Starvation mode? Need advice

hearach1974
hearach1974 Posts: 3 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi Folks, im only on my second week of seriously sticking to a plan. I have been sticking to 1200 and have not had any slip ups yet. I lost 7lb's my first week so I was delighted. I am thinking that maybe im not allowing myself enough calories as im at 290lbs with so much to lose that maybe 1200 is not enough for me and im in starvation mode. I have lost nothing this week and just remain the same weight.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Replies

  • braves1girl
    braves1girl Posts: 189 Member
    Are you exercising at all? First of all, that's to be expected in the second week with such a big loss the first week. DON'T get discouraged. Secondly, personally I think 1200 is extremely low. There is a group on here called Eat More 2 Weigh Less. Check it out. There is ALL KINDS of information regarding starvation mode. It's a very supportive group. It's a slow process, but one that you can live with for the rest of your life. Check it out...feel free to pm if you have any questions.
  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
    Starvation mode doesn't exist. The "mode" your're thinking of is the slowing of metabolic rate which takes more than two weeks. You'd have to starve yourself for quite some time to accomplish that. 1200 calories a day is not good for anyone unless your a gnome. Go here http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ find your TDEE-20% and go off of that. At 290 lbs you need a lot more than 1200 calories just to not have to get out of bed and stay healthy.
  • lrmall01
    lrmall01 Posts: 377 Member
    How did you decide to eat 1200 calories?

    Based upon your info, I would think most calculators would tell you to eat about 1500 calories in order to lose 2lb per week.

    * Note: post updated to fix calorie estimate.
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
    It's only been 2 weeks. More than half the loss of the first week was probably water weight.

    1-2 lbs lost per week is what you should be aiming for, and once your body is smaller that number will also get smaller.

    Weight loss of a significant amount takes a very long time if you're doing it right.

    ETA: You are not in starvation mode. Eat more than 1,200 calories. Learn to accurately calculate calories. Weigh your food. Read the stickies before posting threads.
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
    Hi Folks, im only on my second week of seriously sticking to a plan. I have been sticking to 1200 and have not had any slip ups yet. I lost 7lb's my first week so I was delighted. I am thinking that maybe im not allowing myself enough calories as im at 290lbs with so much to lose that maybe 1200 is not enough for me and im in starvation mode. I have lost nothing this week and just remain the same weight.

    Any ideas would be appreciated.

    Forget about starvation mode. The term is used erroneously around here.

    1200 calories a day would put you at around a 2lb per week target loss, depending upon your height. It's up to you if you can stick to that for the long term.... If that seems too restrictive, you can add in some exercise, so you can eat a bit more, or raise your calorie goal, even to around 1450, would give you a target loss of 1.5 lbs per week.
  • hearach1974
    hearach1974 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks for your tips. I wont fall off the wagon just yet! I find that I cope well with 1200 calories a day and don't feel hungry. I don't want to eat just to up calories. Im new to this site but will look around and log each day to keep track. Im not exercising as such just walking a couple of times a week and im on the go all day with work. So in the past that's been enough until I lose some weight.
  • SteveyBrule
    SteveyBrule Posts: 171 Member
    Starvation mode doesn't exist. The "mode" your're thinking of is the slowing of metabolic rate which takes more than two weeks. You'd have to starve yourself for quite some time to accomplish that. 1200 calories a day is not good for anyone unless your a gnome. Go here http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ find your TDEE-20% and go off of that. At 290 lbs you need a lot more than 1200 calories just to not have to get out of bed and stay healthy.

    This. And thank you. I swear I feel like I'm taking crazy pills with some of the threads around here with people saying "I'm eating too little to lose weight!" and other folks are chiming in supporting that crazy idea.
  • brb2008
    brb2008 Posts: 406 Member
    I think you should aim for about 1500 calories in meals, plus light exercise. I know its not fun but low-carb is what got me to lose the first 50lbs to where I was 'small' enough to actually exercise. I doubt your plateau is anything but one of many of the natural plateaus you'll encounter. I hit ones at 10lbs, 30lbs, 60lbs, 75lbs, and at 220lbs (so far). Each one lasted a week at minimum or up to 4 weeks for the toughest (at 75). It just happens and the only real solution is to keep at it. If you let yourself get discouraged and quitbecause the scale iisn't budging you're not focusing on making lasting healthy changes for your body. Focus on health and the weight will fall off. You just have to stick to your plan, whatever it may be.

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