Starvation Mode is Real, and ugly
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You're beautiful...and you remind me of Abby in that pic. :laugh:
I'm glad you got some clothes that fit. I hope that makes you feel a little more comfortable in your own skin. *hugs*
Ha-- with the doofy faces-- yep, that's my Abby-- like mudder, like daughter.
No wonder you call her your mini-me.
Hope the retention is subsiding today! 0 -
You're beautiful...and you remind me of Abby in that pic. :laugh:
I'm glad you got some clothes that fit. I hope that makes you feel a little more comfortable in your own skin. *hugs*
Ha-- with the doofy faces-- yep, that's my Abby-- like mudder, like daughter.
No wonder you call her your mini-me. Hope the retention is subsiding today!
It's better, but then again I'm OD'ing on my diuretic.
Bloat, be gone!!!!!!!!!!0 -
How fun. *hugs* Hope you have a great weekend!0
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Marla, hoping you have a great weekend!:flowerforyou:0
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I am proud of you for sharing your story. I've ruined my body too, by not being kind. I've suffered through bouts of anorexia and bulimia for 18 years. I've worked out too much and not eaten enough. And when they tell you that it messes with your metabolism, they aren't kidding. Now I'm 34, post 3 babies and I have a very difficult time losing weight. I think that it is due to all the starvation in the past, then overeating, my body just doesn't know what to do. It's going to be difficult to lose this extra 40lbs that I truly need to lose. But I'm going to try to do it, and do it the healthy, right way... finally. Wish me luck! And I wish you luck with your weight loss goals too.0
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Thanks, Amy -- the way we abuse our bodies-- ugh! God bless you-- I hope you can get your body to cooperate!
For me? I'm bloated like crazy again-- my doctor doesn't seem to think this is a problem? Hello??? I have a history of kidney troubles in my family-- father had kidney cancer, his brother died of kidney failure-- you know, can we take this seriously?
but, no she puts me on a rinkydink dose of HCTZ-- not enough to make me pee a flippin' ounce-- so, again, I'm using the Internet as my guide, and taking matters into my own hands. Ordering medicine online is a breeze.
doctors suck.
need to scoot-- thanks, all.0 -
Bump - this thread should stay visible! Thanks for sharing!0
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Marla, with a history of kidney issues I am surprised your doctor isn't taking this more seriously!! Hope your online search is successful. Swanson carries a few Kidney related supplements at reasonable prices. I have always been happy ordering from them.
Amy, best of luck to you!!!!
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Hey-- thanks for telling me-- I'll check 'em out.
This weekend, I just increased my dosage to what I saw online would be the dose given to people with edema-- which, believe it or not, is 87.5 mg MORE than what the nincompoop doctor gave me.
She KNOWS the kidney history. KNOWS my history of bloating. BUT because my blood test shows "fine" kidney function, she is bound by insurance companies and protocol, blah, blah, blah--
Folks, we're on our own.
Progress report-- after week...what? Five of this? I think so-- I started this new journey on Valentine's Day, I believe-- the weight is unchanged. I'm actually 198 this morning, which would be 1/2 pound lower than when I began.
I had several days last week boo-hooing about it again. But, I'll get through this. I was thinking of Russell a bit earlier. I just got home from taking my son to work, and I was starving. hadn't had breakfast yet. And I really wanted to stop and get my Starbucks Americano, and considered getting a doughnut with it--
But, I thought, nope, wait til Wednesday-- that's my "spike" day. We'll see how this goes, Russell--
Eye sacs continue to get better-- I'll post a picture later. And another interesting development-- my arthritis is MUCH better. I'd love anyone's thoughts on that? Proper nutrition and arthritis pain? Go figure--
need to scoot-- ciao!0 -
Hey-- thanks for telling me-- I'll check 'em out.
This weekend, I just increased my dosage to what I saw online would be the dose given to people with edema-- which, believe it or not, is 87.5 mg MORE than what the nincompoop doctor gave me.
She KNOWS the kidney history. KNOWS my history of bloating. BUT because my blood test shows "fine" kidney function, she is bound by insurance companies and protocol, blah, blah, blah--
Folks, we're on our own.
