Messed up metabolism, 9 years starvation mode?

[arv91]

Hi,

I'm 5'7 145 pounds, 17% bf (at least) and wondering if I'm this way due to my diet

Long story short, was 12 years old, obese (35% bf), 5'0, 170 lbs as a kid. Realized I didn't want to be like this so I put myself on a 1200-1300 calorie diet...since 12 years old. Through puberty I gained 7 inches in height and got down to 140 lbs (still looked really soft/fat). Haven't been able to get below 140 lbs since I reached this weight at about 16. Didn't really realize I had pretty much no muscle mass until I saw pictures of others on these forums. Been working out now for a few months and I'm not making any strength gains or visible gains

So my question is, 9 years of 1200-1300 calories per day, have I been in starvation mode this entire time? If so, how should I go about fixing this? I want to be able to build muscle and I understand in order to do that I have to lift heavy and eat but I'm concerned if I up my calories to the suggested ~1800-2200 calories per day depending on what calculator I use, I'll gain a huge amount of fat.


Cliffs
- Was 12 yo, 5'0, 170 lb, 35% bf
- 1200-1300 calorie diet, been eating this way ever since (Legit counting calories)
- Currently 21 yo, 5'7, 145 lbs, 17% bf and working out for a few months, not building muscle or losing fat
- Have I been in starvation mode for 9 years? Messed up my BMR?
- Want to build muscle, lose fat, look better, etc. How do i go about this as far as diet?

[Freshdou]

No that's not right

Assuming 1200-1300 calories, which is perhaps an average of 800 ish deficit considering you were young most of the time. That's a 5600 weekly or 22,400 monthly deficit. In a year, that's 268.8k calories meaning you would have lost 76.8 lbs a year. That's obviously not the case so you did not eat at that low so it wasn't "legit counting calories."

You weren't even in "starvation mode" for a year or else you would be under 100 lbs..

[unleashthelion]

You probably haven't been in "starvation mode" a day in your life. "Starvation mode" involves a slowing of hair growth, nail growth, lethargy... it's basically a slowing down of bodily processes. It's much ado about nothing and you're best off removing the concept from your mind; it's mostly pop nutrition crap.

While I seriously question whether you've ACTUALLY averaged 1200-1300 calories a day over the last 9 years, let's assume you're right. First off, how did you get to that BF% figure? You need to go get a hydrostatic weighing or a DXA scan so you can actually know how much LBM you have and what BF% you're at. Secondly, if you are eating that many calories, you probably have very little muscle (which isn't surprising, as you have been on a VLCD for 9 years and you have barely worked out in that time).

So, the issue isn't starvation mode - it's that you have a crazy low RMR due to very little muscle on your frame. So, what is the issue - where is the problem? It's your lack of muscle. All of your time and energy should go to putting on some muscle mass to up the amount of calories you can consume, which will also help you burn any fat you are looking to lose.

[earthshieldlol]

do you honestly think you can be in starvation mode for 9 years and not die?

[Superher0Soul]

do you honestly think you can be in starvation mode for 9 years and not die?

Messed up media confuses the freak out of most of the general population.

I have heard some crazy ass things from people/the media that makes me laugh/cry

[Serpentarius]

eat more carbs, keep adding weight to your body at a slow rate and it should eventually get your calorie requirements back up.

source: me