Does the food you consume impact on how you look loosing?

ncmedic201

So you're saying that going on a very low calorie diet does not affect thyroid or RMR?

Not at all. I'm saying starvation mode, ie that your metabolism slows down and you stop losing or even put on weight is nonsense and counter to the first law of thermodynamics. If your metabolism slows you will lose weight at a slower rate as clearly you won't expend as many calories thus your net intake will not be as low as may appear from the headline figures. Furthermore it is proven to be nonsense by well respected research foundations and is accepted as a myth by all the main line weight loss organisations. I'm not suggesting people should go on a very low calorie diet unless for a medical condition and under the instruction of a doctor, or that they should eat junk food like the OP's friend. My comments are purely aimed at the starvation mode myth that keeps getting trotted out as if it were a fact.

I think Mayo Clinic is a pretty reputable source:

"That's why if you try so-called starvation diets, your body compensates by slowing down these bodily processes and conserving calories for survival. Only in rare cases do you get excessive weight gain from a medical problem that slows metabolism, such as Cushing's syndrome or having an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism)."

So you're body literally slows down the metabolism process and begins conserving calories for survival.

dixieracer27

To the original poster...I know for a fact that your eating choices have an impact! I lost 50 pounds 3 years ago on crappy foods, it took me over a year to do it and I was always hungry! I had soda, sugar-free junk, and anything that said low cal/fat. I gained 30 of those pounds back and decided to change my life for the better. I started in February of this year, eating clean, no soda, no sugar free junk, very minimally processed foods, and drinking a lot of water. I also do cardio at least 6-7 days a week as well as strength training. I can tell a major different in the way my body looks, I'm not flabby like before and I feel better. Some other perks I've noticed from my healthy diet are my skin is super clear, my hair is shiny, and I've had a few medical problems just disappear! I'm losing at a quicker pace this time around, and I'm definitely eating sometimes I wonder how in the heck I'm losing weight!

55in13

I think Mayo Clinic is a pretty reputable source:

"That's why if you try so-called starvation diets, your body compensates by slowing down these bodily processes and conserving calories for survival. Only in rare cases do you get excessive weight gain from a medical problem that slows metabolism, such as Cushing's syndrome or having an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism)."

So you're body literally slows down the metabolism process and begins conserving calories for survival.

Isn't it Mayo that found dieting slows the metabolism between 4% and 10% in overweight people and does so gradually so that there is no point at which decreasing consumption doesn't increase deficit? So while it is true it slows down, it never causes a stoppage in weight loss and certainly doesn't reverse course and cause a gain.

epie2098

Yes. Even a few days at a conference with more carby foods than I usually eat leaves me puffy in my cheeks and belly. There is so much more to being healthy than the numbers on the scale.