Obsession with starvation mode...

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Replies

  • pwittek10
    pwittek10 Posts: 723 Member
    I am 5'2 and 117, I do not eat 1400 calories a day, I have lost all the weight I want to and I eat 1000 average.
    That is what my maintance is all about.
    Today I ate 1400 + and we will see what happens to the weight.
    I just wanted to test it!
  • modernmom70
    modernmom70 Posts: 373 Member
    Good luck with your super slow metabolism and lean muscle loss! :flowerforyou:

    For your info, I'm eatining my TDEE of 1700(sedentary) and logging my exercise calories plus any deficit in my calories. I average 850 deficit.

    This BMR calorie thing is really annoying me now. Your body needs x amount of vitamin A, x amount of vitamin C etc per day. In a good diet meeting BMR these requirements will be met.

    So now you burn some off, physiologically your body doesn't care if it uses calories recently ingested or stored calores. So, in this situation it will use stored calories.

    BUT... as far as BMR goes, your have met it, you have fuelled your body in its daily nutients.

    To test this try logging MFP at 800 cals gross, assuming goal/BMR of 1300. It tells you that you are under calories and in starvation mode.
    Try logging it with your targer calories met and then take off your exercise. It no longer warms your of starvation mode. Point proven no?

    MFP is therefore happy you fuelled your body for the day (at BMR and exercise doesn't come in to it!)

    How are you obtaining your excercise calories? Is it from mfp or a hrm? If it's from mfp you may be overestimating and may actually not have as much of a deficet as you think.
  • I am 5'2 and 117, I do not eat 1400 calories a day, I have lost all the weight I want to and I eat 1000 average.
    That is what my maintance is all about.
    Today I ate 1400 + and we will see what happens to the weight.
    I just wanted to test it!

    Kinda sucks to starve forever.
  • beaujam
    beaujam Posts: 2
    Ok yes, very recently I ate enough to get fat - but now Ive cut out fast food, etc, and really AM struggling to reach my goal cals. Its frustrating, because here I am, at the end of the night, 500 cals short, but dont want to just shove something unhealthy in my mouth just for the sake of meeting my caloric goal. I dont think an apple's gonna cut it! Not to mention, Im not necessarily hungry right now either... Dont know what to do. Just started a couple days ago, and last night was under by 300 cals I think... :(
  • LiddyBit
    LiddyBit Posts: 447 Member
    I just think if ANYONE is extremely concerned about their bodies entering "starvation mode" from a particular caloric intake..You should consult your doctor or nutritionist. I'm not sure if this (MFP) is the best resource..I'm just saying..

    Possibly the best advice I've read on this site yet.

    Yes good advise except I would replace doctor and nutritionist with dietition because most doctors are not schooled much in nutrition and anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. Dietitions are educated and regulated.

    Doctors are pretty educated in physiology, though. Which would include issues of starvation and the mythic "starvation mode."
  • HeidiHoMom
    HeidiHoMom Posts: 1,393 Member


    We all got overweight by eating too much. It makes me laugh so much when people are now saying they are struggling to eat their calories due to exercise etc We didn't have a problem eating them not so long ago but now we have a problem reaching them?

    No one is saying to overeat. Eating above your BMR and below maintenance is still a deficit.

    You come off as pretty rude by the way, and you have no scientific peer reviewed studies here to back up what you're saying. There are hundreds of studies in medical journals, however, that do support eating at least your BMR.

    But you go ahead and eat your 1200 calories.

    I will eat my 1600 and be much happier. As you can see I have lost almost 20 lbs....but I guess it's not working.
    The OP never suggested eating below BMR.

    You're right, the OP is advocating netting less than your BMR. I am not netting less than my BMR and I am losing more since upping my calories.
  • HeidiHoMom
    HeidiHoMom Posts: 1,393 Member
    I just think if ANYONE is extremely concerned about their bodies entering "starvation mode" from a particular caloric intake..You should consult your doctor or nutritionist. I'm not sure if this (MFP) is the best resource..I'm just saying..

