The Starvation Myth

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  • andreamelo1
    andreamelo1 Posts: 161 Member
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    I don't know about starvation mode but I do know that I have lost SOOO much more weight eating a healthy amount rather than back when I used to try to starve myself. I think it has more to do with the fact that I have more energy and can go harder during workouts. On top of that, I LIKE eating so screw eating very little haha.
    Right, same here. And who wants to go on some miserable crash diet when they can get better results eating well
    DUH! ?
    Starvation diets don't work.
    Why?
    Because if your calorie deficit is too great, you can easily suffer from
    loss of muscle mass (slows down your metabolism) and impaired general progress.
    You have to find what is right for you but you also need to remember that your body
    is a machine and without the right type and amount of fuel there could be problems
    either with loss of muscle, loss of energy, less weight loss/plateaus, etc.

    Check out this topic:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/238282-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing-redux?hl=700+calories

    Don't fall into the crash diet trap. Stick with the MFP recommendations.
    Here's a great group right here on MFP:
    Eat More To Weigh Less
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    Join up and connect with other for support.
    Good Luck

    The american gangster at it again! Good stuff bro.

    i think you guys missed the point nowhere does it say about crash dieting i was mainly stating that you dont have to worry about going into starvation mode by simply eating a few less calories
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    This is the part from the article that I'm most familiar with and that I blame for never being able to maintain a healthy weight:

    "Over-restriction of calorie intake, known as high dietary restraint is linked to periods of overeating, hindering successful weight loss."

    I can and have eaten 500 calories or less a day to lose weight. Did I lose the weight eventually? Yep. Could I do it again? Sure, if I want to risk tooth loss, hair loss, and maybe death. I'm not as young as I used to be and my body may well have had just about enough of it.

    Even if I successfully go on this 500 cal a day diet and lose the rest of the weight, I know that on a diet like that, by the end of it, I'd think of nothing but food and food cravings from the minute I woke to the minute I went to sleep at night. It's a miserable way to live. Sure, diet pills could suppress my appetite, but eventually you have to come off them, and then the cravings would take over. It's not worth it.

    Do I think I must get 1200 calories a day every day or I'm doomed? No, but I do think it's best to stay around that range most of the time, and to get more when I exercise. Not necessarily all my exercise calories, but a chunk of them. Plus, it keeps me from feeling mean, dizzy, and weak.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Eat until you're full and then STOP. Don't eat just to fulfill some caloric goal of 1500 or whatnot. My opinion.

    This is something I struggle with. After years of over-eating, I am not able to know the difference between satisfying my hunger and eating until I'm full.
  • TexanThom
    TexanThom Posts: 778
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    Exercise calories----Eat some, leave some.
  • naples89
    naples89 Posts: 33 Member
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    For anyone still in support of the "starvation mode":

    You don't need to understand research studies or complicated biochem to understand why its bunk. Just ask yourself this

    Why on Earth would your body, while starving, turn the few calories you are taking in into fat and not use them!? Turning stuff into fat is when your body already has plenty of available energy.
  • avasano
    avasano Posts: 487 Member
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    I sometimes don't get over 600 calories, not cause I'm starving because I am eating a ton of protien. I don't think I am starving. Then again, I just don't know. I am confused. Maybe I should just give up and get lipo.
  • TriThreat
    TriThreat Posts: 313
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    if your body is continuously functioning throughout the day, you need to eat. that makes sense.

    if you don't eat enough calories for your body to keep functioning at a HEALTHY rate, isn't that dangerous to some degree? kinda like wanting your car to keep running without fuel?
  • KaidaKantri
    KaidaKantri Posts: 401
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    I think it's everyone for themselves. Find what works for yourself and that's it. I don't focus on eating back my exercise calories, or even making sure I eat to my BMR. I eat when I am hungry, and eat healthy foods when I am hungry, and that's that. If I know I might go out and get a treat with friends, I will make sure I exercise more than usual so that I don't worry about eating a treat and gaining any weight. It's working for me personally, but that doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone.
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
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    LOL, I so agree:)
    /grabs popcorn

    this should be interesting :)
  • nataliexxxx
    nataliexxxx Posts: 262
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    I don't believe starvation mode! People say eating around 1100 will cause you not to lose weight but thats not true
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
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    if your body is continuously functioning throughout the day, you need to eat. that makes sense.

    if you don't eat enough calories for your body to keep functioning at a HEALTHY rate, isn't that dangerous to some degree? kinda like wanting your car to keep running without fuel?

