I'm new, and while poking around the forums, I saw people referring to not putting your body into starvation mode, because, then you won't lose at all.

I sort of experienced this, I guess, taking about about 8 pounds the first week, and then remaining stagnant after that, even I was hardly eating anything at all.

I started eating a little more, and lost 2 pounds.

Is there any scientific proof for this phonemona?

How do I know when I'm eating too much, too little?

j

A general rule of thumb from my "studies" and from my program is women need at least 1200 calories a day and men need at least 1500 calories a day.

I believe there are other formulas some people use based on how much you weigh and how much you want to lose but I have never heard of a program demanding less then 1200 calories.

There are lots of charts and tools you can use to give you a general idea of what you need based on your height, weight and activity level. Check several of them (BMR calculators, etc) and go from there. After that, it might require some tweaking. Sometimes, a couple hundred calories can make the difference between feeling satisfied and fueled and feeling starving or stuffed.

There have been several threads recently referring to or citing "starvation" mode...cruise around and check them out. Most folks have come to simply not believe in it. We also don't believe in starving yourself or crash dieting or seeing how little you can eat and still survive...you will damage your health and your body and could very possibly make it more difficult for yourself as far as weight loss.

Good luck to you!!

I can speak from own experience. If I really cut down my calories to about 1000/day, eating only protein and salad, I lose weight fairly quickly. But then I stop losing weight, even though I'm not eating more.

This is what some people talk about the body going into starvation mode, where the metabolism shuts down, and doesn't burn many calories at all.

The theory is, and I've seen in a bunch of posts here and on other sites, that if you eat a little bit more, the body burns cals, and you still lose weight.

Actually, now that I'm writing it, it sounds a little nuts.

Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?

j

Some of us here, myself included, believe in eating as much as your can while still losing weight. This would mean eating at the higher range of calories while still allowing your body to lose. That way, you can always reduce your calories as you begin to stall. If you always eat at the lowest level, there is no where to fall if you stall out and stop losing. This calculator has been helpful and accurate for calculating my calories.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm