Getting out of starvation mode help!
cbtyler1
Posts: 18 Member
Hey everyone! So I think I've been experiencing starvation mode symptoms. I eat 500 to 800 calories a day. Healthy calories of course but I really believe now that I've been in a starvation mode. I posted another post about the whole story how it got started, but basically I gained 25 pounds in two weeks but under eating and working out hard. I went from 119 to 141.I'm trying to get out of this starvation but should I start at 1200 calories while working out or 1800 since I burn at least 600?
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Replies
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Hi,
Here are some useful calculators:
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/
First, check for your age/weight/height etc how much your body would need and burn in calories if you would just sit around not doing anything (RMR Calculator).
Then think about all the other things you do, walking, cleaning, etc...and your workout - if you are really worried about eating back your workout calories, use the NET vs GROSS Calorie calculator:
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/articles/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn.aspx
On the same site you can read about the difference between the two.
It is very important to eat enough, specially if you already eat healthy calories anyway. Starving yourself will not make you skinnier, healthier or fitter. I know it is really hard to believe that eating more can make you weigh less, but it is true.
Also, don´t worry if you gain some weight while working out a lot - you might be gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat. Maybe try taping yourself instead of standing on a scale.
Good luck0 -
Hey everyone! So I think I've been experiencing starvation mode symptoms. I eat 500 to 800 calories a day. Healthy calories of course but I really believe now that I've been in a starvation mode. I posted another post about the whole story how it got started, but basically I gained 25 pounds in two weeks but under eating and working out hard. I went from 119 to 141.I'm trying to get out of this starvation but should I start at 1200 calories while working out or 1800 since I burn at least 600?
Only that much?! Wow.....it does sound like Starvation mode to me...that's what happened to me and i lost a looot of muscle and gained fat. im in bad shape now. My joints are bad, my back is bad, i did some nerve damage that can be fixed but it's still damage, hair loss, period stopped, stretchy skin, some small parts of lose skin, ect. it's horrible. even mood swings and body hair growth...more than usual. I'm trying to rebuild my muscles but i need to take a break from working out and only do some stretches, short enough walks, body weight if I must strength train, and all while eating more again like i use to.0 -
See this is the weird part, I was really ripped and muscular before but by dropping the calls and working out harder I've gained more muscle (and watery substance over it). This is why I have a problem with using it
I naturally gain muscle easy but I don't want to gain fat!! 0 -
See this is the weird part, I was really ripped and muscular before but by dropping the calls and working out harder I've gained more muscle (and watery substance over it). This is why I have a problem with using it I naturally gain muscle easy but I don't want to gain fat!!
Well lucky you.....
you wont gain fat if you keep gaining muscle. How is that even possible? You wouldn't be gaining muscle if you're in starvation mode. It's impossible...0 -
I really don't know how but my family is very muscular so it runs through the family I guess.0
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Once again you didn't gain 25 lbs of fat in 2 weeks. That's 87,000 extra calories. Starvation mode is a myth. Check out some sub-saharan africans if you want to see starvation. Do you look like that? Undereating will make you feel like crap but it won't make you gain 25 lbs. Over eating does that. Attention seeking won't get it off either.0
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Honey you need to see a nutritionist/doctor and have tests run, this is not fat gain most likely it is bloating which could be a sign of something dangerous, as was suggested in the other thread you posted.0
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Agree go and see a doctor.0
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Once again you didn't gain 25 lbs of fat in 2 weeks. That's 87,000 extra calories. Starvation mode is a myth. Check out some sub-saharan africans if you want to see starvation. Do you look like that? Undereating will make you feel like crap but it won't make you gain 25 lbs. Over eating does that. Attention seeking won't get it off either.
I too think starvation mode is a myth!0 -
Once again you didn't gain 25 lbs of fat in 2 weeks. That's 87,000 extra calories. Starvation mode is a myth. Check out some sub-saharan africans if you want to see starvation. Do you look like that? Undereating will make you feel like crap but it won't make you gain 25 lbs. Over eating does that. Attention seeking won't get it off either.
starvation mode is NOT a myth. those same sub-saharan africans have pot bellies (kinda gross but: http://www.kingsacademy.com/mhodges/03_The-World-since-1900/11_The-Bewildering-60s/pictures/STP-118_Starvation-in-Biafra_1968.jpg).
