call it what you want "starvation mode" is REAL
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According to MFP, I eat on average about 1900 calories or so per day (including any drinks - I make sure to include EVERYTHING). I also exercise most days (weights and cardio), so often my net calories can be like 1400 or less/more.
Yet despite doing this for months, I don't appear to have lost a single pound. I weigh about 276lb and for the best part of 6 months have given up alcohol and eaten very modestly yet the weight does not shift an inch.
So if starvation mode (or at least severe metabolic issues) doesn't exist then what the hell is happening to me? My maintenance calories are probably more like 3000+ yet often I can eat near HALF THAT.
Nobody seems to understand. I;'m pretty sure I don't have hyperthyroidism. I presume my metabolism is very low but after dieting for so long surely SOME weight should have shifted!!!!!????????
Uh, your maintenance calories are 1900, that's why you don't lose anything, because your metabolism is so slow. Not starvation mode, slow-down mode.
if your maintenance was 3000, you would be losing 1 lb a week.
Have you been slapped in the face with a dose of reality over these 6 months to realize yet that this is the wrong way to do it? What's that definition of insanity, do the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
I only say this because nothing in your post stands out as a help me, but rather I don't understand and blaming it on starvation mode.
Ready to do it right, or you wanna try eating less and exercising more and seeing how slow you can go, until you hit bottom?
Oh, netting 1400 times activity factor of 1.35 for Lightly Active (Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. nurse, salesman) equals 1900 calories.
That's what I mean by maintenance level.0 -
According to MFP, I eat on average about 1900 calories or so per day (including any drinks - I make sure to include EVERYTHING). I also exercise most days (weights and cardio), so often my net calories can be like 1400 or less/more.
Yet despite doing this for months, I don't appear to have lost a single pound. I weigh about 276lb and for the best part of 6 months have given up alcohol and eaten very modestly yet the weight does not shift an inch.
So if starvation mode (or at least severe metabolic issues) doesn't exist then what the hell is happening to me? My maintenance calories are probably more like 3000+ yet often I can eat near HALF THAT.
Nobody seems to understand. I;'m pretty sure I don't have hyperthyroidism. I presume my metabolism is very low but after dieting for so long surely SOME weight should have shifted!!!!!????????
Uh, your maintenance calories are 1900, that's why you don't lose anything, because your metabolism is so slow. Not starvation mode, slow-down mode.
I highly doubt a 26 year old guy weighing 276 pounds has lower maintenance calories than I do as a 130 pound 40 year old woman.0 -
Huge difference between starving and "starvation mode" I'm sorry you went through a hard time in the ICU. Glad you made it through and that you are able to voice your opinion. I think one way you another. So many people agree with me and some with you. I'm glad we all have a forum to express it..I tend to think of starvation mode as a Yeti or an UFO. Everyone claims to have seen it and some may even have photographs but when you take a closer look it's really some guy in a suit or an airplane
Well I must have been a medical marvel then, because I was in starvation mode. In my case it was brought on my 17 days in ICU with very very low calories (the low calories were nothing to do with my treatment - they were just as a result of being there). That, together with very low calories after (my energy and appetite were shot) totally blew my metabolism for a very long time. I actually find it offensive that it is made a joke out of.0 -
According to MFP, I eat on average about 1900 calories or so per day (including any drinks - I make sure to include EVERYTHING). I also exercise most days (weights and cardio), so often my net calories can be like 1400 or less/more.
Yet despite doing this for months, I don't appear to have lost a single pound. I weigh about 276lb and for the best part of 6 months have given up alcohol and eaten very modestly yet the weight does not shift an inch.
So if starvation mode (or at least severe metabolic issues) doesn't exist then what the hell is happening to me? My maintenance calories are probably more like 3000+ yet often I can eat near HALF THAT.
Nobody seems to understand. I;'m pretty sure I don't have hyperthyroidism. I presume my metabolism is very low but after dieting for so long surely SOME weight should have shifted!!!!!????????
Uh, your maintenance calories are 1900, that's why you don't lose anything, because your metabolism is so slow. Not starvation mode, slow-down mode.
I highly doubt a 26 year old guy weighing 276 pounds has lower maintenance calories than I do as a 130 pound 40 year old woman.