    Possibly the best advice I've read on this site yet.

    Yes good advise except I would replace doctor and nutritionist with dietition because most doctors are not schooled much in nutrition and anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. Dietitions are educated and regulated.

    Doctors are pretty educated in physiology, though. Which would include issues of starvation and the mythic "starvation mode."


    Where are your scientific studies to show that starvation mode is a myth?

    There are many scientific studies that show it is real.
  • Autry403
    Autry403 Posts: 82 Member
    I eat around 1200 -1400 calories a day & I never eat back my net calories . I always gain weight & I'm eating low fat , low carb organic diet . So I don't know how much more extreme I can get on this . I have only seen healthy 1-2lbs / week weight loss by not eating back my calories . Plus I just listen to my grandmother whom I live with . She just tells me to exercise 45 min . / day . Don't eat after 7pm & Eat 3 small meals / day . If I'm hungry I can have small snack in between . But when I switched my diet over to organic I haven't been eating as much because I get full faster . Reason why is there is no additives in these organic foods that make you over eat . When I ate unhealthy I could eat large portions and not be full . Besides the fact that my metabolism is high now , thanks to this supplement I take ( Cayenne Fruit ) . So I don't have to worry about slow progress either . So far I've lost 9lbs this past month slowly but surely . It's all a matter of what works for each individual person , everyone's body reacts differently to different things . Good luck with your weight loss though ! :flowerforyou:


    Wow. Just wow.


    Seems like I'm always getting these reactions lately ... At least I have my husband for support , since I see not all of you are going to support my habits . Oh well , can 't please everybody ! :happy:
  • LoggingForLife
    LoggingForLife Posts: 504 Member
    Well, if you have it down, open up your diary and let us take a look. How much weight have you lost since Aug. of 2010? Put your money where your mouth is!!!!
  • HeidiHoMom
    HeidiHoMom Posts: 1,393 Member
    “Adaptive reduction in basal metabolic rate in response to food deprivation in humans: a role for feedback signals from fat stores. Dulloo, Jaquet 1998. American journal of clinical nutrition.

    Quote:

    “It is well established from longitudinal studies of human starvation and semistarvation that weight loss is accompanied by a decrease in basal metabolicrate (BMR) greater than can be accounted for by the change in body weight or body composition”

    Doucet, et al 2001. British journal of nutrition. “Evidence for the existence of adaptive thermogenesis during weight loss.”

    quote:

    “It should be expected that the decrease in resting energy expenditure that occurs during weightloss would be proportional to the decrease in body substance. However, in the case of underfeeding studies, acute energy restriction can also lead to reductions in resting energy expenditure which are not entirely explained by changes in body composition.”

    Handbook of Obesity Treatment, by wadden and stunkard
    (two of the top obesity scientists and researchers in the world )

    quote:

    “The starvation response - which is an increase in food seeking behavior - is most likely mediated by the decrease in leptin associated with caloric deprivation.”

    Textbooks on nutritional biochemistry also acknowledge the decrease in metabolism and distinguish it as an adaptive mechanism, distinct from the decrease in energy expenditure that would be expected with weight loss. In this case, the author also mentions another downside of very low calorie diets: spontaneous reduction in physical activity.

    Biochemical And Physiological Aspects of Human Nutrition by SM. Stipanauk, professor of nutritional sciences, Cornell University (WB Saunders company, 2000)

    Quote:

    During food restriction, thermic effect of food and energy expenditure decrease, as would be expected from reduced food intake and a reduction in total body mass. Resting metabolic rate, however declines more rapidly than would be expected from the loss of body mass and from the decline in spontaneous physical activity due to general fatigue.

    This adaptive reduction in resting metabolic rate may be a defense against further loss of body energy stores."

    Granted, it is more often referred to as “metabolic adaptation” or “adaptive reduction in metabolic rate.” However, starvation mode and starvation response are both terms found in the scientific literature, and they are more easily understood by the layperson, which is why I choose to use them.

