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How to tell if you're in starvation mode?



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I saw that my weight is going down much slower. However I workout every night. In my workout, I burn more calories than I eat all day. Is my weight loss slow due to starvation or is it just me.

I am 10.5 weeks post op

Walk a brisk pace for 9 miles, 5 days/week

burn 1400-1500 cal per walk

Daily consumption is 1000cal.

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I saw that my weight is going down much slower. However I workout every night. In my workout, I burn more calories than I eat all day. Is my weight loss slow due to starvation or is it just me.I am 10.5 weeks post opWalk a brisk pace for 9 miles, 5 days/week

burn 1400-1500 cal per walk

Daily consumption is 1000cal.

If "starvation mode" was real, starving kids in 3rd world countries, French models, or anorexics wouldn't weigh so little. Ask one of them if we 1st world tubbies are in starvation mode. Lol [emoji13]

I personally think it's just another thing we try to convince ourselves of. If you have weight to lose, you will lose it. Google "is starvation mode real". There are some good articles. What IS real is your body needing either more calories to kick metabolism in gear again or your body trying to readjust to the weight lost by pausing a bit before it realizes you're not done and it has to let go more.

I was on a 2 week stall (I'm pre surgery). I spent a weekend on vacation where I ate between 1700-2000 calories a day for 3 days. My normal caloric intake is from 1000-1200. I also didn't work out for 6 days when normally I was at the gym 4 days a week. The past 2 days after vacation, I put myself on a diet similar to my intended preop diet. Premier drink for Breakfast and lunch and a sensible meal (protein and veg) for dinner. I've lost 6 pounds in the last 2 days. I just had to reset and retrick my body.

HW: 328 (02/22/17)

SW: TBD

CW: 292

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Starvation Mode is real. Of course the body is not able to resist starvation but it does have processes in place to help reduce the effects on our weight. One of those is to slow down the metabolism. For me I just keep at it. Maybe add in 300 more calories? When I was doing the liquid fast where I lost 100 lbs it was common to hit these stages. Often pulling back a little on the exercise intensity and adding a few calories back in somehow helps the body drop more lbs.

But Starvation Mode - or something like it - IS real...

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Intentional exercise always requires more calories (carbs). You will find your weight going down again when this is done on days you workout.

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I believe "Starvation mode" is real....after my Sleeve I was burning more calories in my initial workouts than I was eating and the weight loss slowed tremendously. Once I at least equaled them out, it started to get better. Then I was losing too much and started looking gaunt and added 200 calories to balance everything back out.

Also - if you're weight gets to a point where you've previously been stuck at, it will take a little bit for your body to move past that weight. It's trying to stay in the pattern its used to and you have to "break that pattern"

SW-300

CW-158

Sleeved 6/30/15

Edited by Kimmy0926

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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