"Starvation Mode"

MrsWonderland

For 3yrs I havent wanted to really eat much, my husband and I have been only having one meal a day. I began loosing energy and have been very depressed but yet I kept gaining weight. I couldnt figure out why I could gain so much weight. Well the doctor I have been seeing to lose weight told me I have been in a starvation mode. I have been working harder to eat more, and have lost 5lbs in 2weeks. I havent lost weight in a long time so I believe the starvation mode is true.

My sister became very depressed after my brother passed away she was always small, she wasnt able to eat much for a few weeks and she looks anorexic. We thought we was going to loose her because of it but thankfully shes eating again and looking better.

I guess everybodys body reacts differently.

NewAngel35

straight to the point .I agree

monty619

when you eat less... the metabolism gradually slows down. end of story call it what you want.

NewAngel35

Speaking only for me, i have no choice. I GAIN at 1200 or above. I tried the metabolism reset. After 5 weeks at at TDEE i tried eating a "reasonable " amt for a few weeks and kept gaining No thyroid or med issues. I WISH i could eat more and still lose. Maybe others are in the same boat as me

I totally agree. I have the same problem

windycitycupcake

if you are overweight and eat less than 1200 calories a day and exercise you will continue to lose weight and anyone who tells you that you wont is LYING.

Not long term you won't. And I beg to differ but I am not lying. Care to explain to me how I ate at this large deficit for the past 16 years yet am still overweight?

i said in my post, not long term that was in the second part that you didn't quote. you will lose weight but it is very temporary and you will probably gain it all back if you starve yourself.

i know this because i DID this ten years ago and lost 50 lbs in a month. then gained it all back immediately and had to lose it back the hard way, over the course of a year. then i kept it off for almost 12 years until now.

i don't know why you are over weight but if you are eating ridiculously low calories (500-700 per day) and working out every day you WILL 100% for sure lose weight...and muscle. and pass out and get kidney stones. and then gain it all back. it's not healthy.

NewAngel35

its a very interresting debat!.I guess everyone is unique.We all need different amounts.I can only speak for myself.I definately am one of those people with a slower metabolism.I have to work hard to loose.Whether or not this starvation mode exists..?who knows.I can say having a low calorie diet for many years has made it harder to loose weight.Each time having to go to more extreme lenghts.So I believe my body remembers this and fights me.So there must be some truth in it.

blackcoffeeandcherrypie

Very interesting, thank you :-)

crazyvermont

I'm not really familiar with the study you cited, but have a slightly different perspective. Started out last November with over 100 pounds needing to be lost and began working out daily. Initially lost substantial weight; then found myself plateauing. It seemed like the only time I was losing any weight was when misssing the gym for two or three consecutive days. My trainer started monitoring my intake vs exercise and found out some days I was netting less than 1000 calories. She bumped up my intake and and I began to lose weight again. Came to this site to help me monitor daily.

photoloco

Defiantly not a myth. If I eat less than I should I will GAIN.

llsand

... On extreme caloric deficits, the body will not decrease its metabolism enough to cause a plateau.

Three words for you: You are wrong.

I've lived it for 16 years.

Backstory: 16 years ago I had stomach surgery (not gastric bypass - surgery to re-create the sphincter muscle be prevent acid from splashing back into the esophagus because the one I was born with no longer worked). The way the surgery works is to wrap the top of the stomach around the bottom of the esophagus re-creating this muscle. Because of this, my stomach cannot expand. I can only eat a finite amount of food at each meal. Before joining MFP and realizing what I was dealing with, I was averaging well below 1200 calories - generally below 1,000 most days. Yet I am still over weight. But according to the two previous posters...this is impossible. And yet, I'm living proof. I am an active 49 yr old woman. I take Tae Kwon Do classes 2 - 3 times a week. Yet I am still overweight. And you want to tell me it's not possible? You're wrong.