Progress report-- after week...what? Five of this? I think so-- I started this new journey on Valentine's Day, I believe-- the weight is unchanged. I'm actually 198 this morning, which would be 1/2 pound lower than when I began.
I had several days last week boo-hooing about it again. But, I'll get through this. I was thinking of Russell a bit earlier. I just got home from taking my son to work, and I was starving. hadn't had breakfast yet. And I really wanted to stop and get my Starbucks Americano, and considered getting a doughnut with it--
But, I thought, nope, wait til Wednesday-- that's my "spike" day. We'll see how this goes, Russell--
Eye sacs continue to get better-- I'll post a picture later. And another interesting development-- my arthritis is MUCH better. I'd love anyone's thoughts on that? Proper nutrition and arthritis pain? Go figure--
need to scoot-- ciao!
Good job holding off on the Starbucks and donut
You only have 2 more days and you can have it.
I really hope it was enough to kick start your metabolism again. In some cases we need a week off to get out of starvation mode but when it's caught early enough one surplus day will do it. When I first started "spiking" it was in my first plateau of my latest diet and the one day got me going and I never stopped having spike day's and that was 7 years ago.
I have some friends who I think might be in a severe starvation state. One of them has a body-media device and she is burning about 3,000 calories a day according to it and eating only 1,200, but hasn't lost any weight. Her thyroid has been checked and it's in the "normal" range ( I know "normal" is a broad term) But, number wise she should be losing about 5ls a week but she's not. If there is no such thing as "Starvation Mode" than what is it?
I read a post by a doctor this weekend that said 70% of our metabolism energy on a diet is burned body-fat. So if metabolism drops, we significantly impair our ability to burn fat.
Everyone has a cause, my cause is getting people out of Starvation Mode. I know that with my diet you will avoid it from the beginning, but now I need to help people who are more severe.0 -
Well, Russell-- the Starbucks drink I have is only 20 calories-- black espresso and hot water, with one flavor shot-- no harm, no foul there. But, I'm always pumped when I make wise choices and use the ol' self-control.
I know I have to pump up the exercise this week. Life and chaos have trampled me past couple weeks, and I've only gotten a couple days in each week. Need to bump it up-- I know I've said it before, but it is soooo hard to be motivated to exercise when it hasn't changed in a positive way my appearance.
I mean, yeah, we're doing it for health-- blah, blah, blah-- but there isn't a soul in this place that is doing it simply for the health benefits. We all like to look good, and it's part of what motivates us. So, that's been an uphill battle.
If I can figure out the hashimoto's and water issues with some proper meds, then that will help, to boot-- until then, exercise to me lately is truly like taking cod liver oil-- I'm holding my nose and taking it because I know it's good for me. Blech.0 -
Russell,
I REALLY like the spike day idea!!!
and Marla, I just KNOW that you are going to come out of all of this stronger! (and thin!):flowerforyou:
Donna0 -
Russell,
I REALLY like the spike day idea!!!
and Marla, I just KNOW that you are going to come out of all of this stronger! (and thin!):flowerforyou:
Donna
She definitely will! She persistent, patient, and has the knowledge to get through it. IMO,being in starvation mode is the worst thing that can happen when we diet. You eat very little, you workout hard, and you don't lose anything. It's like being slapped in face by Mike Tyson.
I compare it to the cartoons with the rabbit on a treadmill being bated by a carrot on a fishing pole. Most of us, including myself quit at that point.
Marla isn't0 -
Thanks, so much for the vote of confidence-- means a lot.
Russell-- have you had a client like me, where the weight begins to pile back on?0 -
Thank you for sharing your story.0
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Thank you for sharing and I am worried about myself going into starvation mode. It has been two weeks, and I am barely eating 1000 calories and that is because I have become afraid to eat. I just hope I learned soon before I end up in the same situation. I wish you the best!
Ginny0 -
no offense...but i'd seek more opinions from different doctors... that excuse doesn't sit well with me.
Sorry0 -
no offense...but i'd seek more opinions from different doctors... that excuse doesn't sit well with me.
Sorry
Kdouglas11...I am not sure I understand what you mean by "excuse", can you explain? What would you suggest Marla do ?
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I've already been to five doctors-- they're not interested in helping me. They check the routine blood crud-- if they don't see something "standard" they blow it off as perimenopausal-- doctors suck.
