Could my body be in starvation mode?

[HeChangedMyName]

I have been calorie counting today and from the looks of things, I don't eat nearly enough. Could my body be in starvation mode? I have been having a hard time losing weight even with exercise but so far today, my calorie intake is only at about 800 or so and normally, I would only eat one more time today(dinner). This is just how I eat.
240 calories: Cereal with milk for breakfast
70 calories: V8 for snack
420 calories: grilled salmon and salad for lunch
130 calories: Atkins Indulge chocolate coconut bar

I usually eat dinner around 6 or 7 and it is normally well balanced and probably only around 400 calories, maybe 500 and then I'll have a snack of some fruit before bed. I am totally less than 2000 calories but my body needs on average 2700 calories a day because I am moderately active and it needs more when I am working out like I should. That is according to this site (http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/advice/calculate-calories-bmr) calculations. I eat when I get hungry which is not often because I am usually too busy to feel hungry. I usually don't snack on anything unhealthy(except when TOM is around). Is there any way to break out of starvation mode and force my body to stop hording calories for survival?

[Ramya]

Probably so. Have you made any drastic changes in diet recently? Like cutting out whole food groups? Keep your calories up and/or stable or you will gain weight or hit a standstill. I'm probably in starvation mode now or close to it. I'm never hungry or thirsty and I'm always sleepy. I try to eat more but it makes me nauseous. I doubt that it's healthy to lose as much weight as quickly as I am. I'm scared to work out :(

[HeChangedMyName]

Probably so. Have you made any drastic changes in diet recently? Like cutting out whole food groups? Keep your calories up and/or stable or you will gain weight or hit a standstill. I'm probably in starvation mode now or close to it. I'm never hungry or thirsty and I'm always sleepy. I try to eat more but it makes me nauseous. I doubt that it's healthy to lose as much weight as quickly as I am. I'm scared to work out :(

Nope, this is how I have always eaten, I haven't cut any food groups, as I don't believe in depriving myself of food. I'm never thirsty either, I have to force myself to drink. wow. But instead of me losing weight, I am at a standstill and not losing anything.

[kbragg]

How much do you have to lose? If you have a significant amount of weight to lose you're probably not in starvation mode as you have more than enough fat stores to burn for energy. If you're within 15-20lbs of your goal, you may be in a state called energy balance. Energy balance just means your body has reached a comfortable weight and has slowed your metabolism down to match your current intake.

2700 calories is a LOT for a woman. Those charts usually way over estimate caloric needs as women carry significantly more fat and less lean mass than men. Most women unless they are elite body builders should be able to maintain around 2000 calories and lose in the 1200-1600 range.

If you're in energy balance, one thing you can do is switch to eating 5-6 small meals a day and increase your protein intake. Lower your carbs slightly and add in a resistance routine 3 times a week (real resistance not that 2-3lbs weigh stuff lol - don't worry about bulking up, women don't have the hormones for that. The women that you see that do bulk use questionable supplements to get that way) That usually breaks any plataeu. HTH!

[HeChangedMyName]

How much do you have to lose? If you have a significant amount of weight to lose you're probably not in starvation mode as you have more than enough fat stores to burn for energy. If you're within 15-20lbs of your goal, you may be in a state called energy balance. Energy balance just means your body has reached a comfortable weight and has slowed your metabolism down to match your current intake.

2700 calories is a LOT for a woman. Those charts usually way over estimate caloric needs as women carry significantly more fat and less lean mass than men. Most women unless they are elite body builders should be able to maintain around 2000 calories and lose in the 1200-1600 range.

If you're in energy balance, one thing you can do is switch to eating 5-6 small meals a day and increase your protein intake. Lower your carbs slightly and add in a resistance routine 3 times a week (real resistance not that 2-3lbs weigh stuff lol - don't worry about bulking up, women don't have the hormones for that. The women that you see that do bulk use questionable supplements to get that way) That usually breaks any plataeu. HTH!