^ that's what happens when you're starving. your body stores extra fat so it can live off that fat longer in the absence of nutrients coming into the body.0 -
Hey everyone! So I think I've been experiencing starvation mode symptoms. I eat 500 to 800 calories a day. Healthy calories of course but I really believe now that I've been in a starvation mode. I posted another post about the whole story how it got started, but basically I gained 25 pounds in two weeks but under eating and working out hard. I went from 119 to 141.I'm trying to get out of this starvation but should I start at 1200 calories while working out or 1800 since I burn at least 600?
can you quickly tell me how tall you are?
height: ?
weight: 141
age: 18
My gut says you should be eating at LEAST 1000 calories more than you're currently eating every day. Probably closer to 1500 more. The short answer is yes, you're starving yourself.0 -
you gained 25lbs on 500 cals per day....riiiiiiight.
TROLL MUCH0 -
Once again you didn't gain 25 lbs of fat in 2 weeks. That's 87,000 extra calories. Starvation mode is a myth. Check out some sub-saharan africans if you want to see starvation. Do you look like that? Undereating will make you feel like crap but it won't make you gain 25 lbs. Over eating does that. Attention seeking won't get it off either.
starvation mode is NOT a myth. those same sub-saharan africans have pot bellies (kinda gross but: http://www.kingsacademy.com/mhodges/03_The-World-since-1900/11_The-Bewildering-60s/pictures/STP-118_Starvation-in-Biafra_1968.jpg).
^ that's what happens when you're starving. your body stores extra fat so it can live off that fat longer in the absence of nutrients coming into the body.
Starvation mode is a myth as it's described on these forums. I've been to Africa and no North American who has food to eat is in true starvation mode. Eating even 500 calories a day won't put you into true starvation mode. You may be malnourished and your body may be starting to use muscle for fuel but you will not starve. You also can't make something out of nothing. The big bellies on those kids isn't fat. It's mostly the fact that the rest of their body is so depleted of muscle that their belly looks huge. I think it's disgusting that we even dare to compare ourselves to those who are truly starving while we sit here surrounded by food.
FWIW, someone weighing 140 lbs has a long way to go before they need to worry about starving. If there is truly a 25 lb weight gain in 2 weeks it would be a medical emergency because it has to be fluid build up. An ER would be the answer, not MFP forums.0 -
mokey, you are 100% right.0
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wow. ridiculous.
"starvation mode" is just a phrase. it doesn't mean you're actually starving...
no one's actually comparing themselves to africans... jeez.0 -
"starvation mode" means your body is storing fat in absence of sufficient nutrients coming into the body. Essentially, your body starts preparing to hibernate for the winter.
this is not a myth.
do we just have to put quotes around it every time? that seems silly.0 -
I know someone who gained a lot of weight in a short time. She had a heart attack a few months later. Not saying you're gonna have a heart attack, but you need to go to the doctor, not the internet. That amount of gain is a bad sign.0
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You already posted about this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/834301-don-t-know-if-i-went-into-starvation-mode-help0
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wow. ridiculous.
"starvation mode" is just a phrase. it doesn't mean you're actually starving...
no one's actually comparing themselves to africans... jeez.
Yeah. OP is eating a typical amount for someone with an eating disorder (not saying she has one). But clearly no one in the West ever starves to death from an ED. They are surrounded by food!
OP: Please get yourself to a doctor. If you have done metabolic damage, then a dietician is the best bet to help you fix it.0 -
Hey everyone! So I think I've been experiencing starvation mode symptoms. I eat 500 to 800 calories a day. Healthy calories of course but I really believe now that I've been in a starvation mode. I posted another post about the whole story how it got started, but basically I gained 25 pounds in two weeks but under eating and working out hard. I went from 119 to 141.I'm trying to get out of this starvation but should I start at 1200 calories while working out or 1800 since I burn at least 600?
Only that much?! Wow.....it does sound like Starvation mode to me...that's what happened to me and i lost a looot of muscle and gained fat. im in bad shape now. My joints are bad, my back is bad, i did some nerve damage that can be fixed but it's still damage, hair loss, period stopped, stretchy skin, some small parts of lose skin, ect. it's horrible. even mood swings and body hair growth...more than usual. I'm trying to rebuild my muscles but i need to take a break from working out and only do some stretches, short enough walks, body weight if I must strength train, and all while eating more again like i use to.
it does not sound like starvation mode because starvation mode is a myth. you would have to not eat for 72 hours for your body to start to even enter what is considered the beginning phases of starvation mode. As the poster is eating about 800 to 1000 cals a day she is not in starvation mode....
