Don't believe in "Starvation Mode"?

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  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
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    I never eat mine
    obviously nothing has kept me from losing.
    According to your previous comments, you are also on a specific eating plan outside just using MFP to track your eating and activity. Your situation is different and doesn't really apply here!

    Every person loses differently so everyone has to do what works for them.
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
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    Actually I did. Twice. I was ignored both times. Most people don't want to be proven wrong though.
    Link?
  • unicorn19girl
    unicorn19girl Posts: 56 Member
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    This is a very true possibility.
  • SarahNicole317
    SarahNicole317 Posts: 302 Member
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    Actually I did. Twice. I was ignored both times. Most people don't want to be proven wrong though.
    Link?

    I did link it.
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
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    You mean the same link that says this?
    My opinion is, you should not go below your goal weight maintenance calories to lose weight, and you should do adequate research and dietary analysis to ensure you are getting the best nutrition you can for your calories.

    If reducing your calorie intake to goal weight maintenance creates greater than 1000 calorie a day deficit, then I strongly suggest that you do a value half-way until you have lost some of your weight.
  • SarahNicole317
    SarahNicole317 Posts: 302 Member
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    You mean the same link that says this?
    My opinion is, you should not go below your goal weight maintenance calories to lose weight, and you should do adequate research and dietary analysis to ensure you are getting the best nutrition you can for your calories.

    If reducing your calorie intake to goal weight maintenance creates greater than 1000 calorie a day deficit, then I strongly suggest that you do a value half-way until you have lost some of your weight.

    Notice he said "in my opinion". He didn't say according to this research study... The research within that articles states what I summarized and don't feel the need to type again.
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
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    You mean the research study done in Minnesota on a small group of men the same age over a short period of time? We're talking about people who have large deficeits for LONG periods of time -- months and months. That study was done over 3 days or a week and their metabolism dropped 10%. Imagine if they had reduced their calories below 50% for 3/4 months?
  • SarahNicole317
    SarahNicole317 Posts: 302 Member
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    I also believe that starvation is much different than what you describe as starvation mode... because I am sticking with what I know and saying that 'starvation mode' is more of a catch phrase.
  • kevbrinks
    kevbrinks Posts: 42 Member
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    Thank you MSF74. Excellent post.
  • amccrazgrl
    amccrazgrl Posts: 315 Member
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    Interesting topic like always.
    I have been doing MFP for 4 months and only down 10lbs. While my partner who does the same workout and eats the same thing has lost 20lbs. The only thing I can think is I'm 159 and shes 183 so her extra 30lbs more than me makes it easier for her to lose weight. I eat at least 1,200 calories everyday sometimes more my goal is at 13200. My BMR says 1420 right now. As irritating as it is I keep saying slow and steady is better so by a year of MFP I should be at 100% at my goal lost.
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
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    So this ONE link you've provided to back your view point -- the person who wrote it and who did all the research ended up just agreeing with what I'm saying in the first place. Funny how that works.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Shaun, there's always going to be someone that disagrees with your view, no matter how well thought out and backed up by solid research, I wouldn't let it get to you. If people read the original research, browse through the posts, and don't come up with the same conclusions, you did your best.

    trust me, I've been fighting this fight for years, and have learned to pick my battles.

    You know what the research says, I know what the research says, I know what people I've helped succeed tell me, and you will to.

    For reference, I don't think anyone on here debates the fact that many people's concept of starvation mode is incorrect, and that's where the whole "myth" thing comes in. Starvation mode is real, it happens, I can show you study after study proving that fact, it's what people think causes starvation mode, and what the body does in response to starvation mode that some folks are gravely mistaken about.
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
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    I can definitely agree with you on all points.
  • mfiggs
    mfiggs Posts: 155 Member
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    I never eat mine
    obviously nothing has kept me from losing.

