Starvation Mode

[S0L0]

I have a question. How does one know when they are in starvation mode, and how would you go about getting out of it.

My sister is trying to lose weight. She already lost a bunch (30 lbs or something). At this point she's 5'10" 150 lbs (she has a small frame). The problem is that she was at one point at 143-145 (her goal is solid 140, and if it goes lower she'll be happier). For no apparent reason, though, her weight started going up. I counted what she eats and it adds up to something in the range of 1000-1200 calories. All the stuff she eats is good stuff, meaning lean protein, carbs from fruits and whole grains, (but it does seem like she isn't getting enough fat, it's only 10% of total calories). Calories from protein and carbs are about equal.

She also works out like crazy. She runs (30 min interval training) 4 times a week, lifts 3 times a week, walks for an hour 3 times a week (on the days that she lifts, couple hours after lifting). I don't think she has even one cheat day for diet, or a day off from working out.

Oh yeah, because of long hours at her job she doesn't get enough sleep, something like 5-6 hours during weekdays.

As far as I can tell, she's in starvation mode, (although that still doesn't explain why she's not only plateauing but actually going up in weight).

I was wondering if someone here could give suggestions as to what i should tell her to do. Maybe ideas about how to switch cardio or lifting somehow (she followes the routine in a book by some dr. Vadrel broad, high rep sets, light weight), or maybe how to change diet.

Thanx

[freaker]

First off, 1000-1200 calories is ridiculously low for someone who weighs 150, especially if she is very active. Another thing, is that she needs to eat frequently(5-8 meals a day) to keep her metabolism up. She might also want to give herself a cheat day every once in a while, again to keep her metabolism up. The body wants to adapt and survive, it does not want to gain muscle and it definitely does not want to lose fat. If she trains the same way all the time, her body has probably adapted to that too. She also shouldn't rely on the scale to determine her progress. Girth and bodyfat measurements are far more accurate. There are specific things she can do with her training and nutrition to make sure her body doesn't adapt and she continues to lose fat. I've actually detailed some of these things in some articles I wrote for bodybuilding.com. I'll give you the link to the nutrition article which details my fat-loss diet. She's obviously not a bodybuilder, but my diet is not just for bodybuilders, it's for anybody who wants to lose fat at an accelerated pace without losing muscle. In fact, a lot of current and aspiring Fitness America competitors have used my 9-day diet to lose fat. Here's the link:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ian2new.htm

[thatdude0072]

[QUOTE=freaker;978251]First off, 1000-1200 calories is ridiculously low for someone who weighs 150, especially if she is very active. Another thing, is that she needs to eat frequently(5-8 meals a day) to keep her metabolism up. She might also want to give herself a cheat day every once in a while, again to keep her metabolism up. The body wants to adapt and survive, it does not want to gain muscle and it definitely does not want to lose fat. If she trains the same way all the time, her body has probably adapted to that too. She also shouldn't rely on the scale to determine her progress. Girth and bodyfat measurements are far more accurate. There are specific things she can do with her training and nutrition to make sure her body doesn't adapt and she continues to lose fat. I've actually detailed some of these things in some articles I wrote for bodybuilding.com. I'll give you the link to the nutrition article which details my fat-loss diet. She's obviously not a bodybuilder, but my diet is not just for bodybuilders, it's for anybody who wants to lose fat at an accelerated pace without losing muscle. In fact, a lot of current and aspiring Fitness America competitors have used my 9-day diet to lose fat. Here's the link:





can you body bloat in starvatoin mode? i am 140 (recently lost 33 lbs in bout a month and a half) and i only eat bout that much help im worried about my health

[IronCitGrl]

Unless you are with your sister 24/7 there is no way that you would know what her eating/working out habits are. Either she is lying about her intake or you just aren't around when she is eating. If she is eating the amount of calories you said everyday then there is no way she would be gaining weight especially if she is NOT a newb to lifting. Did her weight go up when she began to lift weights? She is probably holding more water then because not much muscle growth would be possible with such low calories and lack of sleep. How quickly did her weight go up? Is it almost her time of the month? It could just be water weight.