Starvation mode hysteria

EatClenTrenHard

No such thing as starvation mode.

From peer-reviewed research article I can say that your body's metabolism slows down by 10%.

People should count calories very carefully

jennifershoo

jennifershoo

From the 'OP'

First, thank you all so much for the interesting and informative replies. What led me to post this subject is the fact that I burn 1000+ a day through exercise, every day. I take a day off when I feel tired, about once a month. People on here had me worrying about 'starvation mode' as I eat about 1500 cals a day, but burn 1000 - 1200 a day walking/running etc (measured via Polar FT4). I simply cannot eat-back my exercise calories (I know - another contentious subject). I have porridge and fruit for brekkie, home made veggie soup for lunch, and a reasonable evening meal. I snack on stuff like quark, yoghurt and grapes, but can't shove in 1000-1200 calories extra every day into my diet. So far I lost 27lbs over 12 months. Am I ill? I hope not...

Best wishes to all in your journey to better health and fitness!

regards,

David

Dude, you're not hungry because you've slowed down your metabolism soooooo much. That's what people are taking about here. Maybe ''starvation mode'' is not the proper term to use, but the fact is you're screwing your metabolism.

jennifershoo

No such thing as starvation mode.

From peer-reviewed research article I can say that your body's metabolism slows down by 10%.

People should count calories very carefully

I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want to slow down my metabolism by any percent. 10% is a LOT!!!

stormieweather

One million and two.


Never mind. Carry on.

:drinker: Here's to eating enough calories, but not too much and being active. :flowerforyou:

voliim

Your metabolism is how much energy you need to fuel your body, that changes with your weight and lbm.

The more you starve yourself the more you lose lbm, the lower your metabolism gets.

Sure, its broscience but its not hard to see.

EatClenTrenHard

Your metabolism is how much energy you need to fuel your body, that changes with your weight and lbm.

The more you starve yourself the more you lose lbm, the lower your metabolism gets.

Sure, its broscience but its not hard to see.

Thats why its important to do weightlifting. And record your sets/reps. It is important to eat protein in diet. probaly 40% protein, 30% fat, 30% carbs. eating fats is very important. Fat+Cholesterol = testosterone. Testosterone is required for muscle repair/hypertrophy.

LorinaLynn

From the 'OP'

First, thank you all so much for the interesting and informative replies. What led me to post this subject is the fact that I burn 1000+ a day through exercise, every day. I take a day off when I feel tired, about once a month. People on here had me worrying about 'starvation mode' as I eat about 1500 cals a day, but burn 1000 - 1200 a day walking/running etc (measured via Polar FT4). I simply cannot eat-back my exercise calories (I know - another contentious subject). I have porridge and fruit for brekkie, home made veggie soup for lunch, and a reasonable evening meal. I snack on stuff like quark, yoghurt and grapes, but can't shove in 1000-1200 calories extra every day into my diet. So far I lost 27lbs over 12 months. Am I ill? I hope not...

Best wishes to all in your journey to better health and fitness!

regards,

David

Dude, you're not hungry because you've slowed down your metabolism soooooo much. That's what people are taking about here. Maybe ''starvation mode'' is not the proper term to use, but the fact is you're screwing your metabolism.

This. I'm a rather small woman and ate about 1800-2000 a day (1350-1500 plus exercise calories) to lose 30# in about seven months. Men have a higher muscle mass and testosterone, which requires a lot more calories than a woman. Granted, I have a huge set of metaphoric testicles, but I don't think they produce nearly as much testosterone as the kind men have.

koutwater

Davd - I have to disagree. You can check my diary - I workout all the time (though injured these past 2 weeks - further adding ot my point!:) and eat right. I stick to a strict 1200 calorie diet. My scale was not moving (I'm 5'5" and now 132). My goal is 128. I was stuck. I upped my calories this past week by 200 a day and I dropped 1.5 lbs. I think there is some truth to having a "healthy" intake of cals in order for your body to work to burn them. (My own experience of course:) (Oh - and I wasn't working out!)

