the myth, starvation mode, and dont eat before bed.

Options
145791019

Replies

  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    Options
    KillingAurora-- Thank you for inejcting some sanity into this silliness. Best part? People overestimate their activity levels and undercount their intake. I bet some people went to look up how many calories were burned responding on this topic so they could justify eating more food while continuing to ignore how they look naked in the mirror... sorry I insist that the sarcasm is necessary.

    I'm hungry right now; check out my profile pics, the pic with my hand in my pocket and my shirt on was taken early this month. I am about 5lbs light then that right now, I don't think I am wasting away from a muscle perspective. But I'm hungry because I continue to tweak and reduce my calories and most recently carb count. And I am not eating back my calories. My 4 highly intense BB & Power combo weight training workouts are still vigorous and plenty energetic. I have my bodyfat% (taken via calipers professionally), my weight, and pics to track my progress. And these increasing hunger pangs. I like to tell people this because it is true, it can be very hard and very easy to rationalize eating more. But this is working for me. Will it work for everyone? I'm not interested in proving that to people who very agilely will scour the net to selectively post studies against my thought. My message: Hey go put all that effort into achieving YOUR body image goals. Forget proving ME wrong. But after you post all this and that for and against anything and everything on the forums, go look in the mirror naked or in a binki or briefs and answer truthfully to yourself: Do you like what you see? Are you happy? Are you being honest? The frightening thing is that some people won't do this or will make exuses there too.

    Best wishes to all. Let's post more about what our actual progress is, and how we are doing it. Less and less about who is right and who is wrong. Don't you see, in the end, the proof is in YOUR mirror...

    That's what i keep on saying, "you can't argue with results". I am hungry too, i don't eat during the day... and you know i eat my meal at night. So i am glad you're hungry with me haha.
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    Options
    This whole starvation mode thing just confuses the hell out of me to be honest.

    I lose weight when I use more cals than I burn each week. I have set my amount to 1410 a day- but I usually go slightly over. Sometimes I eat 1800/1900 if I have exercised and still seem to lose- which makes me think you should eat back exercise calories.

    When I was in my twenties I went on a few very silly low cal diets and lost loads of weight- sometimes eating under 1000 cals a day and I definitely didn't go into starvation mode - in fact I was almost underweight at one point after losing a couple of stone. How come my body didn't just hold onto it all?

    Sorry I'm rambling now!

    See i don't know what your diet was like at that time or what. You said "low caloric diets" from my understanding these diets are mostly based around vegetables. hey in some forms can be considered low carb diets. Compared to know you didn't say anything about what type of calories you're eating. If you're eating back mostly protien, then that explains why eating back your calories why it works. Protien releases glucagon which is a hormone that releases body fat. If you have been eating high carbs through the day, then exercise, and then eat protien... that would help in weight loss.

    I am just saying there are many factors that come in to play when discussing starvation mode.
  • jansus
    jansus Posts: 58 Member
    Options
    I hate the whole term "starvation mode" in terms of those in the world who are starving I just find it insulting.

    However I have two simple questions to ask.

    If it is purely a case of calories in and out - why is there a well known british slimming club on which you can eat lean meat fruit and veg freely ( so you are bound to go over calories recommended on here - that works?

    also irrespective of excercise ( and i know I am hypothyroid) if I am sticking to 1300 net calories per day - why have my scales been stuck for about 9 weeks?
  • webbed1
    webbed1 Posts: 86
    Options
    jansus, the beauty of counting and tracking calories accurately is that you have a great base to test a hypothsis; in your case, stuck on the scale for 9 weeks, yet you've been diligently sticking to that calorie count. So go try a modest increase, make sure there is quality protein in that increase, and run that for 4 weeks and see what happens. You have the basis for effectively answering this question for yourself. I mean, you can only do 3 things right? Reduce calories, see what happens, maintain, increase.
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    Options
    I hate the whole term "starvation mode" in terms of those in the world who are starving I just find it insulting.

    However I have two simple questions to ask.

    If it is purely a case of calories in and out - why is there a well known british slimming club on which you can eat lean meat fruit and veg freely ( so you are bound to go over calories recommended on here - that works?

    also irrespective of excercise ( and i know I am hypothyroid) if I am sticking to 1300 net calories per day - why have my scales been stuck for about 9 weeks?

