BMR / TDEE? Starvation mode? Overwhelmed & CONFUSED!

There are many myths that do indeed go along with starvation mode, aka adaptive thermogenesis, aka metabolic efficiency, that are not true.
But the mode itself is.

You eat too extreme a deficit from what your body wants for your level of activity, and you changed the equation for how much you actually burn. Studies have shown a reduction in total daily burn by 20-25%.
So a deficit that used to cause so much weight loss slowly becomes less and less. Have the values right as you lose weight, you could wipe out your deficit.
Meaning you now need to eat 20-25% less than you could, in order to lose weight, and then to maintain too.

So it doesn't cause you to gain fat, it's usually the binges during that time that cause weight and fat gain because someone can't adhere to that extreme a calorie deficit all the time and they binge and gain fat then.
It doesn't cause you to stop burning fat and start burning muscle, that happens on extreme deficit anyway without enough protein and no strength training, but great odds you'll be doing better muscle burn along with the fat at more extreme deficit.
There are several other rumors too.

The truth is, just keep eating less and less, and even a suppressed system will eventually lose more.
But will you be successful eating that much less if you don't need to?
Will your body improve as much with exercise if it's already slowing things down to compensate for eating level?

There are several negatives to it.
This documentary on the study for showing why it happens is rather negative - life time effect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A

This study while showing you can make it happen, and what can help not make it happen, also shows recovery is possible. But you are already there possibly.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251

You could be badly logging foods not by weight - though to wipe out a whole deficit would be really bad logging.

Use the spreadsheet on my profile page to help with estimate of bodyfat, and then best estimates of BMR (in case you've lost muscle mass already) and TDEE based on what you actually do for exercise, and get a reasonable deficit for amount to lose and amount of activity.
Just stay on the Simple Setup and Progress tabs.
Look at example stats, change them to see effects, then delete them all in yellow cells and put in your own.

And yes, not a reasonable deficit amount for amount left to lose.

If your BMR is 1397, you should be eating at least that. However, according to three different websites I used, your BMR is actually closer to 1450. So yes, you have been eating too little, which over a prolonged period of time, can cause a slight drop in your metabolism making it harder to lose weight.

The deficit you can healthily lose weight at is TDEE - BMR (at the most, although for many that's very aggressive, trying TDEE -10% would likely be a better fit. So, 2227 - 1450 = 777 cals per day deficit, which I would argue is significantly too high for the amount of weight you're looking to lose because you're already in the healthy range for your height.

Really, with only 15 or so lbs to lose, you should be looking at setting goals which will allow you to lose between 0.5-1lb per week, so no more than a 500 calorie deficit per day.

You don't need to really restrict the foods you eat, just make sure you're aiming for your macros that are important (like protein). If you want a glass of wine, that's fine, just make sure it fits your calories.

From what you've written, I also think a large part of you not losing weight is that what you think is 1200 calories, actually isn't. Unless you're weighing with a food scale, you really can't be sure. I'm presently not using a scale, but I don't claim that my own calorie counts are by any means perfect and if I hit a point where my loss was being inhibited by not weighing my food, I'd certainly pick one up.

If you find any of that confusing, feel free to message me.

I AM still confused.... trust me 152 doesn't look healthy on me, I am very small boned and I think most of that is fat not muscle. I am working on it though! I am now doing boot camp classes and dedicated to getting back in shape after 2 kids and a desk job! What do I minus the 777 from? the 2227?

You're not minusing the 777 from anything, that's the deficit between your BMR and TDEE, which we've already established is FAR too aggressive for the type of weight loss you're looking for. Eating at a deficit of that size, you'll definetly lose weight, however you'll be losing muscle mass at a much more rapid pace than if you were to eat a healthy amount for you. I would honestly recommend a deficit of about 250-400 calories a week (so 0.5-0.8lbs per week). Weight loss isn't meant to be fast, especially when you're already in a healthy range.

There's a chance you're small framed and that 152 does look unhealthy on you, but that could have a lot more to do with body composition than actual scale weight. Basically, the more muscle you have, the more likely you are to look toned. When you diet aggressively and lose that muscle mass, you can end up keeping a very similar body fat percentage and still being unhappy with your body. Honestly, without more measurements (body fat%, bust/waist/hip, a picture for reference etc), I couldn't even tell you if your goal is realistic.

The take-aways from this are: eat more (at bare minimum you need to eat your BMR); make sure your goal is realistic (calculating body fat percentages will help for this); understand that to lose that 15lbs will likely take you 3-5 months.

[Kquote]

I am so confused because, then I read this on another post today, "Starvation mode as a mechanism that will stop you losing weight is a myth, just concentrate on ensuring your numbers are as accurate as you can make them." I try to log accurately but noticed recently that on weekends I go over my calories now and then. So I am not really sure if it is that I am not strict enough on weekends or if I am not eating enough like my doctor told me today????

Starvation mode Does not exist.....
Or a "damaged metabolism" does not exist...

Your body is responding the way it was designed to.

If it does, I am sure a bunch of kids in Ethiopia should be told their doing it wrong.
[/quote]

What this fabulous person said.

You need to slowly increase the calories you're consuming until you're back at a healthy consumption level for your body. Layne Norton has some great video blogs on metabolic damage and reverse dieting to help reverse the damage.

Just for my 10 pence/cents worth. Start looking at nutrient dense rather than calorie dense a hugely better and healthier way to get fit. Have a look at cutting out wheat/grain based products as they, among with a host of other bad stuff, bloat the body. Same with too much salt, it just encourages the body to retain water. Obvious one, which I'm just throwing into the mix as I'm sure you already know, is try and eliminate all the body unhelpful foods ie fried foods, processed stuff, dairy and increase to beast mode your fresh raw fruit and veggie intake. People get wayyyyyy too wrapped up in calories whereas we should be looking at nutrients. 100 calories of chocolate is around 19 grams, whereas 100 calories of banana is around 106 grams . . and our bodies burn the raw fuel wayyyy quicker than the processed shizz.

If you have excess fat to burn off do high intensity interval workouts, to keep your body on its toes. Aim for a strong workout schedule that you can stick to, but one that you can keep improving on. Our bodies are damned clever sods and adapt to the workloads we do a lot quicker than we realise, this is why HIIT is so good as you can never get used to it. As said above build your body as strong as you can either by doing weights or bodyweight exercises, more muscle, more burn = fitter, healthier you.

Hope this helps sweet pea. All the best.

Cathi x

Great place to track nutrients: https://cronometer.com/

This link is pretty useful

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974889-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

Nobody but you can really figure out what your correct caloric intake should be and what your caloric use can be. If you stable, you need to increase your activity or reduce your calories.

Tinker with it for a few weeks. Lower your calories by 10% and add some walks to your routine. If you are going to cut calories, get rid of the least nutritional foods and maybe increase the fibre veggies so that you don't feel hungry.

I learned that optimal my caloric intake level was well below the NIH standards - but the standards are averages and the point of life is to feel good, have energy, and the health metrics (blood labs, pressure, pulse...).