Starvation Mode

amunet07

Okay... I understand how your body won't let go of fat if you are in starvation mode.... but it it possible to actually gain weight when your calorie count stays the same? If so how??!!! I'm not a newbie just confused and curious.

amunet07

Bump

ladysw357

According to my doctor that is why I am gaining weight instead of losing. She said that I'm not ingesting enough calories, so my body was storing everything that was not absolutely necessary as fat.

I have only been using MFP for 3 days and am struggling to get all of the calories in. Before MFP, I would only eat about 800-900 calories per day, so hitting 1600 pre-exercise is very hard for me. However, I have already seen a difference in the scales by upping my calories to 1200.

amunet07

I don't get how Anorectics lose weight then? lol

karenyg

I work out three days a week with weigths and doing my cardio been doing this since March 2010 have only lost 2 pounds :-( I am not a heavy eater so I have been having a hard time eating 1200 calories a day so I keep getting the message my body is in starvation mode. I don't know what to do, starting this week I have been eating but not doing the cardio to burn the calories still in starvation mode. I am so confused like the rest of you'll.

Mirlyn

I don't get how Anorectics lose weight then? lol

They don't put anything in their body at all, they fast, so their bodies eat themselves for sustenance.

tesha30

Are you supposed to be eating all your daily calories or is a good thing to be under your calories? I am so confused what is the best way to approach losing this weight.

After filling out my food diary..like yesterday for instance... I had 100 and some calories left to consume. But when I went for my walk.. I burned enough to put me back to 600 and some calories. Should I be eating again to absorb those calories? I dont get it... I dont want to be in starvation mode cause I am not eating enough but I also dont want to not lose weight cause I am eating too much. Make sense?

July24Lioness

Disclaimer******I am not starting a debate or an argument, I am merely presenting articles that support the WAY I Feel. This may not reflect the way you personally feel and that is ok. Please do not harrass or start arguing.

I am aware that there are just as many articles and studies that say otherwise, but I disagree. If this were the case, I would never lose an ounce because I practice Intermittent Fasting (and sometimes go 20 hours or longer without eating).


Personally, I feel like starvation mode is a myth and the term is used around this website and many others I frequent, way to loosely. I highly doubt that anyone on this website is in starvation mode, unless you look like an anorexic person..........

Here are a couple of articles for you to read and decide for yourself.

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501

This article is very good at explaining what is "real" about starvation mode and what is "myth"............

http://www.healthscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=512:are-you-in-the-starvation-mode-or-starving-for-truth&catid=102:jeff-novicks-blog&Itemid=267

SHBoss1673

Okay... I understand how your body won't let go of fat if you are in starvation mode.... but it it possible to actually gain weight when your calorie count stays the same? If so how??!!! I'm not a newbie just confused and curious.

is it possible? Yes, is it usual? No.

Many people on here are disillusioned about Starvation mode and what it entails. To really understand it you must understand, in it's totality, the way the body uses energy.

energy sources for the body:
-ingested calories (food)
-adipose fat (body fat)
-lean tissue (mostly comprised of protein)

so think about it like this.

when functioning correctly the body has a caloric balance (maintenance calories) if you eat about that, you should maintain your current weight, and in most cases, maintain your current fat and lean tissue percentages.
When you create a deficit (negative calorie balance) your body turns to body fat AND lean tissue to make up the difference. The body uses fat the same way ice melts, from the outside surface in (technically it's from the closes blood vessels first but that's beside the point, note this is also why "old" stubborn fat is the hardest to lose). So this said, your body can only burn as much fat as is available at any point in time. And fat is slow to metabolize as it must first be extracted, then transported to the correct organs (think liver), and then be broken down into it's components and reconstructed into glucose, where as ingested foods need simply to be reconstituted (or in some cases broken down and reconstituted) into glucose, which is faster.

When the body cannot balance out energy (I.E. when you eat a large deficit and don't have enough fat/lean tissue to make up the difference) the body recognizes this (there are processes and chemicals involved, but that starts to get super deep) and begins to slow down the activity of certain body functions (non-essential organs being one of the main targets). This is truly the beginning of what we perceive as starvation mode, and it takes days and more likely weeks to begin in earnest (which is why calorie cycling isn't really a problem, as long as you do your cycling over the course of days and not weeks). The other thing that happens when energy balance cannot be achieved is the body begins producing fat storage hormones, which takes all available glucose and begins the process of fat storage, it also prioritizes lean tissue as a more optimum fuel source over body fat. This does 2 things, it means your body canabalizes existing muscle tissue, and it means that we don't burn as much fat.