I have about 50 lbs to loose for my personal goal. Get back to college weight. :yep: I don't think my body is comfortable---at least I hope not, because I am physically uncomfortable at this weight. It just feels all wrong. I have some pilates with the band as well as the resistance ring, I may need to incorporate those into my workout schedule. I also have a stepper with resistance bands too. hmmmmmm, let me find out that I've just been doing all the wrong type of exercise, Thanks.

[Angelicus]

Happy I came in here. Do NOT count your calories. Make your calories count, Supernova. Calorie counting is for flabby wussies. Make your food count. Eat. Eat... Eat. Stop being so scared of eating and eat, lol. How do I know? I used to be a calorie counter for yearsssss and ended up a skinny flabby mess.

Calorie counting = more flab
eating more foods (real carbs, protein, good fats) + resistance training + cardio = toned sexy body

You can PM me more for info. But please stop starving yourself.

[Kurlee]

be careful. 800 calories is not enough to survive. Everyone's body has a resting metabolic rate, which is the bare minimum you need to blink, grow hair, digest food, fart. The bare basics and its higher than 800 calories. Also, when you put your body in "starvation mode", you are not only robbing yourself of vital nutrients but your body will store what you eat as fat as a way to "sustain" itself. You may be defeating yourself

[HeChangedMyName]

Happy I came in here. Do NOT count your calories. Make your calories count, Supernova. Calorie counting is for flabby wussies. Make your food count. Eat. Eat... Eat. Stop being so scared of eating and eat, lol. How do I know? I used to be a calorie counter for yearsssss and ended up a skinny flabby mess.

Calorie counting = more flab
eating more foods (real carbs, protein, good fats) + resistance training + cardio = toned sexy body

You can PM me more for info. But please stop starving yourself.

Thanks. I promise, I wasn't doing it on purpose. I just decided to count calories to get a real picture of what I was eating on an average day. I didn't even realize I was starving myself until I saw the numbers on paper. I feel you about eating more. I am all for it, I have actually paid closer attention to my body today and made sure to "feel" the hunger instead of working through it in an effort to get other stuff done---Having stuff done while being laid up in the hospital is no good. lol. I keep hearing resistance training so I plan to def add that to my routine cuz all this cardio isn't really doing much for me AT ALL

be careful. 800 calories is not enough to survive. Everyone's body has a resting metabolic rate, which is the bare minimum you need to blink, grow hair, digest food, fart. The bare basics and its higher than 800 calories. Also, when you put your body in "starvation mode", you are not only robbing yourself of vital nutrients but your body will store what you eat as fat as a way to "sustain" itself. You may be defeating yourself

I know, that is dangerous. I didn't realize I was eating like a bird---I just assumed I must be over eating since I can't really loose weight and I am getting flabby from the tone that I use to have naturally. Time to get on the grind. resistance and build my muscles back up to something so they can help me burn off this flab that I've created.

[Kurlee]

For me, I found by eating 4-6 small meals a day and upping my activity helped me at those times it seemed like i wasn't making any progres......

[HeChangedMyName]

For me, I found by eating 4-6 small meals a day and upping my activity helped me at those times it seemed like i wasn't making any progres......


I may have to add that to my arsenal. Having kids, I usually try to eat a big meal and keep pushing until I run out, but I may just have to start snacking throughout the day with them.

[wyldcurlz]

seems like you're not eating enough, however, you also don't want to eat too much. try this - its a good guideline for setting up your diet numbers. i've been experiencing the same problem of not enough calories. then the body holds onto everything (not good.) here's a great guideline for fat/weight loss.