If you net low enough for your level of activity, it can be accomplished by anyone at any weight.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/546227-for-the-500-000-time-eating-more-works?page=20#posts-77983520 -
Huge difference between starving and "starvation mode" I'm sorry you went through a hard time in the ICU. Glad you made it through and that you are able to voice your opinion. I think one way you another. So many people agree with me and some with you. I'm glad we all have a forum to express it..I tend to think of starvation mode as a Yeti or an UFO. Everyone claims to have seen it and some may even have photographs but when you take a closer look it's really some guy in a suit or an airplane
Well I must have been a medical marvel then, because I was in starvation mode. In my case it was brought on my 17 days in ICU with very very low calories (the low calories were nothing to do with my treatment - they were just as a result of being there). That, together with very low calories after (my energy and appetite were shot) totally blew my metabolism for a very long time. I actually find it offensive that it is made a joke out of.
I was not 'starving' - I was in ICU, do you really think they would have let me starve? My metabolism was totally shot due to the time in ICU and the subsequent undereating. We may be in semantics here, but I use (and I think many others here do) the term starvation mode to mean having your metabolism screwed up so it slows down significantly.
Anyway, on a lighter note, thank you for the kind words.0 -
Being in the ICU is scary. Seriously glad you're around even if you disagree with me 100%. Continue to thrive.Huge difference between starving and "starvation mode" I'm sorry you went through a hard time in the ICU. Glad you made it through and that you are able to voice your opinion. I think one way you another. So many people agree with me and some with you. I'm glad we all have a forum to express it..I tend to think of starvation mode as a Yeti or an UFO. Everyone claims to have seen it and some may even have photographs but when you take a closer look it's really some guy in a suit or an airplane
Well I must have been a medical marvel then, because I was in starvation mode. In my case it was brought on my 17 days in ICU with very very low calories (the low calories were nothing to do with my treatment - they were just as a result of being there). That, together with very low calories after (my energy and appetite were shot) totally blew my metabolism for a very long time. I actually find it offensive that it is made a joke out of.
I was not 'starving' - I was in ICU, do you really think they would have let me starve? My metabolism was totally shot due to the time in ICU and the subsequent undereating. We may be in semantics here, but I use (and I think many others here do) the term starvation mode to mean having your metabolism screwed up so it slows down significantly.
Anyway, on a lighter note, thank you for the kind words.0 -
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What? My maintenance calories are a hell of a lot higher than 1900. Are you being serious? I'm 276lb and you expect me to eat less than 1900 calories a day? Oh dear...I would probably collapse if I ate less.According to MFP, I eat on average about 1900 calories or so per day (including any drinks - I make sure to include EVERYTHING). I also exercise most days (weights and cardio), so often my net calories can be like 1400 or less/more.
Yet despite doing this for months, I don't appear to have lost a single pound. I weigh about 276lb and for the best part of 6 months have given up alcohol and eaten very modestly yet the weight does not shift an inch.
So if starvation mode (or at least severe metabolic issues) doesn't exist then what the hell is happening to me? My maintenance calories are probably more like 3000+ yet often I can eat near HALF THAT.
Nobody seems to understand. I;'m pretty sure I don't have hyperthyroidism. I presume my metabolism is very low but after dieting for so long surely SOME weight should have shifted!!!!!????????
Uh, your maintenance calories are 1900, that's why you don't lose anything, because your metabolism is so slow. Not starvation mode, slow-down mode.
if your maintenance was 3000, you would be losing 1 lb a week.
Have you been slapped in the face with a dose of reality over these 6 months to realize yet that this is the wrong way to do it? What's that definition of insanity, do the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
I only say this because nothing in your post stands out as a help me, but rather I don't understand and blaming it on starvation mode.
Ready to do it right, or you wanna try eating less and exercising more and seeing how slow you can go, until you hit bottom?
Oh, netting 1400 times activity factor of 1.35 for Lightly Active (Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. nurse, salesman) equals 1900 calories.
That's what I mean by maintenance level.0 -
What? My maintenance calories are a hell of a lot higher than 1900. Are you being serious? I'm 276lb and you expect me to eat less than 1900 calories a day? Oh dear...I would probably collapse if I ate less.
Maintenance calories are by definition the calories required to maintain your current weight. So if you net 1900 calories a day on average for 6 months and still weigh the same, your maintenance is 1900 calories.
Calories in are easy to measure and record. Calories out are where the whole "starvation mode" comes into play. That one is much more difficult to record. We can calculate our BMR and all that, but even then that's just a close approximation that works for most people.0 -
copied this from another post i recently made...
seems to fit here...
the myth that low cal diets will slow your metabolism are unfounded...