    Okay i am glad you brought up that point. A lot of people think it's just about calories, it is and it isn't. The club you mentioned, notice it's low carbs. It's about your fat releasing abilities. There was this study where people at 1000calories from carbs a day, and they didn't lose any weight. Carbs play a big issue in this. I am not recommending to anyone a low carb diet, more of watchful of carb diet.
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    Options
    jansus, the beauty of counting and tracking calories accurately is that you have a great base to test a hypothsis; in your case, stuck on the scale for 9 weeks, yet you've been diligently sticking to that calorie count. So go try a modest increase, make sure there is quality protein in that increase, and run that for 4 weeks and see what happens. You have the basis for effectively answering this question for yourself. I mean, you can only do 3 things right? Reduce calories, see what happens, maintain, increase.

    That's what i am starting to see, I think there are people on this site who lie to themselves about their portions. Or what they ate exactly, like a world of delusion. I am currently not counting my calories, i am estimating. I try to estimate high. Once my weight loss stops, i will go to counting calories, I have done it many times in the past.

    Another thing to do is, this is about learning what works best for your body, The best thing to do is, to see how certain foods affect your weight loss... increase your carbs a bit see what happens, lower your carbs a bit see what happens, up your fats, lower your fats, do the same with protien, find the proper combination for you.
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    Options
    jansus, the beauty of counting and tracking calories accurately is that you have a great base to test a hypothsis; in your case, stuck on the scale for 9 weeks, yet you've been diligently sticking to that calorie count. So go try a modest increase, make sure there is quality protein in that increase, and run that for 4 weeks and see what happens. You have the basis for effectively answering this question for yourself. I mean, you can only do 3 things right? Reduce calories, see what happens, maintain, increase.

    That's what i am starting to see, I think there are people on this site who lie to themselves about their portions. Or what they ate exactly, like a world of delusion. I am currently not counting my calories, i am estimating. I try to estimate high. Once my weight loss stops, i will go to counting calories, I have done it many times in the past.

    Another thing to do is, this is about learning what works best for your body, The best thing to do is, to see how certain foods affect your weight loss... increase your carbs a bit see what happens, lower your carbs a bit see what happens, up your fats, lower your fats, do the same with protien, find the proper combination for you.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Options
    I am not recommending to anyone a low carb diet, more of watchful of carb diet.

    Oh my...if you delete all the crap surrounding it...you and I agree for once =D.

    It's progress!
  • stefanwolf
    stefanwolf Posts: 11 Member
    Options
    My personal experience is a little of a mix of those opinions. Before using this website, we had a bit of a Biggest Loser contest at my work, and I won by loosing 30 pounds. I did that by exercising and eating no more than 1200 calories a day. I still have weight I would like to loose, but I can say that it absolutely does not come off when I eat back my exercise calories. There is a lot of discussion on here and back and forth opinions, but I can say that no matter what anyone else says about needing to eat the extra calories, that does not work for me. However, I don't choose to go back to all those people and say that they are wrong, because they may not be wrong about what works for them. The other thing I have noticed is how many people recommend just looking at the calorie number instead of the quality of food they put in there mouth. If anything about this website has been extremely clear, everyone has their own method and opinion on what works for them. And I also have noticed that as stated by someone else, there is a study for EVERYTHING!! The fact is some people's bodies are obviously able to cope with eating a restrictive calorie diet, and some people's bodies can't.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    Options
    People should really only trust verified scientific studies, not a bunch of anonymous strangers on a message board who say something is a myth or is true.
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    Options
    People should really only trust verified scientific studies, not a bunch of anonymous strangers on a message board who say something is a myth or is true.

    Scientific studies can be highly misleading and interpenetrated wrong.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Options
    People should really only trust verified scientific studies, not a bunch of anonymous strangers on a message board who say something is a myth or is true.

    Scientific studies can be highly misleading and interpenetrated wrong.

    So can all the magazines you read...making you an internet expert.
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    Options
    People should really only trust verified scientific studies, not a bunch of anonymous strangers on a message board who say something is a myth or is true.

    Scientific studies can be highly misleading and interpenetrated wrong.

    So can all the magazines you read...making you an internet expert.

    Yes I read pump magazine article today, It said you're wrong. I don't think for myself I can't add 2 and 2 together and i come up with bogus theories based on illogical relationships. I let other people guide my thinking, and believe everything i hear and read, despite the fact of how it affects me physical and others.

