How to know if you're in starvation mode

Hi! I would just like to ask how one would know if he/she is in starvation mode. I'm 5'3, 137 lbs with around 28% body fat percentage. I'm in a plateau for around 3 months now, no kidding. I was stuck at 138 for 2 months and 137 for a month up to now.

I am consistent with my workouts, making sure that I exercise for 30-60 mins a day, 4-5 times a week. Last week, I started working out for 45-60 mins a day and for 5 times a week. Workouts are usually intense, I keep my heart rate up for around 80% of my exercise duration. Also, I do full body strength training for 2 days a week, changing my program once a month.

I use a zig-zag method of eating in which I eat around 1400-1600 calories for 3 days and around 1900-2000 calories for the 4th day (my high day). Rinse and repeat. Also, I try not to skip any meals. I usually eat around 4-5 small meals a day, each meal includes lean protein, usually fish, and a small amount of carb. During my last 2 meals, I only eat lean protein and veggies. I tried to go on a low carb diet where I limited myself with eating around 100g of carb a day, more or less. Still, nothing.

Now my problem lies here: I can't freakin' lose any more weight. 4-5 months ago I was around 143, then exams got by and stressed the hell out of me that I wasn't able to work out for 2 weeks, during which I got out of control with my diet. After that though, I gained a few pounds for a week or so, then next thing I know, the scale dropped down to 138. Been at a plateau ever since.

I've been thinking that maybe it's because I'm in starvation mode because I've increased my exercise but maintained my calories. But I don't feel hungry that often during the day. At times I felt tired and sleepy even after exercising in the morning, but I usually feel fine after I've eaten quite a bit.

Now, I guess I just need some advice, enlightenment and maybe a bit of motivation about my situation. I hope I've placed enough detail about my lifestyle, despite it being too confusing and all. XD

Thank you so much for those who tried to read this one. XD I made it extra organized so that it'll be easier to read. :3

how old are you hun? if you are under 21, id say add about 200 cals a day. whether its high or low. the zig zagging is fine but id do something more like: 3 days low cal, and the high day a bit higher, like 2500 if you excersize. Alot of people underestimate their cal burn becasue if you work out alot and have good muscle, you burn more calories than most people. my high days are around 2800, but im also only 19.

if you find yourself not getting hungry at all, you may be in starvation. try to delay one meal until you get hungry, if you dont get hungry, up your calories. I know you probably eat so often you just dont have time to get hungry, but try that to see if your appetite is still there. if you dont get hungry you are probably in starvation mode becasue your bodydoesnt think its going to get food, so doesnt bother getting hungry.

if its not starvation it is just a plateau, which is more than possible. you may have been doing this routine of yours so long that your body expects it and is used to it. in that case, try some new cardio, like the stairclimber or spinning(if you have a gym that offers classes), ect. another way to bust a plateau is to take a week off from the gym, your actually supposed to every three months at least, in order to keep your body suprised. eat just a tad under maintenance for a week or just like five days and dont work out. if your like most people, youll actually lose weight that week as well becaseu your body is still burning all those cals and recovering. when i do this i loose a little bit without doing anything. do stay somewhat active though- like little walks, ect.

If you're a healthy weight or close to a healthy weight it's tough to lose more.  A BMI of 24.5 makes you a healthy weight.   Very active, muscular people will always be at the upper end of a healthy BMI or even slightly higher.... the big rugby player with an 'obese' BMI is always the example used to rubbish the system.

Assuming you're between 21 and 30, I calculate that you need between 2300 -2500 cals a day to maintain your weight so you should, technically lose at the calories you describe if you've been eating regularly.  The most usual reason for failing to lose weight is that you're 'eating more than you think'..  Do you weigh and measure everything you eat and drink carefully?   The low-carb episode won't have made any difference to you... it's calories that matter. 

And, yes, another thing that could be happening is 'starvation mode'.  If you've been on reduced calories for at least 3 months then it is possible that your body has adjusted to manage on less.   The fact that you don't feel all that hungry during the day could be a clue.

I'd suggest that you take a whole week out and enjoy your full maintenance calories of 2300-2500.  Keep with good quality, healthy foods and drink plenty of fluids.  Then resume weight-loss on no lower than 1800 a day after that. 

Oh. I forgot, I'm 18 btw. :)

For a month now, the only lean protein I've been eating would be grilled/ steamed fish. I may have a few nibbles of pork and beef, but that's just it. Also, I drink lots of water. I'd prolly consume about 3-4 liters of water daily? Also, I don't drink sweet stuffs. No soda or juice, just water. I tend to eat a few pieces of sweets every now and then, like pinches of chocolate, but that's just about it.

