Starvation mode?

mhorn2142

My uncomplicated advice is to eat a high protein diet and set a timer on your phone or computer to go of every 3 hours of wake time to remind you to eat. This will allow you to eat 5-6 times a day boosting your metabolism. These meals should be small amounts it is really 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. for me quick and easy is best. handful of almonds, or a Greek yogurt, or even beef jerky for a something savory. String cheese is good too. Anyway Just my opinion.

CoachReddy

Not really. I know I'm not in starvation mode. Based on what her answer to the question was...let me quote... "Your body goes into starvation mode when you 1.) Don't eat enough calories and 2.) skip meals." So if I skip meals, I go into starvation mode." AKA If you skip meals. I call bull**** on that.

please relax.

no, it's not as simple as the way she stated it, but if someone used to eating 5,000 calories (not ridiculous with american diets) suddenly drops to 1,200 for a prolonged period of time, their body will start storing fat.

what would you call that?

I've been at 1200 calories since April. Was eating fast food for 3x times a day. Currently not eating fast food. Am I in starvation mode? Curious at what your point is

has your weight loss been constant since that time? or has it ever slowed? plateaued?

It has remained consistent. What gives? Am I the odd ball? Nooo.

haha come on, no need to be defensive! we're all on the same team. we're all trying to improve ourselves - why do so many people on these sites insist on tearing others down? pretty sad frankly.

hey, if it's working for you, more power to you. if it continues to work indefinitely i'll be surprised, but i'll also be wrong - and if that's the case i'll be glad to be wrong because you'll be a healthier version of yourself - and that's the goal.

5 or 6 meals is my way of doing it (and it's worked pretty well as you can see), 1 meal is yours. let's agree to disagree.

I wasn't being defensive. I was just stating the facts of myself. 5-6 meals is a little ridiculous to ME, but then again I like a big dinner. My mom eat 2-3 meals a day. She eats cookies for "breakfast" around 3pm then has dinner at 7pm and has a snack at 9pm. She loses weight. It's whatever works for you and remaind under your calorie deficict.

To me, I like to keep my breakfast light (or skip it altogether), light lunch, and big dinner. I don't store fat by skipping breakfast. I've lost 71lbs so far. As long as you remain a calorie deficit. You are golden.

if the only thing you care about is weight then you're right.

if you want your body to run at an optimal, high level, you have to be more meticulous. all depends on what your goals are.

Mokey41

Now, I'm very curious. What would you say if I said if I didn't eat breakfast OR lunch and just had a huge dinner after 7pm? Would everything be stored as fat, BUT my calories were oh I don't know 1500?

Not a scientific study but 2 observations. My boss is 65 and in excellent health. For the past 30 years he has eaten one meal a day, usually some time after 8 pm after which is goes to bed. It's not usually a particularly healthy meal and is probably a minimum of 2,000 calories a day. He's 5'4" and weighs 135 lbs which he says is the same weight he's been his whole adult life. He doesn't refuse food during the day if we happen to have something in the office but he doesn't seek out food or have meals, just coffee, gallons of it all day long.

My neighbour ate a very small breakfast of a piece of toast with tea and then nothing until his supper at the end of the day. He was a farmer and worked hard all day everyday until he passed away at the age of 90.

May be just coincidence but neither one of them seem to have suffered any ill effects from their eating habits.

CoachReddy

Now, I'm very curious. What would you say if I said if I didn't eat breakfast OR lunch and just had a huge dinner after 7pm? Would everything be stored as fat, BUT my calories were oh I don't know 1500?

Not a scientific study but 2 observations. My boss is 65 and in excellent health. For the past 30 years he has eaten one meal a day, usually some time after 8 pm after which is goes to bed. It's not usually a particularly healthy meal and is probably a minimum of 2,000 calories a day. He's 5'4" and weighs 135 lbs which he says is the same weight he's been his whole adult life. He doesn't refuse food during the day if we happen to have something in the office but he doesn't seek out food or have meals, just coffee, gallons of it all day long.

My neighbour ate a very small breakfast of a piece of toast with tea and then nothing until his supper at the end of the day. He was a farmer and worked hard all day everyday until he passed away at the age of 90.

