Getting out of starvation mode help!

Hi.

I was in starvation mode, eating around 1,100 to 1,300 cal a day without realizing it.  So, on July 14th,  I decided to eat more calories after a few suggestions  and I set up my calorie count account as someone sedentary because I work at a computer desk over 10h a day. I'm  40 year old, 5.2' and 134lb. I do exercise 3x a week,  weight lifting . So, two weeks ago my weight was 134lb and now I am at 137lb.  Annoying  :-(   My goal is come back to my 125lb.

According to this site my EAT METER is 2200cal and my BURN METER is 1600cal. So, if I understand well, if I eat more than 1600cal  that my body will burn I will gain weight , right ?

Anyway, I have eaten this last two weeks around 1500calories or a little more, around 1600 or 1700 cal the days I work out.  Why is that  I gain 3 lb in two weeks ?  Because my body is readjusting to my new eating style or because I am still eating the wrong calories?  Every time I think I understand how my calorie intake should be I get all confused again.

Can anyone suggest  what I am doing wrong ?

Your body is used to burning much less calories.. so you have to give it time to readjust.

If you read some of the other threads, you'll see that a lot of people who up their calories will gain weight first, and then lose it within a few weeks.

Don't give up hope! Just believe

EAT METER is 2200cal and my BURN METER is 1600cal.

I think that's backward.  Your burn meter should be 2200 and eat meter should be 1600. 

Here's how it's supposed to work, at the risk of annoying nycgirl (:P) 

1) Be sure to log all of your activity.  That gets included in your burn if it's above your activity level.  

2) A pound of fat is 3500 calories or 500  per day. 

3) Your activity level + your exercise = your burn for the day.  Your burn - 500 = what you eat. 

Well I increased my calories thinking I was in starvation mode 6 weeks ago and I have yet to loose anything just gained 2 lbs.  I was eating 1100 calories a day and went to 1400-1500 a day.  well I'm not sure what's going on because I am not loosing.  I am going to go back down to 1200 a day

Hi "morriguh" , thanks for the help. 

According to this site, my EAT METER/Daily Goal is 2200 and my BURN METER/Total estimate is 1600, its not backwards as you said. I probably did not express myself right.  Those are the number showing everyday when I start logging my food and exercise. I did not mean I was eating 2200.   I did mention that I was sedentary half of the week, so when setting up my account that's what I got.  It only changes when I log my weight activity every other day. 

So, if I eat what you suggested:

My activity level + exercise =  1850cal (as I just add doing 50 minutes of vigorous weight lifting)  

1850 - 500cal ,  I will be back to 1350cal, which I was told is not enough and that what puts me in starvation mode.

So, eating 1200cal  I was not losing a single pound, I was stuck for quite some time and someone told me I was in starvation mode. Now eating more, leaving a defict of  300cal  I gained 3lb in 2 weeks.

Can you understand why it's confusing to me ?

I wish I had the answer. I started out eating about 1350 a day approx 6 weeks ago. I lost 14 lbs in the first 4 weeks. I don't work out but I'm not sedentary. I walk at work a lot and I only sit down of an evening long enough to log into this site. I eat diffrent cal amounts so 1350 is an average. Some days its 1100 and others its 1500. I just wander if I am doing this right. I understand the math part of it all, you have to eat 3500 cal less then you burn to lose 1 lb of fat. I guess I just wonder about this because at that calculation I should lose about 1.5-2 lbs per week and I am not seeing anything. I know that the inital loss was big but I had been doing less activity and eating well over 2000 cal a day for a while, I was weighing in at 200 give or take a pound. So its not that big of a loss when you have 50+ pounds to lose.
I just wish someone would answer your question so that I could get a little insight. Good luck, and don't forget to share how this works out for you.

I really don't know what's going on either, except that those numbers have to be wrong.  Your total burn has to be more than your calories eaten if you're expecting to loose weight.  Maybe double checking you burn number with another calculator?  I know there are supposed to be others, I'm just not sure where. 

Do you use a food scale?  I have one that gives me info on the calories etc of what I'm weighing so I have a pretty good idea of everything I eat.  I find it's pretty easy to be way off countwise if I don't do that. 

I though 1300 was ok provided you're female, not a teen, and it doesn't provide you with greater than ~700 calorie deficit most of the time.   I know, for example, that CC's total eat meter suggestion won't go beneath 1250, so I'd guess 1300 would theoretically be ok.

I understand what you are saying, mine was the same way. When I set up with my age, current weight and height along with the current exercise I do, I was upside down on what I am supposed to eat as opposed to what I actually burn. Once I had been doing this for a week or so I am now right side up, if that makes since, lol. I currently am set up for 2000 calories to eat a day and am currently burning up to 2400. Most days I do not meet my 2000 and I stay within 400 calories difference on burning. My first couple of days I gained 2 pounds but have now lost 3. Its confusing but stay consistent, It will come. Just keep positive and tell yourself you will not let the fat win. It's the only way I can get through it all. Also, if you realize you've gone over your calorie intake for the day, don't stress, just do a few more exercises that are the equivalent of burning whatever you've taken in. It will help keep you balanced. It will also make you feel a little better.

psychson - we sound like twins (almost, I am older).  I am 42, 5'2", at the beginning of Feb. I was 140 and I am now 131, I also want to get to 125!  I was plateauing at 135 for about a month then 133 then last week finally broke that.  It has taken me over 5 months to lose 9 lbs.  Along with you I do weightlifting also but usually less then 30 minutes.  I have done much better going from cardio to weightlifting since I hate cardio unless it is walking dogs or hiking.  I have my activity set at light and do not add my weightlifting activity.  I eat between 1200 and 1350 calories during the week and am careful on the weekends but do not log so I am sure I eat around 1500 or more if I have a few beers.  I just have to take a break on the weekends or I would go crazy; I also believe this keeps me from starvation mode (how do people starve to death or get anorexia if you do not lose weight in starvation mode???? Not that I want to go that route).  Anyway try this calculator http://www.phord.com/cc/.  Good luck sister!!  Kim