"Starvation" mode

When I input my meals into MyFitnessPal I always get the standard message that I am eating too few calories and my body will go into starvation mode.  Before surgery I always heard that it is not good to eat too little on a diet because your body will go into starvation mode and will want to hang on to every calorie you consume.  If this is true, then how can/do we lose weight after surgery surviving on only a few hundred calories a day?  

Also, I have always heard that it is not healthy to lose more than a few pounds per week.  I am only a few weeks out, but so far I have averaged almost a pound a day.  I am sure this will slow down, and I am not complaining, just wondering why it seems to be ok to lose fast after wls, but any other time experts tell you not to lose too fast.

It is pretty typical for most of us here to do 600-800 calories during weight loss mode.  My first month out was even less.  I did not hold that range through all of weight loss (slowly ramped up), but many pull those stats all the way until goal.  Make sure you are getting in protein, use shakes that has vitamin and mineral supplements, take your multivitamin and other supplements.  I had no ill effect from it, and my labs actually significantly improved from my pre-suregery panel. 

You can change your calorie goals in MFP by logging in and going to My Home, then Goals, the Change Goals, click "custom" then continue.  This will let you input your actual calorie information and should keep My Fitness Pal from yelling at you.  

Starvation Mode is a myth that has been debunked, so I wouldn't worry about it.  

MFP doesn't take into account that we have had VSG surgery. It is basing the message on a person with a normal size stomach that would normally eat 1200 cals or more. Just keep logging you food so you can keep track. Don't worry about the message when you complete the entry for the day.

You will lose fairly fast at the beginning as your body adjusts to the new food intake. It may slow down some. I was told to expect 8 to 10 pounds per month.

I would simply advise you to go to MacMadam's blog at fattyfightsback and look up starvation mode.  She makes a great case against it and has links to the supporting journal articles.  Starvation mode is a myth. 

Just remember that we are on what they call a "Very Low Calorie diet" AND we are being medically supervised to make sure we get proper nutrition while we are losing.  MFP is a public site, where anyone can post their intake.  That advice is for normies who have not had weight loss surgeries.  You will not be continuing on the extremely low amount of calories forever, so do what I did.  just ignore the message  LOL.

I lost a pound a day for a long time, that doesn't last forever. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Anne

"Starvation mode" is a myth that so many people (and healthcare professionals!) still buy into.  Don't get sucked into it.  

Practically everyone on here lost about 1 lb. per day when first starting out.  I know my doctor didn't want me to lose MORE than that but I was definitely there for the first few weeks...and I'm a lightweight.  Believe me, it will slow down and you'll look back fondly on these days :-)   The so-called "experts" are chastising normal dieters who are usually doing drastic, fad diets to lose that much that fast.  And we all know those kinds of losses will just come right back.  

The most important thing to focus on is getting all your protein (at least 80 grams per day) and all your water in (at least 64-80 oz. per day).  

Ditto Elina's suggestion.  MacMadame explains it REALLY well.  Eat your protein.  You'll be fine.  Most medical professionals who don't specialize in the morbidly obese tell you not to eat less than 1200 cal/day because it's difficult to meet your nutritional requirements on less than that.  However, I can tell you I ate way more than 1200 calories/day pre-op and still probably didn't met my nutritional needs.  1200 calories of cookies vs. 650 of protein and veggies?  Go with lower calories, better nutrition!

I wasn't too worried about it, just curious about how I've always heard about starvation mode, but it doesn't seem to be an issue after wls.  Maybe it is just a myth after all. Thanks!

Please, would one of you math geniuses  figure out what the numbers are for lower calorie WLS folks diets to manually put into My Fitness Pal? I know you're out there just waiting for a challenge. Thanks! -Lori