Do You Believe in "Starvation Mode"?

I've lost a lot of weight eating 900-1000 calories a day of protein, LF/FF dairy, non-starchy vegs, and fruit.  Many people have told me that if an adult woman eats less than 1200 cal/day, her body will go into "starvation mode" and refuse to lose weight.  Do you believe that's true?  I ask because for the past 2 months, my weight loss has slowed down dramatically even though my eating hasn't changed and my exercise has actually increased.  Do I need to eat more to lose weight?  thanks, Jean

I'm a believer.  Our bodies are designed to preserve and protect themselves.  We generally need a minimum amount of energy (calories) each day to meet our base metabolic needs.  This is referred to as your resting metabolism or base metabolism.  It's the number of calories your body would burn if you just sat still all day, and it's used for things like pumping your heart, breathing, kidney and liver function, etc.   If you consistently eat less energy that your body's base metabolic rate, I believe that your body slows down the rate at which it burns energy to make sure it will have enough so it can continue to function for as long as possible.   I do not believe that the 1200-calorie-a-day number is the "magic" number for everyone.  We are all different shapes, sizes, and weights.  We all carry around different amounts of body fat and skeletal muscle.  There are many, many factors that affect our individual metabolisms.  So this "one size fits all" kind of advice doesn't really fit anyone.   In terms of why your weight loss has slowed down, it could be a variety of reasons.  My rate of loss slowed down pretty significantly at 12-14 months.  (From losing 10-12 pounds per month, to losing 5-8 pounds per month.)  I think there were a couple factors that contributed to that.   First, over time our gastrointestinal system will grow additional villae that will absorb more of what we take in.  So our rate of malabsorption that was initially very high after our surgery will diminish over time, so we absorb more of the calories we take in.  Second, our pouches stretch over time, so we are eating more than we were are fresh post-ops.  Third, our bodies just get tired of losing weight all the time.  My body took several "breaks" on the way down; for me, that meant I'd have several weeks where I'd do all the "right things" and still not lose anything!  Then I'd lose 5-8 pounds over about 10 days.  Then I'd lose nothing for the next several weeks.  It was frustrating until I figured out that was just how my body worked.   My advice to you based on your representation that your eating has changed but your activity level has increased is to add some calories to your daily routine.  Start by adding 100-200 calories per day for a couple weeks and see what happens.  Make sure they are healthy calories - lean proteins, complex carbs, good fats; this isn't a reason to add 100-200 of "crap" to your daily routine!  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the results...   Disclaimers:  I am not a dietician or nutritionist, I've just done a LOT of personal experimenting on this issue.  Second, I am 5'7", started at 396, currently weigh 190.3, eat 2000-2200 calories per day, and I burn off 2200-2500 calories per week from exercising (combination of strength training and cardio).  If you look around the exercise forum, you'll find plenty of folks who are heavily into exercise that eat 2000-3000 calories per day and are maintaining their losses.   I hope some of my ramblings are helpful; good luck on your continuing journey. Kellie

Kellie, Thanks for your thoughtful response.  I think I'm going to try adding some "good" calories, Jean