Am I in starvation mode?

projektai

I've noticed that I haven't been losing any more after some initial weight loss.
So, I decided to look at a chart for how many calories I should be eating weekly, instead of just daily.

After logging in the first three days of this week, plus all of my stats and my exercise included, it says I need to eat 2077 calories today!
That was VERY shocking. My daily goal is 1330 a day. I don't normally eat back ALL of my exercise calories, but I didn't think I'd be in such a deficit!

Does anyone else use a weekly calorie goal? Am I in starvation mode? A plateau?
I'm really confused, any advice would be really appreciated!

projektai

Any advice? :ohwell:

Tilran

I've noticed that I haven't been losing any more after some initial weight loss.
So, I decided to look at a chart for how many calories I should be eating weekly, instead of just daily.

After logging in the first three days of this week, plus all of my stats and my exercise included, it says I need to eat 2077 calories today!
That was VERY shocking. My daily goal is 1330 a day. I don't normally eat back ALL of my exercise calories, but I didn't think I'd be in such a deficit!

Does anyone else use a weekly calorie goal? Am I in starvation mode? A plateau?
I'm really confused, any advice would be really appreciated!

Is 2077 your BMR or your TDEE? I'm guessing your TDEE. So if you are at 1330 from MFP I'm guessing that you chose 1.5lbs a week for loss? In that case it makes sense. 500 calories/day defecit per pound so 1330 is closer enough to 750 which would be 1.5lbs a week.

So no, you are not in starvation mode. Not that there is such a thing...but I understand your point. For you to do damage to your metabolism and slow it down, you would need to be at or less then 1000 cals a day or so.

rhall9058

Very possible. If you aren't providing your body the fuel to support the workout, you very well could be going into a fat retention mode. The other item I would consider is if you regularly change your excercise. The more you do it, the more your body becomes used to it and your body no longer see's it as excercise as it's just a regular part of your routine. Just 2 cents to think about.

Tilran

Follow up points:

Your ticker shows 0 weight loss, have you lost weight and put it back on? Or what initial weight loss are you talking about?

Second thing, open up your diary so we can look at your days.


Honestly it is not hard to lose fat. Eat at a defecit and you will lose. If you are not losing, you are not at a defecit. Sometimes the body will plateu but usually only after a few months of loses as the body tries to reacclimate. (Your body will constantly fight to try and get back to homeostasis) If you keep going, the body will surrender the fight and be ok at your new weight, that is when the plateu will end.

psuLemon

Are you in starvation mode... no.. are you eating enough.. its hard to say. How tall are you. I can see you are about 160 and 20 years old. One thing you have to understand is the closer to a healthier weight, the smaller the deficit has to be. Most active women i do plans for eat around 1800 calories. So if you provide your height, job and exercise routine i can run the numbers for you.

projektai

I opened up my diary.

I haven't accurately measured my weight in a while, I've been keeping track of the inches I'm losing because I think that determines more fat loss than weight loss, and I'm more concerned about fat loss.

Also, I'm pretty sure the 2077 is my TDEE. My BMR is 1830, and for the deficit, MFP set my calories at 1330 per day.

And I haven't changed my exercise routine since I've begun working out, which was in July. So that may be a factor I should look into. I could always join an aerobics class on top of strength training.

loretta6733

This is what it happening you need to up your calorie intake by at least by 50 calories try that for a week. And see what happens. When i logged in here it said i should eat 1200. I knew better. My sweet spot is 1700 and if i get stuck i will up my calories as well. Trust me on this and let me know how you do
Hugs
Loretta

kmbweber2014

I started using another sit in conjunction with this one. Fitbit.com is where I track what I have done for the day, and MFP is where I track my food and get support. They link together but I feel like fitbit is more accrate on what my actual caloric intake should be. MFP has more of a support network and it is easier to track your food through it.

Tilran

I opened up my diary.

I haven't accurately measured my weight in a while, I've been keeping track of the inches I'm losing because I think that determines more fat loss than weight loss, and I'm more concerned about fat loss.

Also, I'm pretty sure the 2077 is my TDEE. My BMR is 1830, and for the deficit, MFP set my calories at 1330 per day.

And I haven't changed my exercise routine since I've begun working out, which was in July. So that may be a factor I should look into. I could always join an aerobics class on top of strength training.

Dont worry about your exercise routine, its fine. You just said you dont measure your weight anymore...so how do you know you hit a plateu? If your TDEE is 2077, then 1330 is fine as its 1.5lbs a week. If you want to eat more, drop it to 1lb a week and you will get roughly 1500 allowable cals a day.

Keep working out, focusing on Strength if you are watching the mirror. If you are watching the scale focus on Cardio.

moses3q0

Like others have said: No, you're not.

Starvation mode only comes up after you've had zero food/water for 2 days straight. A study was also done with people eating only 50% of their calories a day for 30 days. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment) None of them entered starvation mode.

