How do I get out of starvation mode?

badgerbadger1

My diary and personal info is only open to all of my MFP friends, who have helped me. Why bother writing a one word response? If EAT is the solution, then they should be confident with the answer and stop defending it. I obviously was asking a question that needed more than "eat". "Eat" and "eat more" is what got me into this mess in the first place. I don't understand how one word helps. Why bother people if the aren't really interested? Maybe a power thing? I don't really want vultures lurking around my page. Creeps me out.

But Hetty...in the same, why bother asking for help if no one else can see your diary. For someone who wants help you are very argumentative. I wish you well though. My advice, is to make sure you are eating your minimum calorie goal, eat back at least half your exercise calorie. Forget fast food and pre-packaged meals. This is a journey, not a diet.

And name calling is just plain childish.

I agree that Hetty has been the only one who has been rude in this thread. If you post a question on the Internet, we assume you want a legitimate answer. All of the answers have been legitimate, considering your refusal to provide diary information which is vital to providing a customised solution. Calling people vultures and creepy and refusing to open your diary when asked, and being rude to people who attempt to assist you, well I'm not sure why you made this thread if you were not interested in replies. Hetty, you're doing a great job of shooting yourself in the foot.

I'd advise you to re-ask the board when you are having a better day. Oh and to break out of starvation mode? The only way is to eat. More. Calories. I suspect you already knew this and went looking for drama.

I hope you have a better day.

hettylair

You are so right. Eat and Eat more. Great idea for a weight loss program. So very smart.

hettylair

For those of you that have been helpful and kind. I did go back to maintenance and I'm increasing the speed on my runs and doing hills outdoors (brr). I decided to leave the Body Pump class and switch to a functional core class. We'll see if I can break out of this plateau. I'm pretty sure that is what it was. And I was so used to dropping 2lbs a week, I probably should be aiming for 1 now.
From now on I will only ask a question on my wall. The one and only time I ask this community board I get the first negative experience I have had on MFP. Maybe when people are new at posting on here,instead of being uncaring and unkind, you will leave them alone instead of answering with one word. If it was that simple, I would not bother to ask. Call me a drama queen and curt, but I still think a one word answer was rude when I was a newby asking for help. Like I said, the problem is being corrected and I really really appreciate the helpful responses. It's an extreemly tough thing I'm doing for myself. When people get to a plateau either be nice or don't say anything. One word responses are just plain mean. Defend it if you need to... I'm done with listening to it. Now call me a curt drama queen and God be with the next poor soul that asks a question without allowing strangers to see everything.

badgerbadger1

For those of you that have been helpful and kind. I did go back to maintenance and I'm increasing the speed on my runs and doing hills outdoors (brr). I decided to leave the Body Pump class and switch to a functional core class. We'll see if I can break out of this plateau. I'm pretty sure that is what it was. And I was so used to dropping 2lbs a week, I probably should be aiming for 1 now.
From now on I will only ask a question on my wall. The one and only time I ask this community board I get the first negative experience I have had on MFP. Maybe when people are new at posting on here,instead of being uncaring and unkind, you will leave them alone instead of answering with one word. If it was that simple, I would not bother to ask. Call me a drama queen and curt, but I still think a one word answer was rude when I was a newby asking for help. Like I said, the problem is being corrected and I really really appreciate the helpful responses. It's an extreemly tough thing I'm doing for myself. When people get to a plateau either be nice or don't say anything. One word responses are just plain mean. Defend it if you need to... I'm done with listening to it. Now call me a curt drama queen and God be with the next poor soul that asks a question without allowing strangers to see everything.

Well, you have to admit this "woe is me" rant is pretty drama laden, and the only person who brought drama into this thread is you. Play the victim all you want, but that doesn't make your victimization a reality. Once again, you went looking for trouble, and you found it. What did you expect when you attack other people?

JeSuisPrest

You are so right. Eat and Eat more. Great idea for a weight loss program. So very smart.

Now you're just being plain snarky. How is that productive? You asked about "starvation mode" common sense is to eat! Not eat and eat more, lets face it, eating and eating more is why most of us are here. As far as only asking questions on your wall, that makes total sense since only your friends can see your diary. You won't open it up for the rest of us, so exactly how can we help you? My diary is open for all to see. I've been successful so far, and enjoy trying to help others, but methinks you really don't want help. But feel free to take a look at my diary for some tips, I'm 44, 5'2" and 5lbs away from goal.

SwankyTomato

I add my exercise calories at the beginning of the day, so I budget calories effectively throughout the whole day so I'm not trying to find something to eat or eating and not hungry. Also, that way I mentally force myself to work out in the evening.

That's a great idea to log the food early. I think I get so bogged down with keeping calories low through the day that I have too much to eat up later in the day without feeling like I've over-eaten.

Oh yea, that is the key for me. I have everything logged in for the day today, plus exercise. I can always go back and edit either way.

Like right now, I am choking down my oatmeal. It is very hard for me to eat a whole serving of things that are not my favs, lol. I like oatmeal, however some mornings are harder than others.

Oh and how about upping your breakfast? It is very easy to toss in extra calories there. I had to cut my breakfast calories in half when I started here. It was nothing for me to eat 800 calories at breakfast. However by lunch I wanted another 800 and so on...

Right now I am striving for 300 at each meal. Good Luck!!!!

m0dizzle

Yesterday I was 400 calories short (of the base 1200 calories, not including the calories I "earned" through exercise) and just was not hungry. I'm just not as hungry as I was two weeks ago when I started this.