    Another effect of starvation mode is what happens after the diet: A sustained increase in appetite and a sustained reduction of metabolic rate that persists after the diet is over. Although controversial, this too is documented in the literature:

    American Journal clinical nutrition 1997. Dulloo “post starvation hyperphagia and body fat overshooting in humans.”

    American Journal Clin Nutrition 1989, Elliot et al. “Sustained depression of the resting metabolic rate after massive weight loss”

    quote:

    “Resting metabolic rate of our obese subjects remained depressed after massive weight loss despite increased caloric consumption to a level that allowed body weight stabilization.”

    and Dulloo 1998:

    "The reduction in thermogenesis during semistarvation persists after 12 weeks of restricted refeeding, with its size being inversely proportional to the degree of fat recovery but unrelated to the degree of fat free mass recovery."
  • annhjk
    annhjk Posts: 794 Member
    Good luck with your super slow metabolism and lean muscle loss! :flowerforyou:

    Exactly my thoughts. You'll lose weight, but it'll be muscle, not fat. I've been meeting with a nutritionist, eaten clean at 1700 calories, balanced carbs and protein, etc - everything he tells me to do. Finally did a BMR test. Fund out I burn 2200 cal -just sitting doing nothing - it's higher with daily activities. I'm eating 2700 calories ans still not gaining or losing. I'll probably have to eat more since when he measures body comp, I'm losing muscle. I've been on here forever and eat well. Some people have eaten way over and gained weight, some are under and not losing because their body is hiding in to fat in case it needs it, others just need to eat the right foods to lose weight. It all depends on the person.
  • sdavis448
    sdavis448 Posts: 193 Member
    When I spoke to my doctor about this, he said that at my weight (was 280 at the time, now 267) eating back calories would be stupid. As long as I am eating at least 1200 calories a day, my body is getting what it needs.

    He went on to say that "starvation mode" is more of a concern for people at a healthy weight, with a very low body fat percentage.

    Basically, at my weight, and body fat percentage.. my body has more then enough fat to go through when I do not eat back calories to hit that 1200 mark. My body will not go to the lean muscle (not that there is much), until my body fat percentage goes way down.
  • I eat around 1200 -1400 calories a day & I never eat back my net calories . I always gain weight & I'm eating low fat , low carb organic diet . So I don't know how much more extreme I can get on this . I have only seen healthy 1-2lbs / week weight loss by not eating back my calories . Plus I just listen to my grandmother whom I live with . She just tells me to exercise 45 min . / day . Don't eat after 7pm & Eat 3 small meals / day . If I'm hungry I can have small snack in between . But when I switched my diet over to organic I haven't been eating as much because I get full faster . Reason why is there is no additives in these organic foods that make you over eat . When I ate unhealthy I could eat large portions and not be full . Besides the fact that my metabolism is high now , thanks to this supplement I take ( Cayenne Fruit ) . So I don't have to worry about slow progress either . So far I've lost 9lbs this past month slowly but surely . It's all a matter of what works for each individual person , everyone's body reacts differently to different things . Good luck with your weight loss though ! :flowerforyou:


    Wow. Just wow.


    Seems like I'm always getting these reactions lately ... At least I have my husband for support , since I see not all of you are going to support my habits . Oh well , can 't please everybody ! :happy:

    you're 18 years old--probably still developing your reproductive system and even if you aren't--your metabolism SHOULD be rather high. you're eating the very minimum for a small, sedentary female and restricting 2 major food groups. it isn't sustainable in the slightest.
  • xHelloQuincyx
    xHelloQuincyx Posts: 884 Member
    I eat around 1200 -1400 calories a day & I never eat back my net calories . I always gain weight & I'm eating low fat , low carb organic diet . So I don't know how much more extreme I can get on this . I have only seen healthy 1-2lbs / week weight loss by not eating back my calories . Plus I just listen to my grandmother whom I live with . She just tells me to exercise 45 min . / day . Don't eat after 7pm & Eat 3 small meals / day . If I'm hungry I can have small snack in between . But when I switched my diet over to organic I haven't been eating as much because I get full faster . Reason why is there is no additives in these organic foods that make you over eat . When I ate unhealthy I could eat large portions and not be full . Besides the fact that my metabolism is high now , thanks to this supplement I take ( Cayenne Fruit ) . So I don't have to worry about slow progress either . So far I've lost 9lbs this past month slowly but surely . It's all a matter of what works for each individual person , everyone's body reacts differently to different things . Good luck with your weight loss though ! :flowerforyou:


    Wow. Just wow.


