Starvation Mode question (is eating 500 calories a day for a few days ok?)

So I was not feeling well  yesterday and ate less than 500 calories- I lost 2 pounds- now if I start to eat my usual 1200 calories will I gain the weight back?  What is wrong with doing less than 500 calories for a day or 2 simply to jump start your diet?  Please explain.

It won't jump start anything. If you make up it by eating 1900 the next day (not 1200!), then you might be able to avoid starving your organs.

You are probably dehydrated. You did NOT lose two pounds of fat.

Just checked your previous posts. You are 5'7", 120 lbs, and seeking to get to 115. This is UNHEALTHY and DANGEROUS. You seem to be in the grips of disordered eating and disordered body image - there is NO WAY you should be eating only 1200 calories a day, let alone 500, especially since you "run and work out every day".

See a therapist, PLEASE. This is serious stuff that can cause you serious health problems, including death. 

Please- death- C'mon- I am actually very healthy and fit- just need to tighten up in certain areas and at 115 I do look much better- I have very small bones.  I just thought that a couple of days of low calories would then encourage me to get back on track with working out and healthy eating to achieve my overall 115 goal weight.

Did you eat less yesterday because you were feeling under the weather?  Not many people eat when they are ill and stick mainly to light foods, and broths.
When you feel better start eating healthy again.
If you are cutting calories to strave your body, that is a different issue and you should seek medical advice.
If you want to tone your body, why not take a yoga or a pilates class.  The results will be better for you in the long run than straving your body.

It was becasue I was not feeling well, not becasue I was starving myself, but I feel so much better and lighter today that I am motivated to get back on track- I do yoga, run, weights, swim everything- exercise is not the issue...I just don't see what the harm is in eating very little for 2 days or so whether it's becasue you are sick or just trying to cut back calories for a couple of days to jump start thing- maybe it just doesn't work- but I know my body- I am at 118 today and think by the end of next week- by eating healthy and working out, I can be at 116.  No?

Doubtful. You are burning very little and the amount you would have to consume to lose that much weight is, by definition, unhealthily low. Even eating your "usual" 1200 a day, considering that you work out so much, is not enough.

You are probably dehydrated today. You did NOT lose two pounds of fat by eating 1400 calories less than usual.

And you can deny it all you want, but what you are doing (and seem to be not looking to change) is UNHEALTHY.

I am planning on doing my usual though of consuming the right amount of calories and running a ton- I don't know why you say it is doubtful- it is very normal to lose 2 pounds a week that I know.

One more question- does it matter if your calories come from carbs fat of protein as long as you have the right number of calories?

It is normal to lose two pounds a week if you are OBESE. The maximum safe deficit a person can have per day, meaning the safe speed at which they can lose, varies with the amount they have to lose. 

jrise, whether you think it is or not eating 500 calories is a serious issue. My best friend almost died from an ED. She was rushed to hospital on multiple occasions and spent months in the hospital. The way you are thinking and talking, that is how it starts. A person not heading toward an ED would see that it is crazy to eat 500 calories for 2 days. I think a lot of us know what it feels like to eat that little. You will be sooo hungry. It shows you have a problem if you put yourself through that much hunger. You may not be able to admit you have a problem now. But if you go see a proffesional they will be able to help you see what is really going on.

This was posted by a very smart member of our community.
Please take some time to read it.  There is a lot of information about everything in it.

Hi Jrise,


This is a great website dedicated to helping people manage their weight in a healthy manner.  Did you know that the bare minimum a woman should ever eat is 1200 calories a day?  This is a widespread recommendation by the medical community and eating less puts you at risk and should only be done under the supervision of your healthcare provider.  

But even 1,200 calories a day may be too little and put you at risk of losing too rapidly.  The other main guideline would be to lose 1 - 2 lbs a week which is considered a safe rate of weight loss by the medical community.  To lose 1 lb a week, you would try to keep a 500 calorie deficit per day (double that for 2 lbs/week). [you have to cut back 3,500 cals to lose 1 lb; if you divide that over 1 week, that is 500 cals x 7 days = 3,500]

Here's a nice explanation of the starvation mode theory and why it's better to try for a weight loss of 1 - 2 lbs a week...

