Am I going into 'starvation mode?'

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maggielytle
maggielytle Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,
I am 4'10, weigh in about 127lb and I want to know if I'm eating enough. I have a daily goal of 1200 calories. The past few days I started using myfitness pal again because I really want to get back to high school weight (about 97-100lbs). I work as a nurse in a pretty busy dr office and I definitely break a little sweat everyday mostly because it's really hot in the office, plus I go in and out of patient rooms). I count that as my exercise on days I work. My questions are:
1 how many cals do you think working an 8 hr day burns when you're on you're feet for 75% of the day?
2 is eating about 1000 cals enough? On days I'm not at work I try to power walk/run for 30-45 min or do a brisk walk while hiking. Since it's hot I break a crazy sweat. I drink over 32 oz of water a day but I'm afraid my body is going I store more fat because I'm going into 'starvation mode'. I eat 3 meals a day, try to limit snacking and sugar, and will try to have fruit If I get hungry before bed.

Just trying to loose weight and boost metabolism!
Any tips would be great.
Thanks!

Replies

  • protein321
    protein321 Posts: 16 Member
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    1. To figure out your daily caloric needs use this calculator (the most accurate in my opinion) http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
    Also I think MFP already does the calculation for your calories for you. You take your TDEE and subtract it by -500 (so you can be in a caloric deficit.) So you can try either caloric amount and test them for 2 weeks and see if you see any results.
    2. 1000 calories is pretty low but it can work. Just make sure you get enough protein and fats to keep your lean body mass and stay healthy. Also IMO 'starvation mode' is basically saying that your body used a lot of your muscles, which lowers your metabolism - leading to your body requiring less calories.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
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    You probably shouldn't go below 1200. From what you say about your job, your activity level is lightly active. You should enter calories burned in actual workouts in MFP and "eat back" those calories. It's when you are exercising but no fueling your body that you begin to lose muscle mass. I'm petite like you, lightly active, and try to net around 1200 a day.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Set your goal to .5 lb. per week—which is more than 1,000 calories—and be patient. The smaller deficit will help you transition to maintenance.

    Undereating will not get you to your goal any faster. Please, read the Sexypants post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants

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