Am I in Starvation Mode?

I have lost 10 lbs. but am at a total standstill for over a month. I am eating betweeen 900 and 1000 calories a day. My daughter tells me I'm in starvation mode. Am I? I ate a few extra calories this morning, but would like the communities advice.

Replies

  • CatholicCurtis
    CatholicCurtis Posts: 22 Member
    I wouldn't think so. If you look into studies about starvation mode, that takes quite a while to occur. Make sure you're being accurate with what you put in your diary (to the best of your ability). I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day and the weight loss has been great recently. Also a lot of sodium can add to water weight too so try to limit that intake as well.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,027 Member
    As mentioned above, "starvation mode" is buzz phrase that originated somewhere in the diet and fitness business. If you stall in weight loss on an extreme calorie deficit, it's your body adjusting metabolic rate to the calories you're intaking and burning. You may initially lose weight at first but it will slow down dramatically because of the body responding to it. You'll still keep losing weight, just much slower.

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  • Hooliekom
    Hooliekom Posts: 94 Member
    I wouldn't think so. If you look into studies about starvation mode, that takes quite a while to occur. Make sure you're being accurate with what you put in your diary (to the best of your ability). I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day and the weight loss has been great recently. Also a lot of sodium can add to water weight too so try to limit that intake as well.

    By the time it occurs, you are actually starving... 'starvation mode', as bandied about by the diet industry does not exist. There is some degree of metabolic adaptation when restricting calories, but no-one eating fewer calories than their body needs to exist holds on to fat. Or no-one would suffer and die from famine.

  • Lynatea
    Lynatea Posts: 311 Member
    Are you using a food scale to weigh your food portions? Have you done the MFP set up to get a daily caloric goal?
  • CatholicCurtis
    CatholicCurtis Posts: 22 Member
    Hooliekom wrote: »
    I wouldn't think so. If you look into studies about starvation mode, that takes quite a while to occur. Make sure you're being accurate with what you put in your diary (to the best of your ability). I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day and the weight loss has been great recently. Also a lot of sodium can add to water weight too so try to limit that intake as well.

    By the time it occurs, you are actually starving... 'starvation mode', as bandied about by the diet industry does not exist. There is some degree of metabolic adaptation when restricting calories, but no-one eating fewer calories than their body needs to exist holds on to fat. Or no-one would suffer and die from famine.

    When I think of starvation mode, it reminds me of those poor children in third world countries. Not simply going a while without a bunch of calories. Starvation or starvation mode also includes not drinking enough water as well. With how accessible water is, I don't see that happening.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    Hooliekom wrote: »
    I wouldn't think so. If you look into studies about starvation mode, that takes quite a while to occur. Make sure you're being accurate with what you put in your diary (to the best of your ability). I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day and the weight loss has been great recently. Also a lot of sodium can add to water weight too so try to limit that intake as well.

    By the time it occurs, you are actually starving... 'starvation mode', as bandied about by the diet industry does not exist. There is some degree of metabolic adaptation when restricting calories, but no-one eating fewer calories than their body needs to exist holds on to fat. Or no-one would suffer and die from famine.

    When I think of starvation mode, it reminds me of those poor children in third world countries. Not simply going a while without a bunch of calories. Starvation or starvation mode also includes not drinking enough water as well. With how accessible water is, I don't see that happening.

    Could you explain your stance? I'm kind of lost. Those kids continue to lose weight until they come to a calorie intake equilibrium or they die. Thus, "starvation mode" does not exist. Water might be easily available in the developed world, but in 3rd world, clean water can be hard to come by.
  • CatholicCurtis
    CatholicCurtis Posts: 22 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    Hooliekom wrote: »
    I wouldn't think so. If you look into studies about starvation mode, that takes quite a while to occur. Make sure you're being accurate with what you put in your diary (to the best of your ability). I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day and the weight loss has been great recently. Also a lot of sodium can add to water weight too so try to limit that intake as well.

    By the time it occurs, you are actually starving... 'starvation mode', as bandied about by the diet industry does not exist. There is some degree of metabolic adaptation when restricting calories, but no-one eating fewer calories than their body needs to exist holds on to fat. Or no-one would suffer and die from famine.