    Seems like I'm always getting these reactions lately ... At least I have my husband for support , since I see not all of you are going to support my habits . Oh well , can 't please everybody ! :happy:

    can you stick with it though? i have logged every day the past two years. you diary seems a bit empty O.O
  • 2April
    2April Posts: 285 Member
    “Adaptive reduction in basal metabolic rate in response to food deprivation in humans: a role for feedback signals from fat stores. Dulloo, Jaquet 1998. American journal of clinical nutrition.

    Quote:

    “It is well established from longitudinal studies of human starvation and semistarvation that weight loss is accompanied by a decrease in basal metabolicrate (BMR) greater than can be accounted for by the change in body weight or body composition”

    Doucet, et al 2001. British journal of nutrition. “Evidence for the existence of adaptive thermogenesis during weight loss.”

    quote:

    “It should be expected that the decrease in resting energy expenditure that occurs during weightloss would be proportional to the decrease in body substance. However, in the case of underfeeding studies, acute energy restriction can also lead to reductions in resting energy expenditure which are not entirely explained by changes in body composition.”

    Handbook of Obesity Treatment, by wadden and stunkard
    (two of the top obesity scientists and researchers in the world )

    quote:

    “The starvation response - which is an increase in food seeking behavior - is most likely mediated by the decrease in leptin associated with caloric deprivation.”

    Textbooks on nutritional biochemistry also acknowledge the decrease in metabolism and distinguish it as an adaptive mechanism, distinct from the decrease in energy expenditure that would be expected with weight loss. In this case, the author also mentions another downside of very low calorie diets: spontaneous reduction in physical activity.

    Biochemical And Physiological Aspects of Human Nutrition by SM. Stipanauk, professor of nutritional sciences, Cornell University (WB Saunders company, 2000)

    Quote:

    During food restriction, thermic effect of food and energy expenditure decrease, as would be expected from reduced food intake and a reduction in total body mass. Resting metabolic rate, however declines more rapidly than would be expected from the loss of body mass and from the decline in spontaneous physical activity due to general fatigue.

    This adaptive reduction in resting metabolic rate may be a defense against further loss of body energy stores."

    Granted, it is more often referred to as “metabolic adaptation” or “adaptive reduction in metabolic rate.” However, starvation mode and starvation response are both terms found in the scientific literature, and they are more easily understood by the layperson, which is why I choose to use them.

    Another effect of starvation mode is what happens after the diet: A sustained increase in appetite and a sustained reduction of metabolic rate that persists after the diet is over. Although controversial, this too is documented in the literature:

    American Journal clinical nutrition 1997. Dulloo “post starvation hyperphagia and body fat overshooting in humans.”

    American Journal Clin Nutrition 1989, Elliot et al. “Sustained depression of the resting metabolic rate after massive weight loss”

    quote:

    “Resting metabolic rate of our obese subjects remained depressed after massive weight loss despite increased caloric consumption to a level that allowed body weight stabilization.”

    and Dulloo 1998:

    "The reduction in thermogenesis during semistarvation persists after 12 weeks of restricted refeeding, with its size being inversely proportional to the degree of fat recovery but unrelated to the degree of fat free mass recovery."
    How many calories were they eating?
  • LovelyLibra79
    LovelyLibra79 Posts: 569 Member
    I just think if ANYONE is extremely concerned about their bodies entering "starvation mode" from a particular caloric intake..You should consult your doctor or nutritionist. I'm not sure if this (MFP) is the best resource..I'm just saying..