May be just coincidence but neither one of them seem to have suffered any ill effects from their eating habits.

it very well may be coincidence. or genes. or both. or related to their diets. who knows?

hardly enough evidence to support how abrasive your posts have been though.

cmriverside

Now, I'm very curious. What would you say if I said if I didn't eat breakfast OR lunch and just had a huge dinner after 7pm? Would everything be stored as fat, BUT my calories were oh I don't know 1500?

Not a scientific study but 2 observations. My boss is 65 and in excellent health. For the past 30 years he has eaten one meal a day, usually some time after 8 pm after which is goes to bed. It's not usually a particularly healthy meal and is probably a minimum of 2,000 calories a day. He's 5'4" and weighs 135 lbs which he says is the same weight he's been his whole adult life. He doesn't refuse food during the day if we happen to have something in the office but he doesn't seek out food or have meals, just coffee, gallons of it all day long.

My neighbour ate a very small breakfast of a piece of toast with tea and then nothing until his supper at the end of the day. He was a farmer and worked hard all day everyday until he passed away at the age of 90.

May be just coincidence but neither one of them seem to have suffered any ill effects from their eating habits.

it very well may be coincidence. or genes. or both. or related to their diets. who knows?

hardly enough evidence to support how abrasive your posts have been though.

Look, Coach, I've watched you argue in every thread you've been in for a few days now. I think you go spoiling for a fight. No one is being "abrasive" or "mean" or "angry" or blahblahblahblah. You are the one with attitude. I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt, since you are from New York and the general "attitude" there is defensive - but this is an extremely tame site - most people here are nice, helpful, and willing to accept that there are two road that diverge in the woods.

You are the only one who tries to pick a fight in the posts I've seen you in. It's okay, we still like you. Now breathe. In......out......

CoachReddy

Now, I'm very curious. What would you say if I said if I didn't eat breakfast OR lunch and just had a huge dinner after 7pm? Would everything be stored as fat, BUT my calories were oh I don't know 1500?

Not a scientific study but 2 observations. My boss is 65 and in excellent health. For the past 30 years he has eaten one meal a day, usually some time after 8 pm after which is goes to bed. It's not usually a particularly healthy meal and is probably a minimum of 2,000 calories a day. He's 5'4" and weighs 135 lbs which he says is the same weight he's been his whole adult life. He doesn't refuse food during the day if we happen to have something in the office but he doesn't seek out food or have meals, just coffee, gallons of it all day long.

My neighbour ate a very small breakfast of a piece of toast with tea and then nothing until his supper at the end of the day. He was a farmer and worked hard all day everyday until he passed away at the age of 90.

May be just coincidence but neither one of them seem to have suffered any ill effects from their eating habits.

it very well may be coincidence. or genes. or both. or related to their diets. who knows?

hardly enough evidence to support how abrasive your posts have been though.

Look, Coach, I've watched you argue in every thread you've been in for a few days now. I think you go spoiling for a fight. No one is being "abrasive" or "mean" or "angry" or blahblahblahblah. You are the one with attitude. I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt, since you are from New York and the general "attitude" there is defensive - but this is an extremely tame site - most people here are nice, helpful, and willing to accept that there are two road that diverge in the woods.

You are the only one who tries to pick a fight in the posts I've seen you in. It's okay, we still like you. Now breathe. In......out......

personally i don't feel like i'm picking fights, but i guess that's not super surprising. nonetheless, if this is how people are perceiving it, i'll take a look in the mirror.

daybehavior

Bump. I love a good trainwreck.

RitaB19

I have developed a bad habit of not eating regularly, which I have learned has put my body in 'starvation mode'. My normal routine consists of a couple cups of coffee (with sugar free creamer) in the morning, and then a big dinner at night. I will occasionally eat something mid day, but not regularly. I am generally active, but I don't work out (yet). I have tried in the past to eat on a schedule (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) but I have ALWAYS gained weight, which of course makes me stop the routine! Are there any tips on how I can get into a routine of eating regularly, especially when I don't feel hungry, and still lose weight?

Well, the most successful people who lose weight and keep it off for good eat breakfast. There are always exceptions to this. Its calories in vs. calories out.