    When I think of starvation mode, it reminds me of those poor children in third world countries. Not simply going a while without a bunch of calories. Starvation or starvation mode also includes not drinking enough water as well. With how accessible water is, I don't see that happening.

    Could you explain your stance? I'm kind of lost. Those kids continue to lose weight until they come to a calorie intake equilibrium or they die. Thus, "starvation mode" does not exist. Water might be easily available in the developed world, but in 3rd world, clean water can be hard to come by.

    I really wouldn't call it a stance. It's just when I hear of starvation mode, the first thing that enters my mind are those starving children. Clean water is definitely hard to come by and could be part of why starvation mode (or just starving in general) enters my mind when I hear that term. Just another reason why starvation mode really can't exist in the US, UK, etc. We all have access to clean, delicious water to replenish us. The only ones that don't are the other countries where starvation actually does take place. I hope that is a little bit clearer. I haven't done a lot of study on it but it seems there is a very fine line between starvation mode and starving. People on here trying to lose weight will never close to that line so the starvation mode (if it really exists at all) is nothing we have to worry about in our ordinary lives.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    Hooliekom wrote: »
    I wouldn't think so. If you look into studies about starvation mode, that takes quite a while to occur. Make sure you're being accurate with what you put in your diary (to the best of your ability). I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day and the weight loss has been great recently. Also a lot of sodium can add to water weight too so try to limit that intake as well.

    By the time it occurs, you are actually starving... 'starvation mode', as bandied about by the diet industry does not exist. There is some degree of metabolic adaptation when restricting calories, but no-one eating fewer calories than their body needs to exist holds on to fat. Or no-one would suffer and die from famine.

    When I think of starvation mode, it reminds me of those poor children in third world countries. Not simply going a while without a bunch of calories. Starvation or starvation mode also includes not drinking enough water as well. With how accessible water is, I don't see that happening.

    Could you explain your stance? I'm kind of lost. Those kids continue to lose weight until they come to a calorie intake equilibrium or they die. Thus, "starvation mode" does not exist. Water might be easily available in the developed world, but in 3rd world, clean water can be hard to come by.

    I really wouldn't call it a stance. It's just when I hear of starvation mode, the first thing that enters my mind are those starving children. Clean water is definitely hard to come by and could be part of why starvation mode (or just starving in general) enters my mind when I hear that term. Just another reason why starvation mode really can't exist in the US, UK, etc. We all have access to clean, delicious water to replenish us. The only ones that don't are the other countries where starvation actually does take place. I hope that is a little bit clearer. I haven't done a lot of study on it but it seems there is a very fine line between starvation mode and starving. People on here trying to lose weight will never close to that line so the starvation mode (if it really exists at all) is nothing we have to worry about in our ordinary lives.

    Um... water is a zero calorie beverage. It will not prevent you from starving to death, no matter how much of it you drink.

    “Starvation mode” in the sense of the metabolism downregulating so that it uses fewer calories after a long period of restriction, does exist, but it doesn’t stop weight loss, and very few MFP users are anything close to it. It occurs after months, not weeks, in people who are actually too thin, not too fat.
  • GeminiLady159
    GeminiLady159 Posts: 120 Member
    You might find that having a day significantly above where you’ve been will kickstart your losing again. And in general-add back a couple hundred calories-why not? You’ll feel better.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    You might find that having a day significantly above where you’ve been will kickstart your losing again. And in general-add back a couple hundred calories-why not? You’ll feel better.

    Can you please post supporting evidence? thanks.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    I have lost 10 lbs. but am at a total standstill for over a month. I am eating betweeen 900 and 1000 calories a day. My daughter tells me I'm in starvation mode. Am I? I ate a few extra calories this morning, but would like the communities advice.

    My first thought, @schliecker4545, is that you are eating more calories than you think you are. Do you use a food scale, weighing and logging everything that passes your lips, no skipping, cheating, or forgetting? If not, start there.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

    Try weighing out a serving of peanut butter (usually 32 grams, aka 2 tablespoons), and see how little a serving really is. You may cry, be ready! ;):p