LONG! In desperate need of help! Starvation mode?

Hi, @VegasBaby04!

Thanks for your insight

I can't go to the doctor on my own for many reasons. I'm still a minor (MFP only lets you set a minimum of age 18...), I can't drive, and even if I could, I wouldn't go to a doctor without my parents knowing! My family is kind of strict in that regard. I don't roam around without them knowing. Also, I live in the US, not Canada

Honestly, I don't talk to my parents about how many calories I eat a day (they'd think I'm obsessed), but I plan to explain this to them soon. Even before I decided to eat healthier, I probably wasn't eating enough calories. It really depends on what my mom shops for. Also, my mom is very stubborn. If I tell her that I'm not eating sufficiently she'd probably tell me something like "I have a bachelor's degree in Health Science; I know what's good for you and what isn't nag nag nag" :laugh:

But in all seriousness, I just started this healthy weight loss journey, and I hope to really talk to my parents about it soon.

P.S. My family doesn't drink dairy. I haven't had cow's milk in years! We started with soy milk, and now we drink rice milk
I will be starting a simple exercise plan next month, and I'm sure I'll HAVE to eat more then!

I understand now about going to the Dr and that makes sense. I think that you need to sit down and have a discussion with your mom and dad about what is going on and let them know how much you're eating and how you're feeling. I'm assuming now that you are under 18 and perhaps a couple years under 18? This is an important time in your life and both your body and your brain need that fuel in order to excel. It's so awesome that you want to lead a healthy lifestyle....just be careful of letting those "healthy" choices have unhealthy consequences.

Under 18 - you need to eat waaaay more. Your body has additional energy requirements to an adult because you are still growing. Try spark teens website - they're more set up for people your age than here.

...
(Note: To the person in Canada who mentioned that teenagers can see the doctor without parental permission. That's true in other places as well, but remember that not every place has universal health care. Laws are different by location, so not all places would allow a younger teen to see a doctor by him or herself. Some places may not have public transportation, and other places someone might need parental help with paying or insurance. On the other hand, it may be an option here... we just don't know.)

I completely agree I just wanted to ask because it's clear that she is under the age of majority and if it was a situation where negligence was involved then I would have encouraged her to seek help somehow whether that be through a medical doctor or through her school counselor. I'm glad that it's a situation where she respects her parents and the relationship she has with them and not a unfortunate alternative And I do apologize....it is hard for me to sometimes wrap my head around not just being able to "go" to the Dr. Perhaps it was insensitive of me to inquire :embarassed:

And I didn't think of the possibility of negligence... with just one post, it's hard to know or take into account all the possibilities. I don't think you should be embarrassed... I wish access to healthcare was an option for all.

<preachy mode on - please forgive me>
Best wishes to the original poster. It may be hard, and they may not always react in the best way, but it probably is time to talk to your parents. Before age 18 it's reasonable to check in with a doctor once a year and to begin taking charge of your own health. If you can get them "on board", it will be much easier to adjust your diet with your parents' help. No one's perfect, and they won't be right about all the things they suggest for you, but you may be surprised... as long as what you want to do is reasonably healthy, they could be quite helpful. If your parents are both well educated about health issues, it may be hard to convince them that their "baby" may know something they don't. But even if you don't agree you can show them how much more mature you're becoming by doing some research and showing it to them. And if they're saying you're overly concerned with calories... they may mean that they think you're trying to eat too little... which it sounds like you are to many of us too. But you can tell them it's not just calories, and that you're trying to find the right, healthy balance for you, and you'd like a neutral, objective opinion like your family doctor or a nutritionist to help you learn more about how to take care of your health. If you act more mature, even when they forget how much older you're getting, they will probably begin to treat you like a more responsible person. While no parents are perfect, they do understand more than you may think.
<preachy mode off>

This has probably been stated, but when you rarely eat or don't eat very much, your body gets used to it. This is BAD. Try slowly building up to 1300 calories or so.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/lillebanon/view/my-take-on-eating-more-to-weigh-less-254554

This person's blog was really useful to me as a calorie calculator and seeing just how many calories I need to be eating.

I wish you all the best in getting healthier, and am on the same page as a few above posters: If it's your shape and bf % that's bothering you, try lifting weights and not focusing quite as much of your attention on the calorie count.

Basically you have to force yourself to eat more, once your body gets used to it (wont take more then a few days) you will start to feel hungry, and it will be much better off for it! you will have more energy, feel less tired and look better. You must be eating way below your BMR right now which means your body is eating into lean tissue for weight loss as it is programmed to survive, and will do so no matter what.

Just try and eat high calorie good foods in amongst your day, nuts , avocado, peanut butter etc etc and that shoudl take those numbers up a bit.

I have the same problem as you, and I would agree that this is good advice. Once I started forcing myself recently to eat to my set limit each day on clean foods (which you don't seem to have a problem with so that's good!) I already feel a lot better, with more energy and can get through my workouts. I haven't started losing again, but I'm sure if I keep shifting my calories and getting them a little higher, it will start seeing some changes on the scale, since it's worked for me before. Just sit there and try watching tv while you munch on a big, healthy meal...for boredom eaters and overweight people this is a problem since when you are keeping yourself preoccupied you tend to just eat mindlessly. But in your case, it can be a helpful way to get your calories in at a nice comfortable pace.

I hate to say it, but if your numbers are right, you should do whatever you can to get yourself to a medical professional. 700 calories per day sounds like borderline malnutrition to me, and it appears that your appetite is suppressed for some reason. You really need to get yourself checked out (hormone imbalances can mess with your appetite, for example). According to the standard formulas, someone of your size and approximate age burns about 1450 calories a day even if you never move a muscle.

If you really want to prevent yourself from going into starvation mode you're probably going to have to eat a bit of junk food.

this might take the cake for the stupidest thing i've read all day. no pun intended.

If you really want to prevent yourself from going into starvation mode you're probably going to have to eat a bit of junk food.

this might take the cake for the stupidest thing i've read all day. no pun intended.

It's definately up there.