So I've stalled in my weight loss a bit for the last week or two and I decided to count how many calories I eat on an average day since I don't really have a set plan. I thought I was getting about 1200 or so based on looking at labels but I've never counted and since I'm sort of plateauing-ish I figured I must be underestimating how many calories I eat. Well after counting it all up I'm SHOCKED to see that it's actually only exactly 740 calories.
I don't get it, am I underestimating what I'm eating somehow?? I looked up the brands of everything I eat either online or on the actual label. I definitely don't feel like I'm starving myself or anything but I guess I need to eat more?
Can my body really hold on to what I eat and store it since I'm "starving" myself?
It is critical - YES, critical that you check your calories by weighing/measuring and calculating with either software or a book. If you are eating 700 calories a day, your body may well be responding by hoarding every single calorie and stalling your loss.
You definitely need to be eating enough calories - starvation mode is real, and can wreak havoc on your metabolism.
Please, regardless of your hunger level - get your calories back up over 1200 (and at your weight - getting them back up to 1500-1600 would be a goal if I were you).
It is easy to go under your calories when eating healthy foods, and sometimes it seems scary when we have to tell ourselves to eat more. I know sometimes I enter mines in and it'll come to about 900-1000.. and if my goal is 1500-1600 or so I have to eat that much more. I find nuts to be the best food to fill in calories..they don't leave me feeling "stuffed" but I also don't feel overly hungry and they taste good and are healthy.
So true... if you eat too few calories you will go into starvation mode and your body will hold onto them all.
I'm on 1200 calories, and I've found a couple of times that I've had a cheat meal, the next week I have a good loss. Go figure! My guess is that it tells your body "I know I'm going to get a decend feed regularly, so I only need to absorb the calories I need, and I can let the rest go". Not very technical or scientific, but that's my interpretation!
So true... if you eat too few calories you will go into starvation mode and your body will hold onto them all.
I'm on 1200 calories, and I've found a couple of times that I've had a cheat meal, the next week I have a good loss. Go figure! My guess is that it tells your body "I know I'm going to get a decend feed regularly, so I only need to absorb the calories I need, and I can let the rest go". Not very technical or scientific, but that's my interpretation!
Again not true about starvation mode for everyone but I do agree its unhealthy. I never went into starvation mode when I was eating 1000 calories a day and burning 3500. How do I know? I lost 60lbs in 2.5 months. Again I want to stree I don't think what I did was healthy by any means but I'm just trying to point out not everybody goes into starvation mode.
Last edited by benchmarkman; 10-14-2009 at 06:34 AM.
I think we toss around the term "starvation mode" much too freely here. I really don't know there's much evidence for what we're talking about.
That being said, there are reasons why very low calorie diets (around 800/day) are doctor supervised. It's very hard to get in all the nutrients you need when you aren't eating many calories. In addition, it seems that many people who eat very little experience a boomerang effect after a while. At some point they start to eat more -- many binge -- and then they find they react with further cravings, have a hard time getting back to it and gain a lot of weight back. In fact, I think this cycle, sadly, is much too common.
At your starting weight, why did you pick 1200 calories? (or did you). We really generally do think of that as a cutoff under which most people should not generally go. And those who weigh more DO need more energy (calories) to do everything! So they need more. Perhaps at your weight, you might want to see how you lose on 1400-1600 calories a day and adjust from there. Everyone is different, but that would be probably be both safe and effective. Track for a couple of weeks and see!
I was working with a dietitian a few months back and this topic came up.. and this is they way she explained it.
. For people that are long time dieters.. i.e. > 3 months.. The body gradually adapts to the calories consumed regularly and learns to live on just that amount.. therefore no fat burn. The body is always trying to get to a point of equal... so she recommended (and it did work.))).
if you are on a 1300- cal diet for several months.. take a week every 3 months and increase your calories to 1500-1600 then drop back down again to the 1300 again.. It kick starts the metabolic Burn again...
