I am proof that starvation mode exists.

LemonPoppySeedMuffin

I have had anorexia since I was 15, wasn't diagnosed until I was 16 & I'm 19 now. Despite I have stopped fasting (as in going days without food) for over a year, I'm now facing the long term affects.
Tomorrow I'm having a bone scan to check for osteoporosis. I have run away from having the scan for years but now I need to get a grip & accept what I have done to my body. My periods still exist, I've always used it as a defence to not go into IP. Just because I have my periods, doesn't mean they are healthy eggs.
I used to love literature & write. Now I find it hard to write, my sentences don't make sense & I leave out simple words. You can tell by my speech too that something isn't right. I find it hard to pronounce some words & often I forget what I'm talking about. Literature was my best friend & pulled me through so much but I haven't been able to read since the Summer. Nothing sinks in. I have been robbed of my joys & pleasures.

My biggest problem are the binges. They range from 2000-4000 calories. It happens automatic, I end getting heart pains, I choke & cut my fingers on my braces. It's not pretty.

I have a friend who's been out of starvation mode for 6 months but is still dealing with similar consequences such as lack of concentration despite she eats a healthy balanced 2000 calories a day. It takes a very long time for the affects to go, there are some like osteoporosis & brain damage that can never be reversed though.

There is so much I could write about but I just thought it would be helpful for people to see its affects.

songbyrdsweet

So tragic. I'm very sorry to hear this. I hope you can begin recovery soon.

ebgbjo

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I am hoping it will help others. I am sorry you are going through all of this and wish you the best as you work on getting yourself healthier.

Dootzy1

Never lose hope for your continued recovery!! You have some challenges, and you will rise above them. Peace and healing to you, dearie.

Goal_Seeker_1988

I hope others will be able to learn from the devastatin effects. Thanx so much for sharing. I am sorry that you are goin thru all of this and I wish you the best of luck. Maybe you can use this to help teach others.

MadDogTannen22

I praise you in not only having the bravery to share your story with us, but to check for osteoporosis and other possible health impairments. I am sure that is scary but getting treatment would be important if it turns out you need it. Thank you for sharing your story and I wish you all the best.

Charloo1990

That actualy makes me feel rly sad cause i've tried to get out of my ED and was doing rly well having 1200cals a day but am slowly sliding backwards again and although i read this it still doesnt make me wanna stop. I don;t know if that makes sense I hate the price i wanna pay to be thin

unmitigatedbadassery

First off, thank you for having the courage to share your story.

Starvation mode does indeed exist but not like so many people think. It takes a while at a super low calorie intake with an already low body fat composition.

For example: a person that weighs 200lbs with a 30% body fat is going to take longer to reach starvation than someone that is 200lbs but only has a 10% body fat comp.

People stress too easily about this type of thing and worry that missing a meal a few times a week that isn't allowing them to hit the 'magic number' that MFP has produced will cause them to go into 'starvation mode'. That's just not so. A consistent routine of being dramatically low in calories over the course of time will cause it but only if circumstances are correct.

Also I should note that there is a difference between Anorexia and just not eating enough when working out.

LemonPoppySeedMuffin

That actualy makes me feel rly sad cause i've tried to get out of my ED and was doing rly well having 1200cals a day but am slowly sliding backwards again and although i read this it still doesnt make me wanna stop. I don;t know if that makes sense I hate the price i wanna pay to be thin

I know someone who had a heart attack at age 14. We can hear all the scary but it won't shift us. We never realise until it is too late.

Being thin doesn't take the pain away nor does it fix it. All it does is mask our problems, our problems will always be there unless we address them.

You need to try, try & try again. You are worth the fight! Life will be over before we know it, this is only chance to be happy.

sororitythin

I am in the same boat love, working my behind off to recover - not for the sake of my health, but so I get better so my friends and family don't have to worry about finding me dead one morning. Use MFP as a way to maintain a healthy diet. I KNOW binges are the biggest temptation and one of the worst feelings in the world. If you ever need to chat, I'm here ALWAYS.

gracibelle

I am still in starvation mode, despite trying to get in a net of my BMR as often as I can. I haven't had a period since May. My bfp% is only around 17%, possibly lower, so I'm not sure when I'll get it back.

LemonPoppySeedMuffin

I am still in starvation mode, despite trying to get in a net of my BMR as often as I can. I haven't had a period since May. My bfp% is only around 17%, possibly lower, so I'm not sure when I'll get it back.

We can't rely on our BMR. We need at least a 2000. I've baffled specialists how I still have my period, even at BMI 15.9.

