Starvation Mode?!?

Hi MFP,

I'm no stranger to weight loss/gain. After getting under the 200lbs mark last summer, between health problems and emotional/stress-eating, I've managed to gain it all back and then some.

Here are my current stats:
26 years old
5'9"
243.8 initial weight
155-160 goal weight
I usually eat between 1580-1800 cal
My average burn is about 700 cal ( ~300(2days), ~1000(4days))

Am I under eating? My first week I lost 6 lbs after increasing my training regimen. Then TOM hit and I gained back 3lbs. In the past, my TOM hadn't affected my weight loss. I'm now 4 days post cycle and those 3lbs are stubbornly hanging on. Should I wait it out a few more days, or should I be eating more?

Replies

  • Cheekies_
    Cheekies_ Posts: 319 Member
    Check out this link.... http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    It helped me. :happy:
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Yes. You should definitely eat more.

    After all, eating less is how you put all the weight back on, right?
  • All4Me2014xx
    All4Me2014xx Posts: 155 Member
    Check out this link.... http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    It helped me. :happy:

    Thank you. When I first saw the link I thought, Oh no! Not another starvation mode myth. Then I actually looked at the link. Yes OP, look at the link.

    And figure out your TDEE and go 20% below that to get your daily calories. The TDEE includes your exercise calories, so anything more than 20% below won't be beneficial.
  • Cheekies_
    Cheekies_ Posts: 319 Member

    Thank you. When I first saw the link I thought, Oh no! Not another starvation mode myth. Then I actually looked at the link. Yes OP, look at the link.


    :flowerforyou:
    Yes, this article put an end to my worry of "starvation mode". He just makes sense.
  • jasbery
    jasbery Posts: 1
    I just read this article, AND I LOVE IT! Thanks for posting.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    If you don't feel strong, try eating more and see how it works. You should always feel strong and peppy (physically, lol) if you're losing and exercising. An "off day" or period time might be wacky, but generally, you should feel strong and good. If you don't, eat.

    Give or take a centimeter, we are the same height and I started just a few pounds higher than you. The weight came flying off at first. I was banging through clothing sizes like nobody's business. I was wearing 24s and zinged through 22 so fast. By the time the last of my size 20s arrived in the mail, I was in a size 18. It went really quickly at first. It's nice, but it didn't last forever.

    Just the other day, I was thinking that the 16s are getting loose, it's time to get some shorts in a 14 and wondering if that means I went down ten sizes or five. I still don't know, but just pondering the question was kind of fun for me. :)

    Scale fluctuations are part of the deal. It just goes up and down, sometimes for no good reason. You may step on and be 1.6 pounds higher and be like, "HOW?! From where?!" Don't get wrapped in fluctuations. Especially around period time!! God. I can gain up to seven pounds with a period. Just ignore that stuff. It goes away later. But there are always fluctuations. That's one thing I love about MFP - the weight chart. Watch that squiggle line and the overall trend. If, overall, it goes down, be happy.

    It's a long, hard road. You have to stick with it and not he discouraged over times when it doesn't budge, through minor fluctuations and especially when you screw up and eat things you shouldn't. Remember that it's a long road and don't freak out over all the bumps.

    Starvation mode is stupid. Starving is an extremely effective way to lose weight. Starving people do lose and, eventually, die. Only in a place where there was an abundance of food would you hear dumb people say that if you don't eat, you will gain. Just ignore that. Starving is very effective for weight loss. It isn't good for anything else, though. Don't do it on purpose, lol.

    You can't starve off 100 pounds, anyway. You'd die before you reached your goal.

    I'm just now really starting to see results. I'm just beginning to get some idea of what I'll look like when I'm thin. But even after all this time, all this work and even all the success...when I look in the mirror, I'm STILL fat. I'm just now beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

    It takes SO long and there are so many ups and downs. You gotta be patient and determined.

    Hang in there.
  • Kirstie155
    Kirstie155 Posts: 1,001 Member
    Check out this link.... http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    It helped me. :happy:

    Great article. Thanks for sharing.