In one study, researchers found that the when they made people fast for 3 days, their metabolic rate did not change
-Webber J, Macdonald IA, The cardiovascular, metabolic and hormonal changes accompanying acute starvation in men and women. British journal of nutrition 1994; 71:437-447.
In another study by a different group of researchers, people who fasted every other day for a period of 22 days also had no decrease in their resting metabolic rate
-Heilbronn LK, et al. Alternate-day fasting in nonobese subjects: effects on body weight, body composition, and energy metabolism. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2005; 81:69-73
In addition, people who were on very low calorie diets and on a resistance exercise program (i.e. lifting weights) did not see a decrease in resting metabolic rate, and these people were only eating 800 Calories a day for 12 weeks
In another interesting study, women who ate half the amount of food that they normally eat for 3 days saw no change in their metabolism either
-Keim NL, Horn WF. Restrained eating behavior and the metabolic response to dietary energy restriction in women. Obesity research 2004; 12:141-149.
The bottom line is food has virtually nothing to do with your metabolism. In fact, your metabolism is much more closely tied to your bodyweight. If your weight goes up or down, so does your metabolism. The only other thing that can affect your metabolism (in both the short term and longer term) is exercise and weight loss. Even in the complete absence of food for three days, your metabolism remains unchanged.
Enough with the not eating enough will slow your metabolism people...
Are you really citing these studies to argue this point? One study done for 3days, another for 22 days....Really?????.... Really :huh:
Lol and one study is 18 years old!0 -
And when I ate crap all the time and binged on alcohol in my student days I mantained the exact same damn weight, if not slimmer, so what really is my maintenance weight...........Whether I have 4000 calories a day or 1500 it makes bugger all difference!What? My maintenance calories are a hell of a lot higher than 1900. Are you being serious? I'm 276lb and you expect me to eat less than 1900 calories a day? Oh dear...I would probably collapse if I ate less.
Maintenance calories are by definition the calories required to maintain your current weight. So if you net 1900 calories a day on average for 6 months and still weigh the same, your maintenance is 1900 calories.
Calories in are easy to measure and record. Calories out are where the whole "starvation mode" comes into play. That one is much more difficult to record. We can calculate our BMR and all that, but even then that's just a close approximation that works for most people.0 -
Thank you Jen this explains a lot to many people. I've seen it before but it's worth seeing again.copied this from another post i recently made...
seems to fit here...
the myth that low cal diets will slow your metabolism are unfounded...
In one study, researchers found that the when they made people fast for 3 days, their metabolic rate did not change
-Webber J, Macdonald IA, The cardiovascular, metabolic and hormonal changes accompanying acute starvation in men and women. British journal of nutrition 1994; 71:437-447.
In another study by a different group of researchers, people who fasted every other day for a period of 22 days also had no decrease in their resting metabolic rate
-Heilbronn LK, et al. Alternate-day fasting in nonobese subjects: effects on body weight, body composition, and energy metabolism. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2005; 81:69-73
In addition, people who were on very low calorie diets and on a resistance exercise program (i.e. lifting weights) did not see a decrease in resting metabolic rate, and these people were only eating 800 Calories a day for 12 weeks
In another interesting study, women who ate half the amount of food that they normally eat for 3 days saw no change in their metabolism either
-Keim NL, Horn WF. Restrained eating behavior and the metabolic response to dietary energy restriction in women. Obesity research 2004; 12:141-149.
The bottom line is food has virtually nothing to do with your metabolism. In fact, your metabolism is much more closely tied to your bodyweight. If your weight goes up or down, so does your metabolism. The only other thing that can affect your metabolism (in both the short term and longer term) is exercise and weight loss. Even in the complete absence of food for three days, your metabolism remains unchanged.
Enough with the not eating enough will slow your metabolism people...
Are you really citing these studies to argue this point? One study done for 3days, another for 22 days....Really?????.... Really :huh:
Lol and one study is 18 years old!0 -
Sorry just wanted to say thankyou to the post... and to all the people who dont like or agree with what is said, simply dont read it. there are some people like me who found this interesting.
This world is messed up enough without people moaning at other people over what they post.
again i say dont like it then simply jut dont read it. the title says it all
on another note i wish you all well on your journey0 -
She's 100% right. No need for bashing. Don't read the post if you know it all.
