Starvation mode article that I found very VERY helpful....

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  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
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  • MLA5FL
    MLA5FL Posts: 28 Member
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  • mom2lakenjj
    mom2lakenjj Posts: 29
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    "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..."

    If eating less than 1200 calories a day worked out so well for you, then why are you here, needing to lose weight again? I am not saying that to be rude or mean. Just something for you to think about.

    ETA sorry I haven't figured out the quote function yet.


    Haven't had time to read everything yet but I'm going yo take the time to respond to this...I kept my weight off for about 2
    2 1/2 years but then fell into a deeeeep depression due to things id prefer hog go discuss here...stopped working out
    , ate horrible foods all day every day & gained it back..THIS would happen to anyone who lost weight whether it was the
    Way I SUCCESSFULLY did or the way YOU think is right...got my depression under control & now I'm back & ready to do it again! !
    So there ya' go that's why I'm back :)

    OH & to the guy that said I should change Mg name so rudely put..PSSH your clueless bro & that's all the time ill waste
    On your comment
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,648 Member
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    this weight watchers article is also very good

    note:

    "For example, if an individual needs 2,000 calories per day to maintain weight, reducing intake to 1,500 calories, assuming exercise stays the same, should provide a 1 pound per week weight loss (Note: 1 pound of weight is equivalent to about 3,500 calories). Furthermore, reducing to 1,000 calories should result in a weight loss of 2 pounds per week and going down to 500 calories a day should result in a weight loss of 3 pounds per week. However, if an individual actually reduces their intake to 500 calories, the weight loss would not likely be a steady 3 pounds per week because of the reduced metabolic rate. It would likely be around 2¼ to 2½ pounds. This "lower than expected" rate of weight loss is a lot different than "no" weight loss as the "starvation mode" notion proposes."

    source:
    http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501

    It's that reduced metabolic rate I would like to avoid like the plague. To me, that is the definition of starvation mode: eating so few calories that you slow your metabolism to a rate lower than it would be if you ate more. It doesn't make sense to me that someone would deliberately WANT to do that.
  • Seveen
    Seveen Posts: 14
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    how would you know if your slow weight loss was due to metabolism? or a plateau?
  • watboy
    watboy Posts: 380 Member
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    So yeah make her eat more than than she can physically eat so she can meet your standards. Great. I agree if you can eat more eat more if you can't you can't. I can't eat a ton I don't have an eating disorder I Iove food. I think it's unfair and unhelpful to be so judgmental.Some people do have an Ed this term does not need to be thrown out like it has no meaning. Ed is a serious thing and just because people don't eat as much as you can does not mean they have an ED.
    I usually eat under 750 calories BUT its not be cause 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.
  • bones24
    bones24 Posts: 27 Member
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    I think this argument has a true and false side. If you have a fair amount of weight to lose, say 30lbs or more, the greater deficit you can have without suffering from "starvation mode" because you HAVE the fat to burn. Your body realizes its extra fat it doesnt need. As you lose weight, and get down to having say 5-10lbs left to lose, you obviously have less fat to burn, therefore your body holds onto it more in fear of losing too much, enter starvation mode. I personally had this happen to me recently. I'm 120lbs and want to get down to 115, maybe 110 because I want to have good muscle tone. I WAS eating 1200 cal a day, eating back some exercise calories, and i started noticing less and less change, not to mention constant bloating, gas and heartburn. Last week I upped my calories to 1400, plus some exercise calories, and the bloating is gone, I'm WAY less irritable, and my stomach already looks better! Ideally if you have 5-10lbs left to lose you're deficit should only be enough to lose .5lbs a week, MAXXXX 1lb a wk, otherwise you're bod is gona have a harder time letting it go...which will only result in frustration!!!
    These are very good points you make. I'm also at the 5-10 lb mark of losing weight and it's coming off really slow now! Just upped my calories, hoping for the same great results as you!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    So yeah make her eat more than than she can physically eat so she can meet your standards. Great. I agree if you can eat more eat more if you can't you can't. I can't eat a ton I don't have an eating disorder Iove food. I think it's unfair and unhelpful to be so judgmental.Some people do have an Ed this term does not need to be thrown out like it has no meaning. Ed is a serious thing abd just because people don't as much as you can does not mean they have an ED.

    It's not my standards I'm worried about. It's her own body's nutritional requirements, which cannot be met on so few calories.

    If she's incapable of eating more than 750 calories, she should be seeing a doctor. Eating disorders are a very serious problem. That's why I express concern when someone is depriving themselves of the nutrients they NEED to survive.

    I know I was misinformed and ignorant of the facts not so very long ago, and thought I was eating enough because I didn't feel hungry. I wasn't eating enough... I was eating so little that my body stopped sending hunger signals, and I hurt myself in the process. I would like to help others avoid that if I can. I *wish* someone had told me then that I was doing it wrong... that what I was doing was counter productive... that there was an easier, more effective way to reach my goals... that I, in fact, would NOT reach my goals by so severely limiting my food intake. My weight goal? Yeah, I reached that. My body goal? Nope. It was the same body, just smaller. Still flabby.

