Starvation mode !

No, just no!

I'm the same as you. If I eat more than, or close to 1200, I gain and that's not eating back my exercise calories. Been to the doctors multiple times for thyroid problems, and all tests come back normal.

I honestly struggle to eat 1200, now that I'm trying to lose the weight and logging. I'm not hungry. I did some research lately too on the starvation mode, and it's hard to say...there are conflicting reports. If your not feeling deprived, its working, and your feeling healthy, do what works for you.

Hey! Your basic body functions (function of vital organs, hair and nail growth, etc) will be supported with a certain amount of calories - much more than your 800 calories.

Going on your figures, you need 1580 calories just to function (your Basal Met Rate - BMR) and your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is 2180Kcals per day - this is the amount you use including your exercise and everything else.

Eating 800 calories will damage you in the longer term and as a diet is bound to fail.

After your initial loss, losing weight becomes much harder and has to be done at a steady pace, sensibly too be successful. Try eating somewhere in between your BMR and TDEE if you are exercising 3 times a week. If you honestly stick to this then you WILL lose weight - healthily and steadily.

EDIT: You will need to adjust these figures as you lose weight. Search for TDEE calculator and BMR calculator on Google

800 calories is a meal, not an amount you should be eating a day. You will have lost so much water weight from having very little amounts of carbs which can make the difference in 10+ pounds in a day. If you carry on you can pretty much say goodbye to your health, go see a doctor, no-one sane would recommend anything that little.

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I hate to say this, but it is possible that your metabolism has already gone into starvation mode. Some studies have suggested that it can take months or years to recover from this. If you get checked by a doctor and get cleared of any possible underlying medical issues, which is an absolute must, I think you need to seriously consider that some damage may have been done to the metabolism already. That would account for you gaining weight at 1200 calories. Other than medical problems, that would seem to be the only logical solution to me. If that is the case, I think you might want to consult with a good Registered Dietician, someone who really knows their stuff, and work on a plan to get your metabolism back. It can be fixed. Any damage to it isn't permanent. But staying at 800 calories for the rest of your life isn't sustainable. You just won't get the nutrients your body needs and in the long run will hurt you in the end.

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First, take everything everyone says on here with a pinch of salt. Perhaps the best thing to do is to talk to a nutritionist. I'm wondering about starvation mode and calories as well as I'm full on fewer than 1200 calories every day.

Move lots more, join a netball team or roller blade, your choice just move more and then eat fresh vegetables + buy raw chicken , steak, veal, lamb, pork, fish, prawns , crabs. Cook it yourself, use a minimum amount of oil, preferably spray to cook anything with and your good to go! Good luck!

Before this turns into one of those idiotic starvation mode threads, try following these steps:

1) Get checked out by a doctor if you have any concerns about your health. This should be you #1 priority right now.

2) Set your calories to about 1550 (I would slowly work back up to that since you've been eating so low). <b>The #1 rule with counting calories is to be as accurate and honest as possible.<b> Use a food scale if you can. The little "cheats" here and there can add up. Also, read the "In Place of Road Map" thread in the stickies for more details. Adjust calories accordingly.

3) Set your macros based on your goals. I suggest staring with 50% Carbs, 30% Fats, 20% Protein. If you work out a lot you should increase protein.

4) Do you work out? If not, find something you will stick to and enjoy. A lot of MFPers will tell you to lift, which I agree. However, the best work out is the one you will stay committed to. You will need to adjust your calories and protein based on your activity level. See step 2.

Remember, persistence is the key. Don't give up!

What did you eat to gain weight? Eat at least 1200. If you think you were gaining on 1200 you either were not logging correctly or have a medical condition.

I find it difficult to get the calories I need because of two reasons: salt, sugar. I just ate 200g of grapes for breakfast. That is my sugar for the day. Okay, well I will eat 1/3 lb of turkey breast. That is my salt intake for the day. I have like 1,000 calories left and no salt or sugar. Now what?? I just don't know. I usually at least bust one or the other. Never a problem with fats, carbs or calories unless it is that I don't really get any. I can see how it is hard to get the calories because of this, and my Mom and I used to play "starvation diet" (thanks Mom for teaching me how to get really fat!) when I was a teen. My thyroid has been messed up since I was 21, and I am 40 now. I have been overweight since it went out of whack. Which is why I went to this site to see where I have been messing up in my diet. So now I see what has happened to me, and have no idea what to do about it.

I find it difficult to get the calories I need because of two reasons: salt, sugar. I just ate 200g of grapes for breakfast. That is my sugar for the day. Okay, well I will eat 1/3 lb of turkey breast. That is my salt intake for the day. I have like 1,000 calories left and no salt or sugar. Now what?? I just don't know. I usually at least bust one or the other. Never a problem with fats, carbs or calories unless it is that I don't really get any. I can see how it is hard to get the calories because of this, and my Mom and I used to play "starvation diet" (thanks Mom for teaching me how to get really fat!) when I was a teen. My thyroid has been messed up since I was 21, and I am 40 now. I have been overweight since it went out of whack. Which is why I went to this site to see where I have been messing up in my diet. So now I see what has happened to me, and have no idea what to do about it.

You need to balance your meals to include carbs, healthy fat, and protein. My meals today: Breakfast 2 hard-boiled egg whites, 2 cups of baby spinach, 1 tbsp. chopped onion, 4 cherry tomatoes, 1/2 tsp olive oil = 100 calories. Lunch - Chicken Waldorf Salad (2 oz chicken, 1/2 large green bell pepper, 2 celery stalks, 1/2 small apple, 1/4 cup of grapes, 1 tbsp. of mayo) = 209 calories

Eating balanced meals will help all of your hormones.