Thanks for the insight OP
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According to online calculators my maintenance calories per day are well over 3000 so you are speaking rubbish. For very active my calories are > 4000According to MFP, I eat on average about 1900 calories or so per day (including any drinks - I make sure to include EVERYTHING). I also exercise most days (weights and cardio), so often my net calories can be like 1400 or less/more.
Yet despite doing this for months, I don't appear to have lost a single pound. I weigh about 276lb and for the best part of 6 months have given up alcohol and eaten very modestly yet the weight does not shift an inch.
So if starvation mode (or at least severe metabolic issues) doesn't exist then what the hell is happening to me? My maintenance calories are probably more like 3000+ yet often I can eat near HALF THAT.
Nobody seems to understand. I;'m pretty sure I don't have hyperthyroidism. I presume my metabolism is very low but after dieting for so long surely SOME weight should have shifted!!!!!????????
Uh, your maintenance calories are 1900, that's why you don't lose anything, because your metabolism is so slow. Not starvation mode, slow-down mode.
if your maintenance was 3000, you would be losing 1 lb a week.
Have you been slapped in the face with a dose of reality over these 6 months to realize yet that this is the wrong way to do it? What's that definition of insanity, do the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
I only say this because nothing in your post stands out as a help me, but rather I don't understand and blaming it on starvation mode.
Ready to do it right, or you wanna try eating less and exercising more and seeing how slow you can go, until you hit bottom?
Oh, netting 1400 times activity factor of 1.35 for Lightly Active (Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. nurse, salesman) equals 1900 calories.
That's what I mean by maintenance level.
Today I will be having 1529 in total. Why do I bother? I don't know0 -
According to online calculators my maintenance calories per day are well over 3000 so you are speaking rubbish. For very active my calories are > 4000According to MFP, I eat on average about 1900 calories or so per day (including any drinks - I make sure to include EVERYTHING). I also exercise most days (weights and cardio), so often my net calories can be like 1400 or less/more.
Yet despite doing this for months, I don't appear to have lost a single pound. I weigh about 276lb and for the best part of 6 months have given up alcohol and eaten very modestly yet the weight does not shift an inch.
So if starvation mode (or at least severe metabolic issues) doesn't exist then what the hell is happening to me? My maintenance calories are probably more like 3000+ yet often I can eat near HALF THAT.
Nobody seems to understand. I;'m pretty sure I don't have hyperthyroidism. I presume my metabolism is very low but after dieting for so long surely SOME weight should have shifted!!!!!????????
Uh, your maintenance calories are 1900, that's why you don't lose anything, because your metabolism is so slow. Not starvation mode, slow-down mode.
if your maintenance was 3000, you would be losing 1 lb a week.
Have you been slapped in the face with a dose of reality over these 6 months to realize yet that this is the wrong way to do it? What's that definition of insanity, do the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
I only say this because nothing in your post stands out as a help me, but rather I don't understand and blaming it on starvation mode.
Ready to do it right, or you wanna try eating less and exercising more and seeing how slow you can go, until you hit bottom?
Oh, netting 1400 times activity factor of 1.35 for Lightly Active (Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. nurse, salesman) equals 1900 calories.
That's what I mean by maintenance level.
Today I will be having 1529 in total. Why do I bother? I don't know
They're saying your maintenance has fallen below average precisely because of undereating.0 -
so what the heck should I do.0
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so what the heck should I do.
Reread the posts to come to an understanding.
You are failing to avail yourself of supplied information for whatever reason.
Listen to what you have said in your last few posts, and what you complain has happened.
You have eaten at a certain 1900 level and lost NO weight for 6 months.
You think your daily calorie needs are 3000-4000.
YOUR METABOLISM HAS SLOWED DOWN.
When that happens, your body expends less energy, calories, on everything you do.
How do you fix it?
As several posts advised, you have to get your metabolism going again - by eating more.
If you don't believe this, grab a piece of scratch paper and write 1900 on it, and 4000 on it, and ponder why you haven't lost weight. Could your real meals be filling up a 2100 deficit somehow, every single day.
There have been several links to other threads to help anyone figure it out - you just have to be interested to go check it out.
You are to a level interersted, because you are logging food - first great step.
Now don't be so high minded that you got it all figured out and why bother if it hasn't been working, and go read them.0 -
Yeti0
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