I just can't lose weight!

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Replies

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Starvation mode refers to the body hanging on to fat reserves if it thinks good us suddenly in short supply. A consistently low calorie diet will slow the metabolism and reduce weight loss, unless the body is tricked with the odd calorie surge- ie , cheat days.
    This is a myth. In older to be in starvation mode you basically have to lose a certain percentage of your body weight and are generally emaciated.

    Weigh all food, because eyeballs and cup/spoon measurements lie, and log everything that goes into your mouth. For exercise, log this calories but keep in mind that MFP and gym machine estimates are high, therefore eat only a portion of those calories back (I'd say 50-60 % to be safe). You're better off with a heart rate monitor.

    Good luck!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I recommend the 21 day fix. It will help you out with portion control.
    There's nothing to fix.
  • KarenisPaleo
    KarenisPaleo Posts: 169 Member
    Tell me more about this "starvation mode."

    Yes, what Steve said.
  • futurejedi
    futurejedi Posts: 111
    egg mexican food clean ya right out
  • skatemom61
    skatemom61 Posts: 11 Member
    I'm in a similar situation as the OP and I'm loving this advice. I'll incorporate it as I work on my goal.
  • MyFoodGod
    MyFoodGod Posts: 184 Member
    Some people just plateau for a while.

    Also, are you eating healthy calories?

    Agree with others - you need to weigh and measure each serving.

    Also, compare the info on the package to the database. Sometimes products change. Sometimes the information here is inaccurately entered. Double check everything the first time you eat it to make sure you are not repeating errors day after day. You can correct the entries if necessary. If something has 0 confirmations, I look at that as a red flag that it may not be accurate. I often check those that only have a couple of confirmations.
  • MyFoodGod
    MyFoodGod Posts: 184 Member
    Help! Since early January, I have been religiously sticking to 1200 cals a day- with a day off at the weekend to stop my metabolism going into starvation mode. I also joined a gym and go for at least an hour a day. I lost 7 pounds in January, taking me down to 13 stone. I'm a 46 year old woman, 5 ft 6 inches tall. Since then, I haven't lost anything at all. In desperation , I upped my gym going to twice a day 3 times a week and once the rest of the week. Each session burns off 300 cals. I've shifted weight fast in the past by sticking to 1000-1200 cals a day, but this time I thought I'd exercise too,to get the weight off and keep it off. I would expect to lose 1-2 lbs a week. Can't tell you how frustrated I am , all this work and no gain! What am I found wrong?

    "In the past." Things change as we get older. YoYo dieting also changes our metabolism.

    Loosing weight isn't a perfect science that will work exactly the same on every body at every age.
  • DancingJester
    DancingJester Posts: 76 Member
    First off. About starvation mode. Its bull s*it. I have spoken to may health specialists and there is no such thing. yes you're metabolism slows down but it will never slow so much it causes weight gain. If that were true we wouldn't have world hunger or severe anorexics. It just doesn't happen. So don't worry about that because its absolute crap. My advice is take a brake. I had loads of trouble losing for about 2 months so I decided to give myself a 7 day brake. 5 of these days I ate 1900 Just below maintenance) and 3 days I went out and ate pretty much what I wanted. This really helped me get back into the right mind set and actually made me miss my diet. And only 5 days of my diet since I started again I lost a lb. I don't know if it's because of metabolism or just getting back into the 'zone' but it really helped me. I will have a 5-10 day brake every 3-4 months of dieting now.
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
    HAI GUYZ I ACCIDENTALLY ATE 1200 CALORIEZ TODAY AND NOW MY BODY IS IN STARVATION MODE

    HOW DO I GET OUT OF THIS

    HALP






















    I honestly can't take it anymore. I love all of you, but there is so much misinformation that people love spreading. Do your research!!!!!
  • briannashaw_
    briannashaw_ Posts: 59 Member
    Starvation mode refers to the body hanging on to fat reserves if it thinks good us suddenly in short supply. A consistently low calorie diet will slow the metabolism and reduce weight loss, unless the body is tricked with the odd calorie surge- ie , cheat days.

    Lies.

    THIS.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member

    Also, are you eating healthy calories?
    What's a healthy calorie? Calories are calories and we need them to survive.
  • Lifelink
    Lifelink Posts: 193 Member
    I think that's too much exercise!

    ?????????????????????
  • yewbic
    yewbic Posts: 37
    Help! Since early January, I have been religiously sticking to 1200 cals a day- with a day off at the weekend to stop my metabolism going into starvation mode. I also joined a gym and go for at least an hour a day. I lost 7 pounds in January, taking me down to 13 stone. I'm a 46 year old woman, 5 ft 6 inches tall. Since then, I haven't lost anything at all. In desperation , I upped my gym going to twice a day 3 times a week and once the rest of the week. Each session burns off 300 cals. I've shifted weight fast in the past by sticking to 1000-1200 cals a day, but this time I thought I'd exercise too,to get the weight off and keep it off. I would expect to lose 1-2 lbs a week. Can't tell you how frustrated I am , all this work and no gain! What am I found wrong?

