metabolic starvation mode???

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tmorm
tmorm Posts: 32 Member
edited March 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
Just wanting to know what you all think...

I am in week 5 of a 12 week challenge, and one of our members isn't losing any weight no matter how hard she works out or the calorie deficit she is on. She has consulted a nutritionist, who has told her that she has suffered severe metabolic damage by eating at 1200 cals a day for the past few months, and her body is now is in starvation mode, it may take her up to 12 months of 'metabolic repair' before she starts to lose any weight.

My problem is now I am freaking out that it will happen to me, as I have been eating at 1100-1200 cals a day (only go around 1100 if I am not particularly hungry) for the last four and a half weeks, and will carry on doing so after the challenge has finished, as I have a long way to go till I am at my goal weight.

Is this nutritionist a quack? Or do I need to be worried about metabolic damage and starvation mode?

Any help is much appreciated :)

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Nutritionist is an idiot and diagnosing something that doesn't exist

    Your friend isn't logging properly

    That said weight loss competitions can be dangerous ...what are your stats and why are you eating so low? There is no need for that on a good maintainable weight loss programme
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Yes I think this nutritionist is a quack!
    If there truly is such a thing as starvation mode, it would take a hell of a lot longer than a few months to achieve.
    I also wouldn't exactly call a 1200 calorie diet starving oneself. Yes it is low, but not dangerously so.
  • tmorm
    tmorm Posts: 32 Member
    edited March 2015
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Nutritionist is an idiot and diagnosing something that doesn't exist

    Your friend isn't logging properly

    That said weight loss competitions can be dangerous ...what are your stats and why are you eating so low? There is no need for that on a good maintainable weight loss programme
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Yes I think this nutritionist is a quack!
    If there truly is such a thing as starvation mode, it would take a hell of a lot longer than a few months to achieve.
    I also wouldn't exactly call a 1200 calorie diet starving oneself. Yes it is low, but not dangerously so.

    Thank you both for answering. Have been going through the search history on this topic and yep, I think the nutritionist is full of shite, thank you both for putting my mind at ease :smile:

    I weigh 112 kgs, have lost 6.5kgs in nearly five weeks on the challenge, not really 'in it to win it' but more giving myself a kick up the bum and jumping on board with a group of people who are really supportive when old habits start sliding back in. More about building a healthier lifestyle for me, and this is helping.

    Most days I would eat at 1200 cals (this is what my fitness pal gave me as my limit, to lose 1kg a week), I log every single thing that goes into my mouth. Some days though I just don't feel like eating much dinner, or not really hungry at lunchtime, and this is when I would eat at around 1100 - 1150 cals. I try to eat back around half of my exercise cals.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    Quack alert, Bro.

    Ignore the nutritionist.
  • tmorm
    tmorm Posts: 32 Member
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    SergeantSausage wrote: »
    Quack alert, Bro.

    Ignore the nutritionist.

    Thanks... I agree now I am a bit better informed.... freak out mode disabled lol
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I ate in a sick, disordered way for three decades.

    My metabolism seems somehow to have bounced back. When I eat too much I gain weight, and when I eat at a normal, reasonable deficit I lose weight. Perhaps I'm an anomaly?

    She didn't ruin her metabolism from eating 1200 calories for a few weeks. She's logging inaccurately, or she's cheating. I'm not judging. I've been there so many times.
  • tmorm
    tmorm Posts: 32 Member
    edited March 2015
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    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    I ate in a sick, disordered way for three decades.

    My metabolism seems somehow to have bounced back. When I eat too much I gain weight, and when I eat at a normal, reasonable deficit I lose weight. Perhaps I'm an anomaly?

    She didn't ruin her metabolism from eating 1200 calories for a few weeks. She's logging inaccurately, or she's cheating. I'm not judging. I've been there so many times.

    Yep. I have put a comment under her post on our fb group page, but the scary thing is the amount of people who panicked like I did at what the 'nutritionist' said, and now think they are in need of 'serious metabolic repair'. Way to make money from people's insecurities and lack of knowledge! So glad I asked on here! Trying to find a reputable article somewhere that disproves the whole theory to share with everyone in our group.
  • tmorm
    tmorm Posts: 32 Member
    edited March 2015
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    UPDATE (for anyone interested) - Just found out that the lady in my challenge group has seen 3 different nutritionists here in NZ, they have been unable to help her (more so I think they may have been a bit too honest for her liking). The 'nutritionist' that has given her this advice is in the US, and they are in contact by email and skype. Hmmmmmmmm.....
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    ask her if she weighs every single thing she eats .. not uses cups, but weighs it on a digital scale
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Starvation mode article http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
  • tmorm
    tmorm Posts: 32 Member
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    christinev297 wrote: »
    Starvation mode article http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    Thank you!! :smiley:
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
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    tmorm wrote: »
    UPDATE (for anyone interested) - Just found out that the lady in my challenge group has seen 3 different nutritionists here in NZ, they have been unable to help her. The 'nutritionist' that has given her this advice is in the US, and they are in contact by email and skype. Hmmmmmmmm.....