I am jealous, I'm always hungry!

tinksmommy2006

I'm definitely not an expert, so don't hold me to this....but isn't it normal for weight loss to slow down the longer you do it? To me it would seem if you're not hungry, don't force feed yourself just because your weight loss slowed down. If you're hungry eat, if you're not, don't. Just because your weight loss slowed doesn't mean your in starvation mode....I would think.

You are right so go ahead and hold yourself to it..lol. Every one will "slow down" at a point in time during their loss. IT IS NORMAL! If you where in starvation mode you would be tired and have mood swings hair loss, nails would become brittle and also would have a huge very rapid weight loss before it just totally stops. Your not in starvation mode hun your just getting thinner and so your body is losing slower because there is no need to lose so fast in it's opinion:) Also for future reference to go into starvation mode your daily intake would have to be less then half of what you burn daily in calories. so your eating 1000-1400 daily averages out to 1200 daily which is just fine.

when i started i would lose like 3-5 lbs a week...now i am down to about 1 per week....it is normal:)

BeeElMarvin

You probably aren't in starvation mode. It takes an extended period of time eating much less than that. You've hit a wall, up your calories and change your work out.

Starvation mode happens to anorexic girls/boys who are eating a few hundred calories a day for months..

(ETA: friend pointed out it also happens to boys, this is not a magical "female problem")

^^^^ This

BeeElMarvin

I agree that "eat" is an inappropriate answer. My guess is that you are not in starvation mode. People have provided you with some very good answers here if you choose to follow them. To get out of the metabolic rut that you are in, you may need to change your intake for a time up to maintenance level of caloric intake - thereby increasing your metabolism. Then go back to the level that mfp assigns you for a consistent weight loss. Just a suggestion, might work, might not - it has for me in the past.

lms333

Try calorie spiking but keeping your weekly total the same. For instance, 1200 a day x 7 = 8400 calories so instead of equally eating 1200 a day, try mixing it up according to your work out routine.

Example:
Sunday rest, eat 800 cal
Monday weights, eat 1200 cal
Tuesday run, eat 1600 and eat back all your exercise cal
Wednesday weights, eat 1200 cal
Thursday run, eat 1600 cal
Friday weights, eat 1000 and eat back half of your exercise cal
Saturday leisure walk, eat 1000 cal

This is what I'd try if I were in plateau but I'm no expert because I haven't come to that yet, but I am planning for it with something similar to the above.

Good luck and keep us posted as to how you come out of it.

BeeElMarvin

For those of you that have been helpful and kind. I did go back to maintenance and I'm increasing the speed on my runs and doing hills outdoors (brr). I decided to leave the Body Pump class and switch to a functional core class. We'll see if I can break out of this plateau. I'm pretty sure that is what it was. And I was so used to dropping 2lbs a week, I probably should be aiming for 1 now.
From now on I will only ask a question on my wall. The one and only time I ask this community board I get the first negative experience I have had on MFP. Maybe when people are new at posting on here,instead of being uncaring and unkind, you will leave them alone instead of answering with one word. If it was that simple, I would not bother to ask. Call me a drama queen and curt, but I still think a one word answer was rude when I was a newby asking for help. Like I said, the problem is being corrected and I really really appreciate the helpful responses. It's an extreemly tough thing I'm doing for myself. When people get to a plateau either be nice or don't say anything. One word responses are just plain mean. Defend it if you need to... I'm done with listening to it. Now call me a curt drama queen and God be with the next poor soul that asks a question without allowing strangers to see everything.

Oh, please, relax. Most here have been through similar situations. Don't be thin skinned, please. Sort through the good information that is provided and use it to your advantage.

SwankyTomato

Try calorie spiking but keeping your weekly total the same. For instance, 1200 a day x 7 = 8400 calories so instead of equally eating 1200 a day, try mixing it up according to your work out routine.

Example:
Sunday rest, eat 800 cal
Monday weights, eat 1200 cal
Tuesday run, eat 1600 and eat back all your exercise cal
Wednesday weights, eat 1200 cal
Thursday run, eat 1600 cal
Friday weights, eat 1000 and eat back half of your exercise cal
Saturday leisure walk, eat 1000 cal

This is what I'd try if I were in plateau but I'm no expert because I haven't come to that yet, but I am planning for it with something similar to the above.

Good luck and keep us posted as to how you come out of it.

You know, I sort of do this naturally when I look at my patterns. Like yesterday I was way over but I was painting a condo and needed those calories.

Today, I am just not as hungry and I will go under calories despite MFP yelling at me to eat, lol.

ANMUR43

Hi, alot of women find themselves in this predicament. I finally found an Overeaters Anonymous group to go to. Then I found a sponsor whom had lost all there weight eating a sensible food plan. I had to add food as well, and felt overfull at first, because I was used to not eating enough at one time.
Before finding OA, I would get hungry between meals and eat things that were high calorie, and then wonder why I kept putting on weight gradually. Other weight loss groups weren't doing it for me. I thoufght I didn't have any willpower, or at least not long lasting willpower.
OA has been my life ring. I grabbed onto it for life.
I now follow a plan of eating that is helping me lose weight without starving. I am very happy, serene, and joyful now. I have hope now, that I will reach my goal, and stay there the rest of my life. You can find a group on the computer. Find a group and sponsor that work for you. It is an awesome network of caring people.
The Cost? Donations only go to the group, and are what you can afford, and NO pressure.

heybales

You are so right. Eat and Eat more. Great idea for a weight loss program. So very smart.

You joke it is smart. It is.

Please do some research on what BMR is, and what happens if you eat below it.
You obviously don't know like many don't.

Those that are suggesting to eat more do know, many by experience of many months sadly or worse bodily effects.

You don't realize, and increasing exercise will help very short term, and then you'll wonder what happened again in 1-3 months.

live4turns

eat.