You're most likely at a plateau, i was for about a week where I didn't lose anything until the last day. Just keep strong to your diet, and try to switch up your routine. Either exercising or eating. I started to eat small breakfasts and have larger meals at night. Helped me, at least.

projektai

Are you in starvation mode... no.. are you eating enough.. its hard to say. How tall are you. I can see you are about 160 and 20 years old. One thing you have to understand is the closer to a healthier weight, the smaller the deficit has to be. Most active women i do plans for eat around 1800 calories. So if you provide your height, job and exercise routine i can run the numbers for you.

I'm only 5'2", so I still think I'm a while from what would be considered a healthy weight for my body.
I'm currently a student, so I take my bicycle to and from school, which is a 1.5 miles from my apartment and takes me about 15 minutes to get there. I spend my days in class, just walking between classes and taking the stairs instead of elevators.

Aside from that, I visit the gym three times a week for an hour on average.
My routine is primarily made up of crunches with a weighted ball, oblique crunches with a weighted ball, and machines to work out my arms and legs.
I'm not sure what the names of all of the exercises are, but I'll do my best to get more specific if you need me to.

Thanks for your help.

Tilran

My routine is primarily made up of crunches with a weighted ball, oblique crunches with a weighted ball, and machines to work out my arms and legs.

If you are watching the mirror, the crunches are working against you. Yes you are building muscle which is great, but it is building under fat which makes you seem bigger. I'd recommend doing more core exercises like squats, dead lifts and things like that to trim the waist line if you are watching the mirror.

psuLemon

I would have you eat around 1800-1900 calories a day. I also generally suggest setting macros at 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. I believe you have a good workout schedule with using the 3 days in the gym for weight training. Just make sure its low rep, high weights. Its much more effective for fat loss.

psuLemon

My routine is primarily made up of crunches with a weighted ball, oblique crunches with a weighted ball, and machines to work out my arms and legs.

If you are watching the mirror, the crunches are working against you. Yes you are building muscle which is great, but it is building under fat which makes you seem bigger. I'd recommend doing more core exercises like squats, dead lifts and things like that to trim the waist line if you are watching the mirror.

I am sorry but this isnt correct. Being on a calorie deficit prevents you from creating new lean body mass (muscle). Currently she is just making her muscles more effecient and stronger.

arizonaladybug

can you run my numbers lol. Im 5'3 161 and eat 1300 calories a day with a desk job. and I walk or jog 5 days a week. do some light 5 pound wieghts and crunches. want to loose 20lbs..

projektai

I can incorporate squats into my exercise if they'll help, and I should probably switch to a low rep high weight.
But what would a good ratio be for that?

For example, I can't lift very much with my arms, so I settle for 3 sets of 15 at 15 pounds. (I know its not a high weight, but my arms can't handle much).

And, are there any ways to ease into dead lifts or substitute them?
I attempted dead lifts yesterday, and I think I wound up hurting myself instead of getting a good workout.

Tilran

My routine is primarily made up of crunches with a weighted ball, oblique crunches with a weighted ball, and machines to work out my arms and legs.

If you are watching the mirror, the crunches are working against you. Yes you are building muscle which is great, but it is building under fat which makes you seem bigger. I'd recommend doing more core exercises like squats, dead lifts and things like that to trim the waist line if you are watching the mirror.

I am sorry but this isnt correct. Being on a calorie deficit prevents you from creating new lean body mass (muscle). Currently she is just making her muscles more effecient and stronger.

I'm sorry but that is not true. If you are taking in calories you can turn those into lean body mass (muscle) regardless of surplus or defecit. Will you put ON muscle weight? no, you cannot in a defecit. But you can cut fat while adding muscle which will negate any WEIGHT loss but still show up as FAT loss.

She isen't in a low enough defecit that her body is attacking muscle stores...if she was I would agree with you.

kathyms13

its as some have said, there really is no such thing as starvation mode, we are what we eat. to loose we need to eat less than we use then we use the stored fat. exercise is realy good we need to burn the fat as well as tone up.i havent looked but an open diary is good ,it helps people advise you and keeps you on track knowing people can see it. good luck add me if youd like. and my diary's open.

Tilran

can you run my numbers lol. Im 5'3 161 and eat 1300 calories a day with a desk job. and I walk or jog 5 days a week. do some light 5 pound wieghts and crunches. want to loose 20lbs..

Your numbers are nearly identical to the OP. Just stay at a defecit with 1300 a day and lose 1-1.5 a week. Exercise is great to help you tone your body and to help you get more calories in if you need to eat more then 1300. Remember to eat back your exercise calories since your goal is so low.

KristaJeanMFP

Keep working out, focusing on Strength if you are watching the mirror. If you are watching the scale focus on Cardio.

I dig this!!!