    Yeah, how horrible of me to want people to be healthy and happy.
  • Seveen
    Seveen Posts: 14
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    you can't eat enough food to satisfy the recommended daily vitamin intake

    that's why you you need a multiple vitamin - dieting or not

    i doubt folks are counting the grams of vitamin c, vitamin d - my food diary doesn't do that
  • watboy
    watboy Posts: 380 Member
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    It's a beautiful thing you want to help people. I applaud it , thank you. But do we need to tell people they have an ED because they can't eat a lot of food? It's not your intentions in question it's your aproach. To everyone reading this take my opinion with a grain of salt. It's not going to make a difference either way i'll still be me and you you. Nothing wrong with that. We can all be happy if we accept that.
    So yeah make her eat more than than she can physically eat so she can meet your standards. Great. I agree if you can eat more eat more if you can't you can't. I can't eat a ton I don't have an eating disorder Iove food. I think it's unfair and unhelpful to be so judgmental.Some people do have an Ed this term does not need to be thrown out like it has no meaning. Ed is a serious thing abd just because people don't as much as you can does not mean they have an ED.

    It's not my standards I'm worried about. It's her own body's nutritional requirements, which cannot be met on so few calories.

    If she's incapable of eating more than 750 calories, she should be seeing a doctor. Eating disorders are a very serious problem. That's why I express concern when someone is depriving themselves of the nutrients they NEED to survive.

    I know I was misinformed and ignorant of the facts not so very long ago, and thought I was eating enough because I didn't feel hungry. I wasn't eating enough... I was eating so little that my body stopped sending hunger signals, and I hurt myself in the process. I would like to help others avoid that if I can. I *wish* someone had told me then that I was doing it wrong... that what I was doing was counter productive... that there was an easier, more effective way to reach my goals... that I, in fact, would NOT reach my goals by so severely limiting my food intake. My weight goal? Yeah, I reached that. My body goal? Nope. It was the same body, just smaller. Still flabby.

    Yeah, how horrible of me to want people to be healthy and happy.
  • deedah1216
    deedah1216 Posts: 16 Member
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    I never heard of starvation mode until I started using this website. At first I was concerened when the message popped up if I didn't use my 1200 calories. After researching on my own and reading this article, I'm convinced nothing bad is going to happen to me if I'm under or over 1200 calories. I try to be use between 1200 to 1300 calories per day ( my doctor suggested 1300 cal.). I exercise on a regular basis and feel good about the weight I've lost so far. Thanks for posting this article.
  • samb330
    samb330 Posts: 328 Member
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  • huntingal123
    huntingal123 Posts: 1
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    ok i have been having issues with this site...yes i would love to lose weight and become skinny and fit BUT im gaining instead of losing! before i started this whole diet thing i weighed 125 with stubborn belly fat that i couldnt lose! it wasnt too noticeable but it still bugged me..so this site says to eat 1200 calories a day! and so i been trying to do so and it has been making me gain weight and i used to eat maybe 500 cal a day! im so confused i have gained 10 pounds and now i cant stop eating im really starting to get scared if i will ever be the same again
  • watboy
    watboy Posts: 380 Member
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    I have the iphone app i've never seen that pop up. I netted 588 today, weird
  • cawleen
    cawleen Posts: 23 Member
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  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
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    OK - I have not read any previous posts (at work)

    Sorry to say this - but here you are 4 years later with 60lbs to lose - I don't know much about you, but it sounds as if whatever you did last time was not a sustainable change in your life.......

    Personally I want to be fit - but I also just want to do this once - and then maintain my new found weight for the rest of my life....

    Right from day one it was important to me to do this in a sustainable way - and the first thing that meant was never to starve myself - I have made a vow never to go below 1400 calories a day - and preferably more than that....

    So far so good - I still have a bit to go - and it is going much slower than before, but as a wise woman posted yesterday - the time will still pass - and in the end I will get to my goal - and be able to stay there...
  • D446
    D446 Posts: 267 Member
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    I have the iphone app i've never seen that pop up. I netted 588 today, weird

    It pops up after you hit complete entry
  • Ilangilang
    Ilangilang Posts: 37 Member
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  • chicpeach
    chicpeach Posts: 302 Member
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    At least part of your goal in losing weight should be to learn how to eat properly so you don't gain the weight back. If you don't learn how to responsibly eat more than 1200 calories, what makes you think that the weight will stay off and you won't be back dieting again this time next year?
  • LoggingForLife
    LoggingForLife Posts: 504 Member
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    I wouldn't call it an article. It's a blog post and is based on opinion only, and hardly convincing at that. By his theory, if I literally stopped eating for a few weeks, I would loose weight easily. Why even eat at all when I could get to my goal by not eating and then resume eating the day I reach my goal weight????

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