buddie616 Posts: 167 Member
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    When I first started I stayed way under on my calories. I felt like crap, now that I am staying close to my calories i feel lots better!
  • mgreen10
    mgreen10 Posts: 229 Member
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    If you don't have a lot of weight to lose, eating under 1200 calories will make weight loss slower for you. Like me....I need to lose about 10 pounds. If I eat below 1200 calories (net), I don't lose weight. It's because my body is already technically at a normal weight so it's normalized and efficient. Starvation is a scary word. But all it means is that your body is going to hold on to stores of fat more eagerly because it feels it is not being given enough nutrients....thats all. Just eat that extra 68 calories :)
  • lisapickering
    lisapickering Posts: 374
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    Obviously there are varying opinions on here. You need to do what's best for you. A very common problem on here is that people aren't losing weight because they're not eating enough. Many people find that adding a few hundred calories a day starts helps them lose. If you aren't losing you may want to increase your calories / day.
  • katyrose221
    katyrose221 Posts: 69 Member
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    1200 is just a gage. Much better to be 68 cals over or even 100 or 150 than 68 cals under, I'd think (though I have done that too a more than once). 1200 calories is the diatetic associations guideline for what women should never go under. However, most women to maintain a healthy metabolism need more than that. If you go more than 4 days a week under 1200 cals you can potentially start burning muscle (not good) and slowing your metabolism. I'd say every now and then, you are fine, but if it becomes a habit, switch to 1/2 per week and let yourself eat more.

    Good luck!
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
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    I saw it almost everyday in the beginning. I never pay attention to it.
  • mykaanderson
    mykaanderson Posts: 20
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    If I'm hungry I eat, if not I don't. I have weeks where I eat everythng in sight but then I have some where I hardly eat. I still have the workout energy I need and feel great plus am half to my goal so the 1200 is a gauge for sure.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    Yes, you get that warming if you go under 1200 calories, I once got it after eating 1199 LOL

    If you're not eating 1200 calories, it is harder to make sure you get all your dietary needs met, so if you do keep going under be very aware of that. Personally, and especially with so little weight to lose, I'd stick eat at least 1200 calories a day.

    There is a lot of misinformation and argument on this site about "starvation mode" - much of it ill informed. I suggest you ignore all the assorted comments on the subject that this thread will no doubt attract, and read this thread carefully and make up your own mind what is best for you: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works
  • farmgirl88
    farmgirl88 Posts: 91 Member
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    Make sure that you are listening to your body. If you're body is telling you you're hungry, by all means eat something! What kind of calories you eat surpasses total calorie consumption in importance. If you are eating 1200 calories worth of lean meat and vegetables, you're probably just fine. However, if you're eating 1200 calories worth of processed food, fast food, diet soda, and sugary treats, you're probably going to run into major problems because you're body isn't getting all the nutrients it needs.
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
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    I dont listen to it. Mine says it all the time and I eat what I need to feel full. I also do not believe in the whole scare tactic starvation mode bs.

    A lot do believe in it on here and that is cool but what I am doing is working just fine! :bigsmile:

    Call it what you will, but it most certainly is NOT a scare tactic and most certainly does happen. It's not like the bible and open for interpretation, it's based on scientific evidence. Trust me, eventually you'll be posting something to the affect: "I've been under my calorie goal for the last 3 weeks but haven't lost a pound." When you do realize this happening, then start doing the research on this "scare tactic" and you'll be enlightened.
  • greeneyed84
    greeneyed84 Posts: 427 Member
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    If you're close to it & getting all your nutrition I think you're fine....

    To the ones who don't "believe" in starvation mode.... It's not something to beieve in like UFO's for God's sake. It's a well known fact & NOT a myth. If you eat too few calories your body doesn't get what it needs to survive so it holds onto fat thinking it is starving because there is a shortage on food.
    And if you're asking then how come people with anorexia can lose and lose when eating little to nothing? Because the body has to use up all it has eventually so it will do that to the point of death.
    But SHOCKER when they eat more, even if only a few hundred calories they will start storing fat again asap as their bodies will hold on to every grain of food. They royally messed their body up & might never get it back to where it was.
    And no, this doesn't only effect skinny people.....
    So good luck to the ones who are blind to the truth
  • LH2011
    LH2011 Posts: 176 Member
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    Thanks all as I've just started MFP with see how weight lose goes before adding 100 calories but also won't stress if I'm 100 over at the end of a day
  • qued3point14
    qued3point14 Posts: 16 Member
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    I have been under by 5 calories and recieved that warning. I hate it because no one eats EXACTLY 1200 calories - go under and get that warning - go over, well - that doesn't feel very nice either. The warning should trigger at 1000 net calories so it actually MEANS something!
  • kaylaCdewire1311
    kaylaCdewire1311 Posts: 110
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    I am usually off, sometimes by alot when I work out really hard. Always try your best to meet your caloric intake totals but if you're off every now and then it's no big deal. Just keep trying!!
  • michelegrayson
    michelegrayson Posts: 157
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    The only thing I would say to those who don't believe it: when your weight loss stalls try increasing your calories by 100 or so each day until you start losing weight again. I used to "starve" myself at 1200 calories per day for MONTHS and it wasn't until I started eating 1800 or so of "clean" food that I lost 20 pounds and kept it off for over a year. :-)

    Same here!! OMG, I use to be the Queen of eating below 1200 and felt so proud of my willpower and ability to control the amount of food in my mouth. As I got older I started gaining weight and couldn't figure out why as I was eating and working out pretty much the same. I had my BMR tested and discovered it had dropped 300 points. That means if I changed nothing, I would gain 35 lbs in a year! I learned by starving myself I slowed down my metabolism. Yes, getting older contributed to it as well but not that much. SO I joined MFP, and started tracking my workouts and my food and little by little the weight is coming off. And I'm eating at least 1800 calories a day and have energy for my P90X workouts. I'm a slow learner but I finally got it!
  • qued3point14
    qued3point14 Posts: 16 Member
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    greeneyed84 - thanks for your comment! I use this program/website to control my (life-long) anorexia and to learn how to eat like a normal person and fix my metabolism.... as does a friend of mine. (Well, I hope she's sticking to it). Anyway - Anorexia doesn't mean weighing 85 pounds. Thanks for helping people notice that. Last year I went 10 days without food (my last bout of not eating at all) and it made me GAIN 10 pounds. Then after, I've gained 15 more this year.... After Britney Murphy died - the fact it can kill you hit home. It's not a choice I make and it will never go away - BUT I am learning, I think to get the better of it.

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