TexNut

I think the term is used for lack of a better word.... No one is using the term starvation mode in the context of not eating food for days on end, or some sort of famine diet..... They are basically using this term in the form when you run a large caloric deficit for sometime that it eventually will cause your metabolism to slow to the point that your weightloss stalls and you hit weeks of plateau's. That is the way I have used the term in the past and will continue too for lack of a better one....... And I don't use it because I eat to much but through trial and error I can tell you for me now I have to eat more to lose weight. I am in the camp of eating to fuel my workouts and I am losing a pound a week 32 months and 302 lbs. lost into this journey..... Just my 2 cents.......

Nicely said. My main kudos, however, are to you for your weight loss!! Way to go, brother!

fteale

I agree with the OP. I'm afraid I assume anyone who claims not to be losing weight on 700 cals a day for an extended period (NOT 2 days, I mean months) is either bedridden or lying about their diet. Probably the latter. Or not logging drinks, something simple like that.

If you eat 700 cals a day, you will lose weight. You just will. You won't be healthy, you won't maintain it once you up your calories, so it's pointless, and you will be putting your own AND your decedents future health at risk (did you know there are massively high rates of infertility and heart defects in the grandchildren of concentration camp victims, as a result of their grandparents starvation 70 years ago?), but you will lose weight.

jenifer7teen

From the 'OP'

First, thank you all so much for the interesting and informative replies. What led me to post this subject is the fact that I burn 1000+ a day through exercise, every day. I take a day off when I feel tired, about once a month. People on here had me worrying about 'starvation mode' as I eat about 1500 cals a day, but burn 1000 - 1200 a day walking/running etc (measured via Polar FT4). I simply cannot eat-back my exercise calories (I know - another contentious subject). I have porridge and fruit for brekkie, home made veggie soup for lunch, and a reasonable evening meal. I snack on stuff like quark, yoghurt and grapes, but can't shove in 1000-1200 calories extra every day into my diet. So far I lost 27lbs over 12 months. Am I ill? I hope not...

Best wishes to all in your journey to better health and fitness!

regards,

David

So you're netting 300-500 calories each day for your body to run all it's functions? And you have lost 27# in 12 months a year of doing this? I would say you're a living example of starvation mode, i.e. your metabolism slowing way down. Either that or you are chronically under-reporting calories eaten and over-reporting calories burned.

yeah... with all that working out, and eating so little losing about 2lbs a MONTH proves that it DOES exist (starvation mode=messed up metabolism).

fteale

BTW, I maintain at 1500 cals. I upped to 1600 as I thought I have a fairly active lifestyle so perhaps I should allow for that...and gained 4 lbs in 6 weeks, so I have reluctantly had to drop back to 1500.

Kassieisproud

I agree that your not going to go into starvation mode in just a few days It takes a week-two weeks of under eating for that to get started. However i dont think its an excuse for people to eat. Everyones body is built differently. I personally have a lot of muscle mass which believe it or not only takes a week of under eating For me to start losing I want to be fit not skinny So i have to eat enough to keep my muscles

Emilia6909

I agree with OP! I am relatively new on here and just about every post refers to SM. Challenge? .... let's find something else to bang on about! :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

yuckidah

If you're not losing weight, eat less or move more.

Unfortunately, as much as I agree that your statement seems logical, it simply doesn't work.
I have not eaten more than 1200 on any day for over 6wks and, although I initially lost a little, I am now GAINING weight.
As some one raised with the belief that it's as simple as 'energy in v energy out' and that the less you eat the thinner you'll be........I'm now about 100lbs heavier than I was before the word 'diet' came in to my life.
I truly believe that if I'd never started 'dieting' I would not be as fat as I am today, and I'd still have a metabolism that knows how to function properly.

Taymay75

bump

MrDude_1

i can only put it this way... 90% of all dieters fail. of the ones that actually do it, 90% of them gain all their weight (and sometimes more) back.
most people are not educated on the subject.... and they fail.



if you dont want the results of most people on here, dont listen to most people. dont do what they say. dont do what anyone says.

learn. understand. then apply.

MrDude_1

and for the record, MFP and sites like it are NOT the place to learn.

itontae

and for the record, MFP and sites like it are NOT the place to learn.

Where might the places to learn be ?