    Methinks your friend is nutritionist "shopping" - hoping to find one that will validate that she has a metabolic problem. Good nutrition and weight loss is based on science and sounds like you are on the right track.
  • sharontingey
    sharontingey Posts: 1 Member
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    youtu.be/uRqB5-egs1s?t=3m52s

    Nutritionist is not a protected term and anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. What your friend should have consulted is a Dietician.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    You know I would leave it alone - this is a smile and nod situation - or as it's facebook a log off and ignore situation

    nothing you say will convince this person she isn't a special little snowflake, they will just think you're a party-pooper

    No point taking on the excuse-laden special snowflakes, let them find their own paths
  • tmorm
    tmorm Posts: 32 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    You know I would leave it alone - this is a smile and nod situation - or as it's facebook a log off and ignore situation

    nothing you say will convince this person she isn't a special little snowflake, they will just think you're a party-pooper

    No point taking on the excuse-laden special snowflakes, let them find their own paths

    Very true :)
  • Drewlssix
    Drewlssix Posts: 272 Member
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    tmorm wrote: »
    UPDATE (for anyone interested) - Just found out that the lady in my challenge group has seen 3 different nutritionists here in NZ, they have been unable to help her (more so I think they may have been a bit too honest for her liking). The 'nutritionist' that has given her this advice is in the US, and they are in contact by email and skype. Hmmmmmmmm.....
    I was going to suggest that what you are telling us is not what the "nutritionist" is telling her. There's a good chance she's misrepresenting what these people are saying, either consciously or subconsciously because she wants to believe a fantasy or they are suggesting a real possible issue and she is relating it inaccurately. But since she is seeing nobody in person and these "experts" seem happy to remotely diagnose your friend this whole thing stinks of shenanigans.
    I couldn't diagnose your car over Skype, I wouldn't trust someone who says they can diagnose ME over Skype lol.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    sharontingey wrote: »
    youtu.be/uRqB5-egs1s?t=3m52s

    Nutritionist is not a protected term and anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. What your friend should have consulted is a Dietician.

    Well my friend's roommate is in school to get a dietician degree. We had a conversation about counting calories. She just laugh and said there's no need for that. I even told her my goals which are not to be average. Low body fat high muscle mass.

    What also made the above funny was that she was drunk.

  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    sharontingey wrote: »
    youtu.be/uRqB5-egs1s?t=3m52s

    Nutritionist is not a protected term and anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. What your friend should have consulted is a Dietician.

    Well my friend's roommate is in school to get a dietician degree. We had a conversation about counting calories. She just laugh and said there's no need for that. I even told her my goals which are not to be average. Low body fat high muscle mass.

    What also made the above funny was that she was drunk.

    I love the 'don't worry about calories' dietician folk, all prepped and primed to write their first book on how to lose X amount of pounds in X days with 'this secret superfood'! ♥
  • MFAB8258
    MFAB8258 Posts: 13 Member
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    I had a similar issue but it turns out it was because I was actually insulin resistant. You should advise your friend to see an endocrinologist and have some blood work done. Now that I am on medication for this issue, I have been able to lose weight while eating between 1450-1550 calories a day - I just have to keep my carb intake around 100-115g per day. Hope this helps.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    auroranflash wrote: »
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    sharontingey wrote: »
    youtu.be/uRqB5-egs1s?t=3m52s

    Nutritionist is not a protected term and anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. What your friend should have consulted is a Dietician.

    Well my friend's roommate is in school to get a dietician degree. We had a conversation about counting calories. She just laugh and said there's no need for that. I even told her my goals which are not to be average. Low body fat high muscle mass.

    What also made the above funny was that she was drunk.

    I love the 'don't worry about calories' dietician folk, all prepped and primed to write their first book on how to lose X amount of pounds in X days with 'this secret superfood'! ♥

    Next time I'm going to ask her about calories in < calories out. I hope for a laughable answer. I think I will get it.

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