For FAT LOSS:

Total Daily Calories = Bodyweight (BW) times 12
this may need to be dropped to x11 or x10 if no progress after a few weeks
obese people can use LBM (lean body mass) instead of BW

Protein = 1g per lb BW
(4 calories per gram)
can go up to 1.5g if desired

Fat = .4-.5g per lb BW
(9 calories per gram)
yes, you read that right, healthy fats are important for fat loss

Carbs = whatever remains to meet your calorie total
(4 calories per gram)


Avoid fat in your PWO (postwork out) meal, which should be fast-acting carbs and protein in a 2:1 ratio. (i hear chocolate milk is a great PWO)

Personally, I like to avoid carbs in my last meal before bed, sticking with P+F for that meal (assuming it's not your PWO meal).

[HeChangedMyName]

seems like you're not eating enough, however, you also don't want to eat too much. try this - its a good guideline for setting up your diet numbers. i've been experiencing the same problem of not enough calories. then the body holds onto everything (not good.) here's a great guideline for fat/weight loss.

For FAT LOSS:

Total Daily Calories = Bodyweight (BW) times 12
this may need to be dropped to x11 or x10 if no progress after a few weeks
obese people can use LBM (lean body mass) instead of BW

Protein = 1g per lb BW
(4 calories per gram)
can go up to 1.5g if desired

Fat = .4-.5g per lb BW
(9 calories per gram)
yes, you read that right, healthy fats are important for fat loss

Carbs = whatever remains to meet your calorie total
(4 calories per gram)


Avoid fat in your PWO (postwork out) meal, which should be fast-acting carbs and protein in a 2:1 ratio. (i hear chocolate milk is a great PWO)

Personally, I like to avoid carbs in my last meal before bed, sticking with P+F for that meal (assuming it's not your PWO meal).

I didn't even realize I hadn't been eating enough. I get full so fast, it's like my stomach has shrunk to compensate for the fact that I don't eat so much. I get that full miserable feeling pretty quickly. I will have to break my meals up and eat smaller one throughout the day, but overall intake more than what I have been. How did you discover that you weren't taking in enough calories? symtoms. . . weight/fat gain, change in consistency of lean to fat? I had both, I use to be thick and lean, now it's just flabby and I've put on 15 lbs which to me looks HORRIBLE! I'm getting back on my pilates and hard core yoga for a minute and using my resistance aides with my pilates. The yoga of course uses natural resistance, but it is also a hardcore workout that makes you sweat and breath hard as well. I hope to work my way up to doing the Yoga every day and the pilates a few times a week in addition to it.

So after doing that calculation(BWX12), I can then start cutting calories from that point and exercising to create my calorie deficit right? That way I can keep the protein and fat numbers up, but the deficit will probably come from the carbs. I wont cut carbs completely but cut them significantly enough to help my body use all this stored up fat.

[Everything Zen]

How much do you have to lose? If you have a significant amount of weight to lose you're probably not in starvation mode as you have more than enough fat stores to burn for energy. If you're within 15-20lbs of your goal, you may be in a state called energy balance. Energy balance just means your body has reached a comfortable weight and has slowed your metabolism down to match your current intake.

2700 calories is a LOT for a woman. Those charts usually way over estimate caloric needs as women carry significantly more fat and less lean mass than men. Most women unless they are elite body builders should be able to maintain around 2000 calories and lose in the 1200-1600 range.

If you're in energy balance, one thing you can do is switch to eating 5-6 small meals a day and increase your protein intake. Lower your carbs slightly and add in a resistance routine 3 times a week (real resistance not that 2-3lbs weigh stuff lol - don't worry about bulking up, women don't have the hormones for that. The women that you see that do bulk use questionable supplements to get that way) That usually breaks any plataeu. HTH!

Cosign and if you are only eating ~800 calories a day you are setting yourself up for a slow metabolism. Also try a different routine in your workout. Our bodies get used to doing repetitive workouts with no change so it's a good idea to try something new and mix it up a little.

[HeChangedMyName]

Cosign and if you are only eating ~800 calories a day you are setting yourself up for a slow metabolism. Also try a different routine in your workout. Our bodies get used to doing repetitive workouts with no change so it's a good idea to try something new and mix it up a little.


