Posts: 485
4/5/10 11:08 A

As someone who just went through this herself, I'd suggest giving yourself a week (or two if you can bear it) of slack on the scale when you up your calories. Don't even get on! When I upped my calorie intake from 1300 to closer to 1500 (I eat between 1440 and 1540 calories a day on average right now with about 35 to 40 minutes of cardio six days a week, weather permitting (I will run in the rain; I will not run in a heavy downpour with high winds), and serious weight training three days a week) I had a very brief flare up on the scale, just a pound, but when you've been stalled that can be very disheartening. It passed and now I'm losing weight again. I THINK I've busted my plateau but I'm giving it another week before I call it over.

Edited by: AUDREYHK at: 4/5/2010 (11:09)

Pounds lost: 1.0

0 8.5 17 25.5

34

SparkPoints: (66,375)
Fitness Minutes: (82,760)
Posts: 4,644
4/2/10 12:37 A

Yes, I know that Ruben. Sorry I was not clear. I was meaning Starvation Mode in terms of "I've busted my metabolism and it's beyond repair".

current weight: 158.6

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Posts: 1,998
4/1/10 10:55 P

Sorry to bust your balloon girls but starvation mode does exist. Its one of the many defense mechanisms of the human body. Its the reason why people are still capable of gaining weight on minimal calories. Didnt know there still so many non believers out there.

Posts: 10,073
4/1/10 6:05 P

congrats on the new man! And on your success so far.
I have stayed between 1200 and 1500 calories for 2 years now and my weight has barely moved in the last year. If I eat one calorie more I gain weight so I too need a cure for this one.

111 Maintenance Weeks

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120

SparkPoints: (18,333)
Fitness Minutes: (25,619)
Posts: 823
4/1/10 5:51 P

here, here!! I agree completely!

Pounds lost: 89.0

0 30.75 61.5 92.25

123

SparkPoints: (66,375)
Fitness Minutes: (82,760)
Posts: 4,644
4/1/10 5:12 P

I know he's a doctor, but in my own experience that whole starvation mode thingy is a bunch of hooey. The bottom line is that bodies lose better when they are getting a little above BMR than under BMR.

Just go back to your 1500. Your 2-pound gain is probably just water weight gain from increased carbs and sodium that will go down soon enough. The only way you REALLY gained 2 pounds is if you have eaten 7000 extra calories, and it sounds like you are in no danger of that.

You haven't done any permanant damage to your metabolism, by the way. They're finding through research that metabolisms rebound very quickly when you start feeding the body again. I'm 43 and have been up and down. The bottom line is that when I applied whatever eating plan I was using (either Weight Watchers of the cutting diet my nutritionist has me on), I lost weight.

Just pick a plan and then DO IT!

current weight: 158.6

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153

Posts: 12
4/1/10 4:35 P

Over the past 2 months I've lost about 10 pounds by eating well (1200-1500 calories of clean eating), but haven't exercised for months! Grrr.

For the past month, a busy life (AND dating a new man!) sliced by daily caloric intake to sometimes as low as 500 calories, and usually not more than 1000 calories a day. I realize this is way counter-productive! In this time period, I lost another 2 pounds of course, but am feeling sooo yucky and still 10 pounds from my goal weight.

I realize to get to my goal weight and feel healthy and strong, I need to return to a proper calorie intake of up to 1500 calories a day AND add exercise.

For the past few days, I've upped my calorie intake and of course I've gained 2 pounds. My new man (who's a doc) was lecturing me about putting my body in starvation mode, and it turning everything I eat to hard-to-burn-off nutritional stores. I know he's right, sooo....

Any advice on recovering from calorie deficiency without gaining more weight? Is it possible to simultaneously recover from the calorie deficiency and keep moving toward my remaining 10 pound weight loss?

Can protein powder help?