Transition from not enough cals
bethbhansen
Posts: 11 Member
Hi, just got metabolism tested and I've been under eating for a long time. With workouts, I burn 2000 cals a day but have only been eating 1300. I've gained inches of fat due to starvation mode. Should I eat 2000 cals to reset my body for a bit and then reduce for fat loss?? Or will eating 2000 do the trick since my bod has been in starvation mode and it'll be happy to be getting cals again?? Help!
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Replies
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You got your metabolism tested... And you burn 2000 calories a day. How is that starvation mode??? On average, a majority of people burn around that....
P.s. Starvation mode isn't a thing.9 -
I'm really not sure how eating 1300 calories a day could be classed as starving..
OP rest assured, you are not in starvation mode. If you are gaining inches/weight then the most probable cause is that you are eating too much/eating more than you think.
Have a read of this article
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/9 -
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Firstly. "Starvation Mode" is a thing & it's real regardless of the articles or explanations posted by "fitness gurus" your body is just doing what it was designed to do. without going into all the detailed science & physiology about it, your body is just doing what is does.
Also. You have not given much information regarding what your macronutrients are set-up too or the type of exercise you are doing which matters as much as calories does. Height, Weight, Method of how you lost any previous weight, eating habits etc.
If you are concerned about your metabolism. You should go see a Doctor first to test you thyroid functioning is normal. secondly, you could try to implement a ketogenic protocol, where you could to be using you own body fat as fuel.1 -
The same happened to me! I was eating 1400-1500 for a long period of time yet I was burning an average of 2100 on my workout days. My weight loss stalled and I didn't want to cut my calories further nor did i want to increase the intensity/length of my workouts. I took a diet break instead. It's where you eat at your maintenance calories for 2-3 weeks to restore your hormones. I did gain weight but I didn't worry too much because I needed to restore my hormones and reset my metabolism. The weight gain was my body's way of adjusting to the higher calories.
After I finished the diet break, I ate in a 20% deficit again and the weight began to magically fall off! As you are experiencing a similar problem, I recommend going a diet break! Generally, the longer the diet break, the better! Ideally 2 weeks. Good luck!6 -
berrydana7 wrote: »The same happened to me! I was eating 1400-1500 for a long period of time yet I was burning an average of 2100 on my workout days. My weight loss stalled and I didn't want to cut my calories further nor did i want to increase the intensity/length of my workouts. I took a diet break instead. It's where you eat at your maintenance calories for 2-3 weeks to restore your hormones. I did gain weight but I didn't worry too much because I needed to restore my hormones and reset my metabolism. The weight gain was my body's way of adjusting to the higher calories.
After I finished the diet break, I ate in a 20% deficit again and the weight began to magically fall off! As you are experiencing a similar problem, I recommend going a diet break! Generally, the longer the diet break, the better! Ideally 2 weeks. Good luck!
Good news! Exactly!0 -
Firstly. "Starvation Mode" is a thing & it's real regardless of the articles or explanations posted by "fitness gurus" your body is just doing what it was designed to do. without going into all the detailed science & physiology about it, your body is just doing what is does.
Also. You have not given much information regarding what your macronutrients are set-up too or the type of exercise you are doing which matters as much as calories does. Height, Weight, Method of how you lost any previous weight, eating habits etc.
If you are concerned about your metabolism. You should go see a Doctor first to test you thyroid functioning is normal. secondly, you could try to implement a ketogenic protocol, where you could to be using you own body fat as fuel.
The ketogenic protocol sounds interesting. How long should you do this protocol for?0 -
berrydana7 wrote: »Firstly. "Starvation Mode" is a thing & it's real regardless of the articles or explanations posted by "fitness gurus" your body is just doing what it was designed to do. without going into all the detailed science & physiology about it, your body is just doing what is does.
Also. You have not given much information regarding what your macronutrients are set-up too or the type of exercise you are doing which matters as much as calories does. Height, Weight, Method of how you lost any previous weight, eating habits etc.