    My newest theory is, people who eat below 1200 calories are in starvation mode, it doesn't matter if they mostly eat carbs proteins or a balanced diet. Even though studies have concluded a 1000 calorie a day diet based on pure carbs, didn't have much effect on weight loss. Yeah you're right it's starvation mode, not a macro nutrient ratio issue.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Options
    Yes I read pump magazine article today, It said you're wrong. I don't think for myself I can't add 2 and 2 together and i come up with bogus theories based on illogical relationships. I let other people guide my thinking, and believe everything i hear and read, despite the fact of how it affects me physical and others.

    My newest theory is, people who eat below 1200 calories are in starvation mode, it doesn't matter if they mostly eat carbs proteins or a balanced diet. Even though studies have concluded a 1000 calorie a day diet based on pure carbs, didn't have much effect on weight loss. Yeah you're right it's starvation mode, not a macro nutrient ratio issue.

    You actually don't know for sure what I believe, because I don't totally spout it all over the place as gospel truth...particularly if it might be dangerous to others. I know eating more is safe, and for the majority (most likely ALL people, if they do it right) of people it WORKS FINE.

    End of story.

    I also know that your posts are irresponsible, potentially harmful, insulting, and in general a waste of time. If it wasn't for the fact that without an opposing viewpoint they could harm others...my squirrel brain and I would ignore them completely.

    Cris
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
    Options
    Starvation mode is very real. Technically if we are burning up our stored reserve energy, ie, bodyfat and glycogen because we have a negative balance of energy, we are in a way starving.
    Yeah "Starvation" is not too PC when some people don't have enough food to eat. IT should be "metabolism Slow-Down Mode" or something like that.

    It's not as drastic as some think and it takes a while before it's a real issue.

    For example if I ate only 500 calories today, my metabolism wouldn't just drop me into a starvation state, but after one day it would slow down a bit simply because I am metabolizing less food than normal, and the metabolism of food is part of RMR.

    Now if we eat too little for too long, we run the risk of losing muscle mass, and this also happens if we don't eat enough protein and too many carbohydrates. More carbs typically inhibit fat oxidation. If we drop muscle mass, we drop metabolism.

    The big problem is long-term dieting, when our hormones get involved and our body has a large drop in leptin and t3, which does happen when we have a large calorie deficit for a long period of time.

    Personally, no one can ever tell me it's just a myth, that is bogus. I've lived it.
    I know beyond reasonable doubt that it's true, and if it isn't then I must have magical powers or something, because I eat more now and exercise less than when I was over 300lbs.

    The 2nd part of the OP post is spot on, it is far better for fat-loss to limit carbs throughout the day and eat more calories at night.
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    Options
    I call it my main meal, it's within 2hrs...
    muscle milk protien shake 2 scoops 280 calories
    tortilla 120 calories
    Hot dog 180 calories
    A small bag of peanuts 290
    Burrito 975
    chips ahoy 6 cookies 320
    Peanut butter cup 300
    A smoothie(pineapple, mixed fruit apple juice) 160
    1lbs of cod 368

    This has been my favorite post in this thread. I hit 2,400 in a meal today on garlic knots, a giant steak, veggies and eggs. 190g of carbs, 90g of fat, 190g of protein. 8g of sugar.

    How's your diet working out for you?
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Options
    KillingAurora-- Thank you for inejcting some sanity into this silliness. Best part? People overestimate their activity levels and undercount their intake. I bet some people went to look up how many calories were burned responding on this topic so they could justify eating more food while continuing to ignore how they look naked in the mirror... sorry I insist that the sarcasm is necessary.

    I'm hungry right now; check out my profile pics, the pic with my hand in my pocket and my shirt on was taken early this month. I am about 5lbs light then that right now, I don't think I am wasting away from a muscle perspective. But I'm hungry because I continue to tweak and reduce my calories and most recently carb count. And I am not eating back my calories. My 4 highly intense BB & Power combo weight training workouts are still vigorous and plenty energetic. I have my bodyfat% (taken via calipers professionally), my weight, and pics to track my progress. And these increasing hunger pangs. I like to tell people this because it is true, it can be very hard and very easy to rationalize eating more. But this is working for me. Will it work for everyone? I'm not interested in proving that to people who very agilely will scour the net to selectively post studies against my thought. My message: Hey go put all that effort into achieving YOUR body image goals. Forget proving ME wrong. But after you post all this and that for and against anything and everything on the forums, go look in the mirror naked or in a binki or briefs and answer truthfully to yourself: Do you like what you see? Are you happy? Are you being honest? The frightening thing is that some people won't do this or will make exuses there too.

