starvation mode warning signs?

I was wondering if you would be able to tell if you body was in "starvation mode?"  Are there warning signs?

I am 5'10 and now weigh 186.  I have lost 10 lbs in almost 2 weeks.  I work out HARD-weights with a personal trainer 5-6 days a week and cardio (30-70 minutes) 6-7 days a week.  I am consuming anywhere from 1000-1500 calories a day.  I always shoot for (at least) 1200, it just doesn't happen somedays.

So should I be consuming more calories if I am working out that much?  Sometimes after working out I feel sick to my stomach, like seriously naseous (maybe once a week).  I just want to make sure that I am providing my body the nutrition it needs to function properly/healthily!  Thanks :)

at your height and activity level, you definitely need to be eating more calories. You should be aiming for more like 1500-2000 calories per day. Your body is probably in starvation mode if you have been working out and eating the way you are for more than 3 days straight.

Use the tools on this site to gauge your daily calorie requirements

I can tell when my stomach is rumbling lol >_<
It's rumbling right now..

Get a ketone test strips from the drug store to check if you are in starvation mode.

your body being in ketosis and starvation mode are two different things.

I don't think that my body is in starvation mode.  But I also don't think that I am consuming enough calories.  There probably isn't a way you can tell if your body is in that unhealthy "mode" huh?

It depends on how many calories you burn in a day. A day or two slightly under 1200 won't hurt you - just don't make it a habit. 1200 consistently might or might not be enough; it depends on what you burn. 

I could lose weight just fine on 1500 calories or close to that (I didn't count exactly, but I think that was about my average) when my weight was in the 170s, but I'm also half a foot shorter than you. You could try 1500 for awhile, and then 1200-1300 if 1500 doesn't work. It's very unlikely that you wouldn't lose weight on 1500, but unless you know your BMR and burned calories from exercise and daily life pretty closely, it's hard to know which calorie count is best without trying them out.

I wondered why I wasn't losing any more, after losing 27 pounds.  It took my friends here to explain to me why 1100 calories or less a day had put me in starvation mode.  It happened again this spring, at 1200.  I'm now eating 1400 to 1500 and losing again.

Sorry, but exercising all that much and only eating 1200 calories WILL harm you!  The rule is (drumrole cuz it's repeated so much) 1200 + exercise.  I bet you will find yourself losing better (and feeling better, I am surprised you don't have headaches and stuff) if you eat more.  There's easy ways to add mega calories without eating too much.  Olive oil.  Butter.  Sunflower seeds.  Avocado.  All of which are pretty 'good' fats, though some will argue with the butter.  MOST MARGARINES ARE TRANS-FAT.  At least they used to be, perhaps they've changed them in the US, dunno. 

<> In short, you can't possibly put your body through that wonderful exercise routine and then starve it at 1200 or less.  And I'd  try the 'water' calculator to see if you are drinking enough, too.  I need around 4 liters a day, minimum. 

<> Good luck!  Z

When I was in college, I was only eating 700-1000 calories per day.  At first, I didn't notice anything other than being hungry all the time.  Over time, the symptoms got worse, but I still didn't realize anything was wrong until I started eating better again.

My hair falling out was probably the biggest sign.  I would get a shower, and my hands would literally be coated in hair!  And sorry to be graphic here, but things in the bathroom weren't ever.. solid.  I also started getting my period later than usual, and my body had always worked like clockwork before that.

There were probably other signs as well (not as much energy as usual, lack of concentration) but those weren't as measurable as those I just listed.

i would say the deep ketosis is making you sick,
either that or dehydration. that happens in me a lot. especially in 1200 cal mode. i dont get enough electrolytes through my food alone. i have to have an electorolyte beverage. everytime i skip it.
i always get sick. ALWAYS. its annoying.

im shorter than you and am about 50 pounds less...and i know i even feel queasy at 1200ish sometimes when not even exercising.
so i woudl say you coudl so with a bit more cals.
did you just start off your diet these two weeks?
that 10 pounds of loss could be showing you that :

1. you are dehydrated (it happened to me like that)
2. you lost too much and need to up your cals.

start upping your cals by 200 with some gatorade. you will feel a lot better.

just sitting around at your stats...you burn about 2200.
now add exercise to that....you are probably burning at least 2500-3000 on workout days (AT LEAST)

diet cal cuts are this:
normal: 500 cut
maximum: 1000 cut


so that would leave you at 1200 IF you just sat around.
but you are working out. i would try to go for 1500-1800 and see how you feel.

i mean,,i know my cardio kicks out 600 cals even at this lower wt.

One sign is that your heart beats much slower than normal. I did a stupid 600-1000 kcal/day diet when I was in college. After about three weeks, my heart rate was down to 43 beats/min (it's normally 54-60 when I'm healthy and exercising). At the time I thought it was because I was so healthy. Now I know that it was because my body was starving. That ill-fated diet ending once again with massive bingeing, perpetuating the starve-binge cycle.