HI There,

Your body goes into starvation mode when you 1.) Don't eat enough calories and 2.) skip meals. It sounds like you are skipping breakfast and just having coffee in the morn. Try to eat at least every 3-4 hours. Ex.) Mini meals + 3 healthy snacks. This will help keep your metabolism steady and prevent it from slowing down. Keeping a food journal and planning your meals ahead of time also helps. Adding exercise will only help you lose weight faster. Make sure your calories are never below 1200 per day either. Keep in mind it takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb of body fat. I am a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, so if you need more help you can friend me.

I skip breakfast occasionally and make up for it on other meals and sometimes I don't make up for it at all. How do you explain my 71lbs lost Ms. Dietitian/Nutritionist?


Well, the most successful people who lose weight and keep it off for good eat breakfast. Breakfast Breaks the Fast, hence helps your metabolism get going for the day. There are always exceptions to this. You did say you skip occasionally, not all the time. Its calories in vs. calories out, but that doesn't mean eating one dinner that is 1500 calories and not eating all day is the same either.

RitaB19

The most muscular animals in the world are herbivores, should we stop buying animal sources of protein now? We are hunters, we go looking for food when we're hungry. That's normal, it doesn't mean we're able to find food. When we can't our survival instincts picked up, the hormones i listed above.

actually YES! Vegan diets are actually much healthier than diets high in animal fats - check out The China Study

Hey CoachReddy,

Good job on rec. the China Study! Great Book. I'm a Vegetarian but not a Vegan. I agree with alot of what you have said on here.

firstsip

Bump. I love a good trainwreck.

I love this post.

It's always enjoyable to see someone think that "In my opinion" is a substitute for science. EccentricDad, is that you?!

CoachReddy

Bump. I love a good trainwreck.

I love this post.

It's always enjoyable to see someone think that "In my opinion" is a substitute for science. EccentricDad, is that you?!

i'm actually not sure anyone did that in this thread. The IF'ers claim to be following science, and while I used the words "in my opinion", I did so in the context of it being my choice which science i choose to follow. as i've constantly been saying, you can find studies to support whatever side of the issue you're on.

firstsip

Bump. I love a good trainwreck.

I love this post.

It's always enjoyable to see someone think that "In my opinion" is a substitute for science. EccentricDad, is that you?!

i'm actually not sure anyone did that in this thread. The IF'ers claim to be following science, and while I used the words "in my opinion", I did so in the context of it being my choice which science i choose to follow. as i've constantly been saying, you can find studies to support whatever side of the issue you're on.

Uh. Yeah, lots of people find "science" to back up their claims the world is flat, or its six thousand years old...

Science isn't "this or that"; that's not how science works. It's different studies working constantly towards a scientific truth, while trying to filter through the biases of corrupt funding, biased researching, and claiming nothing as fact until enough differing information is overcome, etc. That being said, there's still much more that's shown the benefits of eating one or two meals a day versus the "three to five" or anything like that (I'm aware you didn't say that specifically, but I'm not sure what you're implying otherwise if you find "one meal a day" so incorrect) being pumped by the FDA or very subjective researching.

solbchgal

Hi Candy,

From everything I have read recently, it is better to have 5 or 6 small meals spread throughout the day. It keeps the fire of your metabolism stoked. Eating a high protein breakfast of say hardboiled eggs, and piece of whole grain toast helps keep you satiated until your next mini "meal". A good idea for you might be making pre made snacks and setting the timer on your watch to go off at regular intervals if you don't have a grumbly angry tummy to remind you to eat (like I do!). You do not gain weight because you are eating more times in the day, it is about WHAT you are eating when you are eating. The idea of starving yourself is old school and not necessary. I hope this helps you!

TArnold2012

Gets the popcorn and pulls up a chair for this debate again !!!

toaster6

You probably are not starving yourself-- if you were you'd have severe reactions to it very quickly. If you are wondering if you are starving, it's a safe bet that you are not. If you're feeling unhealthy (having digestive problems, experiencing lethargy and decreases in energy levels, and/ or severe stomach pain) then you need to eat more. Eat when you are hungry. Have enough so that you are not hungry but are not stuffed full. Your body will you know what you need in terms of food and nutrients. Unless you start feeling/ looking (if you are actually starving yourself it shows up physically, ex. hair loss, ) poorly or your doctor tells you it's a problem, your eating patterns are probably fine. And that weight gain you have when you start eating on a schedule is probably not fat but water weight. Eating on a schedule isn't a problem and will not hinder your weight loss so long as you are still creating a calorie deficit.