Thanks. I have been revisiting some of my old workouts that I had stopped doing(but that use to keep my body like I wanted it) I may have to break down and start getting up early and getting in my workout with Inhale (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7Tgo8JAQMg)

[MekyakaKinkerbelle]

SuperNova,

You also said that you eat when you get hungry, which you admit is not very often. This is a HUGE mistake. You should be eating every 2 hours or so to keep your metabolism boosted, regardless of whether or not you are hungry. But this doesn't mean you should ingest a ridiculous meal every 2 hours.

Have a healthey breakfast, then 2 hours later a piece of fruit, then some peanut butter and crackers, then a salad, and so on and so on. Eating this way, you won't ever really feel hungry, but your body will process food better.

800 calories is not nearly enough, but 2700 is WAY too much. You should see a nutritionist, not go to a website, or follow some "one size fits all" calculation.

[HeChangedMyName]

SuperNova,

You also said that you eat when you get hungry, which you admit is not very often. This is a HUGE mistake. You should be eating every 2 hours or so to keep your metabolism boosted, regardless of whether or not you are hungry. But this doesn't mean you should ingest a ridiculous meal every 2 hours.

Have a healthey breakfast, then 2 hours later a piece of fruit, then some peanut butter and crackers, then a salad, and so on and so on. Eating this way, you won't ever really feel hungry, but your body will process food better.

800 calories is not nearly enough, but 2700 is WAY too much. You should see a nutritionist, not go to a website, or follow some "one size fits all" calculation.

I agree, I forget to eat and it is bad, right now, I am sitting here hungry and trying to remember what I ate last and when. This single mother on the move thing is getting me. I need to revamp and start carrying snacks with me like I am a kid. I wish I could afford to see a nutritionist. My pockets wont allow that yet, one day though. one day soon. :yep: In the mean time, I am going to try maintaining a 2000 calorie diet to see if that makes a difference and then adjust from there. I have had thyroid issues in the past(overactive) and I ate all the time but was not gaining weight at all. Once that got under control I started gaining though and have been fighting the bulge ever since. I refuse to buy any clothing in size 16+ and since I am approaching that very quickly now, I am in that zone where I HAVE to do this and get it right.

[PeonyBella]

i was on a plateau for A VERY LONG TIME. i was watching what i was eating (counting calories) and working out. i realised that i was always short on calories and needed to eat more. but its hard to find ways to increase ur caloric intake when you're trying to eat healthily. for me, i had to eat 1 tablespoon of peanut butter in addition to what i was eating and lo and behold, the damn plateau broke. but that was just me and my case of starvation mode. find ways to increase your caloric intake and you should see yourself start back losing. :)

all the best with it!

[HeChangedMyName]

i was on a plateau for A VERY LONG TIME. i was watching what i was eating (counting calories) and working out. i realised that i was always short on calories and needed to eat more. but its hard to find ways to increase ur caloric intake when you're trying to eat healthily. for me, i had to eat 1 tablespoon of peanut butter in addition to what i was eating and lo and behold, the damn plateau broke. but that was just me and my case of starvation mode. find ways to increase your caloric intake and you should see yourself start back losing. :)

all the best with it!


That's doable. We love peanut butter in my house anyways. This morning I ate a bowl of cheerios with a sliced banana in it and it took me 20 minutes to eat it because I got full so quickly. Since then, I've only had lunch and I still feel stuffed. I wonder if I could add ensure or slimfast to gain calories, since it is easier to just drink something than it is to eat.

[kbragg]

SuperNova, a good way to add calories especially if your tummy can't take a ton of food is to add some good fats, Try cooking your foods with a couple tablespoons of Olive or Coconut oil. 1 tbsp of Coconut Oil is 120 calories, so it's easy to add up quickly plus it's heart healthy:yep:

[HeChangedMyName]

Well, I've been eating better and including some coconut oil. I also take Rexall's Borage/Fish/Flax oil and CLA daily. My weight is up a little, but I think it may be due to TOM.