Confused.. Starvation mode?

SJSchwartz

Ok, so here's what I'm confused about.. If we are supposed to go into starvation mode if we eat too few calories, then how can something like gastric bypass surgery or lap-band surgery make someone lose weight? If, once a person has surgery, they can only eat very very little per day, what stops them from going into starvation mode? Or does this just kind of prove that there really isn't such thing as starvation mode? I've thought about this a lot and am very curious about it.

cmriverside

Those surgeries are for morbidly obese patients. They can have the same starvation response, but it is far better for them to get the weight off as quickly as possible, and they are under their doctor's watchful eye - not trying to lose 20 pounds on Myfitnesspal by not eating.

Apples and oranges.

Mindful_Trent

Starvation mode doesn't mean that you won't lose any weight - what's referred to as starvation mode on here really means that you've entered a state where your body is so used to getting so few calories that it decreases your metabolism (forces your body to run on fewer calories). This is bad, because it can slow weight loss but it also makes it easier to gain weight once you start eating normally. For example - if my body ran on 2200 calories now, but I went into starvation mode and now it only runs on 1600 calories/day, then eating 1800 calories per day will cause me to gain weight after starvation mode when it would help me lose weight before.

Here's a great post that explains the whole starvation mode thing: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/69708-calorie-deficit-for-dummies-a-little-long

Regarding weight loss patients, they don't always eat super low calories - they just can't eat a ton at any given time. My dad had WLS and has to eat less food at once but eats more often. He works to make sure that what he does eat has enough calories. Plus, as that post explains, starvation mode doesn't really apply to morbidly obese individuals, which is usually who WLS applies to.

Starvation mode won't happen right away, but only after an extended period of time with a higher deficit than the body can handle.

cmriverside

oops, boi and I had the same idea.

hpdoxi

I think it's just better in general to eat small meals 5-7 times per day and keep your metabolism going and then you tend not to overeat at any one time. If I only ate 1 time per day, man I would shovel it in and feel like crap afterwards. I have never understood starving yourself to loose weight, but for some that is what works I guess. But I feel that messes up your body in the long run and you could do damage to your system, nutrients, etc. etc.....I am no doctor or nutritionist, but that is what makes sense in my mind. But everyone's body is different.

LovinHISWORD

You can lose fast at first, but from what I understand you lose a lot of muscle when you lose fast and then when you stop losing it you gain twice as fast because muscle burns fat, and you've lost so much muscle. Much better to be a turtle in this race........