Starvation mode weight gain?

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13

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  • LadyNZK
    LadyNZK Posts: 7 Member
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    Whether you are eating too little or too much and not aware of it, its also important to drink water. While too much water can contribute to water retention - the truth is water in any form can only serve to flush you out.

    I also think the types of foods you eat will make a big difference. Sugar in any form - carbs or just plain sweets - puts a damper on my hard work. Fruits for example may have fewer calories sometimes, but they have a lot of sugar.

    Just some thoughts.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    Whether you are eating too little or too much and not aware of it, its also important to drink water. While too much water can contribute to water retention - the truth is water in any form can only serve to flush you out.

    I also think the types of foods you eat will make a big difference. Sugar in any form - carbs or just plain sweets - puts a damper on my hard work. Fruits for example may have fewer calories sometimes, but they have a lot of sugar.

    Just some thoughts.

    Are you suggesting to cut back on fruit?
  • Heagter_masun
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    I'm almost positive I've gained fat because my ankles are larger, my thighs are chunkier, and there's extra flab on my back. How could I possibly be gaining weight by eating healthy calories right around my bmr? (1,119) Plus exercise!
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    You already have your answer - if you truly are gaining fat, then you are simply eating more than you think you are.
  • Heagter_masun
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    According to calorie king and this website, my calorie range is 890 calories. Not even close to 1,100 , which is my required caloric intake.
  • Iconx11
    Iconx11 Posts: 33
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    That is very possible
    If you are eating 900-1000 calories(which is very) and burning off a big portion, then your body will enter into what I call "Survival Mode." Once our body realizes we are not getting enough food, it starts to slow down metabolism. Once your metabolism slows down it takes a while to start back up and burn and it's regular pace. By consuming 900 calories you are actually gaining weight due to your slowed metabolism.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    According to calorie king and this website, my calorie range is 890 calories. Not even close to 1,100 , which is my required caloric intake.

    Wrong. MFP never suggests that any user consume less than 1200 calories. I'm starting to think you're trolling now, since you made a thread on this exact same thing yesterday and have not listened to anything anyone has said. Good luck to you.
  • FindingMyPerfection
    FindingMyPerfection Posts: 702 Member
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    If your ankles are measurably larger over a weeks time it is fluid retention.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    Here's my question, I'm eating about 900-1000 calories a day, well below my bmr, and I've gained 2 lbs in the past week. What's that about? Is my body storing fat due to it being in a state of famine? I don't really know. And how would I shed off this extra weight? Thanks

    either:

    1) you are very short and weight almost nothing to begin with

    2) something is causing you to retain water

    3) your eating more then the 900-1000 you think you are
  • jeardawg
    jeardawg Posts: 110 Member
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    You have been a member of this sight for 8 days or less, Rome wasn't built in a day.

    1 Portion control- make sure your eating what you think you are, measure it.
    2. water- too much salt, or too little and you could be looking at different effects that could cause you fluctuations, retention and/or constipation.
    3. weighing- it sounds like you are weighing every day. Try Weighing once a week, and make it at the same time of day.

    Mostly calm down, there is a ton of good information on this sight, keep with the trial and error, and stick with the program, tenacity will prevail.

    PS 900-1000 calories a day is never enough like ever, starvation mode is a topic that rears its head around here too often, but one thing I am reasonably sure of, if you are constantly hungry you will derail more often.
  • Heagter_masun
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    Am I eating too much? In a day, this is about what I eat:

    breakfast= 1 cup diced cantaloupe, 1 cup diced pineapple, a medium honeycrisp apple, a medium banana, a medium orange, and a cup of coffee with a tablespoon of coconut milk creamer

    lunch= a 4 oz fillet of ahi tuna, 1 cup of broccoli, 10 carrot slices, 1 medium cremeni mushroom, and I season it all with garlic powder.

    dinner= a 6 oz chicken breast, 1 cup of broccoli, 10 carrot slices, 2 medium cremeni mushrooms, and a half cup of cooked quinoa, I also season it with herbs and garlic powder.

    would all of this be making me gain weight? Please let me know, I AM NOT A TROLL FYI
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
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    According to calorie king and this website, my calorie range is 890 calories. Not even close to 1,100 , which is my required caloric intake.

    Wrong. MFP never suggests that any user consume less than 1200 calories. I'm starting to think you're trolling now, since you made a thread on this exact same thing yesterday and have not listened to anything anyone has said. Good luck to you.

