Help!

woolfe87

I need inspiration that isn't this new "thinspiration" crap!

I have been trying to take off these 30 pounds for about three years now. I did at one point; man, did that diet backfire. I gained it all back, plus some. I don't want to lose it unhealthily. I want this to be a lifestyle change. I can't stand being uncomfortable anymore. I want my confidence back, along with my energy. I am so low in energy I can't think clearly. I know it is related to my eating habits.
Speaking of habits...
Does anybody else eat even when not hungry due to fear that body will go into starvation mode?

(That is another goal of mine: beat fear!)

jfan175

Short answer....no. Starvation mode is a myth. Your metabolism can not slow down to the point where you will not lose weight. Concentration camp victims prove this. I don't see any benefit to eating when you're not hungry. Many of us here have lost a lot of weight doing intermittent fasting. If you follow the guidelines on this website you can change your lifestyle and drop the fat in a healthy manner that you can live with.

Vicstar1977

I dont believe starvation mode is a myth. Whereas your not actually "starving", your body still slows down the weight loss to hold on to energy that it thinks your not getting enough of.

briannadunn

The only thing that I do and keep doing is eating only 100 calories under my bmr..that said I also don't go under 1200 calories because there is no reason to for me, I am more active the thinner I get. If you are losing only 30 pounds, give yourself 30 weeks at 1 pound a week and keep at that, it is a target for life. I was at 164 pounds before me twins and last son were born, and I never ate less than 1600 calories a day on average because like I said, I would exercise more with less weight..also, I never exercised more than 30 minutes a day unless I over ate. These are guide lines but the rule is follow your instinct, it took me 2.5 yrs to get from 289 to 164 after my second child..I am hoping this helps.

gabriellejayde

Do you know any thin people who are worried about starvation mode? Do they rat when they're not hungry just to purposely get more calories?

Probably not.

If your energy level is that bad id get your thyroid checked. And take some vitamins, eat fresh fruits and veggies, and cut out refined sugar. See how your weight and energy do.

TipsyT

I believe starvation mode happens because you're actually starving your body of *nutrition*, not calories. That's why you can eat even though you're stuffed. Your body is still craving the nutrients it needs to function properly so the "full" signal is stuck in the OFF position in your brain.

I HIGHLY recommend the book, "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. The info in there is easy to understand and backed up by oodles of research. If you want to lose weight in a healthy manner and start to feeling incredibly energetic it's the book for you.

Trish

"The more veggies I eat, the more weight I lose."

EnchantedEvening

Not eating when you aren't hungry won't put you into "starvation mode". If you don't get enough calories and nutrients long-term, it can throw you out of whack. Skipping snacks won't do it.

I only eat when I'm hungry, about every three hours. For snacks, I have string cheese, almonds, yogurt, an apple, or anything else that's around 100 calories.

tajmel

Under eating affects energy level and energy level affects NEAT, aka everything you do that isn't surviving or working out. So for many people, short term calorie intake drops can have an effect on calorie expenditure. However, it takes sustained, consistent under eating to induce true starvation mode. Missing a meal won't do it. Under eating one day won't do it. Heck, consistently under eating by 100 kcals probably won't do it (assuming you have excess body fat). And really, all of this, from your TDEE to your burns to your consumed calories, are estimates. Don't get wrapped up in small fluctuations in calorie intake. Or body weight, for that matter!

As to the rest, sounds like a great attitude! Good luck! You can do it, and you'll love what doing it does for you .

Pebble321

I don't wait until I'm hungry to eat - I eat when it's mealtime and aim to have a relatively steady calorie intake.
For me, this works because if I wait until I'm really hungry then I tend to overeat.
And I think it also works for me because I usually plan my meals ahead of time so I know how much I will be eating throughout the day so I'm not concerned that I'm over- or under-eating.

I'm not frightened of "starvation mode" but I do think that eating very little on a regular basis puts you at real risk of of missing out on the nutrition that you need to stay healthy and feeling good - which sounds like where you are at the moment.

My best suggestion if you want to establish healthy eating habits is to plan a moderate intake for the day, and eat those things at relatively regular times (when it suits you) don't wait until you're hungry to eat, if you've been under-eating for a long time, you are probably completely out of touch with your hunger signals.

bodiva88

You say you know your low energy is related to your eating habits, but go to your primary care physician and have blood tests to be sure you don't have underlying issues sapping you of energy. I did. And there's a huge difference when you can be active and exercise when you don't feel like you're dragging yourself through knee deep sand.

Robin_Bin

Triggers are different for everyone (and even the same person over time). You need to figure out what works for you.

