10-01-2013, 01:08 AM
(09-01-2013, 11:09 PM)Chloe78 Wrote: However it is commonly accepted that too little caloric intake will shut down metabolism and the body goes into starvation mode. The minimum accepted calorie count is 1200. Under that amount is will cause the body to store fat when possible and cause the body to metabolize muscle tissues.
Actually this is something I am very well versed on. I have been a fitness buff (fanatically) for years, and I have studied many different theories and philosophies concerning caloric intake and different effects on fitness, weight loss, and health. Before I injured my shoulder and back I weighed 175 pounds with 5% body fat. At 5'10'' I was a "machine", very trim and muscular.
Through years of trial and error I have come to know my body's "sweet spot" and pretty much exactly what my body needed to function at peak capacity. On days when I consume less than 1000 calories I am usually doing what's called an "intermittent fast" (where you fast from 16 to 24 hours). Numerous studies have shown that intermittent fasting elevates human growth hormone by 2000% in men and 1400% in women. HGH declines rapidly as we age but the intermittent fasting does a lot to restore those levels. I usually only fast 1 or 2 days a week, but when I am actively trying to lose weight I may push that to 3 or 4. My fasts usually start after dinner (around 6:30) and continue until dinner the next day.
I have gone for months at a time on a 1,000 cal/day diet (average), usually when I was training for some specific event like a triathlon. I rarely lost weight as I was already at my peak. When not training or dieting I usually average 1800-2000 calories/day (I religiously track my food consumption on LIVESTRONG.COM). I do have to admit, though, that the Christmas season has always been my weakness and I generally over-eat between Thanksgiving and New Years.
My point is that everyone is different. In my case I know precisely what I'm doing (through years of research and experience) when I diet. I injured my shoulder (rotator cuff) last May, and then injured my back (herniated disc at L3, bulging discs at L4/5 resulting in spinal stenosis) and my working out was significantly curtailed. So I'm actually "softer" then I have been in many years. In a way that's good for feminization but I started getting concerned about fat redistribution while reading through these forums.
I have to admit that making the decision to pursue breast growth and feminization was a big step for me and represents a major change in my lifestyle. I'm also wondering how all my experience and assumptions about how my body responds will change as I become more like a women. Kinda makes the journey even more exciting...
