Getting enough calories and the body's starvation mechanism
 

Okay, so everyday I've been eating fewer calories. I went from about 2500 eating whatever I wanted, whenever I felt like it. Then when I started watching it, it went from 2200 to about 1450. But I read that if you eat too few calories it can trigger your body's starvation mechanism and cause you to hold on to the fat and lose muscle instead of the other way around.

I'm 5'1" and 197. All the calculators I've done said I need over 2000 calories. I don't know how I can eat that many calories and still eat healthy. UGH!!!!

That sounds too high to me, too, unless you are a pretty serious athlete. What's your age and activity level?

I don't know--take a look at this (located at http://www.countcarbs.com/tools/basal_metabolism.htm):

Your Basal Metabolic Rate represents the minimum calories your body needs each day for basic function like heartbeat, blood flow, body temperature regulation, respiration, etc.. It does not include calories your body will use for movement and activity.

In order to effectively lose weight, you must eat enough calories each day to meet your basal metabolic requirements. If you eat too few calories, your body will lower your metabolism and begin to conserve energy for survival.

The Basal Metabolic Rate returned to you is based on your height, weight and gender. Eat enough calories each day, with your carbohydrate, protein and fat intake based on your plan requirements, to meet this basal metabolic requirement. You will still be in a calorie deficit because you are eating less than your Active Metabolic Rate (the additional calories you'll use for movement) so there is no need to eat less calories than your Basal Metabolic Rate - and doing so, again, may cause you to stall or stop losing weight.

The majority of females can safely consume up to 200 calories more than their Basal Metabolic Rate and continue to lose weight.

The majority of males can safely consume up to 350 calories more than their Basal Metabolic Rate and continue to lose.

My basal metabolic rate on this site was approx. 1697, and based on what this article says I can still lose weight eating that many calories/day as long as I am exercising...hmmmmm...maybe eating 1200/day is why my weight loss is going kind of slowly...

Says mine is 1687. I think a lot of those calculators are hokey.

If you are losing weight at a reasonable pace (1-2 pounds each week) and don't feel sluggish then I would suggest that your calorie level is fine. The calculators found on the web as well as some of the mathmatical formulas you'll find in books can give you a starting point to consider but if you pay close enough attention your body will tell you all you need to know.

IMHO, the phrase "starvation mode" is thrown around fairly loosely. Yes, it exists and can happen, but it doesn't kick in as easily as some people claim. Also, minimum calorie requirements (usually no fewer than 1200 is recommended) are more for insuring your body is getting the nutrients it needs to function and not so much about preventing starvation. And, of course, eating enough of the proper foods supports your body in losing what you want to lose - fat.

Even if you are exercising on a regular basis you aren't going to starve on 1400-1500 calories a day. That doesn't mean you might not be able to increase them and still lose weight just that you don't have to worry about your body shutting down and holding onto all of the fat reserves for survival either.

Those calculators like jawsmom said are just guesstimates. Basically you just need to feel out your own needs on calories. Listen to your body, and adjust according to weightloss and hunger.

Yep, I think a person would know if they were in that sort of zone- feeling listless, and vaguely hungry all the time, losing sleep because of hunger, etc. That's how I felt in the beginning when I really was too restrictive with calories.You should not feel physically uncomfortable at all, after the first week or so, if you are getting enough.

Also, it matters what you're eating. You can eat less calories when you're getting plenty of protein. Most of my meals consist of a protein and a veggie, or a protein and a fruit, or a protein and a healthy carb like brown rice. I feel pretty good like that, and I range between 1300 and 1500 these days. Used to be 1500 to 1700, but I lowered it to adjust for my weight loss- I was on a plateau. I won't go below 1200, ever.

Well, I eat between 1200-1400 cals a day, sometimes less, and my weight loss has been just fine. I walk alot, but haven't been doing much other type of exercise. The basal calculator said I should be eating over 1600 calories a day. Nope.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tra...2/125/212/.png

From my experience, if I don't eat enough I don't lose, period. I have a very sedentary job, and while I do work out I never do so for more than about 30 min a day, with 2 rest days a week. I'm on WW but all of my food is really high fiber, and I consume about 1800 calories a day. I'm losing approx. 1-1.5 lbs a week on that.

It sounds cliche, but the key for me was breakfast. I've tried eating as little as 1200 calories in the past without losing anything, but I used to eat one big meal a day and maybe a snack. Now I eat 5 small meals/snacks and one big meal, which is breakfast. I feel better, and I can consume a LOT more calories this way while still losing.

It's different for everyone, but don't discount the fact that you might be able to eat more and lose right away. I would never limit myself to less than 1500 calories a day, and that's because when I hit maintenance I want to be able to eat a decent amount and not gain. I've now added in weight training and plan on eating more to accomodate for that, and I think that will help quite a bit as well.

I don't believe you'll put yourself into starvation mode if you're above 1200, but if you can eat more calories and still lose then it's worth a shot. The human body is very adaptable, and the metabolism in particular is pretty changable.

Calculators are just guesstimates. You can have two people who both are the same height, weight, and age-and if one does leisurely walking for exercise, and the other one strength trains, jogs a few miles a week, and does a twice weekly yoga class-then obviously the second person will need more calories than the first.
LMG-when I was at 197, I was eating about 1800-1900 and losing weight, which is not really far off from where your calculator has you. You can definitely eat 1800-1900 healthy calories a day...and for a lot of maintainers (who have already lost their weight and are keeping it off) maintenance calories can vary from 1500-2500 depending on their level of activity, gender, age, and other things. It depends on the person individually.
A good way to guage the level for you is to eat say, 1800 a day for a week. Weigh in. If you lose 1/2-2 pounds on that level, then that level is for you right now. If you lose more than that-then bump it up 100 calories a day, if you don't lose at all, then drop it down 100 calories a day. Experiment with it to find the level that works best for you. :)

Thanks for the support guys! I'm eating right around 1200-1300 a day, and I've lost about 2 pounds so far this week (official weigh in is tomorrow morning.) So I'm not so worried about not losing by not eating enough. Glad I found this place! :)