    i think an important question that everyone has missed is... are you making sure to eat back all of your exercise calories?
  • nessanoonoo14
    nessanoonoo14 Posts: 5 Member
    Am I supposed to be eating back my calories after gym?
    Ok, here's a typical day re. Diet and exercise.
    7am - weetabix and skimmed milk
    7.30-8.30 gym- 250 calories burnt ( I use a heart rate monitor hooked up to treadmill and input my age/weight/height and it tells me what calories I burnt up, so I guess pretty accurate?)
    9am - 1 hard boiled egg
    11.30am - half ham sandwich, whole meal bread , lean ham, no butter.
    1pm - other half if sandwich
    3.30pm - banana
    4pm - gym session- weights, treadmill, cross trainer, vibro plate, rowing machine. According to machines, 250 calories burnt.
    6pm - home made vegetable soup, 1 while meal bread roll.
    So, where is the problem?
    I relax my routine to Zumba on Sundays, 1 gym session Saturdays. My weekend due us around 1800. Enough to keep my metabolism up but not enough to stop me losing weight I would have thought???
  • yewbic
    yewbic Posts: 37
    Am I supposed to be eating back my calories after gym?

    7.30-8.30 gym- 250 calories burnt ( I use a heart rate monitor hooked up to treadmill and input my age/weight/height and it tells me what calories I burnt up, so I guess pretty accurate?)

    4pm - gym session- weights, treadmill, cross trainer, vibro plate, rowing machine. According to machines, 250 calories burnt.

    So, where is the problem?

    there's the problem and i almost knew that it was the problem beforehand. if you're religiously sticking to 1200 a day, and then burning 500 calories a day on top of that, you're only leaving your body with 700 calories of energy to work with. your metabolism has probably slowed down a bit, or "adapted thermogenically," to compensate for the lack of energy available through food intake.

    you should always eat back your exercise calories. dont think that you're exercising for nothing... your diet is going to do most of the work. the exercise is going to help build muscle and keep your metabolism revved up -- but not if you're not feeding your body enough calories to maintain healthy energy levels. you eat 1200, then burn 500: 1200 - 500 = 700... you should then eat back another 500 -- 700 + 500 = 1200 net.

    the problem is your metabolism has probably slowed down a bit by now.... In my personal experience i have had good luck "resetting" my metabolism with about 3 days of eating up near maintenance, with no exercise (as it will just complicate things and you might underestimate calories or overestimate...) so 3 days of no cutting calories or eat just 100 or 200 below your maintenance calories.

    On the 4th day, start exercising and cutting calories again, but make sure not to go below 1200, and make sure to eat back your exercise calories. This has always helped me break through my plateaus when i've held calorie deficits below 1200 for too long...

    dont be afraid to spend those 3 days eating up near maintenance, it's going to do your metabolism good :)
  • nessanoonoo14
    nessanoonoo14 Posts: 5 Member
    Thank you, that's really useful :)
    Tbh, that's what I was kind of driving at when I said I have a couple of " cheat days" a week ( eating almost normally) to avoid starvation mode- ie the slowing of the metabolism due to consistently low calorie Intake. Others on here were pretty definite that there was no truth in this...... Sigh, I don't know whet to believe now....
    But your advice seems very sound, so thank you x
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
    Help! Since early January, I have been religiously sticking to 1200 cals a day

    You are eating more than you think.

    That's not what you want to hear. Hear me now and believe me later.
  • mmk137
    mmk137 Posts: 833 Member
    Am I supposed to be eating back my calories after gym?
    Ok, here's a typical day re. Diet and exercise.
    7am - weetabix and skimmed milk
    7.30-8.30 gym- 250 calories burnt ( I use a heart rate monitor hooked up to treadmill and input my age/weight/height and it tells me what calories I burnt up, so I guess pretty accurate?)
    9am - 1 hard boiled egg
    11.30am - half ham sandwich, whole meal bread , lean ham, no butter.
    1pm - other half if sandwich
    3.30pm - banana
    4pm - gym session- weights, treadmill, cross trainer, vibro plate, rowing machine. According to machines, 250 calories burnt.
    6pm - home made vegetable soup, 1 while meal bread roll.
    So, where is the problem?
    I relax my routine to Zumba on Sundays, 1 gym session Saturdays. My weekend due us around 1800. Enough to keep my metabolism up but not enough to stop me losing weight I would have thought???

    seriously how are you not hungry? I'd be starving with how little you are eating.
    IMO you are not eating enough protien, or carbs from veggies.
    fat isn't the enemy, I'd recommend 40/40/30 macro's (carbs/protein/fat)

    you may also be interested in the calorie myth podcast they also have a website.
  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    Help! Since early January, I have been religiously sticking to 1200 cals a day- with a day off at the weekend to stop my metabolism going into starvation mode. I also joined a gym and go for at least an hour a day. I lost 7 pounds in January, taking me down to 13 stone. I'm a 46 year old woman, 5 ft 6 inches tall. Since then, I haven't lost anything at all. In desperation , I upped my gym going to twice a day 3 times a week and once the rest of the week. Each session burns off 300 cals. I've shifted weight fast in the past by sticking to 1000-1200 cals a day, but this time I thought I'd exercise too,to get the weight off and keep it off. I would expect to lose 1-2 lbs a week. Can't tell you how frustrated I am , all this work and no gain! What am I found wrong?

    Open your diary.
    Eat more.
    Drink more water.

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