    I think she meant using MFP database her caloric intake is around 890....not what she SHOULD eat...
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    So you probably roughly weigh around 100 lbs, possibly less? If you believe you are seeing more fat in the mirror and worried about it at that weight, and eating at such small amounts, in all sincerity I suggest you talk to your doctor.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    You should eat way more. Your body generally needs 1500 calories a day, fewer than that can trigger starvation mode. Instead of eating up your fat stores, your body holds onto them. You don't lose weight and any weight you do lose, you're more likely to gain back. Your best bet is to eat healthy and exercise. Otherwise you'll end up binging on more than you should.

    yea, you can't be in starvation mode and be consuming 1500 calories a day. You have to eat nothing for greater than 72 hours and then you would be an initial stages of starvation mode…
  • PlumpKitten
    PlumpKitten Posts: 112 Member
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    How tall you are, how old you are, and how long you've been dieting? If you're a petite woman like me, then 1,000 calories is lean, but it's hardly starvation.

    I don't believe the theory that when people diet they hit "starvation mode" that makes them retain weight. I live in Asia, surrounded by poor countries. Go to any rural area and you will see people who are constantly a bit under what would be considered a normal diet in the West. If the "starvation" theory was right, they'd all be chubby from their bodies retaining emergency fat. In fact, almost everyone in the countryside is thin. Women are slender and men have lean muscle.This is simply because they consume fewer calories. They eat rice / rice noodles as their staple, lots of broths, veggies, modest amounts of fish, chicken, pork, etc.

    I'm going to guess that you just have water weight. How often do you weigh yourself? I try to keep myself to only one weigh-in per week. Otherwise, the daily fluxuations drive me crazy.

    For example, I was very good and still lost modestly over the holidays. I've kept on my diet and exercise this week -- but broke my mid-week weight-in rule, and found that I had seeminly gained a kilo for no reason. I have to remind myself to just keep trucking on.
  • PlumpKitten
    PlumpKitten Posts: 112 Member
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    Also tell us how much you currently weigh. If you're already very lean, there may not be much fat to lose.
    So: height, weight, diet history
    P.S. If your ankles and back have suddenly swollen, that is water weight. That happened to me when I had edema in pregnancy. Nobody suddenly gains fat right at their ankles.
  • katrider750
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    Anna,
    I have read many responses on here, and while I may not agree with everyone, I will keep that machine gun fire to the rest of the crowd on here ... seems to be some good reads for spare time ! :laugh:

    I plugged all your info into my worksheet to calculate Calories, Carbs, Protein and fat intake. I dont know what choices you made in your specific selections to get to 800-900 calories, but for discussion purposes, here is what I found:

    I calculated 1,270 calories
    Carbs 150g
    Fat 21g
    Protein 131g
    Sugar 80g

    My fitnesspal settings defaults to these as general recommendations for 1200/cals and weight loss as a goal:
    Carbs / Day 150.0 g
    Fat / Day 40.0 g
    Protein / Day 60.0 g

    Based on reviewing this - I have a feeling you might be overdoing your protein (and maybe your carbs).

    THere are many variables in trying to determine what the key targets are for each person's weight loss regimine:

    BMR: I don' t know your age, height or BMR, so I cannot help you determine what your caloric intake needs are to sustain or to lose weight. Everyone has a slightly different metabolic rate ( mine is 1250, very low). Metabolic rate is the amount of calories you use to sleep, eat and function. That does NOT take exercise into account.

    Glucose: How well do you tolerate carbs/sugar/glucose? If not well, it might be a good idea to cut those carbs down to see how that impacts your weight. Maybe start with 100 ? and if that doe snot work, widdle your way down?

    So, why did you gain those 2 pounds? It could be any of the following ( we dont have more info to go off of )
    -you are not drinking enough water
    - you are retaining water ( give it time, and that will remedy itself)
    - maybe your body does not like the amount of carbs you are eating
    - review how this "diet" eating is different from the "pre-diet" eating?
    - maybe you are pre-menstrual, which will cause you to retain water (which will go away)

    Hope my ranting has helped.
  • katrider750
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    Whoops - katrider750 is also me. I created that account to calulate the calories , and determine intake for this post.
  • sarafischbach9
    sarafischbach9 Posts: 466 Member
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    Are you about to have your period? Like within the next 10 days? Sometimes you can put on the 2 lbs just in water weight from PMS. I doubt you put on any weight on that amount of calories.