However, she might benefit from bumping up cal intake to 1200 a day ..I would suggest you read the "in place of a road map thread" on MFP very informative.0 -
it does not sound like starvation mode because starvation mode is a myth. you would have to not eat for 72 hours for your body to start to even enter what is considered the beginning phases of starvation mode. As the poster is eating about 800 to 1000 cals a day she is not in starvation mode....
However, she might benefit from bumping up cal intake to 1200 a day ..I would suggest you read the "in place of a road map thread" on MFP very informative.
all these absolutes.
for someone like me, who can eat 3,000 calories a day and not gain a pound, eating 800 calories consistently WOULD put me into starvation mode.
for someone else who only needs to eat 1500, 800 isn't as drastic of a drop so the effects may not be so significant.
everyone's different, that doesn't mean the body doesn't have a reaction to the insufficient nutrients.0 -
all I am saying is that studies have shown it takes 72 hours of not eating to go into true "starvation mode"...
If you read some of the threads on here people think if you skip snack three ...or god forbid breakfast you are going into starvation mode...0 -
See this is the weird part, I was really ripped and muscular before but by dropping the calls and working out harder I've gained more muscle (and watery substance over it). This is why I have a problem with using it I naturally gain muscle easy but I don't want to gain fat!!
Sorry, but it is literally only possible to gain muscle in calorie surplus0 -
all I am saying is that studies have shown it takes 72 hours of not eating to go into true "starvation mode"...
If you read some of the threads on here people think if you skip snack three ...or god forbid breakfast you are going into starvation mode...
haha there are crazies on both sides. it's not a black and white issue. everyone responds to different amounts of nutrients differently. but to make blanket statements like "it doesn't exist" or "everyone who skips lunch will go into starvation mode" are both absurd.0 -
You need to go to the doctor, maybe even ER! You cannot gain 25 pounds of fat in 2 weeks on what you were eating. It is simply inpossible. Unless you can defy the laws of physics and biology, it is IMPOSSIBLE. You likely have an extreme fluid build-up so you need medical intervention ASAP at this point. I read your other thread and I simply don't believe you saw 5 different doctors and they refused to help you. Something is truly fishy here.0
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it does not sound like starvation mode because starvation mode is a myth. you would have to not eat for 72 hours for your body to start to even enter what is considered the beginning phases of starvation mode. As the poster is eating about 800 to 1000 cals a day she is not in starvation mode....
However, she might benefit from bumping up cal intake to 1200 a day ..I would suggest you read the "in place of a road map thread" on MFP very informative.
all these absolutes.
for someone like me, who can eat 3,000 calories a day and not gain a pound, eating 800 calories consistently WOULD put me into starvation mode.
for someone else who only needs to eat 1500, 800 isn't as drastic of a drop so the effects may not be so significant.
everyone's different, that doesn't mean the body doesn't have a reaction to the insufficient nutrients.
I maintain at around 3000 also. I've also eaten 1200/day for 12 days. You know what happened, I lost fat. Didn't even starve to death. Didn't even plateau in fat loss. It's called a PSMF.
No not recommending people to under eat for long period of time.
It is highly unlikely that someone can get the required macronutrients and micronutrients on an 800cal diet despite it "only" being a 700cal deficit. In this case, up your activity level.0 -
Just got out of recovery from an ED...it's not a myth...0
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@coahreddy my height is 5'4 and I am very muscular and I even seem to be retaining muscle even with my calories this low. I am very active and I workout almost every day if not twice a day. When I was feeling healthy and did not have this issue, I ate about 1200 to 1800 and when I dropped the caloric intake and worked out even more that's when the issues occurred. The swelling started from my feet, I just thought it was because of the intense running I normally didn't do and the heels I always wore were starting to get to my arches, but then swelling went to my calves and back and then everywhere. I haven't thought about increasing the caloric intake until now because the weight gain was so traumatic for someone who once was very toned and thin. I got my heart checked and it was fine so I don't believe I have a blood clot. In fact my blood is very thin and healthy the doc told me. So is this enough info to believe it all deals with my caloric intake? How should I start increasing so I don't gain even more?!0
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Yeah. OP is eating a typical amount for someone with an eating disorder (not saying she has one). But clearly no one in the West ever starves to death from an ED. They are surrounded by food!
Please tell me you're being sarcastic. Dear god please.0 -
just go to the freaking doctor already and discuss the issue there.
you're not going to get the answers you need here. you. need. real. therapy. and. help.0
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