Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Starvation Mode: Real or not Real?

Calories in - Calories out. The key to losing weight is to burn more calories that you eat. 

Right?

But not too few calories...because then your body will go into "Starvation Mode". 

That's what we have always been told. But does it really make sense?

Have you ever seen a starving obese person? 

Do gastric bypass patients (eating 200-400 calories per day) suddenly stop losing weight? 

I am doing a little research into "starvation mode" and trying to find out if it's real. 

What I have found is that you really are not in danger of going into starvation mode unless you are 5% or less body fat. 

Clearly, I'm not under 5% body fat. 

Why am I doing this? Well, because I don't want to eat 2700 calories a day and lose 2 pounds per week. Do you realize that if I lost 2 pounds per week, it would take me SIX YEARS to lose the weight I want to lose?

That's insane, and frankly, I just don't have that kind of time. 

So, I've done the research, now I'm going to do a trial. 

For the next month, I'm going to eat between 1000 and 1200 calories a day. And I'm going to let you know what I'm eating. 

So far today I have had:
Coffee with 1 tbsp creamer and sugar: 80 calories
Cheese Stick: 80 calories
Large Banana: 110 calories
2 tbsp M&Ms: 105
Medium Apple: 80

For the rest of the day my plan is:
Wheat and Cheddar Crackers: 190
1 cup grapes: 62
Cheese Stick: 80
Chobani Champions: 100
Herbalife Shake: 172

That will be 1059 calories total. 

So far, I feel great! 

I very seriously doubt that my body will come to a screeching halt of weight lose. 

Just a note for you worriers out there:
I am taking multi-vitamins, and if I start to feel sick, or ill in any way - I will stop my experiment. 

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or expert of any kind. I am not recommending that any one follow this diet. 

3 comments:

  1. Not much chance of me going into starvation mode either. My calories for Allan's challenge are 1900. I've been trying to keep my caloric intake in the neighborhood of 1300 because I don't want to lose just one pound a week either.

    I hope you don't mind if I throw my two cents in- adding more protein might be good from a fullness and energy standpoint. Also, because this is how it would be for me, you might want to add some salad stuff for fullness. Lettuce & veg have low calories so we can eat a decent amount of them. I like quantity :)

    I hope you are able to find a good calorie level for loss.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't mind at all...I haven't gotten everything figured out! LOL!

      Delete
  2. I started at 345 lbs and ate 1200 calories a day - it was low, but I wanted to lose as much as I could, fast. I was so sick of being so big! I had 4-6 pound losses consistently for the first 6-8 months. I'm definitely not a doctor and the plan might not work for everyone, but it definitely worked for me. You find ways to maximize the calories - 1200 calories of lean protein, fruits, and veggies goes a lot further than processed snacks and fast food!

    ReplyDelete