Very helpful info for me and did work.. just remember to RETURN to your previous calorie count for the next 8-12 weeks.... I actually put this on my calendar so I dont' forget it..
2nd piece of info.. as others have said for a women 1200 per day it the absolute MINIMUM you should reduce daily intake otherwise the body starts pulling nutrients from the muscles of the body for food.... NOT a good thing at all..
I agree to some point. you should check out your BMR, the amt your body burns to stay "alive" and figure out if you think that is too low. i know for some women in their 200's+ 1200 is really low and seems like not enough food, BUT if you eat well, lots of veggies, fruits clean protien, it can be plenty.
That said, if you are under 800, you can increase you calories, but I would suggest no more than 10% a week till you get to where you can still lose. and maybe change your exercise. sometimes it loses it's effect when you have been doing the same thing for too long.
supervised WL is low in calories, I agree about the starvation mode said above, but those supervised diets have a lot of supplimnets and vitimines built in to keep the body optimal. they run blood test, check your blood pressure etc, so going low is not unheard of, just not recomended on your own.
For those under 150, 1200 can be a lot of calories. the more you weigh the more you burn so the less you weigh the harder it is to burn the calories.
A good example BTW is the biggest loser. the women (even the 400lb women) are on 1200 cals a day, BUT they are monitored all the time and checked all the time. and the daily goal is to burn 6000 calories a day.
jkinboston89, a week or two plateau isn't really a plateau. The body is always adjusting to what we put in it, especially if you are changing what goes in dramatically. If you are exercising now and weren't before, that will affect it too. Also, it's really difficult to say how much you are actually eating. You said you aren't on a plan. When you added up your average, how did you do that? Are you recording everything, even if you aren't really on a specific plan? Daily? How many days did you use to determine that average? I know I forget what I ate yesterday, are you sure you aren't missing anything?
At any rate, if you really are eating that little, you WILL lose weight, quickly, but it will be extremely unhealthy. I suspect that is you really, REALLY are eating that little, your lack of change on the scale is do to water fluctuations, but probably you aren't counting accurately. I suggest you write everything down for a while, using a scale or measuring cups to measure foods that aren't already in individual servings.
You should definitely be eating more than 800, more than 1200. At you weight (I was there, too) you can be eating 2000 calories a day and still lose. I CURRENTLY eat ~2000 a day, exercise less than I did 50, 60, 70 pounds ago, and still lose weight, though slowly. Your body will adapt to the lower calories, becoming more efficient, and then you have no leeway to play with anymore.
The whole starvation mode thing is grossly misunderstood and misused on this board. It really bugs me every time I hear someone use it as an excuse. ANYONE would lose weight on less than 800 calories a day. Even 2 year olds. The metabolism doesn't just shut down when you eat less, you'd be dead!, It doesn't hoard calories and add/not break down fat, either. If you aren't eating enough to support your body, your body gets smaller. 800 calories isn't enough to suppot ANY body for a day, but if you do it long enough your body will get more efficient at using those 800 calories and will not need to use as much reserve enerygy (your body fat and muscle) and weight loss will SLOW(NOT STOP).
Sorry bout that last rant, but it absolutely kills me every time I see it misused
Last edited by Tarisaande; 10-14-2009 at 09:55 AM.
Wow this helped sooo much! I'm still confused as to why the scale hasn't moved in a while, it seems too early for a plateau (or a pseudo-plateau). I haven't changed anything, i've been exercising and eating consistantly. I eat pretty much the same thing every day (that's how I know and remember what to count). I guess normal fluctuations are to blame but I also think it has to do with TOM. I was supposed to get it a few days ago and felt it coming on a week ago (cramps) but it never showed up, and thats's when the weight went haywire (I check everyday and it actually went up 7 pounds in a day).
Anyway you guys are really helpful. i will try to get my calories up right away (slowly), I honestly did not feel like I was eating too little, I literally ate whenever I was hungry. It is going to feel strange eating an extra 500 calories and then exercising a chunk of that away anyway but I guess I need to stay in the habit of working out.
Too few calories?
