Absolutely Lost: Am I in starvation mode?

ambrekachappell
ambrekachappell Posts: 13 Member
in Getting Started
Hi everyone. I'm somewhat new to MyFitnessPal and I'm really lost. I've lost some weight but I started my weight loss journey completely wrong. I slashed all of my calories, eating under a 1000 calories a day plus doing cardio everyday without a rest day....so 7 days a week. I did more research and now I regret beginning my journey that way. First off, I am 245lbs and 18 years old. I need help calculating the calories I need to intake for weight loss, preferably at a rate of 2lbs a week. Also I need help with the actual meaning of net calories and determining what a calorie deficit is. I'm really quite lost in this. I want a successful weight lost but first I need to figure out the calories part of it! UGH. I am frustrated. Thank you so much to anyone who helps...

Replies

  • _runbitchrun
    _runbitchrun Posts: 205 Member
    It looks like you are trying to loss as quickly as possible. Which is not a great way, because you will gain it back at some point.
    Eating that little is no good. Everyone is going to say this. You can probably eat at least 600-1000 calories more a day with all the working out! Do it the healthy way. Don't starve yourself. It will come off in time, you just have to be patient. Good luck.
  • ambrekachappell
    ambrekachappell Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you so much.
  • _runbitchrun
    _runbitchrun Posts: 205 Member
    My brain is dead and I'm seeing you DO want to do this healthy. So disreguard. Lol.
    I would still say with working out you should be eating aroung 1600 or so. The healthier, the more you can eat. :)

    Say you start off the day with 1300 calories. Then you work out and burn 500. You then can eat 1800 calories while still losing the weight. Sometimes I don't eat back all the calories I worked off. I try to at least eat back half tho.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    you are not in starvation mode, but you are probably doing metabolic damage that is going to slow down your metabolism in the long run, and, consequently, slow down the rate at which you lose.

    at the minimum you should be netting 1200 a day ..so if you run and burn 300 calories eat 1500 - 300 burned = 1200…

    I would suggest increasing your calories to 1500 to 1600 a day, set your macros to 40%p/30%f/30%c…

    do you have access to a gym?
  • markusv3000
    markusv3000 Posts: 6 Member
    Calorie deficit
    A calorie deficit is a state in which you burn more calories than you eat. For example, if you burn 2,500 calories per day but only eat 2,000, you have created a deficit of 500 calories per day. A calorie deficit forces your body to use non-food sources of energy (body fat) to make up for the shortfall causing weight loss.
    - Source: http://straighthealth.com/pages/qna/caloriedeficit.html

    Net Calories
    Net Calories is actually your (daily target + exercise calories) - calories consumed. So if your daily target is 1300 and you do 300 calories worth of cardio, then eat a 400 calorie meal, your net would be 1200. You have 1200 calories left to use for the day.
    - Source - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/968851-please-explain-net-calories?page=1
  • markusv3000
    markusv3000 Posts: 6 Member
    If you are struggling to calculate calories, I would suggest you use the myfitnesspal mobile app scan bar tool.

    Almost everything at a grocery store has a scan bar. You can just scan the food you are eating. Also watch out for serving sizes, because they get tricky
  • ambrekachappell
    ambrekachappell Posts: 13 Member
    @ndj...I don't have access to a gym unfortunately, I do cardio everyday because my big target at this point is fat loss. Attempted HIIT and couldn't handle it.

    @markus...THANK YOU SO MUCH. Technically, this was my biggest headache. The terms were confusing so again, thank you.
  • jsmethurst2195
    jsmethurst2195 Posts: 3 Member
    First off I'd like to say you found the right place. MFP has a pretty good tool in tracking your caloric intake based on your exercise and weight loss goals. Under the home tab there is a goals section that once you click it you can edit the info. It is very easy to use as you just need to enter your current weight and level of daily activity, this is not exercise this would be what you do at work like working in an office setting and sit at a desk all day (sedentary) or maybe you walk alot at work so it would be more active. This will calculate how many calories your body needs to maintain your current weight, then you can input your weight loss goals (the most you can lose is 2pds per week) and finally input your level of exercise. Only cardio count's; input how many days and how long then woila you will have your daily calorie goal. A side note that I have found that you cannot go below 1200 calories a day, your body needs that as a minimum. All you have to do from that point on is log your food, etc and the pounds should start coming off. When you do your workouts and input them you will get "bonus" calories that you can eat a bit more that day. At first it will be slow and seem useless but after a couple weeks of staying within your calorie goal and workouts you should see results. It is OKAY to go over some days don't make it a habit but know it is okay we all need a treat now and then. I by no means am a qualified professional however been on MFP for a year now and seen results as I am down near 40 pds.

