THE BIG STARVATION MODE MYTH.

HOTSTUFFyes

People say don't eat 1200 or even 1500 calories a day. They say eat more, to weigh less, but people you see on youtube eat 1200 and are losing over 80+ pounds. Can you explain that maybe it is better to eat more in the 1800s, but don't tell people that starvation will come up and get them because it's a flat out lie. Especially if your obese. Some guys did a study and that's the huge thing, that's why people think they're in starvation mode. How can you tell someone to eat more when that's what they have been doing all along, hence why they're overweight to begin with. Look at people in different countries starving, they are not going into starvation mode. No I don't think so. You need to look around you. People want you to fail in weight loss, they will make up anything to make sure you don't succeed. Why IDK. But its true weight loss and takes a long freaking time. You need to think of it in long terms, I mean like 3-5 years, it will need to be a lifestyle change. People think they are going into starvation mode because omg i hit a plateau. It happens with everyone. You're never going to get away from that. Sorry guys. JUST BECAUSE YOU HIT A PLATEAU DOES NOT MEAN YOUR IN STARVATION MODE. 1200 isn't starving yourself. What happens when you don't get enough food your body? It has to go into your fat stores, it's science people. End of story. Comments please thanks:) Oh fyi iv lost 40 pounds.

pHatWeenie

That still puzzles me! I've never heard of this till this year. I wonder at what point does you body start using my fat stores if I'm eating all these cals! Maybe I'm missing something idk!

DatMurse

http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq243/delgadido/Bodybuilding/ultimateprogress-2.jpg
about a 1500 +-200 intake with a 3k+ TDEE
50% Deficit
lost 1 lb every 2 days

Lochlyn_D

I think some people are just jealous that we have the willpower not to stuff our faces all the time.

tapirfrog

Whut

DatMurse

people cannot count their calories and do not know how dieting works.

If I believe I am in deficit I have to stay on the deficit regardless if the scale moves or not. It eventually will and sometimes it drops by 3-4 lbs all of a sudden. I take the minimum weight I can achieve

No_Finish_Line

'starvation mode' preventing you from losing fat = myth

'starvation mode' subtracting large amounts of muscle mass most people would perfer to have = truth

cwolfman13

Most often I see this come up, not when people are eating 1500 calories or whatever...I usually see it come up when people are netting like 500 calories per day. I personally don't believe in "starvation mode", but I do believe that you are starving your body of nutrients if you are netting 500 calories per day or whatever. Do what you want...it's not healthy though. Enjoy your ED.

crisbabe81

I'm no Dr.

DatMurse

I would like to add a high deficit such as mine is not a normal person should attempt. they will usually fail, but I have done bulking and cutting in the past and was recovering from depression r/t my degenerative disc disease

Showcase_Brodown

There is actually something legitimate called starvation mode. That's when you completely fast for 3 days or longer, or you are in a severe calorie deficit for some time (not sure where the cutoff would be). The body's metabolism slows some, because it has to try to survive.

With that said, people have taken this real thing and liberally applied the term to things like weight loss plateaus and breakfast skipping when it likely has nothing to do with it. Even people who are legitimately starving will continue to lose weight, because they are still in a deficit.

It's still good to have a modest deficit so you can achieve at most 1-2 lbs of loss per week on average.

juliegrey1

What I understand is 1200 is the minimum an average woman needs to stay alive!!!! I dont mean partake in any kind of activity I mean stay alive,its a miserable amount to exist on,for me anyway and Im 5 ft 2 I stay at 1600 cals a day,otherwise I would be hungry and miserable!My diet is good and I eat 6 times a day!I work with my TDEE and sick with that!

RGv2

I think some people are just jealous that we have the willpower not to stuff our faces all the time.

I'm sure that's it. :laugh:

cmriverside

Well. You told them.

shannonespinoza

It does indeed affect how your body loses weight. Check out a legit medical journal, such as CINAHL and research how it works. Here is an excerpt from a peer reviewed science journal:

"Most of leptin's effects occur through the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that integrates all basic drives and regulates food intake, energy expenditure, and glucose and fat metabolism. With weight loss, the body's fat stores shrink and therefore produce less leptin. The hypothalamus responds by shifting several body systems into starvation mode. It results in urges to eat more and expend less energy, making it difficult to maintain the weight loss. Other changes, such as increased stress response and weakened reproductive and immune function, cause their own set of problems."

You will continue to lose weight on an extremely low diet but it may be drawing from energy reserves that you would rather not lose. I think the thing is, this level would be different for everyone. It may be 1200 calories for you and 900 for someone else.

HOTSTUFFyes

To keep your metab up on a low calorie intake is to get at least 8 hours of sleep and eat 6 times a day and i will stand by that but their is no reason why you cant do that. I don't people got obese from eating less no that's not the way it is never was never will be. And the starvation mode is when your metab slows down so go for a walk that should speed it up too. but Regardless you will lose all the weight you need because your in a Calorie Defiant. OMG i just ate lettuce today and that's it that's my new diet I lost weight hey you lose weight HOW from eating less. people you see who actually get success long term their eating less not more. less.

