Do you believe you can damage your metabolism by eating too

LizKurz

Google this below

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

I did google it and I read it, did anyone else?


The idea that "not eating enough" causes the body to stop losing weight because it goes into "starvation mode" is a popular myth among dieters.

Metabolism Slows During Calorie Restriction
Restricting calories during weight loss lowers metabolism1 because the body becomes more efficient, requiring fewer calories to perform the necessary daily functions for survival. Consequently, this can slow (but not stop) the anticipated rate of weight loss.

For example, if an individual needs 2,000 calories per day to maintain weight, reducing intake to 1,500 calories, assuming exercise stays the same, should provide a 1 pound per week weight loss (Note: 1 pound of weight is equivalent to about 3,500 calories). Furthermore, reducing to 1,000 calories should result in a weight-loss of 2 pounds per week and going down to 500 calories a day should result in a weight loss of 3 pounds per week. However, if an individual actually reduces their intake to 500 calories, the weight loss would not likely be a steady 3 pounds per week because of the reduced metabolic rate. It would likely be around 2 ¼ to 2 ½ pounds. This "lower than expected" rate of weight loss is a lot different than "no" weight loss as the "starvation mode" notion proposes.

It is unclear as to whether the relationship between reduced caloric intake and a lower metabolism follows a straight path or becomes more pronounced the greater the caloric reduction. Some studies have found no significant reduction in metabolism until the caloric restriction is quite large (e.g. 800 calories or less per day).2 Others suggest a linear relationship with small reductions in metabolism accompanying small reductions in caloric restriction, with the gap increasing as the caloric deficit is enlarged.

While there is no biologic evidence to support the "starvation mode" myth, there may be behavioral reasons why weight loss stops when calories are severely reduced. Over-restriction of calorie intake, known as high dietary restraint is linked to periods of overeating, hindering successful weight loss.3 (For more information on dietary restraint, read the Science Center article, The Skill of Flexible Restraint).

dvisser1

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?

Yes. Been in starvation mode before, long time ago when I was broke and couldn't afford enough food to eat properly. Basically ate once, maybe twice a day for a couple months. It takes a pretty severe reduction in calories to get into starvation mode. Your body tries to convert almost everything you eat into fat and will metabolize muscle to have energy. Your brain is one of the largest consumers of glucose in your body and will get priority for that glucose over your muscles. Starvation mode sucks.

greyrealm

The more often I eat and the closer I am to my recommended calorie goal, the more weight I lose. When my defecits are too big, the loss is much less.....

kskroch

I was on a medically supervised VLCD I was between 600 and 800 calories for 15 weeks. After that, the last 6 months I've been trying slowly to increase my calories and I'm in the 1400-1800 range now. Technically I should still be loosing weight, but I've gained back about 10 pounds from my low. My memory, energy level and endurance is still not what it should be. I can feel my metabolism is still not right. I hope it is not permanently damaged, but it is still certainly suppressed.

thank you very much for sharing this. It can be restored...it will be restored BUT you have to be willing to increase your calories to true maintenance and gain some weight back, otherwise you'll always be living on 1400-1800 (a weight loss amount for MOST men).

I'am slowly working on increasing both activity and calories.(I have also have/had some other back/pain issues including hip surgery). I'd like to lose another 20, but I think getting my activity/energy/strength is back is more important right now. It's going to take a while...

khutchinson1984

The body's metabolism actually slows down if you eat too little. This is 'starvation mode'; to conserve any and all energy. This is why you have to eat at least X amount of calories per day even when you are trying to lose weight. A nutritionist friend of mine explained exactly how this works and she noted that often people try to lose weight by dramatically dropping their calories...the metabolism slows and they can actually gain weight at lower calories. So no crash diets people :-)

Toddrific

You may not "believe" it, but it is true. There are tons of studies out there that prove it.
The damage to your metabolism isn't necessarily permanent, but it can linger from months to years.

adriana_hackney

I do believe it can and does happen to people.

meganmorsey

[/quote]
Nope, but I've read enough on it that I'm fairly confident that it's made up. The "Man Made" warming, that it.
[/quote]

Clearly you're not reading information from the right sources, i.e. peer-reviewed scientific journals.

FluttershySweetie

The person who posted the topic has deactivated her account....