Since re-starting MFP in August and reading some wonderful posts from Helloitsdan, Determinednoob, SHBoss1673 and jacksonpt, I now understand what it is that has been happening to me and why. I have been slowly increasing my caloric intake by eating 6 times a day and drinking protein shakes and all of a sudden, I'm losing weight. I have complained to my doc for the last 16 years that I have no energy, that I don't feel well, that I can't lose weight. Sadly, he never made the connection. Since upping my calories I have energy now, I feel so much better and I'm losing weight. Fitting in enough calories during the day is hard but the results speak for themselves.

x_JT_x

I was interested in your story and looked at your diary. One thing that immediately caught my eye is the level of protein. You are pretty much on a high protein diet with low fat and sodium intake (you are doing amazing by the way). What I’m saying is that it looks a lot like my daily diet (didn’t look at the detail but the numbers) and I’m on the Dukan diet which is basically a high protein diet. On this diet, you eat natural lean protein so your body needs a lot of energy to break everything down and therefore burns a lot more to digest. This is what makes this diet work, nothing else. And if you look at my numbers, you’ll see that we average close to the same thing almost everyday (every single macro) and I’m losing consistently. Although it is not what you are on, the fact that the protein is so high most days and the fat low, I think that it might also be a big factor in your weight loss.

In any case, I’m glad that you finally found guidance after so many years of doubt and that you are feeling better everyday

x_JT_x

... On extreme caloric deficits, the body will not decrease its metabolism enough to cause a plateau.

Three words for you: You are wrong.

I've lived it for 16 years.

Backstory: 16 years ago I had stomach surgery (not gastric bypass - surgery to re-create the sphincter muscle be prevent acid from splashing back into the esophagus because the one I was born with no longer worked). The way the surgery works is to wrap the top of the stomach around the bottom of the esophagus re-creating this muscle. Because of this, my stomach cannot expand. I can only eat a finite amount of food at each meal. Before joining MFP and realizing what I was dealing with, I was averaging well below 1200 calories - generally below 1,000 most days. Yet I am still over weight. But according to the two previous posters...this is impossible. And yet, I'm living proof. I am an active 49 yr old woman. I take Tae Kwon Do classes 2 - 3 times a week. Yet I am still overweight. And you want to tell me it's not possible? You're wrong.

Since re-starting MFP in August and reading some wonderful posts from Helloitsdan, Determinednoob, SHBoss1673 and jacksonpt, I now understand what it is that has been happening to me and why. I have been slowly increasing my caloric intake by eating 6 times a day and drinking protein shakes and all of a sudden, I'm losing weight. I have complained to my doc for the last 16 years that I have no energy, that I don't feel well, that I can't lose weight. Sadly, he never made the connection. Since upping my calories I have energy now, I feel so much better and I'm losing weight. Fitting in enough calories during the day is hard but the results speak for themselves.

x_JT_x

I was interested in your story and looked at your diary. One thing that immediately caught my eye is the level of protein. You are pretty much on a high protein diet with low fat and sodium intake (you are doing amazing by the way). What I’m saying is that it looks a lot like my daily diet (didn’t look at the detail but the numbers) and I’m on the Dukan diet which is basically a high protein diet. On this diet, you eat natural lean protein so your body needs a lot of energy to break everything down and therefore burns a lot more to digest. This is what makes this diet work, nothing else. And if you look at my numbers, you’ll see that we average close to the same thing almost everyday (every single macro) and I’m losing consistently. Although it is not what you are on, the fact that the protein is so high most days and the fat low, I think that it might also be a big factor in your weight loss.

In any case, I’m glad that you finally found guidance after so many years of doubt and that you are feeling better everyday

Interesting. I've never heard of the Dukan diet. I don't follow any diet really. I just try to eat what I would normally be eating on a daily basis. I do try to make sure I get enough protein - although I really don't know what 'enough' is and maybe I'm getting more than I need and I try to limit carbs to a reasonable amount. The fat number just sort of takes care of itself. That's not a value I watch or try to manipulate.

And thank you for the kind words . It's really tough on the psyche to be eating 600 cals or so, know you couldn't possibly eat any less and still not lose weight. I sure wish my doc had made the connection all those years ago. Would have saved me a lot of heartache. But I'm very thankful to have finally realized what the problem is. I just wish those folks that try to continually steer others in the 1200 or less cal. direction would educate themselves a bit more about the pitfalls of sustaining that low a calorie intake. Whether you call it starvation mode, metabolic slowdown or what have you, it exists. And it's not much fun at all.

nomorebingesgirl2014

Bump

ironanimal

Bump

NO

This thread hasn't been touched in two years. Keep your pervy mitts off of it.