If you are concerned about your metabolism. You should go see a Doctor first to test you thyroid functioning is normal. secondly, you could try to implement a ketogenic protocol, where you could to be using you own body fat as fuel.
The ketogenic protocol sounds interesting. How long should you do this protocol for?
It's basically just the ketogenic diet. ( very low carb ) use it as a tool. And with any tool use it wisely. Personal preference I won't use it longer than 4 months depending how quickly your body adapts to burning fat instead of carbs. You can read and look up into it if want.
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The Keto diet is so bad for you. Try to look at other options.0
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KnitSewSpin wrote: »The Keto diet is so bad for you. Try to look at other options.
Without more information, this isn't especially helpful. Why is Keto bad and what options do you recommend?0 -
bethbhansen wrote: »Hi, just got metabolism tested and I've been under eating for a long time. With workouts, I burn 2000 cals a day but have only been eating 1300. I've gained inches of fat due to starvation mode. Should I eat 2000 cals to reset my body for a bit and then reduce for fat loss?? Or will eating 2000 do the trick since my bod has been in starvation mode and it'll be happy to be getting cals again?? Help!
How much weight did you lose during this period of time when you were under eating? What does "a long time" mean?
What was the method used to test your metabolism?0 -
bethbhansen wrote: »Hi, just got metabolism tested and I've been under eating for a long time. With workouts, I burn 2000 cals a day but have only been eating 1300. I've gained inches of fat due to starvation mode. Should I eat 2000 cals to reset my body for a bit and then reduce for fat loss?? Or will eating 2000 do the trick since my bod has been in starvation mode and it'll be happy to be getting cals again?? Help!
:huh: :noway:0 -
I highly doubt anyone is gaining inches of fat on 1300 calories.8
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All, thanks for the helpful responses. I should have prefaced with I have a thyroid disorder so that complicates things. My non thyroid hormones have been out of whack for a while and I never thought food was a cause. I had my resting metabolic rate tested and I burn 1760cals without workouts. I was eating 1300 cals or less for maybe a year? While working out as best I could while being tired. And my weight stayed the same but I gained 1-2 inches of fat. I've been exhausted and frustrated. My doc told me if I work out 9 hours a week (and burn about 400 cals per workout like I do), that I should be eating 2000-2500 a day to maintain my weight.
My question was, since I've been in depravation mode, should I take a break from workouts to reset? Or can I workout and just increase healthy foods? My goal is to get rid of the fat for summer but I realize it may take longer. My macros are below but I'm wondering if I should adjust for fat loss or stick to that to reset for a bit.
The print out I got say to shoot for 2040 cals, 256g carbs, 153g protein and 45g fat.
Thanks again for helping! I really appreciate the helpful insight!0 -
When you say "workouts" what do you mean? To me, workout = lifting weights. 400 calories per weight lifting session could be high - some people here don't even count weight lifting calories at all.
If you're not lifting weights, I suggest you do that instead of whatever it is you are doing, as it is clearly not working for you. See The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess which was available through my library system, so perhaps yours as well.
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Firstly. "Starvation Mode" is a thing & it's real regardless of the articles or explanations posted by "fitness gurus" your body is just doing what it was designed to do. without going into all the detailed science & physiology about it, your body is just doing what is does.
Also. You have not given much information regarding what your macronutrients are set-up too or the type of exercise you are doing which matters as much as calories does. Height, Weight, Method of how you lost any previous weight, eating habits etc.
If you are concerned about your metabolism. You should go see a Doctor first to test you thyroid functioning is normal. secondly, you could try to implement a ketogenic protocol, where you could to be using you own body fat as fuel.
So you're saying that we stop losing weight when eating 1300 calories? No. You're body compensates to a certain extent... But absolutely nothing that would halt your weight loss or make you GAIN fat.
