Starvation Mode/ Calorie Deficit/ Losing weight

I think both of us (me and Dave) get it we're just not as good as you are explaining it and you guys are! that's why we're here to learn from the best - right dave?!

OMG im so confused. hehe :laugh:

OMG im so confused. hehe :laugh:

You're KILLING me! :grumble:


:bigsmile:

Thanks for this thread, Dave. I think maybe a point of confusion is the idea that 1200 is a set in stone number of some kind. What it is is the average amount of consumed calories below which a woman should not go, otherwise a variety of health problems can occur. That number is extremely important for the WHO, because they are looking at starvation issues around the world, not our diet and weight loss problems here. :blushing: As a rule of thumb, we women in this rich (and generally overweight) country should not go below a minimum of 1200 calories a day, or we will also suffer those same health problems, though it may take longer due to either the amount of storage we carry around with us, or other factors such as access to medicine, clean drinking water, health care, etc. So, for us, the magic number may not be 1200, that is just the minimum below which we should not fall. The magic number that will allow us to lose weight in a healthy way is an individual number.

Now, my problem is a slightly different one, and I have hesitated to bring it up before for a number of reasons, not the least of which is my embarassment at the liight the folloiwng numbers sheds on my past habits. (Stress on the word PAST)
:blushing: :blushing: Here are the embarassing numbers: 461, 3400ish, 266, 2430. :blushing: :blushing:
Here is the story of the numbers. When I started here, I weighed 461 lbs. In order to achieve that wonderful milestone, I had to consume probably 3400 + calories a day. So, the BMR guide here at MFP did the math for me. If I want to lose 2 lbs a week, I should eat 2430 calories a day. That creates a 1000 calorie a day deficit without any exercise factored in yet. My problem is, I can't eat 2430 calories of healthy food. I can (and was) eat far more when I was eating empty calories, such as soda, chips, and soda, and more chips. Oh, and popcorn and occasionally candy. :blushing: :grumble: So, since I joined MFP on February 17, I have consistently eaten an averagge of 1200 to 1500 calories a day. For the past week, consistently about 1500 calories. I am eating three meals and at least one snack every day. I eat fresh salads, steamed vegies with a tiny bit of butter, lean meats, very little cheese, very little sauce of gravy of any kind. I have had an occasional (maybe every three or so days) cookie (paradise bakery oatmeal rasin 160 cals). I find my hunger satisfied. I occasionally have a craving for something like pizza or mashed potatos, but nothing I haven't been able to handle. I monitor how I am feeling carefully. If I go too long without eating, I tend to get a little light headed, but this is easily taken care of by eating, even just a few almonds or an apple.

Ok, that was a long story, sorry. Here is my concern. I am eating consistently about 1000 calories below the recommended calories per day. Every thing I have read on this site seems to point to that as a very bad idea. Is my extreme case unique? I am hoping Banks and Songbyrdsweetie will enlighten me. Thanks for wading through this long post those of you that did! :happy:

Thank you for the lengthy explanation.

I think I might understand why I am not losing weight after eight weeks of calorie counting and doubling my exercising routing.

I only aim for 1240 calories a day, and I ignore the extra calories I burn. I thought it would help me lose weight, but instead this week I have gained a pound and only lost 3lbs in eight weeks.

Hmm? How do I calculate all the stuff you calculated for yourself?
I have checked around the website and I see their version, but I used to work at a gym and I know they used more accurate measurements. Is that where you did your measurements?

Thanks for posting, I have been bummed about this weight loss.. I mean non-weight loss.

The calculations are actually relatively easy. If you use the BMI tool, and the goals calculator you can get them very quickly.

find your BMI, refer back to the ranges I was talking about (I.E. 30 and over, 2 lbs a week, 27 to 30 1.5 lbs per week, 25 to 27, 1 lb per week, and 25 and lower, use your body fat, and keep a very low, if any, deficit and use exercise and nutrition to lower your fat to muscle ratio)

I am in a bit of a different goal situation now....I am not so much trying to lose weight as I am trying to lose some fat and replace with muscle mass. and basically trying to stay at my current weight but with lowered fat %,...but....since I am trying to lose that fat I am burning alot of cals everyday and trying to also increase muscle mass....not easy to me....so what I am doing is burning avg of 900 cals and eating as clean as I can with a low deficit...I think if you burn more with exercise and eat good quality calories the shift will happen

what I see here with alot of people is a too heavy emphasis on total calories and not on quality of calories,,,,quality of the calories isnt discussed much...some will say since they have calorie room for a snack it is ok to eat cookies and such....I am not saying deprive yourself of a cookie...but if you eat that stuff you are not moving forward with a lowered fat% but at best, maintaining.......

for me, it is no longer about the caloric limits so much as it is quality of the calories and exercising to get my metabolism at a nice steady burn rate

Very true Dave. It's tough to gain muscle while in deficit. You can, but not like if you're at a surplus.
If it helps, I gained about 5 lbs in the last 2 or 3 months, while dropping my BF% from 13% to 11%.

Course, the skin around my stomach refuses to tighten up, but I realize that will take months if not a year or so. Sad that I have to wait a year for abs (visible abs I mean), but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying. Keep at it, you're doing it right!

Banks, funny you should mention skin. Is there hope for it to tighten over time? I've lost 40 pounds, about 10-15 from where I want to be. While I don't have hanging skin, I am not totally thrilled wih the lack of tightness of it either! I am exercising, strength training and cardio and eat pretty clean. Yes, I know I'm not 20 anymore..... 36. If it'a matter of time, I've got that! If it's a matter of never, it's a little discouraging! After all the hard work, who wants saggy skin?

it should tighten up some, it takes forever but it will happen. That of course depends on how much skin there is. If it's really saggy, then it probably wont come all the way back, in that case surgery is the only option (an extreme one, but...)