    Possibly the best advice I've read on this site yet.

    Yes good advise except I would replace doctor and nutritionist with dietition because most doctors are not schooled much in nutrition and anyone can call themselves a nutritionist.

    It's "Dietitian"...and this statement --->Dietitions are educated and regulated.????? So are you saying Doctors are not well versed in nutrition?? and forget the educated and regulated part!! There's NO other profession that is regulated and educated more than a physician...wow
  • Coyla
    Coyla Posts: 444 Member
    Starvation mode isn't a myth. It's most people's understanding of it that's a myth.

    For instance, the person who says "Anorexics starve to death and die, therefore starvation mode doesn't exist."

    However, anorexics keep living for a really long time on very few calories as their bodies self-cannibalize. They lose fat, but they also lose muscle and bone-density, and their hair falls out.

    If you restrict calories, your metabolism will slow down. It's brilliant, really. Your body becomes more efficient. The idea, however, is to restrict calories by a little, just enough to keep the metabolism going at the same rate, so you can lose weight while still eating a decent amount.

    This makes the diet easier to maintain, and you're more likely to stick with it.
  • BrionyTallis
    BrionyTallis Posts: 90 Member
    I have read all the numerous posts about being under nett cals, being under BMI etc etc

    I feel very differently about this.

    If I eat 1300 calories a day (5'4. 150lb) and then track some exercise (lets say 500 cals), I am NETTING below my net goal and my BMR, If my BMR is 1300.

    BUT - BMR isn't to do with NET carories at all. In a day, assuming the calories were nutritious ones, I have eaten my BMR calories, providing my body with the nutrients it needs. This is the key point I think people are missng.

    Let me explain. If I STARVED my body to say 800 cals a day without exercise, I am unlikely taking in the nutients required by my body. This would result in starvation mode.

    If i EAT 1300 cals and my BMR is 1300 cals then my body is getting its nutirents and energy. If I then burn 500 cals in cardio then my body will resource energy from my stores i.e. fat. My body will not starve... I am overweight like most people on this site, of course I won't starve, my body will use its energy reserves e.g. fat

    TO MAKE MY POINT I'D LIKE TO SHOW YOU THAT IF YOU 'LOG' THE DAY AT UNDER GOAL CALORIES, MFP WILL TELL YOU YOU ARE IN STARVATION MODE. THIS IS TRUE BECAUSE YOU TRULY AREN'T GETTING ENOUGH NUTRIENTS TO FUEL YOUR BODY.
    IF YOU EAT YOUR GOAL, THEN LOG EXERCISE CALORIES, MFP DOESN'T TELL YOU ARE IN STARVATION MODE, EVEN IF YOU MIGHT BE AT 600 NET

    This is because you already ate your BMR in nutrition (hopefully!). Whatever you burn off is from body reserves which us overweight people have plenty of!

    We all got overweight by eating too much. It makes me laugh so much when people are now saying they are struggling to eat their calories due to exercise etc We didn't have a problem eating them not so long ago but now we have a problem reaching them?

    To summarise, BMR requirements are GROSS not NET.

    When I first joined MFP it calculated by BMR at 1407 but recommended my net calories at 1260. For reasons I choose not to share I have eaten below 1000 calories a day and I have not been told by MFP that I am in "Starvation mode". Recently, I have been able to raise my caloric intake and gotten bright red numbers for going over the allowed 1240 net calories, but I'm not worried about that now.

    I guess I just couldn't imagine trying to live my life on so few calories. I'd rather regain my health at this point and get a sensible diet plan together with a nutritionist that allows me to eat a reasonable amount of calories (1600-1800?) with exercise built in to maintain a healthy weight.

    I don't know how yet but I do know I won't do it on such a low caloric intake. But that's me.
  • I just think if ANYONE is extremely concerned about their bodies entering "starvation mode" from a particular caloric intake..You should consult your doctor or nutritionist. I'm not sure if this (MFP) is the best resource..I'm just saying..

    Possibly the best advice I've read on this site yet.

