Yo!

[SkaPaladin]

I wasn't able to get this last time, because no one was able to find it, and I didn't know where to look..

I was wondering. Was anyone able to find the formula to calculate the amount of calories a body would need to keep from going into starvation mode?

Because my calories are sometimes awful low, and I'm afraid it may be stunting my loss. I've never stalled like this before.

[julirama723]

Re: Yo!

I think generally speaking, the body goes into starvation mode below 1000 calories (I've heard anywhere from 800-1000), BUT I think it can vary depending on how much you weigh, how active you are, etc.

If you don't eat enough calories, your body DOES think it's in a crisis and will retain fluids and fat as a survival method, and also your metabolism slows to prevent you from burning "precious" calories. Make sure you're drinking enough water and eating enough foods--usually if you're not eating enough calories it also means you're not eating enough fat. You should be getting 65% of your calories from fat...meaning some ranch dressing with raw veggies, butter with cooked veggies, and perhaps some olive oil or butter to add to dishes. Fat is very calorie-dense food--a little goes a long way.

Have you used www.fitday.com before? Plug in what you're eating as well as some personal info and it will tell you what your basal metabolic rate is (what you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day) as well as total calories burned each day. When you enter in foods, you can check if your percentages are 65% fat, 5% carbs, and 30% protein like they should be.

Hope this helps, best of luck!