    Best wishes to all. Let's post more about what our actual progress is, and how we are doing it. Less and less about who is right and who is wrong. Don't you see, in the end, the proof is in YOUR mirror...

    Now this, is a responsible post, unlike ascriminal's wild claims of conspiracy theories and falsehoods.

    And while I know you weren't pointing at me =D....I wanted to say, I actually take the time to look into the mirror EVERY day, and critique the specific things I don't like...while praising myself for the things I do like. I generally will take pictures as well...to track progress...which can be highly subjective to the naked eye.

    Here is todays (apologies if it's offensive to anyone...I had to crop it low to fit my big belly...which looks even bigger in the light from my bathroom lol =p):

    7434194_598.jpg

    There's parts of that I'm happy with, and parts I'm not. I know that the 1500 calorie diet (my maintenance is around 2300) MFP recommended had me stuck at 187lbs for three weeks. I didn't like that, so I switched it up, upped my calories, and started zig zagging them. We'll see how the results work out come Monday. I also know that every time I have EVER lost weight in my life...I took the time to eat substantially more food than I was before (including the entire month before I found MFP, in which I lost almost 20lbs).

    Here's the before picture:

    7434194_4705.jpg

    That's 20lbs of fat around my middle.
    jansus, the beauty of counting and tracking calories accurately is that you have a great base to test a hypothsis; in your case, stuck on the scale for 9 weeks, yet you've been diligently sticking to that calorie count. So go try a modest increase, make sure there is quality protein in that increase, and run that for 4 weeks and see what happens. You have the basis for effectively answering this question for yourself. I mean, you can only do 3 things right? Reduce calories, see what happens, maintain, increase.

    Again, totally responsible and intelligent reply. It's clear that safety and moderation rule your advice to others my friend, and you have my respect for that.

    Cris
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    Options
    Starvation mode is very real. Technically if we are burning up our stored reserve energy, ie, bodyfat and glycogen because we have a negative balance of energy, we are in a way starving.
    Yeah "Starvation" is not too PC when some people don't have enough food to eat. IT should be "metabolism Slow-Down Mode" or something like that.

    It's not as drastic as some think and it takes a while before it's a real issue.

    For example if I ate only 500 calories today, my metabolism wouldn't just drop me into a starvation state, but after one day it would slow down a bit simply because I am metabolizing less food than normal, and the metabolism of food is part of RMR.

    Now if we eat too little for too long, we run the risk of losing muscle mass, and this also happens if we don't eat enough protein and too many carbohydrates. More carbs typically inhibit fat oxidation. If we drop muscle mass, we drop metabolism.

    The big problem is long-term dieting, when our hormones get involved and our body has a large drop in leptin and t3, which does happen when we have a large calorie deficit for a long period of time.

    Personally, no one can ever tell me it's just a myth, that is bogus. I've lived it.
    I know beyond reasonable doubt that it's true, and if it isn't then I must have magical powers or something, because I eat more now and exercise less than when I was over 300lbs.

    The 2nd part of the OP post is spot on, it is far better for fat-loss to limit carbs throughout the day and eat more calories at night.

    I agree with you, I think this it's misinterpreted what i said. The myth is "how starvation mode works."
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    Options
    I call it my main meal, it's within 2hrs...
    muscle milk protien shake 2 scoops 280 calories
    tortilla 120 calories
    Hot dog 180 calories
    A small bag of peanuts 290
    Burrito 975
    chips ahoy 6 cookies 320
    Peanut butter cup 300
    A smoothie(pineapple, mixed fruit apple juice) 160
    1lbs of cod 368

    This has been my favorite post in this thread. I hit 2,400 in a meal today on garlic knots, a giant steak, veggies and eggs. 190g of carbs, 90g of fat, 190g of protein. 8g of sugar.

    How's your diet working out for you?

    Workings great 15lbs in 2 weeks, what about you?
    Here is the problem with most people on these subjects,they jump to conclusions, i never said I ate that every day. I know what I am doing with my diet.