    Yes good advise except I would replace doctor and nutritionist with dietition because most doctors are not schooled much in nutrition and anyone can call themselves a nutritionist.

    It's "Dietitian"...and this statement --->Dietitions are educated and regulated.????? So are you saying Doctors are not well versed in nutrition?? and forget the educated and regulated part!! There's NO other profession that is regulated and educated more than a physician...wow

    physicians specialize--not ALL are well versed in nutrition actually. They get a few survey courses in the subject MAYBE and MIGHT get exposed to it in practice but not necessarily. So I don't think you can say there's NO other profession more regulated.
  • Coyla
    Coyla Posts: 444 Member
    t's "Dietitian"...and this statement --->Dietitions are educated and regulated.????? So are you saying Doctors are not well versed in nutrition?? and forget the educated and regulated part!! There's NO other profession that is regulated and educated more than a physician...wow

    A Dietitian is focused solely on nutrition and how food affects the body. A doctor is focused on a lot of other things.

    The Dietitian I know is frustrated by our Starve/Gorge mentality. She says the reason we're so overweight is because we either stuff ourselves or starve ourselves. We feel guilty about eating and have an unhealthy obsession with food, kind of like how we treat sex.

    This is why the food prudes frustrate me so much. Food is meant to be enjoyed, just as alcohol, sex, and a million other things we do with our bodies. But all things in moderation.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Finally did a BMR test. Fund out I burn 2200 cal -just sitting doing nothing - it's higher with daily activities.
    @Annhjk - how did they do the BMR test? Using a bodygem or some other method? I've been looking in to this quite a bit. I'm totally sick of the estimation game and want to get this tested.
  • MariFitBody
    MariFitBody Posts: 287 Member
    Bump
  • modernmom70
    modernmom70 Posts: 373 Member
    I just think if ANYONE is extremely concerned about their bodies entering "starvation mode" from a particular caloric intake..You should consult your doctor or nutritionist. I'm not sure if this (MFP) is the best resource..I'm just saying..

    Possibly the best advice I've read on this site yet.

    Yes good advise except I would replace doctor and nutritionist with dietition because most doctors are not schooled much in nutrition and anyone can call themselves a nutritionist.

    It's "Dietitian"...and this statement --->Dietitions are educated and regulated.????? So are you saying Doctors are not well versed in nutrition?? and forget the educated and regulated part!! There's NO other profession tha t is regulated and educated more than a physician...wow

    A dietician would have more specialized knowledge than your gp about nutrtition.
  • LovelyLibra79
    LovelyLibra79 Posts: 569 Member
    I just think if ANYONE is extremely concerned about their bodies entering "starvation mode" from a particular caloric intake..You should consult your doctor or nutritionist. I'm not sure if this (MFP) is the best resource..I'm just saying..

    Possibly the best advice I've read on this site yet.

    Yes good advise except I would replace doctor and nutritionist with dietition because most doctors are not schooled much in nutrition and anyone can call themselves a nutritionist.

    It's "Dietitian"...and this statement --->Dietitions are educated and regulated.????? So are you saying Doctors are not well versed in nutrition?? and forget the educated and regulated part!! There's NO other profession that is regulated and educated more than a physician...wow

    physicians specialize--not ALL are well versed in nutrition actually. They get a few survey courses in the subject MAYBE and MIGHT get exposed to it in practice but not necessarily. So I don't think you can say there's NO other profession more regulated.

    Diet is not a speciality...all medical professionals who hold a license (Nurses, Physician Assistants & Physicians) receive the basic foundations of nutrition....ENOUGH to evaluate a diet and advise a patient if the diet will effect their health...that is all.
  • Stewie316
    Stewie316 Posts: 266 Member
    Starvation mode isn't a myth. It's most people's understanding of it that's a myth.

    For instance, the person who says "Anorexics starve to death and die, therefore starvation mode doesn't exist."

    However, anorexics keep living for a really long time on very few calories as their bodies self-cannibalize. They lose fat, but they also lose muscle and bone-density, and their hair falls out.