And OP has now said they have a thyroid disorder. I most definitely don't know much about that so I won't comment on it.3 -
I'm sorry but this is a load of bull. If you were eating that low for a year and your RMR is 1760 you would have lost weight. So either your doctor was way off or you were eating much more than you thought you were. If you maintained your weight the whole time, you were eating at maintenance. If I were you I'd get a second opinion because your body was not in starvation mode.12
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I'm sorry but this is a load of bull. If you were eating that low for a year and your RMR is 1760 you would have lost weight. So either your doctor was way off or you were eating much more than you thought you were. If you maintained your weight the whole time, you were eating at maintenance. If I were you I'd get a second opinion because your body was not in starvation mode.
The voice of reason there 6 -
being Hypo myself and not knowing you personally I will just say this, being hypo comes with its struggles. Yes, you can gain weight if it is not treated with the proper medication dose. In order for you to get treated, you need to have some blood tests done ( TSH , free t 3, free t 4). it does take a while ( as much as 2 months for some) for the dose to show if its working, by this time you will need another set of tests done to see if the dose needs to be adjusted. When that is taken care of, you are exercising, the next thing you need to work on is eating healthier. That serving of chips will add a lot of water weight. Carbs will add weight, water weight, and make it nearly impossible to lose weight. Some people with Hypo just cut back from large amounts of carbs, and some are told by their doctor to stop eating the refined carbs altogether. So, my suggestion is to get your blood work retested if you haven't had it done in the last 6 weeks. TSH alone will not tell the doctor how well the medication is working. So as for the full panel to be done. As, the doctor or go see a dietician that knows something about hypothyroidism.
I am just amazed that you burn 2000 cal a day being hypo. most of us just don't have that much energy.0 -
Wow, thanks to those who took the time to type something useful and helpful. Didn't realize how nasty people can be on here. If you don't like a post, just don't reply. No need to be rude. Thanks again to those who provided insightful feedback.0
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My question is how do you determine the amount of food you are taking in? Do you weigh your foods? Do you count every last bite of food you eat? Weighing does not take but a couple extra seconds longer and is far more accurate than measuring. I agree that you need to get your TSH, T3 and T4 checked. Your meds may be off and that will make it much harder to lose weight as you will have no energy. How do you calculate your exercise? Do you use a HR monitor? A step counter? An app like Map my Walk? How frequently do you exercise and what kinds of exercise are you doing? All these things make a difference. Many people think they are doing far more than they are. You need to log everything! Do not eat back all of your exercise calories try no more than 25%. Just a few thoughts to consider.1
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bethbhansen wrote: »Wow, thanks to those who took the time to type something useful and helpful. Didn't realize how nasty people can be on here. If you don't like a post, just don't reply. No need to be rude. Thanks again to those who provided insightful feedback.
I'm not being rude or nasty to you, I'm being realistic. I could lie to you and tell you that you were in starvation mode, but it doesn't exist in that way. I could lie to you and say it's possible to maintain your weight and even gain some fat when eating 460 calories below your RMR, but that happening is highly improbable.
Telling you to get a second opinion is insightful feedback, as your doctor sounds like they have no clue what they're talking about. Also, nobody likes to hear or read that they're probably eating much more than they think but the reality is that most people aren't great at estimating portion sizes. The problem with my post wasn't that it was rude, it was that it didn't reiterate the feedback you wanted.7 -
I don't really think people were nasty about it. Some were a tad brash with their wording.
All of the posts tried to give helpful information. A few (including mine) weren't supporting your idea of "starvation mode". Sorry- doesn't exist in the context you are thinking about it.
It's very common that people attribute their own shortcomings and setbacks on outside sources (i.e. Starvation mode made me put on weight while eating 1300 calories). It's human nature- and a heavily studied phenomenon in cognitive psychology.
You can't cherry pick what information you listen to in order to confirm your suspicions. Think critically about starvation mode. Holocaust victims... Anorexics, etc. Why are/were they not overweight if starvation mode were true?
Years ago, I was treated for anorexia. I ate 300-500 calories a day. I kept losing weight until I entered treatment. Why did I not gain? Surely if 1300 calories prompts starvation mode, 500 calories would also, correct? Do you see the problem with that logic?