Eat enough to fuel your body and provide sufficient nutrition. If it works better for you to eat something small every 30 minutes, fine; if it works better to eat all your food in one meal (ok, but rare). I've collected some information about cravings; see http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Robin_Bin/view/cravings-282817

woolfe87

I am taking from this a couple of things: listen to my body, monitor nutrient intake, and don't worry about starvation mode. I take a supplement for hair, skin and nails and drink a smoothie with flax oil and super omega almost every morning. I think the key thing I need to do is listen to what my body is telling me.
Thank you all for responding!

DeathKitty23

Don't shout at me!!!! But you will not go into proper starvation mode unless you eat very little to nothing for a sustained amount of time and have very low bodyfat already. But then it depends on your goal. I eat when not hungry as I want to build muscle therefore cannot go without calories but having the odd day here and there where you are under is not going to put you into starvation mode. For instance i DONT Eat my workout calories back - i would only do this is I burned say 1000 cals and reasisically ppl are not doing that
Before anyone starts I am not advocating that you should eat very little or nothing im just saygin that if theres fat to come off it will come off - you may end up loosing some muscle too but their are supplement to help with this
And who am I to know right if you look at my profile but My boyfriend is an ameture bodybuilder and I have read thousands of articles/books and studies about what i'm saying
xxxx

kenazfehu

I used to eat for any reason or no reason at all. It has made a huge difference for me to limit eating to meals (4 per day) with absolutely no eating between meals, no exception. I also log my meals and make sure I'm under the MFP calorie count for the day (which varies with exercise). (although I do take days away from the computer, so it's guesstimation those days)

sharleengc

I don't really eat when I'm not hungry...well, I take that back, it depends on how many calories I have left and why I'm not hungry.

If I'm not hungry because I'm sick, then I try to eat to keep up the energy to fight the cold. If I'm not hungry because it's hot (like this summer when it was 105 and we had no AC) then no, not really. If it's just an average day and it's dinner time and I'm not hungry....I'll look at how many calories I have left, the time of day and stuff like that. If it's getting late, like already past my normal dinner time and I still have like half my calories left, I try to have something light and simple like a salad or an egg or something.

Personally, I don't like having a huge difference between my calorie goal and my intake, I try to keep it to no more than 300 between actual and goal. There are some days that I just can't for whatever reason but on the most part, I can get it there.

That being said, starvation mode is real but the way I understand it from my research is that it takes more than 1 or 2 days of not eating enough to get you to that point. If you were consistently only eating like 500-600 calories, then yeah, I'd say you should eat more because if that is your routine, that can be dangerous...but if it's like 2 days where you just aren't hungry, that won't throw you into starvation mode so don't eat...

bcattoes

I try not to eat when not hungry. Sometimes I do. But it's because I am both blessed and cursed by really loving food, especially my own cooking. And I'm old enough to know that what most MFP members describe as "starvation mode" is a load of crap. Yes, you can slow your metabolism by eating too few calories. You can increase your metabolism by exercising. Your metabolism slows when you lose weight because your body doesn't need to work as hard when you are lighter. Your metabolism will slow less as you lose weight if you lose more fat than muscle. You keep more muscle while losing weight by exercising those muscles.

So, don't make this so hard. Just eat a healthy balanced diet, and eat less than you burn off. Include treats, just don't make treats the bulk of your diet. And exercise regularly. Eat foods you enjoy and do exercise you enjoy. That's really all it takes.

ReNewYou

The truth about "Starvation Mode" is not that you metabolism slow and you stop losing weight; it is your body starts to store fat and burn muscle. The body is very efficient at what it does. Muscle is harder to burn so it using that first while it has the energy to do so. Fat (not Trans-fat) is easier to burn so it saves that to keep "must have" body functions going. This is why you see people who are starving with no muscle mass and bloated bellies. I would not snake when not hungry. It is very hard to send the body into "Starvation Mode". Good Luck and you can do this.

MinnieInMaine

A few things I've learned that may help you from the yo-yo dieiting...

1) Don't do extreme diets or deprive yourself. If you like chocolate and pizza (like me), you can still have them but you need to learn to make some changes and limit your portions. Instead of eating half a large loaded like I used to, now I eat 3-4 pieces of a thin crust medium (well, what Domino's calls a medium - most call that size small) veggie pizza. And if I want chocolate, it HAS to be dark or it's not worth the calories - if I can't get my hands on a good dark chocolate, I get over it.

2) Although you don't have to exercise, it really helps with weight loss. As bcattoes said, the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism - this is why guys tend to lose weight easier, they naturally have more muscle mass. And you will likely firm up as you lose the weight. But my favorite part is that you earn more calories! Want that treat? Well then go for a walk, run, hike, bike ride, whatever...and earn it.

3) Be patient and don't set your goals too high. If you expect to lose 5 pound a week, it's just not going to happen. With 30 pounds to lose, you may take off 1-2 pounds per week at first but the closer you get to goal, the more that will slow down and 1/2 pound per week will be more reasonable.

Lastly, take measurements...the scale lies!