less calories=less weight loss?

Not that I noticed from my habits over the past 5 years after having my kid. I am by no means in a healthy calorie range, but the more I eat the fatter I get. This includes working out 3-5 times a week.So I would say no to that idea but i am no nutritionist. I lost the 62 pounds in 5 years, but most of it happened the last two years from tons of cardio and low calories. I am not a good example though so you should ask someone more educated. Good luck to you!

Starvation mode as it's expressed here is largely a myth.

If you maintain a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. You can't gain weight by lowering your calories. You can't stop your weight loss either -- IF you keep your calorie expenditure the same. (More on that later.)

Now, there are a few things that happen when you eat less calories than your body needs to maintain its weight. First, your body makes more ghrelin, which makes you hungrier. Second, your body will lower your metabolism a bit. This happens even to people who are losing only 1 lb. a week, btw. It's an inevitable side-effect of dieting. However, the larger your calorie deficit and the longer you maintain that deficit, the more your metabolism slows down.

In a famous study on starvation, the subjects ate a starvation diet for months. At the point where their body fat got to around 5-6%, their metabolism had slowed down as much as 40%. However, THEY STILL LOST WEIGHT. They were miserable and on death's door, but they were still losing weight.

OTOH, if your metabolism slows down a lot, you are getting diminishing returns.

Let's say you have a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day. You'll probably lose a pound a week. If you have a calorie deficit of 1000 calories a day, you might lose 2 lb. a week. But your metabolism might slow down enough that you only lose 1.75 lb. a week. Okay, that's still not bad. But what if you have a calorie deficit of 1500 calories a day? You definitely will not lose 3 lb. a week. You might lose 2-2.25. Well, gee, that's hardly worth it, is it? It's a lot of pain (and health risk), for not much gain.

Of course, the other side of the equation is exercise. If you increase your exercise, it will counteract the slowdown in your metabolism. But what happens to a lot of people when they lower their calories significantly is that they also decrease their activity. Their body sends them "you're so tired" messages and they sleep more, take naps, don't move around as much.

The combination of a lower metabolism and less activity means they no longer are maintaining a calorie deficit. THEN the weight loss stops.

It can be a fine line for some people, too. I found that at times, increasing my calories by a mere 100 a day was enough for me to maintain my energy level. (I also ate a lot of protein and that helped too.) So I don't think it was a fine line for me. :laugh: But everyone is different.

kali, I checked out your profile really quick and I think I see where the problem might be. You're only fifteen? Your metabolism is off the charts right now, so you definitely need to be giving it more fuel for you growing body---yes it's still growing! I'm 20, going on 21, and my body is still changing too! You said in your profile you would like to fit into your "old clothes"...from when? Age 12? When you were pre-pubescent?:laugh: lol I'm sure if you have *any* weight to lose, it will come off quickly if you focus on eating healthy foods and being active. Make sure you're getting at least 1200 cal a day to nourish that activity as well as your natural body growth and you will be in great shape. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

As you get older your metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories) will naturally slow down -- don't help it along!

Also, if you don't consume enough calories it can make a person tired and sluggish. I know when I was in high school I would be starving by 4th period (math class) and would basically put my head down and try to not pass out. Needless to say, I did not do very well in math!! What I didn't know at that time was that because I was incredibly active (20 hours of dance per week) I needed many more calories than what I was consuming. Learn from my mistakes and try to keep healthy snacks in your locker so you can avoid the vending machines and junk food in the cafeteria. It will make school easier, and it will keep your metabolism chugging along.

Best of luck to you!

Agree with all of the above.