Transition from not enough cals

bethbhansen
bethbhansen Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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!
«1

Replies

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    ..And this, and see if any of it applies to you.

    ponald8yajln.jpg
  • Jacob1020
    Jacob1020 Posts: 115 Member
    edited April 2016
    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.
  • Jacob1020
    Jacob1020 Posts: 115 Member
    edited April 2016
    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!
  • berrydana7
    berrydana7 Posts: 78 Member
    Jacob1020 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?
  • Jacob1020
    Jacob1020 Posts: 115 Member
    berrydana7 wrote: »
    Jacob1020 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. :smile:
  • KnitSewSpin
    KnitSewSpin Posts: 147 Member
    The Keto diet is so bad for you. Try to look at other options.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,053 Member
    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?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,053 Member
    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?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    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:
  • bethbhansen
    bethbhansen Posts: 11 Member
    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!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,053 Member
    edited April 2016
    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.
  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
    Jacob1020 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.

    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.
  • hypodonthaveme
    hypodonthaveme Posts: 215 Member
    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.
  • bethbhansen
    bethbhansen Posts: 11 Member
    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.

Categories