Starvation mode

Steve said:
The *real* starvation response is very real. It's just not what most think. Most think it's, "you gain fat no matter what, even in a caloric deficit." No. That's not it.

But when you start dieting, your body is going to respond, period, and there's not much you can do to combat said response. You want to lose weight. Your metabolism if going to slow down.
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The point is perhaps not whether or not we are in a calorie deficit when we gain or lose weight, because the very nature of weight loss is that there needs to be a calorie deficit. That part is clear. I think the REAL POINT is how low do we need to go to be IN a calorie deficit. In other words, if we need to eat 800 calories per day to be in a deficit (and thus to lose weight), then there is a PROBLEM. So if one is not losing on an 800 per day calorie level, then that means one's maintenance level is at 800. Now the real question is WHY? Why is that person's maintenance level so low?

My point is that yes, anyone can create a large enough calorie deficit to lose weight. We all know that if we dont eat, eventually we WILL lose fat. That is an absolute fact. But if it takes eating less than a reasonable amount to achieve a calorie deficit, we should be looking into why and trying to fix our system so that it burns calories quicker in order that our calorie deficit kicks in at a much more reasonable, higher calorie level (reasonable = satiates our hunger, gives us sufficient energy, and provides all the needed nutrients).
 
Yup.

I don't believe I said anything to refute that idea. I preach constantly the idea is to eat as much food as possible while still losing weight if long term adherence is the objective.

Though, if you aren't losing on 800 cals per day.... something is wrong medically.

Or you are extremely small.
 
killer_queen said:
I'm definitely losing...Although I do have hypothyroid so that makes it a bit more difficult.
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Yea, I would hope you're losing on that intake! How do you know you are hypothyroid? What meds are you taking?

Do you have a nutritionist?
 
Steve said:
Yea, I would hope you're losing on that intake! How do you know you are hypothyroid? What meds are you taking?

Do you have a nutritionist?
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I was just diagnosed in February...got some bloodwork done because it runs in my family and it turns out I have it too. My endocrinologist says I will have to go on synthetic thyroid hormone eventually, but my levels aren't TOO low so he is trying to see if a change in diet/exercise will help at all. But like I said, I will have to go on them eventually...but osteoperosis is also hereditary for me and thyroid meds can definitely expediate this process, so my endocrinoligist wants to hold off on the meds for as long as possible. I just turned 20.

I have a personal trainer (they're cheap here at my university), and she helps me with my food choices...but I am looking into getting a nutritionist. I just need to see if my insurance will cover it. I know they cover my trainer but I'm not sure about a nutritionist.
 
No, what you are doing is not okay. Yeah, you'll lose weight but you will also make yourself sick. After you have lost weight there is a HUGE chance you will gain it all back. You aren't teaching yourself healthy habits that can last for the rest of your life. I have thyroid issues too and yes, it sucks but you do not have to eat less than 800 calories a day in order to lose weight. You'll only make the thyroid issues worse.
 
LandonsBaby said:
No, what you are doing is not okay. Yeah, you'll lose weight but you will also make yourself sick. After you have lost weight there is a HUGE chance you will gain it all back. You aren't teaching yourself healthy habits that can last for the rest of your life. I have thyroid issues too and yes, it sucks but you do not have to eat less than 800 calories a day in order to lose weight. You'll only make the thyroid issues worse.
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why is there a HUGE chance?

is that assuming that after starving you'll cave in and binge binge binge?

what if you starve and then slowly start eating until you're at a normal amount of food rather than overeating?
 
Starving isn't just about the rebound.

It's also about the composition of what you're losing.
 
What do you mean by that?

I lost about 30 pounds on a very low calorie diet and have so far gained about 10 back. i won't know until next week if i've gained any more, because i don't have a scale. my doctor does.

I'm just afraid that I've screwed up my metabolism to the point where figuring out my maintenance level--without testing it for so long and risking more weight gain--is impossible.

Or, that gaining it back is inevitable and I'm eternally screwed.

I have godly willpower; I laugh at cravings and don't give myself cheat meals. It's been almost a year and I haven't broken my will yet, just increased slowly and then decreased because I was gaining. :|
 
Well I didn't have much muscle in the first place... I was overweight with fat and junk and stock full of pizza and ice cream.

But obviously, I did lose some, because that's what comes with a major deficit. Right now I'd like to lose weight, but if I could maintain, well, I'd be able to go on with my life without worrying that my body's storing fat right this second.
 
