Starvation mode article that I found very VERY helpful....
mom2lakenjj
Posts: 29
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I just find it sooooooo hard to believe that I weight 60 lb more than I need to and reducing my calories to 1200 calories a day or less will PREVENT me from losing weight? It just does not make sense to me! Also about 4 years ago after I had my 3rd baby I weighed about 220 lb and went on a diet that was lower than 1200 calories per day and had absolutely no problem whatsoever losing the weight within 6 months time...I went from 205 (to be fair..baby weight) to about 150 in 6 months eating less than 1200 cal per day, lifting weights daily and eating whatever I wanted on a Saturday...And I was 37 years old 4 years ago so the age factor was against me as well! Why was I able to lose this weight so successfully when everywhere I read on here everyone says I must eat well over 1200 to lose...remember I lifted weights every single day and ate less than 1200 (some days probably 900) and still lost around 50 lb in 6 months...I am interested your opinions on this...0
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I don't know about figures and the such, but I do know that when I was pregnant I had such severe sickness that my body did start eating itself, I went into ketosis and 20 years later am still suffering the consequences and I was still overweight (although losing very fast, like a stone in 2 weeks). There's no way you want to eat so few calories that your body does that, so I make sure I eat a reasonable amount at around the 1200-1500 mark so that I don't do into ketosis again.0
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excellent article..... there has been a lot of research on this, especially in the USA military, albeit quite a few years ago,
you may be 'starving' from a reduction in calories but def not in 'starvation mode' unless you are 'super skinny/underweight'!!!!!!
well done for posting the link :-)0 -
im on the fence about starvation mode - however....
why would one CHOOSE to eat that little, when you can lose just fine at normal levels? granted i have a ways to go still, but i eat 1845 (also my bmr) on rest days, and up to 2500 on exercise days - last month i skimped on the exercise and went over my calories nearly every week, yet i still lost a pound a week.
even at my goal weight, my BMR is 1550, and i have no plans of eating less than that.
i dont need to lose faster than that - id rather it come off slowly and stay off. i know i cant stick with 1200 or less calories a day - i turn into a major ***** and cant function. ive lost almost 40 lbs in 6 months, so not too much different from you (and i probably could have lost more if i stuck to my calories more) - yet i get to eat more and enjoy my foods without feeling guilty or deprived. i eat out, i eat pizza, ice cream, cake, chips...whatever i want.
i dont want to lose muscle, i dont want my skin to get more saggy than it has to, i dont want to screw up my hormones even more than they already are. so i eat more than 1200 and enjoy it.0 -
excellent article..... there has been a lot of research on this, especially in the USA military, albeit quite a few years ago,
you may be 'starving' from a reduction in calories but def not in 'starvation mode' unless you are 'super skinny/underweight'!!!!!!
well done for posting the link :-)
Thank you and that is what I took from this0 -
So you WANT to eat less than 1200 calories? Why?
If I can:
keep more muscle,
have more energy,
enjoy more food,
be more likely to stick with my diet
AND lose weight,
I pick that option.
I eat 2000 calories or MORE.0 -
why not change your screen name from committobefit to committobeskinny?0
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I don't believe that eating under 1200 will cause anyone to not lose or gain weight.
I have first hand experience that eating under 1200 resulted in slower, more frustrating weight loss, with excessive loss of muscle, causing me to look a lot worse at my "goal weight" than I did years later eating around 1800-2000.
Photos here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore
So, if I could eat more and have better progress all around... why wouldn't I?!0 -
taser you never fail to impress \m/ winwhy not change your screen name from committobefit to committobeskinny?0 -
Lovin' it. Thanks!0
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why not change your screen name from committobefit to committobeskinny?
Nvm...too mean!
To the OP. You do what works for your body, nobody can be the judge of that.0 -
Kind of ironic for the author to use a photo where someone starved himself to look sickly as an example. Sure, he dropped a dramatic amount of pounds. How much of that was muscle loss?0
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No need to be rude here.
In the past, I have lost weight fast (and yes, KEPT IT OFF) by not eating so much. I just cut everything in half, if that. I could drop 10lbs in 2 weeks. In the last year or so, I just didn't care. I ate whatever. I gained 20lbs, so what. Now that I'm counting calories and trying, I'm used to a lower food intake and I find that I'm below my calorie goal a LOT. And guess what? I'm still losing weight
I guess it all just depends on the body. Not everyone is the same.0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.0 -
I just find it sooooooo hard to believe that I weight 60 lb more than I need to and reducing my calories to 1200 calories a day or less will PREVENT me from losing weight? It just does not make sense to me! Also about 4 years ago after I had my 3rd baby I weighed about 220 lb and went on a diet that was lower than 1200 calories per day and had absolutely no problem whatsoever losing the weight within 6 months time...I went from 205 (to be fair..baby weight) to about 150 in 6 months eating less than 1200 cal per day, lifting weights daily and eating whatever I wanted on a Saturday...And I was 37 years old 4 years ago so the age factor was against me as well! Why was I able to lose this weight so successfully when everywhere I read on here everyone says I must eat well over 1200 to lose...remember I lifted weights every single day and ate less than 1200 (some days probably 900) and still lost around 50 lb in 6 months...I am interested your opinions on this...
