ADVICE NEEDED: Consumed cals vs Net cals for "Starvation Mod

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abatista27
abatista27 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
ADVICE NEEDED:

This may be a stupid question but:

Lol great. Even after a big healthy dinner my net calorie intake is +12. Does this mean I have to consume a lot of food/drinks when I get home home or does it just matter that I CONSUMED 1200 cals of food? I have eaten 1135 cals so far...but I have burned 1123 of them. If I consume a total of 1200 calories by the end of the day does that get me out of the ever-feared "starvation mode"? Or do I need to NET at 1200 calories a day?

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  • _emma
    _emma Posts: 21
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    i'm really curious about this too, i'd be interested to hear!


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  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    You need to net 1200 unless you're under a doctor's supervision.
  • RoboLikes
    RoboLikes Posts: 519 Member
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    I think people over use the term 'starvation mode'

    Google 'starvation mode' and the first thing that comes up is 'starvation mode myth'.
  • Manda_H
    Manda_H Posts: 80
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    I was burning all i was consuming too and then I started gaining weight. I exercised harder and the weight came on faster. In a short time I was 13 lbs heavier. It certainly isn't a myth. How can your body function if you are burning all of the fuel? you need to eat back at least half of your exercise calories. Sure you can lose some weight like this, for a little while but your metabolism will adjust and if you ever quit the high amounts of exercise, you will gain back weight even if you eat normal. I have been at this (weight loss) long enough to see all sides of the fence
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I think people over use the term 'starvation mode'

    Google 'starvation mode' and the first thing that comes up is 'starvation mode myth'.

    I agree but I also think negative or barely positive net calories needs to be supervised. The body needs fuel-- maybe not everyone needs exactly 1200 but a doctor, trainer, or some other professional ought to be involved before you cut all the way down to 12 net calories for the day.
  • Manda_H
    Manda_H Posts: 80
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    btw i eat back all of my exercise cals now and i have been losing weight again... it might not make sense but you will lose weight better and for the longer haul when you eat enough.. My plan right now is to NET 1400 a day
  • Bencribb
    Bencribb Posts: 21 Member
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    Regardless, there are serious risks associated with losing weight too rapidly.
  • madlerhome
    madlerhome Posts: 7 Member
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    the target is based on net calories, gross calories less calories burned. if you are exercising that much, i would suggest not using that as a reward to have something like ice cream and instead recommend you find some foods high in calories and in good nutrients like greek yogurt, almonds and walnuts which I have after every workout. good luck!
  • madlerhome
    madlerhome Posts: 7 Member
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    oh and by the way if i do not get enough calories while exercising heavily i do not lose weight.
  • ptweightloss
    ptweightloss Posts: 22
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    I don't think anyone answered your question?


    Your NET CALORIES needs to be AT LEAST 1200 for your body to function correctly. So if you eat 1300 a day, and burn off 1200, than you're going to have to eat 1100 more.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    ADVICE NEEDED:

    This may be a stupid question but:

    Lol great. Even after a big healthy dinner my net calorie intake is +12. Does this mean I have to consume a lot of food/drinks when I get home home or does it just matter that I CONSUMED 1200 cals of food? I have eaten 1135 cals so far...but I have burned 1123 of them. If I consume a total of 1200 calories by the end of the day does that get me out of the ever-feared "starvation mode"? Or do I need to NET at 1200 calories a day?
    There is no magic number, but if all you're eating is 1200, then chances are you're over reaching anyway.
    Slow down and set your goals for 1lb of weight loss per week.

    And eat back all your exercise calories.
    Simply stated MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week. That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up. Why? Because it's telling you to eat your exercise calories. Large deficits aren't really good to do because while you will lose weight, what kind of weight will it be? In many cases you'll lose lean muscle tissue which LOWERS your metabolic rate even more. Then you have to eat even less to compensate for less of a calorie burn to continue to lose the same amount of weight each week.
    Be efficient. Exercise hard and eat back the calories. The hard exercise will RAISE your metabolic rate and burn more fat at rest.
  • Bencribb
    Bencribb Posts: 21 Member
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    btw i eat back all of my exercise cals now and i have been losing weight again... it might not make sense but you will lose weight better and for the longer haul when you eat enough.. My plan right now is to NET 1400 a day
    I'm not sure about the veracity of the starvation mode claims, but there are some serious risks associated with weight loss that is too rapid. Your body needs fuel, and a more active body needs more fuel. My experience from the past, doing heavy workouts and not replacing calories quickly made me feel over-trained, and weakened my body when illnesses attacked. I've never been as successful either with fitness or with weight loss as I have been sticking to the calorie budget recommended by myfitnesspal.
  • KareninCanada
    KareninCanada Posts: 795 Member
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    If you are exercising that much, yes you do NEED to be eating more than 1200 calories per day.

    "Starvation Mode" is no myth. Sure you can lose a lot of weight by starving your body, but it's the long-term impact that you need to consider, in that you're slowing down your metabolism. You lose 20 pounds, ease off just a bit and suddenly gain back 25. It's because your body slows way down, not knowing what you're up to, then when more calories start coming it goes "yeehaw" and hoards them all like crazy. (Paraphrase of what our group trainer told us on Saturday.)
  • Peep_chic
    Peep_chic Posts: 369 Member
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    yes... net around 1200-1500 for weight loss. I have been in starvation mode. It took me about
    a year to loose 30 Lbs...before mfp of course:grumble: dont feel bad to eat them (or eat all of your exercise calories for that matter). If you're set up to loose weight, You'd still be at a deficit and loose weight anyway.
  • redefiningmyself
    redefiningmyself Posts: 476 Member
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    I think people over use the term 'starvation mode'

    Google 'starvation mode' and the first thing that comes up is 'starvation mode myth'.

    the reason this comes up first has to do with how google operates, and has absolutely NOTHING to do with the validity of the information.

    My understanding from my doctor was to net 1200 calories a day. I think talking to your doctor is the best thing to do as he/she will know your health history, your goals and what will be best for you.

    Best wishes.
  • Nana_Booboo
    Nana_Booboo Posts: 501 Member
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    Yes, you need to eat a bunch of food when you get home. You're under, according to your dairy by over 1000 cal
  • andrejjorje
    andrejjorje Posts: 497 Member
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    I need to ask you one simple question. How did you burn those 1123 cals and what did you use to measure that energy expenditure?
    People's answers here are based on principles and experience which are correct.
    I'd like some data so I can understand better the situation.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,269 Member
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    I think people over use the term 'starvation mode'

    Google 'starvation mode' and the first thing that comes up is 'starvation mode myth'.

    the reason this comes up first has to do with how google operates, and has absolutely NOTHING to do with the validity of the information.

    My understanding from my doctor was to net 1200 calories a day. I think talking to your doctor is the best thing to do as he/she will know your health history, your goals and what will be best for you.

    Best wishes.

    Yep. It's called search engine optimization. People actually have jobs where they will optimize a website for a client so that site comes up higher in a Google (or other search engine) search. So, it's just how the program works and means nothing to do with validity (I find it funny people think it does).

    And yes OP, if you work out that much, you need to eat more. Your body needs fuel to survive and work correctly. With all that exercise you have burned that fuel and have left little for your body to use. This can cause various health issues.
  • abatista27
    abatista27 Posts: 30 Member
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    THANKS EVERYONE! Such a good deal too because it gave me the perfect reason to eat half a pad thai. Got those calories back last minute and enjoyed all of them!

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