I am post op and have been in a stall for a good bit now. I exercise daily. At least, the very least, I will do the 30 minutes of walking recommended by my surgeon. I am getting in about 1500 calories a day and most of the time 100-120 g protein. Some have suggested that I need to up my intake of protein. etc … But my question is, IS THIS STARVATION MODE A REAL THING???? How can it be a real thing?

Starvation mode is a myth. A stall doesn't necessarily mean that you're not losing weight, it means that it's not showing up on the scale yet, which can be the cause of numerous factors (water retention, for example). Do you take measurements? Are you losing inches even though you aren't losing weight? It's also important to make sure that your 1500 calories is really 1500 calories. It's easy to overestimate how much you're eating if you're not weighing/measuring it. Same with exercise—are you burning as many calories as you think you are? Your body will adjust to exercise and eventually you will burn fewer calories from the same workout over time.

More info about "starvation mode:" https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

I know the info states starvation mode is a myth, but I do think it happens in the short term sometimes just as your body gets used to things, but that is not going to happen on 1500 calories.

I saw I video that explained that you had to have exhausted all of your glycogen and fat stores to enter true starvation mode which doesn't often happen accidentally.

We want I exhaust as much fat stores as possible, but are still eating.

Google starvation vs the mechanism behind weightloss surgery and you'll see it's not the same.

I think the body goes thru various transformations thru out the weight loss process. I have seen my face thin out to the point where I am a skinny person only for my cheeks and neck fill in again about a week or 2 later to a normal level. I think during this phase the body redistributes water and fat where the glycogen stores have been depleted hence the reason for reduction/inflammation dance that goes on. I truly believe the body protects itself if it feels its in a famine state. I think our DNA is predetermined with the amount of fat cells we are predetermined to have. This predetermined state is signaled if and when our levels are reduced and our body eventually adjust and shuts down. As for me my stalls are only broken thru with an increase in calories which leads me to believe this is true.