Any factual info on when your body goes into starvation mode?

[Ashenor]

I am starting week 4 of Insanity, also started Crossfit last week and went twice, doing 3 days a week now + Insanity.

So far have lost 14 lbs and 4.5 inches off my waist, started at 211 and at 197 now, and can tell i have built some new muscle so far. I am 5'8", and have been eating around 1400 calories a day. On just insanity days i burn around 400-580 calories per session, so i was netting out around 800-900 calories, which i was not hungry or craving anything at that point. Now that i am doing 3 days a week of Crossfit and Insanity i am burning around 800 during crossfit and the 400-500 during Insanity. On those days so far i have upped calories to around 1800 to take that into account.

I use myfitnesspal to track calories and have a polar FT 7 heart monitor to track calories burned/heart rate.

I have seen people say you enter starvation mode from as low as 300 calories a day, and would have to be at that for awhile, to people saying anything under 1000 calories a day can put you into it.

Goal is to get down to around 170, which i think would be pretty lean because i have pretty broad shoulders and legs are still in good shape.

Thanks

 

[Pantlegz]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3661473

which is used translated http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html under Myth 4 there.

I wouldn't cut so many calories if you're wanting to lose weight. Check out the rest of the leangains site, it works well. I used it to cut weight for a while but it started interfering with my weight lifting a little so I got away from it.

 

[Ashenor]

Ok thanks, so far it seems to be going ok, just hard to convince myself to eat more to lose more weight when i am not hungry, since i eat a lot of small portions of stuff.

 

[spamsk8r]

You probably won't die, but you'll lose more lean mass than you'd probably prefer, especially doing high intensity cardio as your main means of exercise (without heavy weight training to help preserve muscle). I would say at least 1800 a day, but also listen to your body. If you're recovering fine, sleeping well, not having any weird symptoms of fatigue or lingering soreness, then you're probably okay. If not, up the calories a notch and retest.

 

[Saint Nick]

Good links thanks pantleg

 

[DAGTA]

I find it hard to believe you are burning that few of calories during Insanity. Are you pushing yourself and standing in a puddle when you are done? Insanity is intense and I would guess it's not unusual to burn 750 to 1000 calories while doing that if you are pushing.

 

[Ashenor]

I find it hard to believe you are burning that few of calories during Insanity. Are you pushing yourself and standing in a puddle when you are done? Insanity is intense and I would guess it's not unusual to burn 750 to 1000 calories while doing that if you are pushing.

Normally i am around 550-600 on non cardio recovery days. I am still in the first month i hear that the second month of videos push's up around 600-1000 calories burned. I am pretty used to the month one videos, not to say i don't get tired but i am keep up with them pretty decent now. I am normally very sweaty when done, but in the last 2 weeks my HR has went from 170 spiking to now spiking at 160 and maintaining a lower avg.