Newbie, bunch of questions

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katingle
katingle Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey, so I just joined 2 days ago with a tip from my mom. Trying to lose about 30 pounds by December, based off a friendly bet with my boyfriend that I could go down a jeans size in 6 months if I keep on a healthy diet and exercise (I lose 30 pounds, he wins the bet)

So here's my question for now

The report thing says that I'm putting myself in "starvation mode" since I'm not hitting the number of calories that it says I should. However, I'm not hungry at all, and I'm usually quite content with what I eat. I'm use to only eating a small amount during the day and my main meal is dinner. On the days that I go to the gym I'm always sure to eat something earlier in the day, but my goal is to always work that off.

Pretty much, if I'm eating the same way but healthier than before and now exercising, am I really in "starvation mode"?

Replies

  • jmartin06
    jmartin06 Posts: 1
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    I'm pretty new here too, but from what I've learned, if your body doesn't get enough calories it automatically slows down your metabolism so that you don't burn as many calories. Your body thinks that food is scarce and so it starts conserving energy in the form of calories. So if you don't get enough calories and protein you are making your workouts less effective.
  • girlruns
    girlruns Posts: 344
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    First, Welcome! Congrats on starting your journey! Your diary isn't public, so I can't see what you are eating, but MFP sets you at a MINIMUM of 1200 calories because that is the least amount of food your body needs to function (assuming average height/weight, very tiny people would need a little less, but not by much). Your profile says you are close to having a BMI that is obese, so your body should actually need more than 1200 to function properly. You also state in your profile that you have had problems with eating disorders in the past--it sounds like you maybe would be falling into that again by eating so few calories. MFP works. It is simple and easy to follow with a FABULOUS community of support. Let it work for you. Eat the calories MFP says. Eat back your exercise calories. If you TRUELY can't each that much, slowly start adding the calories. And extra snack, a protein shake, etc. Your body will then get used to the extra calories (and thank you for them) and you will slowly become hungry for what you need. You can do a topic search for other people who have had similar questions and see the responses they got. (Search "starvation mode"). Good luck, and feel free to add me as a friend if you would like!
  • katingle
    katingle Posts: 3
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    I understand the whole basis of the 1,200 cal count, but that's more than what my body's use to eating. It just goes against everything I know, eating more in order to lose weight. I need to put my body into a caloric deficit in order to lose weight, right?

    Edit: thanks for the reminder of the obese thing... T__T

    If you're wondering, I'm 165 at 5'5. Most people tell me I look like I weigh much less than that FWIW

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