They found Hashimoto's, threw me on medicine for it and I could hear the implied, "NEXT" as they showed me the door for their next patient. Anything they looked for was at my insistence. Check for this. Great. Now check for that. Good. Now check for the other.
Personally I think there are more kidney issues-- but since the "blood results show fine kidney function," that's all they care about.
Again-- doctors suck.0 -
Thank you for sharing and I am worried about myself going into starvation mode. It has been two weeks, and I am barely eating 1000 calories and that is because I have become afraid to eat. I just hope I learned soon before I end up in the same situation. I wish you the best!
Ginny
I just checked out your profile & you have a good amount of weight to lose, but PLEASE don't be afraid to eat! Your body still needs fuel! Good luck to you!0 -
no offense...but i'd seek more opinions from different doctors... that excuse doesn't sit well with me.
Sorry
Kdouglas11...I am not sure I understand what you mean by "excuse", can you explain? What would you suggest Marla do ?
D
None of that made sense. No offense to Marla? The "excuse" that Marla is making or the dianosis her doctors are making?0 -
Cue the cricket noises....guess she's not coming back to explain.....whatever.
So I had my 'spike day,' and I swear-- never in my life have I felt like yesterday. What's happening to me?? Truly, it was difficult for me to eat when I wasn't hungry-- I ended the day roughly 2500--
I haven't been exercising past couple weeks for this and that chaotic, life-consuming, nutty reason or another-- other family priorities are needing me-- so with no exercise, my caloric needs would be around 1950 or so, so I'm still at a surplus.
actually, starting today I'm bumping down to 1970 daily-- need to see if I can start to lose again. I'm growing impatient. I know I have water issues, and have medicine on the way to help. and I know I have metabolic issues. I've learned I won't gain on 2300 daily. So, maybe I can lose on 1970-- with any luck, some kid issues and health issues with hubs and others will ease up and my exercise will be a priority again.
however, I'm not hating taking some time off of exercise. Hard killing yourself and seeing no results because of the water covering everything.0 -
wow!!
I have been there it is an awful place to be. I did the whole starvation thing and it backfired on me as well. I was told so many times what would happen and I thought never I was so diligent on keeping count of everything that went in my mouth. I eneded up with a terrible eating disorder, I can not live that way again it was toture punishing myself for being human and I saw what I put my kids through. I think if we all except ourselves for just being us it will all work out. But funny I know that is way easier said then done. I wish you the beat of luck I know how you feel
Suzanne0 -
Marla -
Way to go girl! I'm so sorry you have to go through this. If anyone can get their metabolism straightened out, you can. You rock. What a long journey - you are such an inspiration though. Standing up for yourself and not letting the medical system write you off. I'm proud of you and hope you find what will work for your body! (((hugs)))0 -
Marla -
Way to go girl! I'm so sorry you have to go through this. If anyone can get their metabolism straightened out, you can. You rock. What a long journey - you are such an inspiration though. Standing up for yourself and not letting the medical system write you off. I'm proud of you and hope you find what will work for your body! (((hugs)))
Hey-- haven't seen you in sooooo long-- thanks so much for the vote of confidence--
I'll figure this out, one way or another-- thanks so much for the support.0 -
Marla, Hope your weekend is less stressful! My kids also drive me nuts but I say that with all the love a mother can possibly have! We have had our best year yet with homeschooling but I think it is partly because I have pulled way back on outside service and because I am now only homeschooling my two girls!
My goal today is to laugh! I thought I would share that! :laugh: j
BTW...babybeans, I think I did misinterpret what the person wrote...the way I was reading it sounded kind of negative towards Marla but I see she must have meant it as a negative towards the MD's.
D0 -
Marla, Hope your weekend is less stressful! My kids also drive me nuts but I say that with all the love a mother can possibly have! We have had our best year yet with homeschooling but I think it is partly because I have pulled way back on outside service and because I am now only homeschooling my two girls!
My goal today is to laugh! I thought I would share that! :laugh: j
BTW...babybeans, I think I did misinterpret what the person wrote...the way I was reading it sounded kind of negative towards Marla but I see she must have meant it as a negative towards the MD's.
