Do you believe you can damage your metabolism by eating too

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  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
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    Sorry I'm late guys.
    -straps in-

    Hi, I killed my metabolism not eating enough during the week and then eating a huge calorie surplus in CRAP every weekend for the last 7 years and never exercising.
    I was always pissy, tired, achey or sick.
    I thought that because I ate so little during the week, I wouldn't put on weight, but I did. It crept up and up until I was nearly 250lb.
    I started at 1200cal and at first that was fine. Then I started to get hungry. REALLY hungry. Even with eating my exercise cals back. I went up to 1500, that worked for a few weeks and then I stopped losing.
    I now eat just above my BMR (1750-somthing) and eat back all my exercise calories when I can (I have a HRM) and I lost a little more.
    I'm going to calculate my TDEE once my schoolwork is done, and decide the next level I should up my cals to.
    I have nearly repaired my metabolism, and it has taken months and months. It's still really hard for me to eat all I need to eat in a day, but I'm doing it because I want to be healthy and happy and strong.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    Do you believe you can damage your metabolism by eating too little.

    I don't. I don't believe there is anything such thing as 'starvation mode' either.

    What thinks all of you?

    Thank you for that correction. Being low-carb (this worked best for my body) when I see VLC that is what I see: "very low carb".
    But what you said makes more sense.

    Maybe call it "hibernation mode"? I think there is some truth to it but still think it has more to do with a lack of nutrients than a lack of calories. It's a normal biological response.

    I can eat 1,000 calorie of real, whole, natural foods and meet the RDA requirements. Of course, I don't put much into those numbers either. The %s are based on either 2000 or 2500 calories. My body doesn't need 2000 calories a day.

    I don't believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny either but people on VLCDs can experience a significant loss of lean muscle mass which in turn lowers their BMR. It's not a matter of faith, it's a fact. It doesn't happen overnight but it does happen.

    Not true. I follow a very low carb diet and just watched my daily calorie burn take a jump. As long as you are getting enough protein/fat your body won't eat into your muscle mass. I make sure also to get enough protein so that if my body needs to make glucose it will from protein.

    I also don't eat VLC processed crap. As long as you are giving your body the nutrients it needs your metabolism won't slow down.
    "If you can't pick, dig or spear it, don't eat it. Mostly spear".
    (gnolls.org)

    I'm pretty sure he meant very low calorie diet not carb diet considering we are talking about starvation mode in this topic.
  • o_delaisse
    o_delaisse Posts: 193 Member
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    umm then why are there eating disorders? This is not the smartest post....Do you know your brain itself needs a certain amount of calories to even function? But please do go ahead and starve yourself!.................
    Wow, how about being nice.

    Agreed...This is suppose to be a support website...We shouldn't critique those who aren't as knowledged in certain subjects, just help them to gain information...

    Hope everyone else is having a great Easter weekend though!! :)

    Honestly, I'm usually the first person who at least wonders, "why on earth are people being so nasty?", but I've got to say - the attitude of some people on here offends me. Fact is, saying you can't damage your metabolism, denying "starvation mode" or whatever is denying people's experience. It's just rude, to be honest. All very well asking for advice, saying when you don't understand something, asking for clarification, but time and time again I read this - people say you can't damage your metabolism, eating more does not work, eating under 1000 is ok, and the rest of us who are trying our best to be healthy are ignored and have our experiences invalidated. Every day. Every single day on here.

    I get people want to do it their own way. I get that I will never agree with some people. I get that people on here are wrong even when they're trying to be healthy. But I think people who are rude to other people on forums sometimes are at the stage where I am now. Some people are trying to repair damaged metabolisms and get over a bad relationship with food. Reading someone say they don't believe that you can damage your metabolism or starvation is a myth flat out offends me, and if I was inclined, I'd be writing some pretty mean things on here as well. Making the effort to be polite, but I am done with having my experiences denied and invalidated.
  • todayiwillfly
    todayiwillfly Posts: 9
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    Do you believe you can damage your metabolism by eating too little.

    I don't. I don't believe there is anything such thing as 'starvation mode' either.

    What thinks all of you?

    I don't believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny either but people on VLCDs can experience a significant loss of lean muscle mass which in turn lowers their BMR. It's not a matter of faith, it's a fact. It doesn't happen overnight but it does happen.

    Christ on a cracker, THIS. Exactly this.

    It's like how people "don't believe" in global warming, or other scientifically based facts.

    Math and science are not something you can "choose" to believe in. Really.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    Do you believe you can damage your metabolism by eating too little.

    I don't. I don't believe there is anything such thing as 'starvation mode' either.

    What thinks all of you?

    I don't subscribe to the "starvation mode" theory. I've read articles challenging it, and very obese people have lost weight on very low-calorie diets. Of course they were monitored. and/or in the hospital. People in the military have been put on low-cal diets and asked to perform strenuous physical activity and it took something like a month for their bodies to call on muscle tissue. The ordinary person will never be in that situation.

    An article I read in the New York Times a couple of months ago described a theory holding that gaining huge amounts of weight might make it much more difficult to lose weight because of the way the body adapts, although I don't know if the metabolism is actually "damaged."
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    There have been ream upon ream of studies of "yoyo" dieters, folks who get their weight down using very low calorie diets, go back to eating normally, gain it back, repeat ad nauseum.