I'm unsure if I want children but it would be devastating if I did but I couldn't have any. Before I didn't care about my future but now I'm panicking because the future is here!

bonnt

Hugs to all of you. Glad to hear MFP is helping where it can, and hoping that you can fully recover.

CouchSpud

Very brave to speak about it so openly. Admitting that there is an issue is always the first step. From now on it's fight for life. It's not always gonna be pretty smooth sailing and sometimes it will suck big time and ED will be always at your side - but you can do it!

People stress too easily about this type of thing and worry that missing a meal a few times a week that isn't allowing them to hit the 'magic number' that MFP has produced will cause them to go into 'starvation mode'. That's just not so. A consistent routine of being dramatically low in calories over the course of time will cause it but only if circumstances are correct.

Also I should note that there is a difference between Anorexia and just not eating enough when working out.

Missing a meal a few times a week can be the starter, my dear. You start off with missing the meal, realise you can go without it, it goes into wanting more control, mind overpowering body. More exercising, even less to eat, because exercise is good right? And it can't hurt to not eat. And anyway, the people that have issues, they are the other ones, that never happens to me, I know what I am doing, I am listening to my body... and boom, suddenly you wake up on the cold floor and realise you have forgotten how the voice of your own body sounds.

I am still tackling my unhealthy relationship with food. I have gone from eating my feelings, to living off an apple a day and sheeding 40kg in a year, execisvely exercising 6 times a week , binging, throwing up, exercising more, starting eating again, over eating and being fat again... took me 29 years to figure out that this isn't about my weight....

MaraDiaz

You guys are talking about three separate mental states as though they were one.

Sure a non-obsessive person can skip a meal if they're not hungry without risking becoming anorexic.

Meanwhile, the anorexic in the obsessive state will ignore hunger and skip a meal she needs in order to lose more weight than is healthy and to lose it faster than is healthy.

The third state is when the obsession overrides the demands of the body so much that the sufferer is starving yet feels no hunger and is even repulsed by the thought of eating.

The person in the third, most severe state of obsession can't listen to their body to know what and how much to eat because their brain won't tell the truth about what the body is saying.

lawson305

Thanks for sharing your story; there seem to be a lot of truly caring, empathetic people here on MFP - we are all battling something, and I just wanted to say I admire your courage in tackling yours head-on. Hang in there, and take it a day at a time!

Johnny_Castle

It's very sad to hear your story and I really hope you are recovering well.
But I don't think this is the type of starvation mode people talk about hear. You were actually literally starving yourself by not eating anything for days as you said. So in a literal sense your body was in starvation mode as in being stranded in a dessert and not having anything to eat.
From my understanding, the starvation mode people here talk about and argue that it does or doesn't exist is not as extreme. It includes doing large amounts of cardio and not eating any of it back in an effort to burn a lot of fat or it could be eating very few calories (maybe only 400-700 a day) for long periods of time. They argue that if you do this your body goes in starvation mode and instead of burning off fat it saves it and you never see results.

LemonPoppySeedMuffin

It's very sad to hear your story and I really hope you are recovering well.
But I don't think this is the type of starvation mode people talk about hear. You were actually literally starving yourself by not eating anything for days as you said. So in a literal sense your body was in starvation mode as in being stranded in a dessert and not having anything to eat.
From my understanding, the starvation mode people here talk about and argue that it does or doesn't exist is not as extreme. It includes doing large amounts of cardio and not eating any of it back in an effort to burn a lot of fat or it could be eating very few calories (maybe only 400-700 a day) for long periods of time. They argue that if you do this your body goes in starvation mode and instead of burning off fat it saves it and you never see results.

By doing what you were explaining can affect them in the near future. I know what I was doing was extreme but the friend I was talking about who's still paying for it didn't fast as much as me. I just wanted to make a point.

Skipping a few meals can turn into a habit, into an obsession into an illness.

My first intention wasn't to lose weight as I was naturally underweight. I became so depressed that I lost my appetite.

CathiAnne

Bless your heart, young lady. You are very smart in addressing your concerns at your age. I wish you nothing but success and a future of healthiness.

BTW, lemon poppyseed muffins are my favorite! Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Please take care of yourself,

Cathi

newmrswood

I use to have an eating problem too and I can tell you now that you can get through this, but it will always be a day by day thing, My current hubby is the one that helped me through my problem. I use to black out randomly from not eating. I ended up being able to eat again but too much and ended up overweight so now I'm losing and trying to get to a maintaining stage. Just know that you aren't alone and that others are out there like you and can help you. I have a friend on MFP who also had an eating problem, feel free to add me and her if you like!

fiberartist219

It sucks that you went through that, but I'm really glad you are able to share your story with us. I wish you all the best in your recovery.