So if you allow your body to enter the above state, and keep it there for long enough, and then begin eating above the level which the body currently perceives as energy balance (in the reduced metabolic state at which it's currently running) you can, and will put on body fat and gain weight, all while gaining very little, if any, new muscle mass. It takes weeks of increased energy intake and sometimes months, to bring your metabolic rate back up, during that time new fat can be added.
The BEST way to raise the metabolic rate is to do it slowly, over the course of many weeks.

Hope this explains it better.

Do I think that folks know what starvation mode is? Nope, not all at least, I think many people have it wrong, but that doesn't mean the concept is false, just people's perception of it.

tesha30

I am still cofused.. so in order for me to lose weight.. should I be eating my maximum amount of calories per day, going over or staying under??

SHBoss1673

I am still cofused.. so in order for me to lose weight.. should I be eating my maximum amount of calories per day, going over or staying under??

peruse these, they should explain it all without me reposting.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

ladysw357

Ok, so in order for me to start losing weight, I may have to gain a little more first? My doctor said this also. Interesting because I have gained 7lbs prior to losing the first one............it's all starting to make sense.

SHBoss1673

Ok, so in order for me to start losing weight, I may have to gain a little more first? My doctor said this also. Interesting because I have gained 7lbs prior to losing the first one............it's all starting to make sense.

ahh, that depends on how you change your deficit. if you do it super slow, then not necessarily, but if you decide to just up your calories all at once, it's quite possible you could gain a bit. And remember, there's no "exact" about this science, because our bodies are so individual, it might take a little tweaking and waiting to see what works best. The best advice I can give is have patience, and give it a chance to work.

ladysw357

I started out by upping my calories quite a bit. But then had problems maintaining that calorie intake level and have since slowed down the process. I started out averaging appr 800 calories a day. I am up to 1000-12000 and finally lost the first pound. I also am exercising 2 days on, 1 day off. At this point I'm just trying to undo some of the damage that I have already done to my body, regardless of how long it takes.

SHBoss1673

I started out by upping my calories quite a bit. But then had problems maintaining that calorie intake level and have since slowed down the process. I started out averaging appr 800 calories a day. I am up to 1000-12000 and finally lost the first pound. I also am exercising 2 days on, 1 day off. At this point I'm just trying to undo some of the damage that I have already done to my body, regardless of how long it takes.

well that's fantastic! It means you're moving in the right direction.

I've had people ask me for help (privately) before and usually when they were at very low calorie levels I had them add 50 calories a week until they are at a level that they want, 200 calories in a month should be slow enough to not gain weight. So figure out what you want your calories to be at, and spread it out to raise it between 50 and 75 calorie increase per week, that should get you there and keep you from gaining much if anything in the process (and you may actually lose).

that would be how I'd do it at least. Remember though, this is without me knowing anything at all besides the absolute basics about you. Generally it takes a dietitian months to figure out someone's metabolism, so I wouldn't expect overwhelming results without doing some tweaking and expecting a few setbacks (it happens).

ladysw357

I expect setbacks! I expect delays. I expect life to happen during the process. Your plan of adding calories back very slowly is what I'm doing now, and so it seems to be working. My target is 1600 calories (pre-exercise); this is double what I had been taking in. I also am trying my best to not make them empty calories (although the last few days haven't been the best).

My goal is 150lbs (I'm 5' 7") and I'm currently at 208.......this will take some time, but I'm in it for the long haul!

SHBoss1673

I expect setbacks! I expect delays. I expect life to happen during the process. Your plan of adding calories back very slowly is what I'm doing now, and so it seems to be working. My target is 1600 calories (pre-exercise); this is double what I had been taking in. I also am trying my best to not make them empty calories (although the last few days haven't been the best).

My goal is 150lbs (I'm 5' 7") and I'm currently at 208.......this will take some time, but I'm in it for the long haul!

sounds like you're doing the right things. I hope it all works for you, I'm relatively confident it will if you stick to the plan you set for yourself.

best luck.