"starvation mode"

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Sarcastic1
Sarcastic1 Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've heard too many people say that their body will go into starvation mode if they miss a meal. I know this cannot happen in three hours, that's ridiculous. However, how long on average does this take? I'm coming in under 1200 each day, working out about 90 mins (or more) doing p90x and walking/jogging hills, and I have not lost a pound in almost two months. Last week I got fed up and stopped eating back any exercise cals at all. This isn't working either.

I don't know what to do. I have considered cutting back on exercise, but if this much is helping me "maintain", will I suddenly gain back the lbs I have lost (6 so far)? I know I am close to my goal and this is a difficult area, but I really want to make it. I know my BMI is on the lower end, but I can definitely feel plenty of fat under my skin all around my abdominal region. Anyone have advice or experienced similar?

Replies

  • jujubean1992
    jujubean1992 Posts: 462 Member
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    starvation mode can take up to 3 days... your *net* cals should be 1200. so eat back those exercise cals and try some toning exercises geared toward your tummy. you might not lose pounds but you'll probably lose inches.
  • timlord
    timlord Posts: 158
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    check my blog on here/will answer your questions
    Tim L
  • AZTrailRunner
    AZTrailRunner Posts: 1,199 Member
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    I believe it takes weeks of being 'grossly' under a healthy calorie intake to be in "starvation mode". You may need to up your calorie intake significantly to get the fire burning hot again.
  • mommyJto3
    mommyJto3 Posts: 139 Member
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    you need to eat more. if your doing P90X, they tell you to eat no less than 1600. if you have the nutrition guide, i would go through it again and pick up some meals.
  • atomdraco
    atomdraco Posts: 1,083 Member
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    Eat most of your exercises back and you shall see changes
  • melantie
    melantie Posts: 30
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    If you are eating under 1200 cal then you are already in starvation mode, its not about 1 meal or how many hours between food. Tts about your eating habits, you are not eating enough.

    If you are not losing weight, you are storing energy - which you are then just burning off with your exercise, which i would guess is why you are on a plateau.

    Have you tried mixing up your exercise, do something that your body hasnt done before.
  • slp2112
    slp2112 Posts: 107
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    Yeah, I lost consistently it a particular intake for 5 months, then stalled out for 3 months (so I guess, 5 months to hit "starvation mode" i.e. storing instead of losing because of being too far in a calorie deficit). I think not eating back your exercise calories at all may have been the opposite of what you want to do. Have you tried eating a bit more?

    After 3 months of plateauing, I met with my RD again and we changed the following things:

    1) Eat 150-200 calories more per day
    2) sleep more
    3) increase protein intake

    No joke, two weeks after I met with her I hopped on the scale and realized I had lost 2.5 pounds. Worked like magic.
  • red01angel
    red01angel Posts: 806 Member
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    With the prevalence of gross misinformation and propagation of complete myths on these message boards, ESPECIALLY surrounding the topic of starvation mode, I think you should consult a doctor or certified professional in the field.

    The first rule of MFP, is that people GENERALLY don't know what the hell they're talking about. The only people on here whose advice I'll trust are people who can pull directly from personal experience or people who are members of the health/fitness profession.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    Px90 builds muscle. This could be why you aren't loosing. Additionally, you are 5'8" and 128, any additional weight lose will be hard since you are already at a pretty low weight. They say the last 10lbs are always the hardest. I definitely wouldn't recommend going under 1200 net calories, but maybe add in some extra cardio (I love Turbo Fire by the way) and / or experiment with eating MORE, like 1500 net. I'm 5'9" and 158 and try for about 1600 net. What about your measurements? Are they showing improvements?
  • ItsLessOfMe
    ItsLessOfMe Posts: 374 Member
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    I was doing about the same thing. Last week I started eating back my exercise calories. I gained almost 2 lbs in one week. That is just starting to come off. So it seems I damaged my system a bit.
  • Pete_Mann
    Pete_Mann Posts: 94
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    I did so well my first month here that I thought, hey if I eat less and exercise more I can lose even faster. I think I lost 3lbs the whole month I was going for zero net calories. About a week and a half of eating more I'm down 3-6lbs.

    Things work different for everyone, but one thing I think is consistent, if it's not working, change it.
  • Jill_newimprovedversion
    Jill_newimprovedversion Posts: 988 Member
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    Looking thru your diary ( which you've made open) I'm seeing a greater portion "junk" food and empty calories, and fewer items with real nutrition.

    Stuff can have calories in it, and that will add into the 1200/day you're allotted, but pop tarts, frosting, etc. has NO nutritional value at all.

    That may be a huge roadblock you're setting up for yourself without realizing it. If you're going to have treats like that, you might want to save your exercise calories to burn them off.
  • wildon883r
    wildon883r Posts: 429 Member
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    If your not an extreme athlete with 5 percent body fat you don't need to eat exercise calories back. Your not in a position or does your exercise demands require it. I never in my life even in my most FIT condition was ever told to eat more because i exercised. People here are just trying to justify a reason to eat MORE for whatever reason. Metabolisms don't get freaking broken. There are no FAT starving people. Weight loss is not a difficult process. It just requires self discipline and desire.
  • Starrr126
    Starrr126 Posts: 90 Member
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    I think everyone's bodies are a little different in what they will and will not allow. I was eating around 1500 cals a day, working out for 1000 or more and was losing around 2 pounds a week for a few weeks. I didn't stop working out as much but I did cut my cals back to around 1000 or fewer and I started to gain weight. So I know for me my body won't drop if I don't give it at least 1200, especially when I work out a lot. However I was still losing inches. I think that's something people often forget to look at too. The # on the scale may stall, but the tape measure will tell a different story...and really isn't that the more reliable source?

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