Starvation Mode, Help!

dyf11710

I believe I could have a problem. I have been eating roughly 1100 calories a day for the past 8-9 months and have been working out 5-6 days a week for about 45-60 mins a day (this also includes a 90-100 day stretch where I was doing P90X). Btw, I'm 22, male, 5'7''.

The food that I am eating is healthy, plenty of protein, carbs, and fats. I have lost nearly 60 pounds over the last 9 months, and now weigh only 121. I realize this is too little, but I dont know how to fix the problem, should I automatically up my calories to what I should be taking in, or should I slowly adjust? I know I need to gain weight, but I really do not want to become fat. Should I also take a break for awhile from working out while I adjust calories?

Also, I am by no means a medical expert, so maybe I shouldnt self-diagnose myself, but I believe it could be starvation mode. If anyone has any symtoms of it, it would be appreciated. Thanks for the help everyone!

lmr9

Are your 1,100 calories per day NET calories after all that exercise? Have you done the "goals" section of this website? It should tell you exactly how much to eat...even if you just want to maintain weight. I too am by no means a doctor or medical expert of any kind, but 1,100 calories for a 22-yr old male seems low to me. I would possibly try increasing your calories to 1,500 and dialing down the workouts a bit - maybe 30 minutes instead of 45-60 minutes each. Maybe you should go see a doctor. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

dyf11710

no, I'm actually embarrassed to admit that the 1100 calories is total for the day. Not net calorie intake after exercise. I know this is a problem so please nobody flame on this.

I would like to start eating more, but would also like to minimize weight gain during this phase. However, I know some weight gain is predictable. What kind of foods would you suggest to get up to a healthy intake, and should I increment the number of calories I take in over a couple weeks, or just all of a sudden jump it up to close to 2000?

bluecrow1963

Hey dyf11710,

Take another look at the weight charts again, my friend. You are very much under weight. Average is anything between 133-163 should be where you want, with 150 being a target. I know you don't want to get fat, however if you keep eating the way your eating then you're going to look the opposite of studly

Go to your "Goals" section of your profile and change your goal to 133 lbs. Then eat the appropriate calories to gain one pound a week. If you exercise than increase your calories and eat all of them.

Once you reach this weight, see how you feel. See how you look. Are you comfortable in your own skin? Do you think you would feel better gaining 5 more pounds? Only you can decide this.

Once you reach your weight you feel good at, switch to maintaining your weight. Change your goals and update your weight. MyFitnessPal will help you by telling you exactly what you need to change your calorie/carb intake to. You have the tools....go to it, bro.

mjkon

Based on what you've posted, you went from being overweight to being right at the low edge of the healthy weight range for your height. You say in your first post that you want to gain some weight, but in your second post you say just the opposite. From your wording, it sounds like you are very concerned about becoming fat, even though you must be quite slim now. As someone else said, no one can diagnose you via email, but, by the way you describe yourself, you are showing some symptoms of anorexia. Most people think of this as a condition associated with teenage girls, but men are affected too. If you are really policing every bite you take, still feel that you should severely limit your calories, and are dreading the thought of going up a few pounds, you may benefit from talking to your doctor.

I'm not trying to criticize your choice to limit your intake so sharply, but rather, give you something to think about. Best of luck!

dyf11710

no, I appreciate your advice mjkon, and I actually spent a couple hours google'ing anorexia and I think I may have some symptoms of it, such as a decreased sex drive.

And I do still stand my first where I say I would like to put on some weight, what I meant in my second post is that I did not want it to be all fat that I gain back. So besides the obvious advice of eating more, what exactly would everyone suggest eating to do this? Or should I just focus in putting more calories in me right now, good or bad.

btw, even though I say in this post that I believe I have some symptoms of anorexia, please do not advise me to see a doctor. I appreciate the thought of it, but its just something I feel like I do not need.

NotSurprised

I wouldn't say up your calorie intake to 2000 immediately unless your experiencing dizziness often and or fainting. Give it a week or two and up it to 1300-1500 and see what the scale says then go from there.

slrose

you just need a new focus
you've mastered the art of lossing fat. now all you need to do is reevaluate and put alol that energy into gaining muscle. add lean protien, and watch your intake of fats and quicky carbs while upping your caloric intake. start lifting, and streching, while decreasing the amont of cardio, but not altogether. be sure to have a good intake of protien and calcium after a workout. it helps build, repair and maintain the muscle mass you are working for. its time to get ripped!

stormieweather

I'm certainly not an expert either, but when I had to increase my calories to maintenance (which seemed like an absolute TON of food), I did it slowly. I went up 100-125 calories per day or every other day. I eat healthy foods, just like when I was at a deficit, just a bit more of it. An extra serving of Almonds or an additional snack of 4 oz of low fat cottage cheese, for example. Even something as simple as a single slice of cheese can bring up your daily calorie total. I increased my calories from 1300 to 1820 and haven't gain any weight.

To reset your metabolism may take months, from my research. Get your body used to eating a reasonable, healthy ,adequate amount.

If you are really in 'starvation mode' ie: operating with a vastly slowed down metabolism, it is possible that you'll gain a few pounds as you first increase your calories. But you will feel better (physically and mentally) and should be able to fairly easily get rid of them all while eating healthily.

Good luck!

