To think that "you can't not eat enough"

[Abbey0134]

So I've been on a really strict diet for the last 14 days, lost 6lbs the first week and only 1lb this week. I'm eating between 600 and 800 cals a day. Apparently, I'm not eating enough. Could this be true?

Body goes into starvation mode and weight loss slows.

We tend to think of the body as a machine of calories in and calories out, so reduce calories and up / keep the same the number of calories out and we will lose weight

Actually it's more helpful to think of the body as you do your monthly outgoings and budget. Have £ 1000 spare, spend £1000 to keep above water. Have £800 and you will spend £800 to keep above water.

OUr bodies are the same, whatever calories you give it, especially at the lower end of calories, your body will learn to cope with that number of calories. If you have seriously reduced the number of calories available, it will stop providing energy to functions it can afford not to, so your mental clarity may reduce, your muscle energy may reduce etc. Eventually it will shut them all down.

If you aren't losing weight with lo-cal diet, I would strongly recommend looking at your macros (i.e. your carb content). Your body regulates its energy by hormones, and if you have too much of the hormon insulin which is produced in response to eating carbs, you will find it much harder to lose weight

Reduce your carbs which reduces insulin and you won't have to worry about calories

Too few calories can and will make you very ill and I wouldn't advise it. How can you have the energy to do anything if you don't have the 'fuel' to keep your body healthy? Look after yourself.

I don't remember the details of the reasons but the 1300 calorie thing was from a course by a qualified registered nutritionist working at a redbrick university. There are a few good quality courses around either on audible or one of the MOOC sites (futurelearn, openlearn etc) which are either very cheap or free. I would recommend one.

The Diet Myth, a book by Professor Tim Spector, is interesting if you want to understand the science of it all.

I don't know the science behind it, but it happend to me a few years ago.

I got stuck with another half a stone to lose and the slimming club I was going to told me I wasn't eating enough. I increased my intake by an 2 slices of bread a day, and the remaining half a stone went!

When I was larger, I found it very easy to lose half a stone in a week, and then weight loss would stop as it as mostly water I was losing.

how are you managing on only 600 calories a day, aren't you starving?

I’m not sure if the starvation mode theory is exactly correct as we understand it but your metabolism will definitely slow down if you under-eat which will make weight loss harder.

The body adapts to periods of starvation though and is designed for this. It is accepted that during periods of starvation the body goes into autophagia and ramps up the destruction of old cells in an attempt to save it's own life presumably. This is why you can get a high from a prolonged fast. Michael Mosley is doing a lot of research into the best way to lose weight and keep it off. His findings are interesting in respect of VLCDs. They have hitherto been frowned upon but a lot of new evidence shows that actually it's what the mammalian body is designed for.

A diet plan that low in calories is usually only done under clinical supervision - are you seeing a HCP for this, and if so, check if they think you are not eating enough? Presumably the plan has been tailored to provide what is necessary for you over the next few weeks, but it is not a long term way of eating.

If your BMI is over 30 (which I assume it is, as VLCD usually only used for people whose BMI is over that) you should see a decent weight loss over the next few weeks, but there will be fluctuations during those weeks, and it is the result over the total period that matters. Overall though, 7lb in 2 weeks is very good weight loss.

"Starvation mode" has been debunked many times.

Yes, it's pretty silly how when someone posts about trying to lose weight, everyone leaps in with "oh you must eat more!". As if a person in the UK today, who has had a lifelong struggle with overeating, will accidentally starve to death in their living room.

If eating more really makes weight loss faster, how come gastric bands work then?

Exactly! All gastric bands do is make it physically impossible to eat. They don't change anything else. When you first get one you can only eat a few spoonfuls per meal and the weight comes off.

When I was eating too few calories (under 1000 a day) it sent my pcos (undiagnosed) crazy and weirdly I was bigger and could not shift the weight. So now I eat more (numerous small meals) and the weight dropped almost over night and pcos stopped being a dick!

Have to say I'm rubbish with food in general so either eat too much or don't bother eating depending on how I feel but since I started walking five miles a day (when before I led a sedentary life) I am slimmer and fitter than I have ever been and it doesn't seem to matter what I eat. I'd say increase exercise first before starving yourself.

