Starvation mode??

[IceRebel]

I met up with a friend today for dinner, and amongst other topics we ended up on the subject of weight loss. I'm currently calorie counting and aim for between 1200-1500 calories a day, however upon hearing this my friend started spouting off information about how this wasn't healthy and I would send my body into starvation mode.

I've tried to read up about this online but it's all very confusing. Could someone explain it to me, and does it actually exist?

Anyone? :)

That theory is largely discredited now. A very low calorie diet may lead to a small fall in metabolic rate, but it's not significant. In any case 1200-1500 cals per day is not a starvation diet by any stretch.

The basis for the theory was people in POW camps who had almost been starved to death, so yes, those people had pretty fucked up metabolisms by the time they got rescued as they were days from death. Their rate of weight loss had also slowed because they barely had any weight left to lose and the ones that carried on losing weight fast had died. It's not really representative- like the people that use the Bucharest Study to support front facing buggies .

Use a bmr calculator (lots online) to calculate your basic metabolic rate. This is the minimum calories your body needs to perform essential functions. If you ensure you get at least that number of calories it is much better for your body.

1200-1500 is perfectly healthy nowhere near starving! There is some evidence that eating far too little over a prolonged period might slow down weight loss but that's not what you are doing.

Glad to read this.
Thanks for info.

Phew glad to hear there's nothing to worry about, I was a bit panicked with some of the things I read online. Also she was saying how it hindered weight loss and I shouldn't drop below 1700 calories. Happy to hear she was talking nonsense. :D