    If you restrict calories, your metabolism will slow down. It's brilliant, really. Your body becomes more efficient. The idea, however, is to restrict calories by a little, just enough to keep the metabolism going at the same rate, so you can lose weight while still eating a decent amount.

    This makes the diet easier to maintain, and you're more likely to stick with it.

    The thing is no matter what your deficit is, your metabolism will decrease in proportion to your weight loss when you're on a diet.
    The way everyone on MFP uses starvation mode, it is a myth. If you're overweight or obese, you won't go into starvation and even if you're at a heathy weight, you won't go into starvation mode until your body fat % is unhealthy. Even in these scenarios you can still lose weight.

    This article explains it better tan I can:

    http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/weight-loss/truth-starvation-mode
  • this entire thread was a ploy for attention. you got it. it's absurd and irresponsible to suggest there are no adverse consequences of severely restricting your caloric intake. go right ahead and you;ll be whining right along with soooo many others about hitting a plateau despite eating X calories or gaining weight when you go above X calories--even though you should be losing according to the numbers.
  • ProjectTae
    ProjectTae Posts: 434 Member
    I really really really hope this is true, I got used to eating 1200 cals a day and when I realized this wasn't healthy, I upped my calories, and everyday I get all my calories in (1650) but then I exercise and unless I eat fast food, It's sometimes impossible for my to eat 2000 cal a day!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10067655

    not very promising about physician nutritional knowledge. If a student gets a 63 on a test, that's a D, I don't want my advice coming from someone who only knows 63 % on the topic.

    Dietitians are required to pass a 4 year accredited college in dietary science or some related field. The are also required to keep their certification by taking continuing education in most states. Doctors receive minimal nutritional training in their premed years, but nothing after that. Some doctors do take more classes, but many don't.
  • rmac18
    rmac18 Posts: 185 Member
    Personally I've found that I lost 2-3 lbs a week for a few months in a row by netting well under my MFP calorie goal most days. I did this often by sheer determination to make sure I worked out and kept caloric intake in check. The problem was that I found after awhile my energy level would really drop, I could force myself to exercise but I had trouble concentrating and didn't feel well I increased my workouts and was trying hard to bust through. After a few months my weight loss came to a grinding halt and even though I was exercising and well under my MFP calorie goal. Finally I upped my calories for a week and then lost 3 lbs the following week eating more than I had in months but still working out. I'm no expert and I don't want to give advice as such but having been focused on weight loss for a year now I am finding that there is a balance in terms of caloric intake, exercise and nutrition that impacts both weight loss and how you feel. Long term I find it is important to pay attention to all of these things and find the right zone for you to meet your own goals. I think if you are willing to eat right and put effort into exercise then it is doable to lose a few pounds a week and continue that for a long time. If your goal is losing lots of weight then there are plenty of reasons to not lose more than 2-3 lbs per week so your skin won't sag and you can build strength and toning along the way as well as feel great and have energy. So basically eat right, exercise hard and be content to lose a few pounds a week, you'll get there and feel great.
  • Jp83
    Jp83 Posts: 11
    I'd like to add to all your comments:
    A low calorie diet doesn't benefit anyones physique
    I am not advocating eating below your GROSS BMR

    Look at it this way. Your BMR is 1400. You ingest 1400 calories in a nutirtioanl sound manner. Result? Your body gets what it needs in terms of nutrients - it has no reason to think it is 'starvation mode'. After all, you gave it your gross calories (+1400) so it feels well nourished,

    2 hrs later you go to the gym. You burn off 500 calories. Typical calculations on here ask you to minus that from your gross to get a net calories.

    But that doesn't mean tha the 1400 calories you ingested were not used? 60% of your blood flow was used to digest that and as far at the body was concerned you have had enough nutirents/calories. Excess calorie requirements are found from stores such as fat.

    For the record my TDEE is 1700 and I eat 1400, so not exactly starving! I make my deficit with exercise and hard exercise at that!


    maybe I should consider doing my pHD in this topic LOL













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