You also got very helpful posts as it pertains to hypothyroidism. So take that information into consideration as it seems very helpful.11 -
RosieRose7673 wrote: »I don't really think people were nasty about it. Some were a tad brash with their wording.
All of the posts tried to give helpful information. A few (including mine) weren't supporting your idea of "starvation mode". Sorry- doesn't exist in the context you are thinking about it.
It's very common that people attribute their own shortcomings and setbacks on outside sources (i.e. Starvation mode made me put on weight while eating 1300 calories). It's human nature- and a heavily studied phenomenon in cognitive psychology.
You can't cherry pick what information you listen to in order to confirm your suspicions. Think critically about starvation mode. Holocaust victims... Anorexics, etc. Why are/were they not overweight if starvation mode were true?
Years ago, I was treated for anorexia. I ate 300-500 calories a day. I kept losing weight until I entered treatment. Why did I not gain? Surely if 1300 calories prompts starvation mode, 500 calories would also, correct? Do you see the problem with that logic?
You also got very helpful posts as it pertains to hypothyroidism. So take that information into consideration as it seems very helpful.
I've heard the same story over & over again. From the same people who published these same facts. But neglected so much. No one is willing to go to the depths of health & wellbeing. So many people are stating the obvious that you could grasp from any textbook or article you've read or a "fitness gurus" explanation. It dosent take a genius to understand "Calorie in Vs Calorie Out" Health is more than that.0 -
RosieRose7673 wrote: »I don't really think people were nasty about it. Some were a tad brash with their wording.
All of the posts tried to give helpful information. A few (including mine) weren't supporting your idea of "starvation mode". Sorry- doesn't exist in the context you are thinking about it.
It's very common that people attribute their own shortcomings and setbacks on outside sources (i.e. Starvation mode made me put on weight while eating 1300 calories). It's human nature- and a heavily studied phenomenon in cognitive psychology.
You can't cherry pick what information you listen to in order to confirm your suspicions. Think critically about starvation mode. Holocaust victims... Anorexics, etc. Why are/were they not overweight if starvation mode were true?
Years ago, I was treated for anorexia. I ate 300-500 calories a day. I kept losing weight until I entered treatment. Why did I not gain? Surely if 1300 calories prompts starvation mode, 500 calories would also, correct? Do you see the problem with that logic?
You also got very helpful posts as it pertains to hypothyroidism. So take that information into consideration as it seems very helpful.
I've heard the same story over & over again. From the same people who published these same facts. But neglected so much. No one is willing to go to the depths of health & wellbeing. So many people are stating the obvious that you could grasp from any textbook or article you've read or a "fitness gurus" explanation. It dosent take a genius to understand "Calorie in Vs Calorie Out" Health is more than that.
Anorexia, holocaust victims and starving kids in Africa etc have been brought up many, many times in response to people who believe in starvation mode, but I have never seen a response..
@Jacob1020 Can you please explain why these people continue to lose weight at a scary pace and do not maintain or gain weight eating a few hundred calories or less a day, and yet someone who eats well over 1000 calories a day easily enters into 'starvation mode' ?7 -
I wish people would just stop with the starvation mode thing!! It's a flippin' myth!
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Thanks Christine. The 'starvation mode' myth has probably fattened up more people in the last few years than fast food marketers ever could.
What I dread is that her doctor said this? Her doctor told her she was getting fatty bits from starving herself. Gah!
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The sad thing is that this starvation mode junk isn't going to go away. As long as there are people who can't take personal responsibility of their food intake and in turn gain weight from it, there will be plenty that will believe in starvation mode simply because they don't want to admit to themselves that they have to eat less.
It sounds harsh, but that's the reality of it!7 -
Yup, guess so. Its hard to find reasons for overeating these days. The phrase 'Starvation Mode' makes it all so much easier to just go ahead and pig out without consciousness.2
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Oh- OP, I am not saying this to you specifically. You had a genuine question based on what your (misguided) doctor told you. And it's good to ask questions about anything you are unsure of.
This is more towards others who will just not listen to logic, reason and science.2
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