[Blueyedblond]

When I see people post about how many calories they are eating there is often mention of how many calories is too few. I know that most say that anthing below 1200 calories will put you into starvation mode. However, I am only 4'10 inches tall and I weigh 128lb. Can some one my size not go to 1000 calories and not put my metabolism on shut down. My ideal weight is suposed to be from 98 to 110 pounds. My personal lowest weight as an adult was 103lbs. Shouldnt I be ok to bring my calories down to 1000?

[Suzanne 3FC]

Are you losing weight at 1200 calories? The main reason not to go below this amount is not necessarily because of starvation mode (which is debatable) but because it's difficult to get all of the nutrients and energy you need if you don't consume enough food.

If you are losing at 1200 calories, perhaps at the rate of 1 or 2 pounds per week, then I'd personally suggest you stick with it. If you are not losing, then you might drop to 1100 and see what happens, then drop one more time if you have to. Equally important is the number of calories you are burning, since weight loss is a result of calories in vs calories out. Are you getting enough exercise every day? Most people should exercise about 60 minutes per day, most days of the week for weight loss. So if you are not losing at 1200 calories and are not exercising, then adding exercise should be all you need to reach your goal.

Please keep us updated with any changes you make and how it impacts your weight loss. Good luck!

[aphil]

I second Suzanne in the fact that there is no reason to drop below 1200 if you can lose weight on that level at a reasonable rate of 1/2-2 pounds per week. This means WITH exercise though...if you are on 1200 and not losing weight, but you are pretty sedentary-then the reason you aren't losing isn't because of your diet, but because you need to exercise.

Causing a calorie deficit-making you lose weight-is a whole of two parts. You cause the deficit by exercising to burn calories, and also from consuming less. It doesn't do you any good to consume less, less, less-but then be doing so because you are not exercising-or not exercising ENOUGH.

I agree that starvation mode isn't the real main reason that I recommend not going below 1200 on a regular basis-it is nutritional needs of the body, which are hard to complete below that level.

Another option for you rather than going below 1200 all of the time (if you find that you end up needing to) is to cycle your calories. This basically means that you might eat 1200 calories a day for a week or two, and then cycle down to 1000 or 1100 for a week-and then return to 1200 for the next couple of weeks. This could give you the best of both worlds if you actually do need that added boost-but you wouldn't be going so low all of the time-and possibly not taking in the nutrients your body needs.

[Blueyedblond]

I am exercising. I do kickboxing aerobics 4 days a week for about 1 1/2 hours.
The 2 days I dont do the kickboxing I do The Firm. So I exercise 6 days a week. I love to exercise, I just wish I had more time to do more