Been sick, in starvation mode, how do I get out??

kellya009

I've been sick for a week and unale to eat a lot, around 500-800 calories per day.

I haven't lost any weight, but I know my body is in starvation mode now.

How can I transition out of this in the next week, to get back to my normal 1400 cals per day, without gaining weight?

wftiger

You are not in starvation mode. Do some research, unless your body fat is less than about 8% you will NEVER get into starvation mode.

kellya009

Ok, so I can just shoot back up to 1400 calories without gaining any weight?

saraann4

If you aren't sick anymore, eat. It shouldn't be hard to go back after only a week.

BrianSharpe

The whole "starvation mode" is overused and misunderstood.

If you eat at a very large caloric deficit for an extended period of time your body will adapt and your metabolism will, in layman's terms, slow down. This is one of the reasons people will often gain more than they lost after going on some of the crash diets and then going back to their old habits - their body has reset what normal is.

The notion, however, that your body will hold on to its fat etc when in starvation mode is just plain silly. Take a look at concentration camp survivors and Japanese POWs liberated after WWII, if "starvation mode" were real they wouldn't have been walking skeletons.

Bobby_Clerici

Easy, eat.....

clarkeje1

How to not starve.........EAT! lol

chris1816

The whole "starvation mode" is overused and misunderstood.

If you eat at a very large caloric deficit for an extended period of time your body will adapt and your metabolism will, in layman's terms, slow down. This is one of the reasons people will often gain more than they lost after going on some of the crash diets and then going back to their old habits - their body has reset what normal is.

The notion, however, that your body will hold on to its fat etc when in starvation mode is just plain silly. Take a look at concentration camp survivors and Japanese POWs liberated after WWII, if "starvation mode" were real they wouldn't have been walking skeletons.

Clearly they were doing keto.

BackTatJIM

Easy, eat.....

what he said ^^

Sidesteal

The whole "starvation mode" is overused and misunderstood.

If you eat at a very large caloric deficit for an extended period of time your body will adapt and your metabolism will, in layman's terms, slow down. This is one of the reasons people will often gain more than they lost after going on some of the crash diets and then going back to their old habits - their body has reset what normal is.

The notion, however, that your body will hold on to its fat etc when in starvation mode is just plain silly. Take a look at concentration camp survivors and Japanese POWs liberated after WWII, if "starvation mode" were real they wouldn't have been walking skeletons.

Clearly they were doing keto.

LOL

devil_in_a_blue_dress

Don't even get on the scale for a week or so. You are probably going to gain a couple pounds back unless you've kept yourself REALLY hydrated. But as soon as you are able, just start eating your 1,400 calories again.

Hezzietiger1

Ur not going to gain weight eating 1400 cals... just eat. And you are not in starvation mode, lol. U are afraid of nothing.

Rilke

Ok, so I can just shoot back up to 1400 calories without gaining any weight?

Isn't the goal to help your body bounce back fully from being sick? If you gain a little weight from bringing your calories back to a healthy number, you can lose it again.

chris1816

Ok, so I can just shoot back up to 1400 calories without gaining any weight?

Phyyyysics.

roachhaley

You arent in starvation mode. Just eat whatever. Youll be fine.

mochaphobic

While you were sick, were you able to stay hydrated? If so, you should be fine. If not, then that needs to be your first priority and just eat what you can. I was told that if you gain a little bit of weight after being sick it could be just your body rehydrating and holding onto every little bit it can but as soon as it reaches that point of being hydrated again you'll lose the excess.

vanessalillian82

I find that listening to your body works best when you're recovering from illness. If you're hungry, eat, but eat lots of healthy foods that your body actually needs to repair and don't go over the top on portion size. Maybe stay away from the scales for a week or two because you have to mend before you can lose weight again.

Dauntlessness

If you cant eat volume, make sure the foods you are eating are higer cal. Add peanut butter, carbs, nuts, protein shakes, smoothies, granola bars....those kind of things. Get on a routine of eating at least 3 times a day to retrain your body to crave food. Good luck. I know its just as hard to up your calories as it is to lower them. You can do this.

kellya009

Thanks everyone who gave great info and advice. I'll be trying these things.

Not so much to the people with condescending one-liners.