    Good luck on your fitness/health journey hopefully this helps gets you started to reaching your weight loss goals!
  • ambrekachappell
    ambrekachappell Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you all so much! So so much. This is such a great community of people. I've Googled this numerous of times yet you all gave me the BEST and in depth explanations. I will definitely apply these tips to my weight loss tactics and hopefully this will get me on the right and HEALTHY track.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Follow the program honestly.

    Are you truly sedentary activity level outside of exercise, 45 hr desk job with commute time. No kids chasing around after work or weekends, no other job?

    If not sedentary, go Lightly Active, walking to/from school perhaps, between classes, long walks with friends somewhere, ect.

    You can take the 2lb goal weight now, you won't want to later.

    Then log your exercise you really do, and eat back those calories.

    While some will say the are inflated, it really depends on what the activity was and how intense you were at it. And frankly, if they are inflated, they are just making up for the other days of eating too little.

    Because with the program, you eat back your exercise calories, to maintain that 2 lb a week goal loss.

    Maintenance - what you burn daily in all activity, MFP considers it with no exercise. So say 2500.
    Your goal loss takes a deficit off that to eat, so 2 lb weekly is 1000 deficit daily.
    Your eating goal is now burn daily 2500 - 1000 not eating = 1500 eating goal when you don't exercise.

    Now you exercise and burn say 400 calories.
    Maintenance 2500 + 400 extra burned in exercise = 2900.
    2900 - 1000 not eating = 1900 eating goal.

    See - the 1000 deficit is still there.

    Follow the program as intended for a few months.
    Logging food accurately will probably be the biggest thing.
    Weigh everything but liquids which are measured by volume.
    Confirm the nutrition labels on packaged foods. Package weighs 400 grams, serving size is 150 gram, is it correct when it says 2 servings per package and you ate the whole thing? Of course not. Weigh the food in the package too, you may have gotten 450 grams actually. So really 3 servings, not 2.
  • COliver416
    COliver416 Posts: 87 Member
    First off, there is no starvation mode the way so many people talk about it. As someone who weighed 347 pounds and lost 80 pounds in six months on a diet of 1,000 calories, I can assure you, you're not in starvation mode. And you're not doing horrible damage to your body--depending on the nutrition density of the food.

    Any caloric restriction will let you lose weight. Let me repeat that clearly. Any caloric restriction will help you lose weight. However, the nutrition of your food will determine a lot about your body, your mood, your skin, and your appearance. Any caloric restriction will help you lose weight, but not every caloric restriction will make you healthier. My diet, which is between 800 to 1200 calories--which mind you, I have had more blood check-ups for than most people ever do--has seen vast improvement in all functions of my body, with 0 evidence of malnutrition. Also, I've seen increases in endurance and speed, I've added more than 70 pounds in 1 month to my lifts, and taken off more than 90 pounds from my pull-up assist.

    According to many well meaning people, from the top writer's and producers of fitness programs, that shouldn't be possible. However, I consume more than 20 servings of steamed vegetables a day and i consume 16 to 20 ounces of lean protein a day. My protein levels are 110 to 120 grams, my carb levels are well balanced, and timing the food with workouts gives an added bonus as well.

    You are not entering starvation mode, but, when you're doing a great deal of exercise, and eating a restricted diet, you need to make sure you're eating very nutritionally balanced. If you're lacking nutrition, you'll definitely feel it, and others will definitely see it.

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