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories /burning_calori es/starvation.htm

The following article will explain why calorie-count.com has chosen to promote healthy, sustainable weight managment.  As you read the article you will recognize many things that people suggest as a healthy approach.

The Skinny on Fat

There are wonderful resources on this site to help you achieve a healthy daily caloric intake.

However, I must advise you, just in case you are aware of how many calories you should be eating but you choose to eat less, that this website does not and cannot support starvation diets.  In fact, here is what our posting guidelines say specifically:

Posting Guidelines

Calorie-Count.com's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management. Please help our moderators follow this vision and respect the following guidelines.

• Your post is subject to modification or deletion by our moderators. Repetitive, off-topic, and frivolous posts will be removed.
• Promotion of starvation diets or habits that exhibit signs of an eating disorder ("pro-ana", "pro-mia", etc.) is prohibited.

You are more than welcome to participate in the forums of this site, just please be sure to do so within those guidelines.  Please ask if you have questions.  And again, welcome!

Sheila

Nicely done Sheila, but it's worth mentioning here that 1-2 lbs/week is the recommended loss for people who should actually be trying to lose weight, not someone trying for a BMI of 18.

And that the closer a person is to their goal, the slower they should be losing. A 1000 calorie deficit (or even a 500 calorie deficit) will push many people lower than 1200 net calories.

gimme a BREAK 120 and 5'7'' IS NOT DANGEROUS. I'm a half inch shorter and been this weight pretty much my ENTIRE life without diet or exercise!

Maybe some people would be in danger if they starved themselves to get to that point, but that info alone does not mean DANGER.

PUH-LEEEEEAZE!

jrise, my guess, based on what you have posted and what I see in your profile, is that you should be eating about 1600-1800 calories a day.

Like others have already said: You did not lose two pounds of fat, you were simply dehydrated.

Eating 500 calories a day on a regular (or even "a couple of days every once in a while") won't accomplish anything. You are already on the low end of normal weight and heading for underweight  pretty quickly, so your body does not have much reserves of fat to burn. More than likely it will start breaking down muscle to use for energy to run vital fuctions. You risk doing lasting damage to your health.

cshammas, she is trying to get to 115.

And she is eating 1200 calories on "normal" days, despite "running and working out every day". And then she ate 500 calories yesterday and wants validation that this is a good way to "jumpstart her diet". And wants to lose two pounds in the next week...

It's the context and the details that make it dangerous. You may well be perfectly healthy, but I cannot believe that her lifestyle is. She IS starving herself. Any doctor would agree with me. If she were entirely sedentary and eating 1200 a day, and if she made up for the 700 calories that she missed by eating more over the next few days, and if she were not trying to get to a BMI of 18, that would be different.

Thank you cshammas- exactly- everyone is acting like I am a total psycho with an eating disorder!

I do appreciate all the feedback though

I am sorry if I mis-read something. I did not read every single post, however, I was under the impression that was a one day thing, and she was feeling sick. That alone does not mean therapy & danger.

Even if she wants to be 115, given her small frame that could be a perfect weight for her body. 1200 calories is my 'normal' day too, and it pretty much always has been. I see no problem with that.

The 'jump start' to the diet thing - yeah 500 calories is not a good way to do that, I agree with that part. But it wasn't planned. She was sick.

jrise they are acting that way because you are acting like you have an eating disorder. It is not normal behavior to willingly starve yourself. Please be careful. Like others here, I have a relative (sister) that was hospitalized for an ED. We know the symptoms.

Cathy: I've eaten less than 500 on days when I'm sick. We all have. She further goes on to ask if it's ok to eat 500 calories to jump start a diet.

at 120, 1200 calories per day if its done the right way (high fiber, enough protein & fruit and veggies IS NOT STARVING PEOPLE!