It won't but you will BE hungry and its not the right way! I set my calories @ 1200 but I add all my workouts into them.. so I normally EAT 1500-1800 per day. Even on Days I skip a workout I never eat 1200 unless, I am sick.
I lost 35lbs in 2.5 months.. but when I did lose it I WAS hungry.. that is why I gained some back. That is why I always lose and gain weight. Eventually I got use to be being hungry and just ignored it.
All in all do what works best for you... eventually you will learn!0 -
I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
Wow....I don't even know what/how to respond to this.
under 1000 calories is not healthy at all, much less 750.
Not being rude, being honest.
Good luck to you.0 -
Beautifully said.I don't believe that eating under 1200 will cause anyone to not lose or gain weight.
I have first hand experience that eating under 1200 resulted in slower, more frustrating weight loss, with excessive loss of muscle, causing me to look a lot worse at my "goal weight" than I did years later eating around 1800-2000.
Photos here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore
So, if I could eat more and have better progress all around... why wouldn't I?!
I think people get hung up and on what the definition of starvation mode is and end up arguing about that. I don't think there's any question, though, that our metabolisms slow down if we cut our calories more than necessary. Who wants that? I know I don't. I wouldn't have gotten too fat in the first place if I didn't love my calories, so the more I can eat and still lose fat, the better.0 -
bump0
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I think it's important to remember that there's more to your calories than just...calories.
I support eating 1200+ not because I don't think that weight loss isn't possible with a <1200 cal diet,
but because I feel it is difficult to maintain all the nutrients your body needs on a long-term diet of <1200 cals.
I also feel it is difficult to retain/gain muscle on such a huge cal deficit.0 -
It's just not healthy to eat that few calories. Your body requires a certain amount to just maintain, even if you sat on the couch all day long. Extended period of time doing this WILL have a negative affect on your weight loss because your body NEEDS those calories your not getting, so it's going to hold on to what it can! #CommonSense0
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The article is pretty good. I have one major contention - your body will burn you muscles for energy before it attacks fat, because it requires too much energy to maintain muscles unless you eat enough and exercise. However the whole "starvation mode" is a misnomer, it's more conservation mode when it turns to burning muscles. But, maintaining muscle mass requires getting enough protein. I lost a lot of weight on a medical weight loss plan, but did not lose a lot of muscle because I exercised and ate almost all protein! So near starvation level diets work, but only under carefully watched conditions!0
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I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
What's the issue? Anorexia. Eating that little is disordered eating. That's the nutritional requirements of a 30 pound Cocker Spaniel.0 -
So there is a lot of debate on if starvation mode is real or not, but it isn't sustainable.
There are 3 key questions you need to ask yourself before going on a drastic calorie reduction plan:
1. How will you maintain the weight once you get to goal?
2. Can you do this for the rest of your life?
3. What happens when I start eating normally again?
And the answer never seems to lead back to a plan using drastic calorie reduction, because you'll either fail at maintaining the weight loss, gain once you start eating normally or go on a binge to make up for lost time.
Yes it is calories in, calories out to lose weight but the goal isn't to lose weight, the goal is to say goodbye to that extra weight permanently. I'd much rather pick a solution that fits into the life I plan to lead now and for the next 70 years.0 -
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I so agree with this article. Thanks for posting. I too am tired of people telling me I'm not eating enough. If I wasn't eating enough, I'd be skinny!! I have been lowering my calories and upping my workouts and am losing weight. THAT'S THE WAY IT WORKS! at least for me. 0
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I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not because im trying to have it help me lose weight.
I eat all throughout the day and im full to the max when i finish eating.
WHATS THE ISSUE?
People would rather me eat until im sick just so i can say im eating over 1000 calories?
No thank you.
Wow....I don't even know what/how to respond to this.
under 1000 calories is not healthy at all, much less 750.
Not being rude, being honest.
Good luck to you.
Has anyone every thought about how many calories veggies have? not that much.
Im eating tons of veggies and filling myself up and what the hell am i supposed to do if its still not getting over 750?
Im not going to go and eat a bunch of trash food to make it there.0
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