Hi i just joined and i REALLY need advice please!

trying_healthy

Full Member
Hi guys, i just registered because i need advice from people who are on similar weight loss programs to myself. Basically i stopped eating junk food completely and cut out all unhealthy foods from my diet, and im living on foods which are diet friendly such as salad wraps, seafood, soup etc. My diet started off great and i lost 10 pounds in just over a month. But the question i have is related to starvation mode. It is recommended for my height and weight (new weight) to eat 1500 calories per day to lose 2 pounds per week, and i keep reading that if you go too low (between 1000-1500 for a male) you can go into starvation mode. The thing is, i only eat when im hungry, 3 or 4 times a day, and i eat untill i am full, but even after this, sometimes i end up only having 1000 calories or 1200 calories day. Will this put me into starvation mode? my diet has only slowed down over the past week/week and a half. This is slightly worrying for me because the reason my calorie intake is low is not because im starving myself, it is because the food i am eating is so low in calories, and i never let myself stay hungry. If im hungry, i eat. But i just hope i dont go into starvation mode and gain weight/stop losing weight because of this.

Can anyone shed any light on my situation or help me out?
Comments welcome, thanks.
 
Hiya.

I'm calorie counting at the moment too, started on Monday. Before I started, I was eating very little in the hope that I'd lose weight quickly, but my weight loss slowed right down and I think starvation mode was the reason. So it is true that if you go too low, you will go into starvation mode. However, if you're eating between 1000 and 1200 calories a day, I wouldn't have thought it would be a problem.. VLCDs are less than 1000 calories a day (not sure of the exact figures because I've never done one) and people lose on those.

You say your weight loss has slowed down over the last week and a half - I would say don't worry about this, a week and a half isn't long enough to reliably say that you're stalling, and weight loss always slows down but if you keep doing what you're doing then you'll be just fine :) why don't you search online for calculator that lets you work out your BMR based on your weight, age and activity level, then subtract 500 calories a day for a 1lb a week weight loss, or 1000 calories a day for a 2lb a week loss?

As I say, as long as you are staying between 1000 and 1200 calories a day, you'll be fine. Some people find zigzagging shakes it up a bit and keeps your body 'on its toes', as it were, so they keep losing consistantly. Maybe look into that?

And well done for losing 10lb so far! :D
 
Hun you may need to add into the fact of the calories you may be burning also, either through your own exercise or just by standing/walking around all day, everything adds to a few calories being burned up meaning you going even below your 1000-1200 if that's all your having, it's alright to be between those calories if your doing a kick start to get yourself motivated at the beginning and to have that extra push, but your body may be either going into starvation mode, or getting use to what your doing to your body, sometimes you need to shake things a bit up to help the weight losses to speed up a bit more again, so maybe start eating a few more calories a day, i know you say it's difficult and you feel full but try eating the same products you already are but of a higher value, therefore soups sometimes are 51cals... try finding one thats 100cals + therefore your having the same meal that will fill you the exact same but your actually using up more calories without realising, same if you have bread, some are 48cals and others can be 200cals! using the 200cals one will boost up the cals but will still be the same item and fill you up the same etc :) good luck hope it all works out for you and congrats on the weight loss so far xx
 
Hey, thanks so much for your replies and advice. I calculated my bmr and it is 2800, so to lose 2 pounds a week i should be eating 1800. Usually i eat roughly 1500 which is pretty close to that, so i dont think that i would go into starvation mode (hopefully) i read online that strarvation mode is what it is, and if you keep food in your tummy you'll be okay, and that your body only reacts negativley when you're literally starving. Im just hoping the fact that when im hungry i eat will mean that il be okay because ive gotten used to the foods that im eating at the moment and feel comfortable with it. Thanks again people!
 
at 1500cals you will be fine, but id try and stick to those cals seeing as that's alright 1300 below what your meant to have etc nearly dropping half of the cals lol but dont go below 1500 because like you say starvation mode will kick in, your body just thinks it's being starved and clings onto any fat you have in your body to survive therefore you losses will either slow down or stop :) also if your exercising, your body may get use to the one type your doing so might be good to try different things out also to keep your body guessing as to what your up too :) xx
 
Thanks so much for your advice and congrats on your amazing progress, you look beautiful

aww thankyou! :) and no problem! always here to help, just holla at someone if you need anymore advice! this site is really friendly and so supportive! wouldnt of got where i am if it hadnt been from people motivating me on here good luck for your journey! cant wait to here of first WI :) xx
 
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