Starvation Mode

You're best off googling it and coming to your own conclusions cos the definition can vary depending on where you look/who you talk to. I err on the sceptical side to be honest.

Problem is, if she googles it ..she'll end up getting so many different definitions and blogs saying it's a myth or not a myth, etc.

You're best off googling it and coming to your own conclusions cos the definition can vary depending on where you look/who you talk to. I err on the sceptical side to be honest.

Problem is, if she googles it ..she'll end up getting so many different definitions and blogs saying it's a myth or not a myth, etc.

True, but I got sooo tired of hearing 'eat less than 1200 cals and you'll go into starvation mode and gain weight' that I decided to do my own research and have my own opinion of it. Be it right or be it wrong.....at least it's mine and not someone else's

Let's stick to a simple definition: starvation mode is when your body doesn't get enough calories consistently enough and for long enough that it thinks "food must be really scarce, I'd better start conserving the fat stores I have on hand now". So simply put, it's when YOUR body thinks it's not getting enough food and has a metabolic reaction to conserve. As far as *when* this happens for you personally, that is where all the debate comes into play. The thing to keep in mind is that before you go into starvation mode, you will lose quickly. And once you go into starvation mode, the loss suddenly stops. Then when you increase your intake to try to fix it, you will GAIN temporarily, as your body is now getting more food but still is in "conservation mode". Once your body figures out "oh, I'm getting enough to eat now, I can let go of the extra", you will start to lose again. This is why it is something to be avoided....you may lose quite a bit at first, but then you'll stop and actually gain before you body hits equilibrium again.

Moral of the story: don't try to lose too fast but cutting back too much. It's why you always hear "it's bad to lose too much, too fast".

Edit, since you posted again:
"I guess I am worried that I have messed up my body so badly by trying to eat less than 1200 calories for over 3 months that if I now start trying to eat closer to those 1200 calories that I am going to gain back the 15 lbs I have already lost...."

Yes, if you have been eating too little and found that you stopped losing, you may very well gain some (shouldn't be all 15 lbs though) back before you lose again. The problem is there is no other way to fix what you've done to your body except to give in and eat more. And yes, generally most people shouldn't net less than 1200, although people can find that the number is lower or higher for them personally. But if you're already eating less than 1200 and not losing, going lower and lower will never solve it for you. Your body will need several weeks to adjust to the increase and relax and start to lose again.

This post really explained it for me, but 700 isn't the magic number. It can be as high as 1200 or 1300.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

OK, looked at older posts, I think I generally understand the concept. So now, I'm just wondering how the heck it is possible for someone flabby like me who is 30 lbs overweight (BMI= 27.8, BMR=1,470) to possibly ever be in starvation mode. I guess I am worried that I have messed up my body so badly by trying to eat less than 1200 calories for over 3 months that if I now start trying to eat closer to those 1200 calories that I am going to gain back the 15 lbs I have already lost....

You might see an initial gain over the first couple weeks, but you're body will adjust. Most people who have been on very calorie restricted diets who up their calories a little find that it gets the off a plateau.

Speaking as someone who has had the dreaded Starvation Mode, and got through it, i can say it is very real.

Your body doesnt think "Ive got lots of fat here, so ill start burning some of it", it just knows that when calorie intake is very low, it simply doesnt burn fat, certainly nowhere near as much as it would if you getting the right number of calories. But, our natural reaction to seeing our weight lose slow or stop is "I must burn more calories, or eat even less", which, in turn, exacerbates the situation, rather than helping it. It's so weird being told to eat more to lose weight, but it works...well, at least that was what worked for me

its a myth

do your own research..and not just from whatever google pops up..find REAL scientific articles and sites..from universities.i did and found out it doesnt exist as people on here swear by.

If it's a myth, why did i lose 0 lbs in three weeks on 1200 calories, then when i upped it to 1700 i started losing again?