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS!
  • andreamelo1
    andreamelo1 Posts: 161 Member
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    I think it's everyone for themselves. Find what works for yourself and that's it. I don't focus on eating back my exercise calories, or even making sure I eat to my BMR. I eat when I am hungry, and eat healthy foods when I am hungry, and that's that. If I know I might go out and get a treat with friends, I will make sure I exercise more than usual so that I don't worry about eating a treat and gaining any weight. It's working for me personally, but that doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone.
    very good advice
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    if your body is continuously functioning throughout the day, you need to eat. that makes sense.

    if you don't eat enough calories for your body to keep functioning at a HEALTHY rate, isn't that dangerous to some degree? kinda like wanting your car to keep running without fuel?

    The car analogy only works if you have no body fat to spare. At 20 lbs. overweight, I have 20 x 3500 = 70,000 calories in my tank I'm trying to burn off.

    If I top off my tank each day with all my BMR calorie burn plus all my exercise calorie burn, what activity is left to burn off my excess? The calories I expend brushing my teeth and driving to the gym?

    No wonder people give up and want to turn to lipo. You don't need to walk this tiny tightrope between what is 'too few calories' vs. what is no longer a deficit.
  • andreamelo1
    andreamelo1 Posts: 161 Member
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    if your body is continuously functioning throughout the day, you need to eat. that makes sense.

    if you don't eat enough calories for your body to keep functioning at a HEALTHY rate, isn't that dangerous to some degree? kinda like wanting your car to keep running without fuel?

    The car analogy only works if you have no body fat to spare. At 20 lbs. overweight, I have 20 x 3500 = 70,000 calories in my tank I'm trying to burn off.

    If I top off my tank each day with all my BMR calorie burn plus all my exercise calorie burn, what activity left to burn off my excess? The calories I expend brushing my teeth and driving to the gym?

    well put
  • stephvaile
    stephvaile Posts: 298
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    i found this to hopefully explain how undereating effects the body
    I don't get how the whole "starvation mode" thing works. Ya know, how if you eat under so many calories a day, or none at all, your metabolism will go down and you wont lose weight? But if it's true, how are people with liKe anorexia nervosa so skinny?
    26 Replies (Because they keep eating less. When they eat more they gain weight because their metabolism is so slow.

    If you under eat, your metabolism adapts and is more energy efficient i.e. it shuts down non-essential processes to focus on keeping you alive with what little calories you give it. Because they eat like 300-500 cals a day and your body can only do so much to adapt to a starvation level of cals.

    I don't care for the term "starvation mode". Basically it is metabolic adaption and happens to all dieters to some degree. If your body considers itself in a famine, it will decrease the amount of cals you burn to a certain extent and start burning muscle instead of fat as it takes more to support and you can't have that if you are in a famine. There are also a whole lot of hormonal things that happen when you diet and your body tends to "defend" your starting weight. Someone who has "dieted down" to 140 lbs tends to burn less cals to maintain that 140 lbs then another person who is at that weight naturally and never dieted to get there. The whole process is very complex and everyone's body is differentActually not all anorexics actually eat that low. Some eat in the 500-1200 range and still end up very underweight and sick. If someone is tall then they need more calories naturally so if they normally maintain on 2000 or more then eating 1400 can lead to anorexia. Yes it is true that as your body adapts you have to eat less to keep losing because your body will fight to keep you alive. Also many anorexics actually have a hard time gaining. Sometimes the weight initially come on faster and then the metabolism will kick in and/or they become hyper-metabolic (metabolism goes into hyper burn essentially) and they need more to get to a healthy weight. Most end up needing 2000 or more calories to repair damage and restore weight.