2 weeks ago, I stopped working out for a few days, but at that time I didn't get much sleep/ eat properly (I skipped a meal or 2 on that week) because I was too stressed out, so I guess that doesn't count as a rest week, does it? I got back on track the week after, which is last week. (Lol, sorry for my confusing sentences. :p)

I guess I might try increasing my calorie intake for a few days and see what happens. I'm scared of gaining a few pounds though, my metabolism just hates me.

Thank you so much for replying! :3

The fact that you are often tired makes me think perhaps you should up your calories.  Since you exercise so intensely, I imagine you might need quite a bit more on exercise days.  Instead of a flat calorie range, try going by deficit on exercise days.  Plug in all your exercise, and then take a look at your calories burned vs calories eaten.  Try not to have more than a 1000 calorie deficit for any day.  Less if need be.

EAT!! EAT MORE!!

Original Post by kokobunn:

Oh. I forgot, I'm 18 btw. :)

 Then you need more like 2500-2700 to maintain your weight... Go with that for a week and then reduce to 2000 to lose weight afterwards.

WOW , this is so similar to my situation- except I am 5'0.

Same deal pretty much! I feel so mad that I am stuck at 137/138...like why wont it budge? I am super active and watch what I eat. How the hell do people loose 1 pound a week?/end rant haha

Let us know how increasing the calories goes! I am way to afraid to up my calories as my metabolism hates me too.

I eat around 1200-1300 and then 1600 or way higher on my high days of calorie cycling. Usually the weekend gets the better of me-I am trying to stop this pattern. I hate not loosing any more weight and really putting effort into it.

I see then. But don't you think 2500-2700 is a bit much for maintaining? Online calculators say that I need around a maximum of 2300 calories to maintain, even if I exercise around 5-6 times a week. I dunno, I guess I'm just a bit scared to increase my calories. XD I'll try to raise it by increments and see what happens.

Oh, when I woke up this morning and ate breakfast, I didn't feel hungry at all, despite having dieted for 3 days (today's my high day). It's as if I was just shoving food down my throat without the pleasure of satisfying my appetite. Is this a sign of being in starvation mode?

@leahhh

Strangely, I feel quite relieved to know that someone is in the same situation as mine hahah. I really get jealous and frustrated when I see people lose weight easily. I've only lost around 15-20 pounds for the last 2 and a half years. I'm not obese when I started but still, 2 years and a half of misery takes a lot out of me. XD

I'll let everyone know what happens when I try to increase my calories this week. :) Thanks again for the replies! I appreciate them fully! :)

'Not feeling hungry' is usually a sign that you've got used to less food.... it is a hazard of long-term dieting.

If you increase your calories for a week to your maintenance level make sure you drink a little more fluids to help your digestion cope.  Also.... stay off the scales for a week..   You will gain a little weight if you've been in starvation mode and it'll take a week or so for things to settle down.  If you hop on the scales too quickly you'll get discouraged.

I've been plateau'd for awhile now, I move weight around a little but it's up and down the same 3 lbs no matter what I do and it's lame. My friend gave me the same advice about eatting at maintance for a week or so and then going back down so I've just started trying it too. It's hard cause it feels so weird to eat so much and I can't help but feel lousy logging it all.

I feel the same actually. I've never been this afraid of eating before lol. I ate a lot today even when I'm not that hungry just to get my calories up. It's depressing to think that your body doesn't appreciate being fed properly. But I'll just see what happens. I'll let you guys know what the effects are after a few days. I just hope that it'll be for the better.

i'm also in the same EXACT situation. 5' 3" and stuck between 138-139 for soooo long. i can't say i'm as meticulous as you are about my exercise habits, but still! i eat pretty good. as soon as i get to 137(one little pound), i'll be throwing a party.

I just ran across this discussing starvation mode.

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_ art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501&sc=801

That changes my entire opinion on it.

do more strength training. i used to do too much cardio. i think its useless in losing weight.

@samiaz

Oh wow! I have a twin! :D I was in the exact situation around 2 months ago. I was stuck at 138 for 3 months. It moved a little towards 137 when I started to change my strength training program and become meticulous with my exercises. But after that, nothing.

@specca

I do weight training 2 times a week. I wouldn't have enough time to add another day of strength training because it takes me so long to finish my sets.

After a day of stuffing myself, I actually feel fine. Not that bloated but I guess the water weight will come after a few days. I'm getting scared lmao.