Edited to add:
A note on "starvation mode"- The body does not go into starvation mode unless you are taking in LESS than 50% of your BMR (the calories your body needs just to survive; if your BMR is 1300 for example, your caloric intake would have to be less than 650 to count as starving) for a PROLONGED period of time. That is from the Minnesota Semistarvation Study (which this whole starvation mode thing is based off of). According to the study, your metabolic rate will become damaged but only because EVERYTHING about your body is damaged when you are starving. You WILL still lose weight (though at a slower rate than someone who is not starving). Your body WILL NOT touch your lean tissue until it has exhausted your fat reserves. There is no drop in metabolism that will counteract such a severe caloric deficit (which is why you will not see a fat corpse with "starvation" as their cause of death). That is how the body works. You don't just find any actual science to back up any claim you want in nutrition-- you may find a STUDY but that doesn't make it a scientific study.

Camcee

Calorie intake over time is what matters, you can eat one meal a day or fifty.

I have to agree with this. I believe that despite the frequency of meals, total calories are key, it just depends on what type of eater you are and what works best for you.

I had never been able to lose weight, but as soon as I stopped eating constantly, I dropped weight quickly. Now I try to eat one meal a day with a snack to tide me over and I found this is the only method that worked for *me*. Everyone is different of course but I found that I need to eat until I felt very satisfied and eating once a day with a small snack or one other light meal is the only way I feel I can sustain healthy weight loss. I have followed this easily for more than 6 months and it has now become very natural to me - something no other way of eating for me has ever done.

I can eat pretty much what I want by doing this method, it is easy for me to stay within my calorie range as I can chose a higher calorie main meal so I never feel deprived. If I am hungry I chose a healthy low calorie snack and for the first time in my life I have been able to almost forget about food, not constantly planning and thinking about all the healthy snacks and meals I need to prepare to 'stay on track'.

As I said, everyone is different, if you are more of a 'grazer' and enjoy snacking and eating small healthy meals all day within your calorie range, do this. If you need to eat a more substantial meal and are not a big breakfast eater and don't do well when constantly feeding yourself and trying to keep that balance of the right amount of calories - eat less frequently but bigger meals within your calorie range.

The key is to do whatever you can sustain over time, listen to your body, see what you respond to, follow your body's cues and you will do well.

Good luck!

CoachReddy

Bump. I love a good trainwreck.

I love this post.

It's always enjoyable to see someone think that "In my opinion" is a substitute for science. EccentricDad, is that you?!

i'm actually not sure anyone did that in this thread. The IF'ers claim to be following science, and while I used the words "in my opinion", I did so in the context of it being my choice which science i choose to follow. as i've constantly been saying, you can find studies to support whatever side of the issue you're on.

Uh. Yeah, lots of people find "science" to back up their claims the world is flat, or its six thousand years old...

Science isn't "this or that"; that's not how science works. It's different studies working constantly towards a scientific truth, while trying to filter through the biases of corrupt funding, biased researching, and claiming nothing as fact until enough differing information is overcome, etc. That being said, there's still much more that's shown the benefits of eating one or two meals a day versus the "three to five" or anything like that (I'm aware you didn't say that specifically, but I'm not sure what you're implying otherwise if you find "one meal a day" so incorrect) being pumped by the FDA or very subjective researching.

show me.

and research NOT done by IF promoting websites, or people who have written IF books. ACTUAL scientific studies where a hypothesis was tested in controlled experiments.

CoachReddy

Ok so this is just me thinking out loud here. If I'm completely off base, you can let me know, but don't just yell at me - I'm honestly interested in learning more about this since it's such a popular diet plan these days.

I think people are drawn to IF because it's easier - and hear me out:

Eating healthy over many meals a day takes planning, work, and dedication. Eating at a deficit is harder if you space the meals out, because you'll be more likely to eat more than you should at any given meal. It's easier to slip if you give yourself multiple opportunities a day.