    I've read articles saying that many people resume their old, unhealthy habits after losing weight. They eat more calories than they need and their insufficiently active. That's why their weight goes up and down. They're unwilling to make permanent lifestyle changes.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    Click Search then type "Starvation" and read one of a billion posts on it.
  • angieleighbyrd
    angieleighbyrd Posts: 989 Member
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    If there wasn't such thing as starvation mode then we could all go anorexic.

    With that being said, I do think the calorie content for starvation mode is different depending on the individual.
  • angieleighbyrd
    angieleighbyrd Posts: 989 Member
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    There have been ream upon ream of studies of "yoyo" dieters, folks who get their weight down using very low calorie diets, go back to eating normally, gain it back, repeat ad nauseum.

    I've read articles saying that many people resume their old, unhealthy habits after losing weight. They eat more calories than they need and their insufficiently active. That's why their weight goes up and down. They're unwilling to make permanent lifestyle changes.

    This is why I refuse to "diet". If I diet, it sounds too temporary, and I don't want to get to my goal and fall back into my old habits and gain it all back. I am not dieting, I have made a permanent change in my eating habits.
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
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    Do you believe you can damage your metabolism by eating too little.

    I don't. I don't believe there is anything such thing as 'starvation mode' either.

    What thinks all of you?

    I know that when I was eating a 1200 calories, nothing was changing, my weight held on. When on the advice of a friend I increased my calories some, the weight started coming off. I am 5'2" and would not want to have to eat only 1200 calories a day for the rest of my life anyhow. You can eat a decent amount of food and still lose weight. And yes, due to my experiences I do believe in starvation mode.
  • plarcade
    plarcade Posts: 125 Member
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    I do, but I don't think a few days of undereating will do it and I also think that it recovers pretty quickly as well.
  • liftingheavy
    liftingheavy Posts: 551 Member
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    Do you believe you can damage your metabolism by eating too little.

    I don't. I don't believe there is anything such thing as 'starvation mode' either.

    What thinks all of you?

    Do I believe in "starvation mode" yes. Do I believe you are starving yourself when you NET 1200 calories a day? No.
  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
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    Sorry I'm late guys.
    -straps in-

    Hi, I killed my metabolism not eating enough during the week and then eating a huge calorie surplus in CRAP every weekend for the last 7 years and never exercising.
    I was always pissy, tired, achey or sick.
    I thought that because I ate so little during the week, I wouldn't put on weight, but I did. It crept up and up until I was nearly 250lb.
    I started at 1200cal and at first that was fine. Then I started to get hungry. REALLY hungry. Even with eating my exercise cals back. I went up to 1500, that worked for a few weeks and then I stopped losing.
    I now eat just above my BMR (1750-somthing) and eat back all my exercise calories when I can (I have a HRM) and I lost a little more.
    I'm going to calculate my TDEE once my schoolwork is done, and decide the next level I should up my cals to.
    I have nearly repaired my metabolism, and it has taken months and months. It's still really hard for me to eat all I need to eat in a day, but I'm doing it because I want to be healthy and happy and strong.

    Thanks for posting this. I am taking the same method to reparations, currently eating my TDEE - 500 per day. I have gained a bit, which is to be expected, but I'm hoping to see some loss soon! Your post made me feel better about my approach. Good luck to you!!
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    Thank you all for correcting me. I swear it isn't the lack of carbs in my brain. It was the bottle of wine I had last night!!
  • irenep22
    irenep22 Posts: 59
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    i agree , youre 100% right.
  • doubglass
    doubglass Posts: 314 Member
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    Of course you can.
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
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    Yes, it's possible depending on how low the calories are. There are some people who maintain bodyweight on 800 and will gain weight on anything higher.

    Bodybuilders who diet down to 3-4% BF run the risk of metabolic damage.

    There's a difference between these people and people who are eating at a 500-1000 calorie deficit. You aren't damaging your metabolism dieting down to 10% for men and 16% for women.
  • Inebriated
    Inebriated Posts: 271
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    Yes. I used to eat 0-300 calories a day and not lose weight sometimes. When I started eating around 500-800, I gained weight. Then at 1000-1300 I gained even more. Your metabolism will slow down to accommodate what little amounts you're eating, it did with mine. It obviously won't happen overnight but it can over an extended period of time.
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
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    So...... you don't think there is such a thing as starvation? :/ It's a medical fact, not something you "believe" in or not. You eat too little, you will starve. Many people in third world countries and many homeless in others die from this everyday....
  • Todayiwillfly2
    Todayiwillfly2 Posts: 1
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    Google this below

    Weight WATCHERS-ARTICLE-There-is-no-such-thing-as-starvation-mode!
    .......

    I have reasons for my opinions. I wanted to hear opinions, and personal experiences, not angry insults and it is too bad that some of you had to take that approach.

    I have
    Read many studies on the subject and formed my opinion. I have been heavy and I have been very thin. I have no personal experience with a damaged metabolism. If I eat too much I gain, if I eat less I lose weight.

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