BetterVersion

I agree with some of the others about increasing your calorie limit... You should probably focus on 2000 cals becoming your goal, or possibly more if you're an intense exerciser, but don't jump right into that number- increase your intake gradually. Really what you truly need to do is go talk to your doc about it. He'd be able to give you a much better idea of what would work specifically for you.

Don't worry... there is a balance between too skinny and too fat, and you can find that balance. If nothing else, do what sounds like the "smart" thing to start out, and then listen to your body as you go. You'll get it figured out

NWCountryGal

I'm not flamin on ya but I can tell you without being an expert that if you don't feed your body the calories it needs it will start feeding on any fat-stores and here's the scary part, it will feed itself lean, muscle mass. Eat the food you need, the calculator here is good and yes, I would eat those exercise calories, at least 75% of them. Denise

mcohan

no, I'm actually embarrassed to admit that the 1100 calories is total for the day. Not net calorie intake after exercise. I know this is a problem so please nobody flame on this.

if i were you i would go talk to a specialist....maybe a dietician or even a perssonal trainer. they will give you some advice, and if you think that you can follow it by yourself go for it. 24hour fitness has relatively inexpensive trainers, or i am sure you could find someone online for a few sessions. if you think there is a problem dont wait, fix it immediately....i know from experience that it causes problems if ignored. good luck!!

mcohan

(sorry i acciedently quoted that! haha i am technologically stupid!!)

if i were you i would go talk to a specialist....maybe a dietician or even a perssonal trainer. they will give you some advice, and if you think that you can follow it by yourself go for it. 24hour fitness has relatively inexpensive trainers, or i am sure you could find someone online for a few sessions. if you think there is a problem dont wait, fix it immediately....i know from experience that it causes problems if ignored. good luck!!

jdavis193

You need to up your amount of food. Reset the goals on your profile and that will help you on how many calories to maintain. I would maybe do every other week on how hard you workout nad how many days. If you are building muscle that will help as well. I have a degree in personal training.

allisontaylor

My opinion - keep exercising the same amount (great for your heart and to keep building muscle). Maybe add in some additional weight training (not sure what you're already doing) to help the weight gain be muscle rather than fat. When increasing your calories (which you will HAVE to do), don't go for junk, but rather healthy foods that are calorie dense such as nuts, nut butters, avocado, cheese, granola, etc. Not sure how structured your current diet is, but maybe adding yogurt with granola for breakfast or mid-morning, then a handful of nuts in the afternoon should be plenty to start with and see how it works for you. Best of luck!

jdavis193

You need to eat even if you are not hungry thats what a lot of people don't know. You are supposed to eat every 2 to 3 hours a snack to maintain being full. You will need to eat those calories if you wnat to maintain it.

KatWood

Banks had a really good post recently that mentioned that you cannot build muscle while in a calorie deficit. I will see if I can find the post.

In the meantime, you definitly need to increase your calories and I agree with everyone here that you should do it with healthy calorie dense foods and protein. And at 1100 calories right now your diet may be lacking in other vitamins and nutrients as well.

I would also keep exercising, but I would focus more on weight training than cardio.

Good luck and keep us updated on your progress!

jdavis193

Thats a good idea but you need to watch how much of the nuts and almonds you take in though you can have to much a day.

KatWood

I can't find the exact quote but I think it was in here somewhere. This is a great read.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/69708-calorie-deficit-for-dummies-a-little-long

jellymedina

do u think u have an eating disorder? u could stand to be at LEAST 20lbs heavier and no way be considered fat.

jdavis193

I believe that if you are worried about your weight you really need to speak to your dr. because he knows your health better than anyone. You need to ask him these question. Everyone can have an answer for you but its based on the over all "healthy" not based on your body every body is different

Nikiki

no, I appreciate your advice mjkon, and I actually spent a couple hours google'ing anorexia and I think I may have some symptoms of it, such as a decreased sex drive.

And I do still stand my first where I say I would like to put on some weight, what I meant in my second post is that I did not want it to be all fat that I gain back. So besides the obvious advice of eating more, what exactly would everyone suggest eating to do this? Or should I just focus in putting more calories in me right now, good or bad.

btw, even though I say in this post that I believe I have some symptoms of anorexia, please do not advise me to see a doctor. I appreciate the thought of it, but its just something I feel like I do not need.

I would recomend VERY SLOWLY changing your habits over. You've been trying so hard to lose weight and have been doing a great job and now it looks like you've surpassed your goals. I understand that you're probably scared about going back to where you were. This would be my suggestion:

this week concentrate on eating 1,200-1,300 calories a day, next week add another 100 calories a day. Switch up your workouts a bit so that you're doing some lower impact exercises like Pilates or Yoga 2X week (P90X has a great yoga workout!) keeping 2-3 days in there where you run or ride a bike (great for the heart!!) keep checking the scale and aim to gain 1/2 to 1 lb per week for the next couple of weeks until you reach a healthier weight for your height (depending on your build I'd aim for 140 in the short term, then start working with weights to increase muscle mass & tone to get to 145-150)

You need to retrain your body to accept higher amounts of calories again, if you are in starvation mode, suddenly increasing your calories that much will make your weight jump really fast and will probably scare you back into the 1,100 calories/day mode which wont be good for you long term.

You seem pretty in control of yourself & your goals, it will be an adjustment to go from weight loss to weight gain but you've come this far!!

Good luck!

TuscanySun

I have heard that if you find yourself in starvation mode as you are, dont suddenly start eating a bunch more calories. Add 10% each week until you're back up to where you need to be to properly feed your metabolism.