When someone does IF, they only ALLOW themselves one meal a day, so there's no danger (or less danger) in slipping. In that one meal they can go NUTS and eat 1500 calories. Obviously they'll be more than full after that. It's like... a crutch for a lack of discipline. (NOT A CRITICISM, just an observation, and again, if I'm wrong, lemme know)

HOWEVER - that's not to say it doesn't work, that's not to say it won't get you results. You'll totally lose weight because you've got a deficit! I just don't think it's SUSTAINABLE over the entirety of someone's life, because when you come OFF intermittent fasting, you won't have the tools and the discipline to go back to eating more often than once a day and keeping it healthy. Or are you IF folks never planning on coming off it?

I'm about to get flamed aren't I?

firstsip

@CoachReddy

Without going too much out of my way, because it seems like there's only so much one can say to your "opinions" here, a big study in the British Journal of Medicine, and followup studies published in New Scientist, showed that there was literally no detriment OR benefit to number of meals; ultimately, calories consumed made the big difference. Further studies have shown that IF HAS shown a range of benefits... at the same time, some anecdotal research on IF sites has shown there's some potential hormonal drawbacks specifically for women. There's pretty unbiased information ON supposedly biased sites. Does that make IF some flaw free principle? No. Does that make NOT doing IF detrimental if you hit the same calories in three meals? No. But does that make eating all your calories in on meal a day bad? No. As many have said here, there are other studies that DO show; the burden of proof lies with the person accusing. YOU said "You really don't think there's a problem with one meal a day?" Please find me; I pointed you to specific titles that I read in print; I'm sure there's online copies out there.

I mean, I definitely was of the mindset that IF was dangerous, if only because I'm a recovering anorexic who saw people talk and thought, "Oh my god, that's DANGEROUS! What are people doing?!" The difference being, my old habits were eating every other day... with one meal a day being ~200-500 calories. I was fortunate enough to not have people jump on me as some are wont to do, and point out, "Actually, IF is bla bla bla," which in turn made me research more... ignorance is something that grates on my nerves, and I very quickly began doing everything I could to relieve me of my own when it came to principles of fasting in healthy weight loss (not that I intentionally do it, as it's rather triggering... for obvious reasons).

So, going on the 100% subjective claims you made with "it's easy to eat one meal a day," the people that get hungry hour after hour, or can't function well without breakfast, would hardly say it's a lack of "discipline" that makes it for one meal a day.

I'm also just realizing now that you might be thinking IF is just a "diet plan," and not an actual diet...? IF isn't just one meal a day; IF CAN be 3 meals a day, just in different windows of time, with different periods of fasting. At a deficit or at maintenance. Or it can be one meal a day during a certain period of time. Or two. IF isn't too cut and dry, and varies from person to person... really, it's got a specific name more because it sort of bucks back against the "If you don't eat every hour, your body will shrivel!" or "Breakfast or GTFO!"

Ultimately, however, the topic was about "starvation mode," and IF (among the NUMEROUS studies done in the 1940s... both in America and, uh, a sort of controversial database, people...) showcases how not eating for several hours a day does NOT trigger starvation mode... not even sleeping does that (for the "metabolic coma" person... why is it that most people weigh in during the morning? )

firstsip

Holy crap, I realized I wrote a super long post, even for me, but I just want to highlight again what crossed my mind there:

Coach Reddy, I am not trying to flame; I think you're in the boat I was months ago, and have a misunderstanding of WHAT IF is. I recommend you read into it, in general, from IF sites or non-IF sites. IF people DON'T only allow themselves one meal, etc. It's varied, and I think the only reason they came up so much here is because some IFers do follow "one meal" a day, and the OP was concerned that one meal a day was putting her into starvation mode... but it really only would if

But, if she's naturally not hungry after one meal, or until one meal, it may work for her... provided she feels good during the day, it's not causing her personal ill effects (blood sugar issues, energy, etc.), and she's eating a sustainable amount of calories (BMR+)... it actually ISN'T an issue, and as she was so new, it makes sense that one of the first things she'd see on MFP (let alone be concerned about) would be ~starvation mode~