Was I flirting with famine mode?

I am a 25 year old female, 220 lb., 5'11", lost 6.8 lb to date, been dieting since 1/22.

I have always been very well hydrated, so I wasn't surprised when my weight loss started off slow and steady instead of seeing that big drop most people see at the beginning of their diet.  I was surprised when I started leveling off after 3-4 pounds of loss (I have quite a bit to lose).

I had been eating 1500 calories by the site strictly and doing the 300 calorie workout on my treadmill every day.  However, if I was going to have to estimate calories, I always estimated on the high side - I counted all the sauce even if I scraped the sauce off, all the oil even if I patted the omelet dry, etc.  I guessed low on weights (when I finally got a kitchen scale, my 'ounce of nuts' was more like 1/2 oz).

In the last week I have been 'cheating' a bit in the evening - about 150-200 calories of 'fun stuff', be it a sugared soda or a couple of squares of baking chocolate or a smoothie or an english muffin pizza, whatever I'm craving.  And abruptly, my weight started FALLING off.  My mini-plateau just abruptly halted and I resumed weight loss.

How long does it take for 'famine mode' to kick in?  Could I have been flirting with this line?  I was right at 1200 calorie intake after workout and I may have been underestimating foods... but three weeks, can my body really adjust my metabolism that quickly?

Isn't that amazing?  I was just as surprised when that happened to me.

I think the amount of time involved is different for everyone, but my experience was that the weight loss resumed after just two days of eating more.  I had gradually stopped losing over the  course of 6 weeks.  I can't really say how long it took for that "starvation/famine" mode to kick in. 

This experience has been life changing for me.  I'd been on various "diets" and had always given up when I hit that point.  I'd stop losing, try to eat less and less, wouldn't lose, then I couldn't keep it up and I'd give up.  I'm on a long, partly self imposed plateau right now, but I'm confident that I can continue on the journey when I'm ready - I have not given up this time!

Happened to me too, when I upped my calories after experiencing a plateau the weight started to come off again.

Our bodies are strange things.

I have the same concern. My BMR is about 1800 a day, so I am aiming for 1300 calories a day, for a 500 cal defecit, and a 100 calorie margin of error so I don't start dipping under 1200 calories a day if I overestimate some foods.

But I'm afriad I might still be overestimating enough to be getting below 1200 a day anyway. It's just so difficult to keep an accurate track of calories, especially when you are eating out. 50 calories out here, 50 calories out there, how can you really trust your calculations?

It truly is amazing!  I went into starvation mode as well when I was eating 900 or so calories a day.  I upped it to 1300 the past two days and I am down .8 of a pound.

I have to tell you that I am astounded!  I am eating alot of food and haven't gone to bed hungry which is a first in a very long time.

The information here is just amazing and I have to admit I was skeptical due to all the brainwashing of less food = weight loss.  It is more food (good food) = weight loss.  Our bodies will react when we are eating the right things.  Truly amazing machinery we are!

    Okay well then I have a question.  Here is my highly annoying dilemma:  I have been exercising 4-5 mornings a week since November, and I reduced my daily calories to 1000.  Know how much weight I have lost to date?  A big fat goose egg.  So I thought I would read on here if anyone else was having this problem, which of course people are, and they said--as you all are saying--that what worked wonders for them was to increase their caloric intake, as they were in "starvation mode."  So for the last few weeks I have been eating more (not crap food, but nuts and fruit and all that stuff everyone recommends when you increase your calories) and I have now officially gained weight.  I'm extremely annoyed and in need of a solution to this problem before my head explodes.  I'm 5'6'', 150 pounds, and I would be ecstatic if I could lose just 10 or 15 pounds.  And everyone says, "Well you're probably gaining muscle, which weighs more," but no, I've been measuring my chest, waist, and hips and I have lost a total of only 4 inches in these three months which equals zero pants sizes for me.  So please, suggestions?

I think I may have the same problem...I was losing at a consistant pace but was finding my body getting used to the 'not stuffed' feeling and I think I might be cutting calories too much...I am supposed to have 1250/daily but I am having a hard time getting that high.  I am not purposely doing it, I am just having a hard time finding GOOD food with calories.  A person can only have so many bananas.  I retain water from salt very easily so I try and stay aways from that...does anyone have any suggestions?  I have mini goal for a Vegas trip on Mar 1 and I have 5 lbs to go before then....want to try my best but dont want to starve myself.  I tend to have a all or none concept which I know in this case is not a good thing....any suggestions??  Thanks all..

smallis, it can be very frustrating to work your butt off and watch what you eat and get no where...but try and be patient.  Just another suggestion, have you talked to your doctor about this weight issue?  Sometimes they may have some suggestions and there may be something that is making you hold on to your weight too....not putting ideas in your head but I have a small underactive thyroid issue that was making it more difficult to lose weight and with a simple blood test they can analyze you and see if there is anything there.  I dont know about anyone else out there but I hate stepping on the scale and not seeing it move, but when I think about how much better I feel it makes me realize that I am not doing it for nothing and going back is not an option cause there are so many other rewards to this weightloss battle than just the pounds.  Hang in there and be patient...

smallis, I have also read that once your body is 'used to' the famine mode then you often do gain weight as your metabolism adjusts, but that the gain stops and reverses at the same calorie input.

At 1000 calories, plus workout, I think there can be no doubt that you were in 'starvation mode' regardless of age/weight/gender.  From what I understand, there will be some time and effort involved in repairing that metabolic damage.  I think that damage probably needs to be repaired before any real weight loss is attempted.

I'm not an expert or a doctor, and I really highly recommend discussing your intake and output with your physician.

Here is a very interesting article on that very subject smallis.  It can be up to 3 months to start losing again. 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core_march_8. htm

The longer the body has been deprived the longer it will hold onto what it has and when adding calories you will gain for a bit. 

I gained 6 pounds when I went through this and am now leveling off and losing just a bit.

Smallis~

One more question and I don't want to hijack the thread but how much weight have you gained?  It should not be much if you have properly calculated your deficit and adjusted your intake calories.

    I also gained at first after dealing with my undereating. 5 pounds to be exact. I decided to stick it out and be healthy instead of my yo-yo diet plans of the past. I am seriously done with being unhealthy and being overweight.

Smallis, I encourage you to stick with it. You will feel so good and the weight will eventually come off.

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this but I feel there is a direct link to moods and food (even depression). I struggled with this for years until I realized that most of my problem was that I wasn't getting enough to eat. It goes to show you that we need to eat to live.

Wow, that happened to me last week too.   For the previous 2 weeks I had gained weight at one weigh-in and then got stuck there.  Then last week was a chocolate binge-fest because of PMS (Including a huge slice - like 3 normal slices - of chocolate chip cookie cake, 2 glasses of chocolate soymilk to wash it down, followed by a bunch of pretzel sticks dipped in peanut butter) and I was actually afraid to get on the scale this morning but I'm down 2 lbs.  Which is made even more bizarre by the fact that up until this point I'd been losing only about a pound a week until that gain/plateau thing.  I'm shocked and happy, but definitely getting back on the wagon now that my hormones have normalized.

    Wow, I can't believe all these responses, this is great, I feel like a celebrity.   First off, alysiabrooks, I have had a thyroid test within the last year and nothing was found.  Anxious1, thanks for that article, it was really interesting.  Also, you're right, the weight I've gained is not much--2ish pounds--but that doesn't mean it's not annoying.  Thanks for all the advice everyone!  I guess I'll just keep eating more (that sounds so weird)...