I was coming on to say pretty much what trulybadlydeeply is saying, above. VLCD are only for people who are above a certain size - there have been some TV programmes recently showing that they can work but the people taking part all had very high BMIs in the 40s and 50s. And you need a plan for afterwards; you can't just stop and then go back to where you were.

Why are you doing this OP is it a special reason or has your GP advised it?

The Minnesota starvation experiment proves starvation mode is a myth.

Mfp recommends I eat just over 1300 calories per day to lose a pound a week. If you lose weight too fast, especially without exercise you’re risking loose skin. You’re also risking what other people have mentioned on a very low calorie diet.

This is massively unhealthy and stupid. You are running the risk of giving yourself an eating disorder. You are also almost certainly absolute hell to live with at the moment because you will be irritable, snappy, constantly thinking about food.
And you will fuck up your metabolism, so as soon as you go back to eating a reasonable amount of food, you will regain the weight you lost, plus some more.

You should up your physical activity (preferably weights) and increase your calories with healthy foods.

What matters is that you're healthy.

Unless you're very very short, 600-800kcal per day will be too much of a deficit. Try to aim for 1000kcal per day if you're trying to lose.

Starvation mode is absolute bullshite. It only seems to be a thing in the West, where, apparently, people's bodies have evolved to defy the laws of thermodynamics.

Thanks all. My Dr is on board. My plan was to start off with a decent amount of weight and then level out. I've had a gastric band that did nothing for me. I feel fine at the moment and only intended to do this low calorie for a short period anyway. It's just the 'not eating enough' thing is trotted out and I struggle to believe it. I will carry on for another week and see what happens. Then I'm off on holiday anyway, when I still intend to stay in control. I've got 4 stone to lose overall.

I twice used diet pills to kick start my weight loss. Once after illness, not because I started to overeat again. I needed to get used to eating less.

I dropped down to around 1000 calories a day. The pills helped with energy and I knew what I was doing, nutrition wise.

When I'd dropped two stone I could exercise more without damaging my joints. I'd seen a doctor about this. But this isn't sustainable unless you are happy with looking crap.

Then the exercise took over the calorie deficiency that I needed to lose weight. So I started eating 1200 a day (I'm 5.21/2, 50 years, old), but I did weights and walking, with a bit of cardio.

I used my scale at first, then measurements. But my clothes and how they fitted was more important.

If I was in asda etc and felt like buying crap, I'd try on the next size down. If I was at home I'd look in the mirror, naked and turn sideways.

The pills helped with my energy levels until the weight loss/good eating and exercise took over.

What are your energy levels like? Can't you go up to 1200 and do 400 calories worth of exercise?

What you are doing I sint sustainable.

I know two Women who've extremely yo-yo dieted and they've both ended up with osteoporosis in their 50's.their bone density has been very poor because of malnutrition through their diet.

Much better to eat and lift weights, as a Woman. Or any weight baring exercise.

X post, my Doctor supported me as well, but just until I was around 14 stone, then recommended exercise.

And you will fuck up your metabolism, so as soon as you go back to eating a reasonable amount of food, you will regain the weight you lost, plus some more.

Incorrect. She will only regain the weight she's lost if she goes back to eating at a calorific surplus. Ie, if she goes back to the old eating habits that made her overweight in the first place.

If she ups her calorie intake to maintenance rather than a surplus, she will, you guessed it, maintain her new healthy weight.

A gastric band is only appropriate for v large ppl. It does encourage you to eat much smaller servings, but people eat more often. Obvs you have to eat less calories to lose weight but too few is counterproductive

check out Dr Michael Mosley and his intermittent fasting / blood sugar diet and the importance of limiting carbs but you can have more full fat foods.

Never been sure about the science behind "starvation mode", but it can't be good to limit so much for so long, so I'm glad you say you're only doing it short term.

If you don't find it hard to maintain day after day, you might do well on the intermittent fasting diets. At least that's only calorie limiting twice a week, and it's a good sustainable way to lose weight, provided you don't eat back your deficit on the other 5 days.

Sorry, that wasn't clear - I mean if you don't find eating so little every day too hard, then it would be relatively easy to transition to limiting calories only a couple of times a week.