    Also a person who is overweight who drops weight very quickly in an unhealthy manner can still be in the healthy weight range but suffer all the same effects as a person who is classed as anorexic. You can pack all the nutrients you want into your diet but if you don't eat enough your body doesn't have the fuel to use them efficiently. Basically eating as little as possible and losing as fast as possible puts strain on the body and can do damage. Slow and steady wins the race and keeps off the yo-yo ride.

    More important than the metabolism stalling out is the fact that if your body is not getting enough fuel it has to take it from your muscles and bones. You want to eat above your BMR but below your daily burn and exercise to maintain the muscle you have throughout the weight loss journey. Its not just about reaching a number its about attaining/maintaining a strong healthy body that will carry you for a lifetime.
  • mom2enlp
    mom2enlp Posts: 38 Member
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    I've actually taken several nutrition classes in the last year or so while finishing my degree, and every one of the textbooks agree that 1200 calories is the bare minimum we should be getting because that's what we need for basic body function. While I don't know about the accuracy of "starvation mode", my understanding is that consistently staying at a caloric intake that is significantly lower than that will have an adverse affect on one's metabolism and muscle mass, as well as making it difficult to find the energy to exercise regularly.

    I try to stick to about 1200-1300 calories a day - which can be difficult to reach sometimes because I really love raw veggies and have cut out the majority of high-calorie items from my diet - and I don't see the point of eating back my calories burned through exercise. That just seems counterproductive to me. When I reach a plateau, I adjust my exercise routine more than anything. My intention is no longer to get thin as quickly as possible, but to make changes so that my weight loss lasts.

    Just my opinion...good luck to everyone!
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
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    There is enough info out there that if an individual can't figure out what they need on their own then they are in trouble. No calculator can tell a person exactly what they need to lose weight and preserve or build muscle. Starvation Mode is not a myth, it is just a phrase started to represent what happens if a body is not fueled enough in order to "work" in a healthy and effective manner.

    Do what you want to figure out how your body will work in an effective manner. Try it with 500 calories a day and see how that works for you, try it with more or even less. Many of us will be here to watch and learn.

    denise:drinker: :drinker:
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    I've actually taken several nutrition classes in the last year or so while finishing my degree, and every one of the textbooks agree that 1200 calories is the bare minimum we should be getting because that's what we need for basic body function.

    And they say that with no caveats about "1200 net" or "eating back" or "don't eat below your BMR" or "fuel your workouts", I bet.
  • stephvaile
    stephvaile Posts: 298
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    and if you really think undereating as never killed anybody think about all the anerexics that have died because yes eventually your organs do give up so it makes sense that you give your body the fuel it needs i know that i would rather lose weight slower and healthier then go to bed on a night with that awful starving feeling in my stomach
  • moneill33
    moneill33 Posts: 11
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    Hi all,
    Since joining this site I've rarely posted but just wanted to say that after reading so many different threads with varying opinions on this subject i'm still confused. My MFP has calculated that I need 1440/1450 cals per day to lose 1- 11/2 pounds per week. i'm exercising prob about five days a week maybe more if you include the long walks on days off. I spoke with my personal trainer about eating back cals and she agreed with me that it was probably not necessary every day and to just take a sensible approach, if your body is shouting it's hungry then eat more. Most days I stick to the above amount regardless of my exercise and i'm generally never hungry. I just don't agree that we should eat for the sake of fulfilling a calorie goal. i'm definately taking the scenic route (approx 30 lbs lost - in a yr) but i'm really getting stronger and fitter so hopefully the rest will fall into place.
    Out of interest when I eat at higher amounts my weight either maintains or gradually increases, I really beleive that this journey is an individual one.

    Well done to all on here there are some very impressive and motivating stories.

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