I am trying to lose weight and am at a plateau, am I in starvation mode?

The so-called “starvation mode” is the point where the body supposedly decides not to lose more weight, even when you eat “hardly anything”, by slowing down the metabolism because the body is afraid you will starve to death. To put your entire issue into perspective, first realize that the people around the world who truly die of starvation do not die overweight.
This myth was born from a combination of facts: 1) we physically move very little in the modern world, thus burn few daily calories compared to our ancestors, and 2) most people tend to underreport their TRUE calorie intake by 20-45% (the more overweight, the more they underreport). Therefore, we are actually eating more and moving less than we think.
The main reason the body comes to plateaus during dieting or exercise (besides consciously or subconsciously not properly following the plan), is that when weight is lost and you become more fit, your body uses fewer calories for the same activities. Your muscles are more efficient, which makes work easier. You are moving less body weight during all activities, forcing you to add work or eat less in order to continue to lose weight. Moreover, dieting often makes people feel less energetic, which leads to moving less throughout the day, therefore burning fewer calories overall.
For people who eat well, exercise regularly, and do not want to cut more calories to keep losing, simply increase your daily movements at home or at the office. Stand or pace anytime you can instead of sitting: pace the room while on the phone or thinking, take stairs instead of elevators or escalators, park farther away from your final destination, take a walk at lunch, walk to a colleague’s office to talk rather than use e-mail or the intercom, walk or pace slowly while watching your favorite TV shows, etc. Additionally, you can try changing your workout, including the intensity and type of cardio you perform, which can help you burn a few more calories in the same workout timeframe. And never sit down or stop moving in the gym.

Your lack of weight loss is unlikely due to starvation. Think of starving people and what image comes to mind? Somehow, only in American gyms are “starving” people overweight. The premise is that a dieter eats so few calories that their body perceives a survival threat and makes drastic adjustments to hormonal and metabolic systems, severely reducing metabolic rate and calorie burn. Starvation responses have been identified in starving people, but it is always preceded by a prolonged lack of food and significant and unhealthy weight loss. If you have been eating a severely reduced calorie diet, have lost significant and unhealthy amounts of weight, then indeed you may be starving yourself and you should stop. If this is not the case, then you have simply stopped doing what allowed you to lose weight up to this point. Sometimes we get a little lax on our food intake, sneaking a bite or two here and there. Or perhaps you have been a little tired and move less during the day or have failed to vary your exercise routine so your body has adapted. There is simply no evidence to support the notion that people fail to lose weight due to a metabolic compensation, but rather a failure to consistently eat fewer calories than they burn.