Starvation Mode?

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clamour_kid
clamour_kid Posts: 16
in Health and Weight Loss
I do realise that when under-eating, your body protects itself by switching on its "starvation mode". My question is, when does it kick in and on what rules?

For example:

Lets say your BMR is 2000 calories and 1000 and below gets you in to starvation mode. If you were to eat 1500 calories and you do 600 calories worth of exercise, will you still go in to starvation mode? Or doesn't it look at exercise?

I am confused. :O)

Replies

  • Fatbuster205
    Fatbuster205 Posts: 333 Member
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    I have not been eating back all my exercise calories but I don't feel as if my body is in starvation mode. I am still steadily losing pounds and inches. I reckon that below 1000 would be too few though - they used to be the recommended calorie allowance for diets and as we all know those diets never worked! I am working on the basis that if I'm not hungry enough to eat all the exercise calories and I continue to lose weight steadily then I'm probably OK. I do know that I can eat 1600 calories and still lose weight so I am just listening to my body!
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,337 Member
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    read this

    www.body-improvements.com/resources/eat

    My understanding is that eventually thermodynamics wins out and you will still lose weight but not at the expected rate,and some will be muscle.
  • ♥_Ellybean_♥
    ♥_Ellybean_♥ Posts: 1,646 Member
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    listen to your body.... if your hungry eat, if your not don't. I never eat back my exercise calories.

    The more weight you have to lose, the longer it will take (weeks) for your body to go into starvation mode with a low cal diet.
  • mindphluxxx
    mindphluxxx Posts: 67
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    This thread has answered my questions about starvation mode too! After logging my exercise/calories the other day, mfp said that I was at risk of entering 'starvation mode' although I honestly felt 100% full!!
  • ashtenr
    ashtenr Posts: 19 Member
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    As far as I understand it - its about leptin levels. When you go low calorie - say 1200 a day, over about 1 week the leptin levels fall and starvation mode kicks in. Seems quite simple to stop it though, you have one day every 7 or 10 where you eat slightly over your cals so if your maintainence is 1800 you eat 2000 etc. This fools the body into resetting the leptin levels and psychologically it is easier as you have a 'day off' to look forward to.
  • clamour_kid
    clamour_kid Posts: 16
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    Thank you all for your posts. I will listen to my body and ensure I stay under my goal, but feel happy within myself.
  • sugarbone
    sugarbone Posts: 454 Member
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    Starvation mode is generally considering to be something that occurs when eating 50% of your BMR. However, it does not slow down your metabolism nearly as much as predicted or assumed, and it does not prevent weight loss entirely - it merely slows it down. In the end you cannot deny the physics of eating less than you expend, and will lose weight. It can damage your metabolism in the long run (and it can also be repaired).

    To answer your question, yes if exercise put you to 50% of your BMR you would be "starving" even if you ate above 50%. Your body does not care in what way the energy entered and left the body, at the end of the day you are at a 50%+ deficit of your BMR.
  • clamour_kid
    clamour_kid Posts: 16
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    Thanks sugarbone. :O)

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