Starvation Mode.
So Here I am, under 200lbs for the first time in about 16 years. So I've managed to drop about 25 of those lbs in less than 2 months and I wasn't exercising. BUT HOW?
I was eating less.
I've said it before in a previous post but I'll say it again.
Working out more is not the key to loosing weight, You need to eat less. Working out will burn more calories and help you loose weight faster but you don't burn THAT many calories working out. In fact it will take you about half an hour jogging to burn off a can of coke. So have fun trying to keep up with that.
For the last couple months I've been eating around 800 to 1200 calories a day thus forcing my body to burn my stored calories (fat). Now once every other week I'll do a 1 or 2 day liquid fast. That means no solid food, I'll still have milk and my multivitamins and a beer but no food. this usually puts me around the 200 to 400 calorie mark for those days.
But Joe! won't that put your body into STARVATION MODE?!? That's bad!!!
Well first, lets talk about what "Starvation mode" is.
Starvation mode is what your body goes into after not eating or not eating enough for prolonged periods of time. Your body is designed to keep you alive at all cost so eventually it's going to slow your metabolism to keep your heart beating and your brain functioning as long as possible. Your body will burn fat and muscle during a starvation diet, so when you start eating again your body packs on fat. this is why they fail.
But there is also a bit of Myth here, You actually need to get your body into the first level of starvation mode to loose weight.
Hold on, hear me out.
If your body needs 2000 calories to maintain itself and you give it 1500 then you've "starved" it of 500 calories that it has to go get from your fat cells. When you feed your body less than it needs for a long time it has one of two options, give you less energy or burn something from somewhere else. As long as your body is burning fat for fuel and your NOT more tired or worn out than normal, then your good. but if your dieting and suddenly your finding yourself drained for no reason or you have absolutely no energy, you're probably taking it too far and need to take in more calories.
When I do a day or two fast to kick start my fat burning process and give my digestive tract a chance to clean itself out I make sure I'm not dragging. The moment I find myself tired or worn out when I shouldn't be then I eat something, usually when coming off a fast I want to eat something easy to digest and healthy. My meal of choice is usually a tall cup of applesauce (natural, no sugar added). This usually fills me right up and the carbs give me something to run on.
Right now I have a lot more energy than I'm used to, I'm down now about 70lbs to date. That's a lot less my body needs to haul around every day so I naturally need less but I have more energy because I need less to do the same amount of work. This also means I'm eating enough.
I still eat between 1000 and 1500 calories a day and around 400 on a fasting day. I'm always careful to make sure I'm not over doing it. If I get 12 hours into what I plan on being a 2 day fast and I find myself dragging when I shouldn't be, guess what? The fast is OVER. I grab something healthy with a decent amount of carbs, calories and protein and eat up. Then I try again when I feel I'm ready. Also, instead of a true liquid fast lets say you get 12 hours into a fast and you feel the start of a dragging feeling. Have a spoon full of peanut butter and a glass of milk and give your body 30 min. if your feeling better then continue on your way, if your not then have a full meal and try again another day.
I suppose the most important thing I would want somebody to take from all this is Listen To Your Body. If your trying to loose weight but it's affecting your energy level then you probably need to eat more or change what your eating. If you drop down to 800 calories for a few days but feel FINE then your probably okay, keep in mind though, it's not forever. eventually when you hit your target weight you'll want to start consuming enough of the right food that you'll stay where you are plus or minus a few pounds.