It's been a week now. To summarize, I've increased my calories to 2100-2200 for the first 3 days of the week, then decreased it a little to 1800 for 3 days, and yesterday, another high day, so that's about 2000-2100. My past calorie intake was 1500 for low days and 1900 for high days.

I maintained my exercise routine of 6 times a week, 40-50 mins per day of moderate-intense cardio and added another day of strength training, so it's now 3 times a week of strength training.

I weighed myself again and the scale showed around 137lbs. I didn't gain but I didn't lose either. But my body fat percentage increased to 29% (last week it was 28%). I dunno if it's because of the water weight or maybe it's because I had a high day yesterday (I checked my BF% this morning), but it's still quite frustrating to see an increase like that. I might disregard the measurement though, and check again after a few days just to be sure.

I would also just like to ask if I still need to change my calorie intake. Do I need to increase it further or should I revert to my old routine? How about my exercise routines? Am I pushing myself too hard or should I maintain it?

Thank you so much for the replies!

EDIT: I've updated my profile a bit, and and my burn meter showed 2210 as my calorie expenditure (activity type is sedentary and I input my exercise info separately instead). Is 1800 enough for a low calorie day or should I increase it a bit more? Today's not exactly a typical day for movement because I don't have classes today, so I bet my expenditures will increase when I do go to school. I know I'm pretty anal retentive about my data, but I just wanted to make sure if I'm doing things right asap. :p 

So this is all I ever post about but I'm still struggling and I"m hoping someone can give me some new insight.

Background:  I am a triathlete.  I work out 6 or 7 days a week.  HARD.  Right now, I run 3 days a week (a minimum of 7 miles up to 10 miles each time at a 7-8 min. mile pace, depending on the day and length of run).  I take a spinning class 2-3 days per week (one is always a 2 hour class) and swim 4500 yards on the other days.  I try to lift 3 days per week also.  I do not eat fast food, chips, pop, or junk.  Yes on occasion I do eat dessert, but I also have tried giving up sugar completely for several months and that doesn't work.  I eat 5 meals per day and keep my calories around 1800.  My activity level will increase significantly around the beginning of April. (will go on three 2 1/2 hour bikes per week plus running about 4-5 days per week).

Problem:  I am gaining weight.  I have gained 10 lbs since last January and the scale just won't stop.  I have tried to restrict my calories, I've tried to up my calories (was up around 2300 last summer "in season").  Nothing is working.  I can't work out any harder.  I'm already ready to drop.  everyone keeps telling me I need to back off my workouts but it's hard, mentally, to do that when you are working hard and gaining weight.

I have gone to the doctor to have all my hormone levels, thyroid, etc. checked.  Everything is normal.   I also had my body fat tested (cause I know some are thinking it's muscle) but that has increased. 

I am at my wits end.  In the past 2 weeks I've taken the approach of eating what i want when i want it because nothing is working.  I am actually watching my body expand every day and I don't know what to do.   Can anyone help????

Oh, my stats: 5' 6.5" 144 lbs.  (was down to 134 last year)  30 years old 

i would say 138 is a good weight for you and you should focus on tone and strength rather than an empty number like lbs

No your body is probably NOT in starvation mode...starvation mode rarely occurs in people with a body fat percentage over 20%...

With my calculations to maintain my body weight at 245 pounds, my caloric intake must be around 2800 calories...I work out 6-7 times a week...30-45 minutes of cardio and then 4 days a week I couple the cardio with a weight training program of three muscle groups...3 exercises per group totalling 15 sets of 15-20 reps per muscle group, which is 45 sets per workout...I am currently taking in 2000 calories per day...ranging from 1800-2100 in reality...

I started by taking in only 1500 for the first week, then 1700 for the second week, and 1800-2000 from here on out...I have dropped 25 pounds and if the measurements are correct I have lost 8 inches on my waist and nearly 10 percent body fat in a month and one week...

For you at 137 pounds, you should be taking in around 1900 is good enough to maintain, but to really lose weight you need to be taking in less than 1500 a day...and even at 1500 you won't lose more than a pound a week, sometimes less...to lose weight at a good rate you should be taking in 1100 calories...

This craze about starvation mode is mostly unwaranted as the body will only go into starvation mode when it is in fear of famine...your body is not fearing famine if you are eating six meals a day...and taking in more than 900 calories a day as a woman...GOOD LUCK!!!!! :0)...I have lost plenty but I need to lose at least 40 more pounds in the next four months...