    WOW! U look great! I have I have about 100-110 lbs to lose and You are such a motivation:) I worry about not eating my calories back too...I don't eat them!
  • kadye
    kadye Posts: 136 Member
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    I am about 25 pounds away from MY goal, which means nothing except is a weight I would like to weigh. I was eating at what I thought was a deficit and eating back some of my exercise calories. I lost nothing for 6 weeks. I then started weighing everything and only eating back about half of them once or twice a week. Most days, my net is around 1200. On my fasting days, my net is often 900-1000. I do, however try to get close to 100 grams of protein daily. My research on the subject has caused me to believe that it is the loss of muscle and lean mass that causes the slowing in metabolism and not the calorie restriction. I have lost one pound per week since then. I use a HRM, lift weights 3xweek and cardio 3xweek. I only log 100 calories less than what my HRM says I burned to account for what I would have burned anyway. All of this eating less has caused me to begin losing again. I know it is not lean mass because the amount I can lift goes up nearly every workout and I am seeing much more muscle definition.
    This is what works for me. I would never try to lecture that this will work for everyone. Maybe some people need to eat more to lose. That's what works for them. It just bothers me that when people eat below 1200 for one day on here, they get bombarded with posts telling them they are in "starvation mode". It may be a real thing, but it doesn't happen in one day. The same way that people who gain weight after one week walking on the treadmill get bombarded with posts telling them they are gaining muscle. Things don't happen that fast.
    I would bet that at least 80% of people who say they are eating 1200 a day and can't lose are really eating a lot more. When their attention is drawn to it and they say they're going to bump it up to 1400, they actually track better and really eat 1400. I just find it hard to believe that there are so many people that actually eat 1000-1200 calories a day, can't lose any weight.
  • neonpink
    neonpink Posts: 203 Member
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    bump
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
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    I very rarely net over 1000.I never eat my exercise calories I havent for a year.Im fine.developing muscle nicely,very healthy for an ex drug addict who smokes.I am not saying I dont believe in starvation mode im saying I dont believe there is a magic number that is the same for everyone,Because after a year I should be in starvation mode right?
    And if your just going to come back with a comment like "just wait you will be" you can go ahead and save it lol
    I have a dr that knows how im eating and have been nutritonalist I think if they say im fine I will listen to them and not some random people on the net who graduated top of their class in copying and pasting:happy:
  • krissisochor
    krissisochor Posts: 5
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    I'm confused!

    My brain is fuzzy from cold meds.... someone please explain this as simply as possible. I workout 5 days a week, sometimes more, and have been staying at around 1400 cals a day. So this is good right?
  • Lewzy
    Lewzy Posts: 54 Member
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    I have a question to ask about starvation mode because I'm starting to think my current plateau is to do with it...

    I started MFP in January and am down quite a bit already (as you can see from my counter!). My goal cals to begin with were 1,650 but obviously as I've lost more they've gone down and are now 1,400. I eat 1,400 a day always, and exercise around 5 days a week burning 300-400. I've been pretty much doing this since the beginning, but some days my net cals have been as low as 400/500 (the majority of the time however they net at around 1,000-1,100). I do eat back some of my exercise calories but some days I have say 600 calories left after I exercise. Since I go to the gym at night usually, and after dinner (around 7pm until 9pm) I obviously don't feel like eating back 600 calories so I usually eat 200-300 back max. Could my body be in starvation mode? I had a "cheat weekend" this weekend where I didn't count my calories at all for around 3 days after someone suggested I have a few high calorie days to try and get over the plateau (I'd estimate I had around 2,000 a day for 3 days straight) so I'm hoping that has given my metabolism a bit of a kick, I'll see in my weigh in on Friday morning. Any suggestions?
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Thanks for compiling all those links, including my post from yesterday seeking advice on this very topic! It's a hard concept to understand somethings that I really need to eat more. I've been focusing on it and trying to get my net calories for the day closer to 1200. I'm hoping my body starts to kick back into gear soon, I'm gonna keep moving forward with it.

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