My weight is stalling

[SydRoCo]

So, I’ve lost over 80lbs, so far. The problem is, for the past month my weight hasn’t budged. I work out 3-4 times a week at the gym, and consume about 1,300 calories a day. I’m worried that I have scared my body into starvation mode since, for awhile I have only consumed 1,000 calories. I ate like that because, I became obsessed with calories and was terrified to eat much more and feared that I would gain weight. So, less than a month ago, I upped my calorie intake. I should probably eat at least a little more, it’s just I’m not that hungry. I can hardly consume 1,100-1,200 calories, I get full easily. I feel like I’m gonna stay my weight forever since, for months my body has probably suffered a bit, without my realizing. I would like some help on healthier foods that are higher in calories to eat and also, could my body could still be in starvation mode? If so, how can I get out of it?

[bikerhiker]

You might want to see a doctor to determine if you don't have any underlying health issues that can cause this stall.  Weight plateau is common, because we all have some ideal weight that we should be at in order to support the health and well being of that body.  Another possibility is the insufficient nutrients and minerals the body needs to maintain top nominal health.  Potassium, for instance, is vital for weight loss and your bodily functions, but you need at least 4700mg of that which is equal to 7 cups of vegetables.   When you cut your caloric intake, you also cut your vitamins, nutrients and minerals intake as well, and North Americans in general are short of Potassium to begin with in their diet!!  A lack of those essentials can impede weight loss as those essentials are necessary for the burning of fat.  Lack those or there of, then your metabolism slows down and your body's fuel source is carbs.  Some people may recommend taking supplements and that can help with weight loss.  But then again, think about this.  Can you sustain the weight loss with extreme caloric deficit and supplements to get to your ideal weight and keep it there for the rest of your life?!?  That's the choice you need to make.

And despite the big marketing about "Super Food"; meaning you get loads of vitamins, minerals and nutrients is just a marketing term.  Perhaps, you do get more vitamins, nutrients and minerals from vegetables grown on volcanic ash.  But truly, I see people who do just fine with normal cheaper non-organic food and can attain a generally good non-obese body geometry.  Again, it's all about how long can you maintain this ideal body geometry and weight and for how successful can you do this and at what financial cost?

[Dominique]

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@SydRoCo wrote:

So, I’ve lost over 80lbs, so far.

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In what time, and from what starting level? The more you lose, and the faster you do it, the more you provide your body with an incentive to preserve energy, by reducing metabolism (severely reduced metabolism is what is commonly described as "starvation mode"). To rebuild your metabolism, you need to send signals food is not scarce, by eating more. This may result in a slight weight gain, but even then, you will still be way below your starting point. Your metabolism will eventually pick up, allowing you to eat more while not gaining weight.

Recommendations I’ve seen for weight loss rates that make sense to me are max. 1% of body weight per week, and max. 10% of total weight loss before taking a break (switching to maintenance). Chances are you lost a lot faster than 1% per week, and 80 pounds were way more than 10% of your starting weight.

[SunsetRunner]

That happened to me. I lost 130 pounds and couldn’t lose any more fat. You need to reverse diet. Your metabolism adapted to how much you are currently eating. Slowly add back in calories, about 100 calories more per week. I would start carb cycling and intermittent fasting. Carb cycling keeps your metabolism guessing so it’s much harder for your metabolism to adapt. The intermittent fasting helps burn more calories. Usually, people do 16 hours fast and 8 hours of eating. Eat more frequent meals to help keep your metabolism happy. During this time, you will gain weight but it doesn’t necessarily mean you are gaining fat. Give it some time and the fat will start coming off. Try to keep all carbs coming from vegetables. Save your cheat meal for your high carb day. Pick 3 days of low carb, 3 days of moderate carb, and 1 high carb day but never have 2 high carb days back to back. I went from eating about 1200 calories to eating 2000 calories on low carb days, 2200 on moderate carb days, and 3200 calories on high carb days.