Totally confused :(

brknllama

Okay this may be weird but it seems like on the days where i eat alot ( i call them my binge days) i actually lose weight, but when i feel like i'm doing good by cutting my calories i'm either staying the same or even gaining

sarahttini

that happens to me sometimes too!

leftymac

Stop weighing yourself every day.

LolasEpicJourney

It can happen... maybe you need to up your calories a tad big on a regular basis?

honeyb7

ME TOO! I think when I under eat my body goes into starvation mode and hangs on to every ounce I eat. When I eat my recommended amount AND exercise...keep things in balance so to speak I end up losing more weight. I think it's because we are women and our hormones play tricks on us! That is my story and I'm sticking to it:-)

muitobem

You lose weight by eating your exercise calories back...

I know, it seems like it's not possible but when you exercise, you use up the calories you've already eaten and you need to eat those back to keep your body fueled....If you eat beyond that then you'd gain weight...
Your body will stop working, ie. not allow you to lose weight, when you don't eat enough...

ant_man

your body is complex thing, when your try and starve yourself it slows down your metabolism until you eat again.. on the other hand when it comes to a day when you eat a lot like on your "binge day" it speeds up to get rid of the excess foods.. if your still eating around the amount of calories that u would if u didn't exercise then u wont put on weight its not a day to day thing but its an average from week to week n month to month..

slp2112

the "stop weighing yourself everyday" advice I think is the best advice on here. Any RD worth their weight will tell you that it takes many days, not just 24 hours for an excess or depletion of calories to show up on the scale. You want to focus on what happens long term (e.g. > 1 week, if not > 2 weeks) rather than day-to-day.

muitobem

this seems to explain it best:

We’ve all seen the countless threads and posts about starvation mode. Many contain a lot of misinformation and apply the concept too broadly. It’s my aim to clear up some misconceptions (of both believers and non-believers). I’m going to try to keep this simple and straightforward and easily understandable.

What is Starvation Mode?
Starvation Mode – aka survival mode, famine response, adaptive thermogenesis

Starvation mode is a reaction to inadequate energy. If your food intake is too low to meet energy requirements, the body starts accessing inside sources. It will attempt to access fat stores first, and in the highest proportion. If you have a lot of fat stores, most of the energy will come from fat, and a little from muscle. If you have less fat stores, most will still come from fat, but a higher percentage will come from lean tissue, such as muscles. The leaner you get, the more difficult it is for the body to access fat quickly.

When the body perceives intake to be too low and energy stores (fat) to be inadequate for making up the difference quickly, it begins to compensate to prolong survival. First, it slows metabolism (the rate at which you use energy.) If intake continues to be too low, it then begins to access muscle, because it is easier and faster. The loss of lean tissue further slows metabolism. If this cycle continues for a significant period, at the right levels, it results in an ever-decreasing metabolism. This means a person can eat less and less (to a point), and still have slow or no weight loss because the body’s energy requirements have decreased. Remember that total energy requirements include BMR, daily activity and purposeful exercise.

Who is at Risk?
Most people with large amounts of fat stores are not at risk of starvation mode. This is usually women over 35% body fat and men over 25% body fat, but there is no exact point. They have sufficient energy stores to supplement the body’s needs for energy (however, they still have other needs that must be met, such as vitamins and minerals). The closer a person is to a healthy BMI, the higher risk and consequences of starvation mode.

When Does it Happen?
It doesn’t happen by skipping a meal or even a whole day or at 1200, 1000, or any other random cal number. Typically, metabolism will begin to decrease after about 72 hours of significantly inadequate intake. But this is dependent on the individual’s specific situation – what the energy requirements are, how much fat they have, and the exact level of intake. The loss of lean tissue begins sometime later. It could be days, weeks or months. It may be at 1200 for one person, and 2000 for another. Again, it depends on the individual and will be a different point for everyone.

Then Why are Anorexics Skinny?
Anorexics were “normal” weight at some point. They began decreasing intake and using up fat stores. How long this takes depends, again, on energy requirements and actual intake. The body has a “range” in which it feels comfortable accessing fat, without decreasing metabolism too much or burning too much muscle. As an average, this is between 250 and 1000 calories below maintenance requirements. When you drop below this range, the body begins starvation mode reactions. Anorexics WERE in starvation mode at some point – but they continued to decrease intake. There is a level of extreme calorie restriction and lack of fat stores at which starvation mode turns into actual starvation. The body is adaptable, but it has its limits. At this point, the body has no choice but to burn everything – fat, muscle, organs, hair, skin, etc - simply to sustain bodily functions. Severe anorexia is the result of continuous extreme calorie restriction and malnutrition (typically below 500 cals). You can try it their way. But remember, a lot of them develop horrible diseases from malnutrition and many of them die.

But Some People Claim You GAIN Weight in Starvation Mode?
Starvation Mode itself will not cause weight gain. However, a combination of starvation mode, binges, and carb loading, can cause weight gain. Once the metabolism decreases, your energy requirements are lower. So you have to eat less just to maintain your current weight. The body has become more efficient at using and storing energy. But most people have a hard time maintaining a very low intake consistently for long periods. So if your typical intake is 1000 (just an example), but you have occasional binges of 3000 and the binge is mostly carbs, the body can’t use all of that at one time anymore. So the body shuttles it to fat storage. This won’t be a huge gain, but a lb or two a month maybe. It’s not dramatic, but if someone lives this way for years, they can gain a decent amount of weight.

You can find this info and lots more of it on www.myfitnesspal.com and it's very true......I found this out with my own personal experience...

shauna121211

Stop weighing yourself every day.

What he said... don't live on the scale!

dmpizza

In the very short term, excess protein makes you shed alot of water.