Staying under calorie goal and still losing weight?

Starvation mode is a myth, in my opinion. If you're eating things that aren't empty calories and are under 1200, sounds like you're doing what most people can't Go you!

Not enough calories CAN put your body into starvation mode. And while you'll lose weight for awhile, eventually your body will catch up and you'll stop losing. You see, our bodies NEED food in order to function properly AND feel comfortable burning the fat off. If we don't feed it enough, eventually it will freak out and think it is starving to death. When this happens, it will hold onto fat and if necessary will burn muscle as fuel instead. We want to burn fat and build muscle - NOT store fat and burn muscle. So, it is very important that you eat enough.

Not only that but your metabolism will slow way down - not a good way to burn fat and lose weight.

What she said. I've experienced it first hand, so I KNOW it is NOT a myth. Honestly, I would set your calorie goals to 1300, that way you can eat 1200 or a little more and still not be 'over'. And you WILL still lose. NOBODY'S maintenance calories are that low, so you WILL still be at a deficit and you WILL lose weight.

I too am having this problem. My goal calories are quite high based I guess on my current weight. I have yet to make that in the week I have been paying attention to what I am eating. Today, I just can not eat any more - I am full as can be. Should I eat just to get the calories even though I am full? And even though per the "formula" based on my height. weight, goals, etc I should be eating 1600 calories if I can't make that, should I just lower my goal down to 1200 but make sure I hit it daily?

I too am having this problem. My goal calories are quite high based I guess on my current weight. I have yet to make that in the week I have been paying attention to what I am eating. Today, I just can not eat any more - I am full as can be. Should I eat just to get the calories even though I am full? And even though per the "formula" based on my height. weight, goals, etc I should be eating 1600 calories if I can't make that, should I just lower my goal down to 1200 but make sure I hit it daily?

Why would you want to over eat? If you feel full and satisfied?

Starvation mode doesn't prevent death by malnutrition.

I have 1200 calories allotted per day.... most of the time, I stay under that. Not intentionally and not by a lot... I'm anywhere between 1100 and 1150 calories per day. Every time I "complete my entry", I get the, "you're under eating and this could cause your body to go into starvation mode". Do I need to worry about this? Anyone never meet their calorie goal and still lose weight successfully?

I try and eat at least 1200 cals everyday but sometimes i dont. my daily goal is high...1950 but i very rarely eat over 1200 and i lose fairly quickly. if i do have a plateau i just try and eat a little more and change my exercise for a few day then i start goin down again.... hope that helps

i've seen too many conflicting things about starvation mode. until i experience it first hand, im going to just keep doing what is working for me.

I HAVE been in starvation mode myself, so I know it's not a myth. In high school I cut myself down to 600 calories a day...lost a little weight at first, and then my body shut down. It's okay if your NET calories are over 1200 most of the time. Personally I'm averaging about 1175 in NET with the difference between the calories I eat and what I burn. But I'm ACTUALLY eating about 2500 calories a day. And I'm averaging almost 3 lbs a week of weight loss. And if you don't eat enough EVENTUALLY your body will digest itself and your own muscle, which is what happened in the concentration camps. The 1200 calorie minimum is designed to prevent your body from doing that, and to keep you on a meal plan you can live with.

i have to admit i had some unhealthy habits in highschool too, but my calorie intake was something like 200-300 cals a day before i got dizzy and my hair started to fall out. it depends on the person because i've never had any issues if i eat above 700 a day.

I personally lost weight at 1000 calories per day but I dont go under that...

no..starvation mode is a myth.

what is really happening when people think they are in 'starvation mode' is simply - your body adapts.

that is what causes us to plataeu..not 'starvation mode'. so what do we do to break stalls? we change up either our eating habits or exercise or both. so if/when you stall and you go ahead and eat a little more..and suddenly oooh i've lost weight..its not breaking out of starvation..its breaking out of adaptation.

that is why we should change things up every few months..to prevent stalls.

Plateaus =/= starvation mode.