D
No no no! I wasqustioning that person as well. I hope you didn't think I was questioning YOU! And I'm not sure what they meant b/c the way they worded it, it could have gone either way. :ohwell: Whatever! I don't think we'll be getting a further explanation! Whatevs.0 -
wow!!
I have been there it is an awful place to be. I did the whole starvation thing and it backfired on me as well. I was told so many times what would happen and I thought never I was so diligent on keeping count of everything that went in my mouth. I eneded up with a terrible eating disorder, I can not live that way again it was toture punishing myself for being human and I saw what I put my kids through. I think if we all except ourselves for just being us it will all work out. But funny I know that is way easier said then done. I wish you the beat of luck I know how you feel
Suzanne
I hope you have success here! It's amazing the abuse we put our bodies through. *hugs*
Marla - See! Sharing your story is helping lots of people. You rock, woman! Here's to a happy weekend!0 -
I'm really sorry I didn't read ALL of the posts in the past 10 pages...but I did read the very first post and wanted to comment on it.
I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL.
I get frustrated as hell at people who whine about starvation mode being a myth. I was there as well.
My profile picture? That was me back in 2008 when I weighed 125 pounds. As you can see from my ticker, that's my current goal weight now because I want to get back to that picture size.
When I was losing all the weight in 2007 (started at 191) I was eating between 1000-1300 calories per day and doing P90X Doubles Plan changing the extra Cardio X's to something more strenuous like Turbo Jam. Yeah, I got down to 125, but I was so effin' hungry all the time and I couldn't gain muscle for nothing. I was a beanpole that wanted to eat.
So I was advised by my doctor, nutritionist, and personal trainer that if I wanted to do that much exercise that I should be eating a minimum of 1800 calories per day. So, I did just that and within, no lie, 2 months I was up from 125 to 155 pounds. That was the middle of 2008. Throughout 2009 and 2010, I adjusted calories, played with carb and fat levels, messed with protein levels, changed up my workouts, did EVERYTHING I WAS TOLD by experts with MD's and PhD's but lost *maybe* 5 pounds total at a time and then gained it back, lost it again, gained it back...all by eating clean, healthy foods and working out???
Yeah, my doctor also told me that I was in starvation mode, and yeah, I was having issues gaining muscle strength because my body had catabolized the muscles after beating it to death with hours of cardio and averaging 1200 calories a day.
Now in 2011, I am *finally* at a point where I believe my metabolism has been restored. I eat around 1575 calories a day and I am finally steadily loosing. It is a slow process, but it is a process that is moving forward.
I am currently at 138 pounds, and I am able to wear some of the clothes that I was able to back in 2008. I plan to get back into all of them by the end of the year, only I am doing it in a healthy way making sure to NEVER cut myself short on calories.
People really do have a wrong view of what starvation mode really is. It does NOT happen overnight, over the course of a week or 2, or so on. I ate very little and exercised all the time like this from July 2007 to March 2008. I lost weight the whole time until BAM in March 2008 the weight loss halted, ceased, and completely desisted. And then the hunger pains attacked like an army everyday, all day. And then the weight started to come back on by changing nothing about my food or exercise routines. It takes a long time for starvation mode to truly set in...but once it does, OMG it is soooo hard to get out of because your metabolism is crashed. You can gain weight, for sure, but losing? Ha! Not without starving even worse than before. So when I started to eat more, I got big again. And by "eating more" I mean, what normal people eat to lose or maintain daily. I was gaining weight like crazy doing what other people did to lose or maintain. It took lots of time and lots of hard work and effort...meaning, playing around with nutrition numbers, studying nutrition until I learned it like a second language, and actually exercising LESS...to get my metabolism revved again. And now that it's "normal" again" I am eating the same healthy food as before, only in the correct proportions, and I am weight training and doing cardio...and losing weight slowly and restoring all over health to my body.
Starvation mode truly does exist...and I hope all the naysayers would read your thread and understand. It isn't the same as what people think (they think if they eat low cals for 2 days, that uh-oh, they won't lose any more weight). But it truly is a real phenomenon.
And Marla, take heart! Your metabolism isn't dead. It took nearly 3 years, but I got mine back. I'm sure you will too. :flowerforyou:0 -
Thank you so much!
I am going to go into maintenance from now through the end of April.0
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