I cut down so much I guess because I realized that I need to cut off my unhealthy relationship with food. I have used it in the past as a comfort and it became really bad when I went to college far away from home. Food just seemed to ease the pain...except I would overeat and then feel terrible about myself. So I'm basically quitting junk food "cold turkey" if you know what I mean...and I know it's bad to be at such a low caloric intake but I can't help but feel bad feeling "full" again.

I am working out a LOT so hopefully I'm not losing too much muscle. I have been going to the gym every day, play on an intramural softball team twice a week, and have an hour-long basketball class two days a week.

I plan on slowly reintroducing the foods I used to really enjoy but in smaller amounts after I break off this unhealthy relationship with food. It's really like a bad boyfriend or something.

Luckily I'm young and can lose it *relatively* easily, hopefully won't have a lot of extra skin, and I didn't let myself get totally out of control (but it was still bad)...but at 5'6'' when I hit 200 pounds it was a huge wakeup call for me. I'm down to 182.5 so I'm feeling a lot better.
 
LandonsBaby said:
No, what you are doing is not okay. Yeah, you'll lose weight but you will also make yourself sick. After you have lost weight there is a HUGE chance you will gain it all back. You aren't teaching yourself healthy habits that can last for the rest of your life. I have thyroid issues too and yes, it sucks but you do not have to eat less than 800 calories a day in order to lose weight. You'll only make the thyroid issues worse.
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I have a low thyroid myself. I was diagnosed with it three years ago (grade 10) and abused it quite a bit for over a year (not taking my medication at all), and I had been gaining 20lbs a year to boot (since grade 8). Now I've had it under control for awhile, and even had the dosage upped a litlte bit in october. I've also maintained approximately the same weight for over a year. But now eating 2100 calories a day, and doing some exercising, I've found that the six pounds I lost were the easiest six pounds to lose of my life. Now mind you I'm 255lbs, but still, my point being that thyroids don't have to be the ultimate weight loss curse.

I also have an aunt whos thyroid is dead (she had to have it killed) and is taking synthetic thyroid treatment. She had to take a trip to a women's shelter for awhile ( long story, but not as bad as it sounds) and she happened to lose a significant amount of weight in the 1 month she was there. Why? because her eating habbits were extremely controlled while she was in that environment.

Anyways original poster, I think you should try to see a nutritionist about your 800 calories a day thing. I don't even know how you can survive on that, I was going crazy trying to stay at 1300.
 
When my wife gets ready for competition (fitness), she has to have her bodyfat below 12%. At that point she is still consuming around 1200 calories, which SHE knows is not healthy. I would say 800 is dangerous.
 
LandonsBaby said:
firecrackers, i'm not going to argue with you. i can see it would be pointless.
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Why would I want to argue?

I want to not gain weight. That's I want. :|

I'd rather you tell me that all the information about starvation mode that I've gathered is bullshit than have you agree with some bogus or challenging statement that I don't even remember making.
 
Well let's see. If you're gaining weight on 800 calories a day, there is either something wrong medically or the starvation mode thingie is true. Either way, it is NOT helping you to eat so little if you're actually gaining on this eating plan. I would think you'd want to build your metabolism back up and then cut down to a reasonable level at that point. Have you checked with a doctor about this?
 
I definatly don't have a degree or anything but I can tell you that when I was a little younger and a TON thinner than now, I went on a 500 calorie a day diet. I went from a size 16 to a 10 in exactly two months. The way I build muscule the doctor said I needed not to lose anymore weight. In about six months I regained not only what I'd lost but an aditional 12 pounds. Now, seven years later I weigh almost a hundred pounds more than that. My body quickly shuts down if I restrict any part of my diet too much now. If you are greatly reducing your calories all I can say is, please work with a doctor. You may just regret it later if you don't.
 
Forgive me for sounding too optimistic, but I seem to think that I should be able to lose the weight I need to lose (which isn't a huge amount compared to some) and slowly increase my caloric amounts later.

I never said I was only eating 800 calories a day. I set my limit at 1000, and 1500 if I do cardio that day (which I have every day). I was just having difficulty getting to my minimum at the beginning of my diet. I have been doing better, however, and the results I am having are both mathematically and physically visible.

I know this isn't the best thing for me, and I'm not a nutritionist, but I am seeing results and I have never seen such results before. I can't deny that in my eyes.
 
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killer_queen said:
I know this isn't the best thing for me, and I'm not a nutritionist, but I am seeing results and I have never seen such results before. I can't deny that in my eyes.
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See above post. Most people do indeed lose weight when they severely restrict their calories. However, most of these people also gain all their weight back within a short period of time of eating normally. So enjoy the results now, while they last.
 
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