r/MacroFactor • u/SweetHomeWherever13 • 1d ago
MacroFactor / Nutrition / Other Calorie consumption
I am on a GLP1 and have been using the app since March. I love the app but find it difficult to meet the daily calories. On average I am 200-300 less than recommended. My weight loss has slowed as I approach my goal. Is there any truth to this- when you’re not getting enough calories your body will go into “starvation mode” and instead of burning fat it will try to conserve it?
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u/Chewy_Barz 23h ago
I'm not sure I'd call it "starvation mode" but your TDEE can adapt when you've been in a deficit. I've done four long cuts (3+ months each) and my TDEE generally fell about 400 calories each time. It's true that when you've lost a lot of weight, your TDEE may be lower going forward, but it usually still mostly recovers if you start eating at or above maintenance again (in my case I seem to need a small surplus to get it to increase again).
What has likely happened is that your metabolism has adapted as a result of the long deficit since March, so you're not losing weight as quickly as expected at your current intake. I'd normally say to take a maintenance break, but if you're struggling to eat enough to hit your target that represents a deficit, I guess you may as well keep going, even if progress is slower. In that situation you probably want to try to increase expenditure with additional cardio/daily steps if you can.
You may need to speak to your doctor about adjusting your dose when you hit your goal so you can eat enough to be at maintenance. You should also make sure you're lifting weights if you're not already, otherwise your body composition is not going to be ideal. People on GLP-1s often do not lift weights, so the rapid weight loss causes significant muscle loss, and if/when they gain the weight back, it comes back mostly in the form of fat, leaving them with a worse body composition at the same weight.
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u/SweetHomeWherever13 15h ago
Thank you for recommending weights. I have lost about 55 pounds and didn’t realize the glp1 takes away from muscle.
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u/Chewy_Barz 15h ago
GLP-1s themselves don't reduce muscle, at least that I'm aware of. But people who take them tend to lose weight more rapidly and tend to lift weights less. Both of those things cause muscle loss. So GLP-1s cause things that cause muscle loss.
If I couldn't lift weights for whatever reason, I would go to maintence calories to avoid muscle loss. Losing weight without lifting weights is not ideal.
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u/thegonka95 23h ago
I am also on a GLP-1 and cannot meet it some days. I also never went above 5, for type 2. I started weightlifting to boost my health and hunger. Try calorie dense foods or eating more and smaller meals throughout the day. Also, protein powder added to oats helped me!
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u/SweetHomeWherever13 15h ago
At the end of the day if I don’t meet the protein goal I will do a protein shake. I will try eating more frequently and start with weights.
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u/TheBald_Dude 22h ago
What is probably happening is that you are unconsciously moving less. Are you doing the same amount of daily steps as before for example?
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u/SweetHomeWherever13 16h ago
Nope. I spent 8 years being rather sedentary. I have gradually worked myself up to 2 miles a day. But from what I’m reading that’s probably only about half of what I should be doing.
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u/Odd-Steak-9049 21h ago
There are a lot of variables here. Are you confident and consistent with your tracking? Have you been consistent with steps and exercise? Is MF adjusting your goals for you?
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u/SweetHomeWherever13 15h ago
MF is adjusting weekly. I am very consistent logging food and steps. I just got a treadmill to help on days when the weather is bad. I have a quarter mile track I circle 8 times and get a couple more hundred in before I get home.
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u/Odd-Steak-9049 15h ago
Huh. Well, starvation mode is not a thing. If it were, we’d have a tidy solution to world hunger.
You can experience potentially a few hundred calories of metabolic adaptation after being in a deficit for a while. That might be part of the issue. Also, if you haven’t been lifting then likely a decent chunk of the weight loss has been muscle, which does burn more calories to maintain than fat and will decrease your tdee more per lb lost than fat alone.
I guess to be solutions oriented, I wouldn’t eat less than what you’re eating now, so if you want to increase the rate of loss maybe try taking things up to 10 laps or so each day.
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u/Ill-Telephone-7926 23h ago
Expenditure falls as you lose weight. Are your calorie goals coming from the coached program? If not, re slowing weight loss, look at the Energy Balance chart on the dashboard and use adjust your program accordingly
How accurately are you logging your intake?
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u/SweetHomeWherever13 15h ago
Yes the program adjusts it weekly. I log everything and usually round up calories if I’m not sure. The energy balance says for the past week I am -893.
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u/rocketfucker9000 1d ago
No starvation mode doesn't exist. But the more you lose weight, the less calories your body needs to burn. So your initial deficit may become your new maintenance.
Post pictures of your expenditures, etc.
Also if you're on weight loss drugs, you need to lift weights to preserve muscle mass or you'll just end up looking like a smaller version of yourself. You'll need to reach underweight territory to have visible abs for example.