A plateau is, like you said, when your body adapts to your diet and stops losing weight. Generally, you don't gain weight back at that point, you just stop losing because your body has stabilized. A plateau is usually considered healthy.

Starvation mode is when you take in so few calories over an extended period of time that your body starts using itself as fuel. It starts storing all the fat it can get for future use and burns stuff like muscle tissue, instead. It's possible to put on weight when your body is first going into starvation mode because of this stored fat. It's not usually considered healthy, but it's a necessary part of human evolution. It's an evolutionary adaptation to keep us from starving in times of food shortage. It's NOT a myth. It's also not going to happen over the course of a few weeks. It's a long, drawn-out process. Eventually, though, if you're not feeding your body enough, it's going to adapt and start storing up that fat while using other parts for fuel.

Seriously, it's part of human evolution, NOT A MYTH. People just tend to use the term to describe things that are not it. Sort of like the word "ironic".

Plateaus =/= starvation mode.

A plateau is, like you said, when your body adapts to your diet and stops losing weight. Generally, you don't gain weight back at that point, you just stop losing because your body has stabilized. A plateau is usually considered healthy.

Starvation mode is when you take in so few calories over an extended period of time that your body starts using itself as fuel. It starts storing all the fat it can get for future use and burns stuff like muscle tissue, instead. It's possible to put on weight when your body is first going into starvation mode because of this stored fat. It's not usually considered healthy, but it's a necessary part of human evolution. It's an evolutionary adaptation to keep us from starving in times of food shortage. It's NOT a myth. It's also not going to happen over the course of a few weeks. It's a long, drawn-out process. Eventually, though, if you're not feeding your body enough, it's going to adapt and start storing up that fat while using other parts for fuel.

Seriously, it's part of human evolution, NOT A MYTH. People just tend to use the term to describe things that are not it. Sort of like the word "ironic".
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This is a great explanation. How lovely and very clear. Thank you, it makes good sense.

I have 1200 calories allotted per day.... most of the time, I stay under that. Not intentionally and not by a lot... I'm anywhere between 1100 and 1150 calories per day. Every time I "complete my entry", I get the, "you're under eating and this could cause your body to go into starvation mode". Do I need to worry about this? Anyone never meet their calorie goal and still lose weight successfully?

Ask again in four months. If you're weight loss hasn't slowed, stopped, or plateaued by then, your probably getting enough nutrition.

Also, if you do happen to go into starvation mode it does not result in your body hanging onto extra fat or calories in an effort to preserve your body. What it does do is lower your metabolism, but not to the point that you stop losing weight. The weight would just come off slower.

Okay ONCE again, starvation mode is a myth... If you're eating low calories on a high carb diet, the results are no weight loss, and muscle loss. If you consume more protein it will help maintain muscle, and will cause glucagon to raise, helping release body fat. So starvation mode is a myth.

To answer the original question... about eating under your limit. 1200 calories is a "general" assumption> would a 110lbs woman eating 1200 calories be in this supposed "starvation mode?" no... what about a 13yr old kid? no... Ignore that 1200calorie a day thing.

Starvation mode isn't a myth, most people just don't know what it is and wrongly apply it to every time they stop losing weight.

Okay ONCE again, starvation mode is a myth... If you're eating low calories on a high carb diet, the results are no weight loss, and muscle loss. If you consume more protein it will help maintain muscle, and will cause glucagon to raise, helping release body fat. So starvation mode is a myth.

To answer the original question... about eating under your limit. 1200 calories is a "general" assumption> would a 110lbs woman eating 1200 calories be in this supposed "starvation mode?" no... what about a 13yr old kid? no... Ignore that 1200calorie a day thing.

To the OP, it'd probably take years of a diet like that to send you into starvation mode. I'm with the people who are saying add more of the healthy fats to your diet, like nuts and avocados.

I know that's the incorrect term I am using. I posted a topic on it, saying what it really was. Yes we're talking about when the body reaches equilibrium with the amount of your original caloric deficit. When I think of starvation mode, I think of children in Africa. Not people dieting.