HOTSTUFFyes

Doubt

darwinwoodka

Well the goal here is to teach people to eat and lose weight in a healthy way. If you just want to eat nothing and lose lean muscle mass, we won't stop you, though.

onezeronine

It does indeed affect how your body loses weight. Check out a legit medical journal, such as CINAHL and research how it works. Here is an excerpt from a peer reviewed science journal:

"Most of leptin's effects occur through the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that integrates all basic drives and regulates food intake, energy expenditure, and glucose and fat metabolism. With weight loss, the body's fat stores shrink and therefore produce less leptin. The hypothalamus responds by shifting several body systems into starvation mode. It results in urges to eat more and expend less energy, making it difficult to maintain the weight loss. Other changes, such as increased stress response and weakened reproductive and immune function, cause their own set of problems."

You will continue to lose weight on an extremely low diet but it may be drawing from energy reserves that you would rather not lose. I think the thing is, this level would be different for everyone. It may be 1200 calories for you and 900 for someone else.

For the record, CINAHL isn't a journal, it's a database, and it's not medical in the strictest sense either - it's the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature.

prattiger65

In for all the awesome bro-science that is soon to come.

prattiger65

Well the goal here is to teach people to eat and lose weight in a healthy way. If you just want to eat nothing and lose lean muscle mass, we won't stop you, though.

Truth

shannonespinoza

Yes, thank you for the correction it is indeed a database. Lol...but it's a lot more academic than ...what did someone call it? bro-science?? Haha. It actually came from a journal called Positive Health.

ironanimal

DancingDreams1234

I hear you bro, I'm so sick of people talking about starvation mode. It's all a load of B.S in my opinion, or the whole "Your body will start burning muscle instead of fat" LIESSSSS, your fat is there for when your body needs it, that's the whole point of fat people. Your body will only start breaking down your muscle tissue once it's fat reserves are gone.

technigasm

I have a disorder called cyclic vomiting syndrome where basically I can't eat anything... My Dr. [who is a top Dr. and is very well respected] said that I wouldn't die and I wasn't starving myself. He had me drink nutritional shakes and basically after almost a year of that and when I got pregnant he forced me to re learn how to eat food again because your body forgets how to digest food and your stomach and intestines can become paralyzed. There are medications for your intestines and for your stomach to help them move and process food. Basically I had an 80 lb weight loss in only 6 months. It wasn't a good thing because I didn't try to lose the weight and was very sick and malnurished before realizing it wasn't an eating disorder, but an actual issue. But now I can eat regular food and I am only trying to lose weight because of two back to back pregnancies. But people do extreme diet it just should be monitored by a doctor and you can't jump back into eating whatever. you will gain the weight back.

Bikini27

To keep your metab up on a low calorie intake is to get at least 8 hours of sleep and eat 6 times a day and i will stand by that but their is no reason why you cant do that. I don't people got obese from eating less no that's not the way it is never was never will be. And the starvation mode is when your metab slows down so go for a walk that should speed it up too. but Regardless you will lose all the weight you need because your in a Calorie Defiant. OMG i just ate lettuce today and that's it that's my new diet I lost weight hey you lose weight HOW from eating less. people you see who actually get success long term their eating less not more. less.

Translator? Anyone?

Serious.

Kimdbro

I read about half way then had to stop due to the complete lack of proper spelling and punctuation. I will not read one giant run-on sentence. At some point we are required to breathe.

GoTeamMeaghan

If you want to eat 1,200 calories a day...have fun. I'm eating more like 1,800 and still losing weight.

DavPul

I think some people are just jealous that we have the willpower not to stuff our faces all the time.

that's probably it. but still, it's weird that it's always the people furthest away from goal that say stuff like this. i rarely see someone say this that has lost a ton of weight and is at or near their GW.

hmmmmmm.....coinkydink?

technigasm

I have a disorder called cyclic vomiting syndrome where basically I can't eat anything... My Dr. [who is a top Dr. and is very well respected] said that I wouldn't die and I wasn't starving myself. He had me drink nutritional shakes and basically after almost a year of that and when I got pregnant he forced me to re learn how to eat food again because your body forgets how to digest food and your stomach and intestines can become paralyzed. There are medications for your intestines and for your stomach to help them move and process food. Basically I had an 80 lb weight loss in only 6 months. It wasn't a good thing because I didn't try to lose the weight and was very sick and malnurished before realizing it wasn't an eating disorder, but an actual issue. But now I can eat regular food and I am only trying to lose weight because of two back to back pregnancies. But people do extreme diet it just should be monitored by a doctor and you can't jump back into eating whatever. you will gain the weight back.

I also wanted to note my weights
sept 2010: 190lbs.
july 2011: 115

HOTSTUFFyes

Im not saying that to eat 1200 im saying their is no such thing as the damn starvation mode.