You Shouldn’t Be Overly Concerned With Starvation Mode Myth

Replies

  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    Yes you should. In the Minnesota Starvation Study a guy cut three of his own fingers off.

    Maybe you don't have to worry as much about your thyroid as some people believe, but you should worry about losing your mind!
  • norcal_yogi
    norcal_yogi Posts: 675 Member
    Yes you should. In the Minnesota Starvation Study a guy cut three of his own fingers off.

    Maybe you don't have to worry as much about your thyroid as some people believe, but you should worry about losing your mind!

    yes, that i would be concerned about! i feel crazy and completely ungrounded when i eat too low for too long... seriously.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    Yes you should. In the Minnesota Starvation Study a guy cut three of his own fingers off.

    Maybe you don't have to worry as much about your thyroid as some people believe, but you should worry about losing your mind!

    yes, that i would be concerned about! i feel crazy and completely ungrounded when i eat too low for too long... seriously.

    Me too, and I'm finding out that I don't even have to eat that low calorie to get a bit nutty and very cranky!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    People tend to forget about the psychological detriments as well as the loss of LBM, the malnutrition and the other issues, such as castrate testosterone levels when they tout this as being a myth and long term VLCDs not being an issue.

    From the article:

    "Your metabolism does not, and cannot, shut down. (You would be dead) Your weight loss results do not plateau. You do not enter starvation mode by missing a meal. Your metabolism does not reverse and make you gain weight."

    ^^this is very true, however there are a number of issues, for example, those I noted above, not highlighted in the article. However, my issue with it is that it uses the term starvation mode interchangeably with real starvation. That is not what people mean when they talk about it. One thing it does not point out is that the higher the deficit, the more LBM is at risk. The 'real starvation' that they discuss is when your body is catabolizing muscle exclusively.

    Edited as my typing is terrible.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    But adaptive thermogenesis just doesn't have the same ring to it as Starvation Mode.

    Starvation mode sounds far more scary and dangerous.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,266 Member
    But adaptive thermogenesis just doesn't have the same ring to it as Starvation Mode.

    Starvation mode sounds far more scary and dangerous.
    QFT
  • AliciaHollywood
    AliciaHollywood Posts: 102 Member
    If consuming low calories makes you crazy that probably explains why everyone in LA is so nuts lol.... The truth is, although they can be psychologically screwed up for many reasons, the least involving food intake, most of the people I know are very skinny, eat low calories and except the ones drinking too much or doing drugs, are healthy. I'm not talking about people with eating disorders, but those who shop at Whole Foods, eat organic, never eat junk food, take vitamins and consume lower calories and exercise seem to me to be the healthiest people on the planet.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Yes you should. In the Minnesota Starvation Study a guy cut three of his own fingers off.

    Maybe you don't have to worry as much about your thyroid as some people believe, but you should worry about losing your mind!

    This.
  • norcal_yogi
    norcal_yogi Posts: 675 Member
    If consuming low calories makes you crazy that probably explains why everyone in LA is so nuts lol.... The truth is, although they can be psychologically screwed up for many reasons, the least involving food intake, most of the people I know are very skinny, eat low calories and except the ones drinking too much or doing drugs, are healthy. I'm not talking about people with eating disorders, but those who shop at Whole Foods, eat organic, never eat junk food, take vitamins and consume lower calories and exercise seem to me to be the healthiest people on the planet.

    yeah....that is what i notice as well. i live in a seaside community (northern cal) and *lots* of people eat healthy/whole foods here. i also don't think a lot of them count every little calorie.... at the same time, if they did, many would find that they wouldn't always make it to the '1200' mark. especially with veggies/greens, not a lot of fatty meats, etc... anyhow, it's all very interesting.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    If consuming low calories makes you crazy that probably explains why everyone in LA is so nuts lol.... The truth is, although they can be psychologically screwed up for many reasons, the least involving food intake, most of the people I know are very skinny, eat low calories and except the ones drinking too much or doing drugs, are healthy. I'm not talking about people with eating disorders, but those who shop at Whole Foods, eat organic, never eat junk food, take vitamins and consume lower calories and exercise seem to me to be the healthiest people on the planet.

    But there is a difference between eating less than your average overeating American (and reaping the benefits!) and creating a very large calorie deficit over several months or longer. I've been in a huge deficit for lengths of time, and I assure you it made me quite crazy and when I started eating again I became quite sane again. Okay, as sane as your average barking mad human. Pretty sure our species is purely nuts anyway.

    Unfortunately what I have never learned to do and will have to learn to do now is maintain a healthy weight. Because I'm incredibly unhappy when I'm starving and equally unhappy (if slightly saner) when I'm obese. Neither state is good for us.
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    i've given up on this subject...

    some misinformation cannot be corrected.

    my new motto is "starvation mode for everyone else means more pie for me!"

    18470lrg.jpg
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    You are a bad person.
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    You are a bad person.

    you can rest assured, i will scold myself while eating my pie.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    You are a bad person.

    you can rest assured, i will scold myself while eating my pie.

    :laugh:
  • LOL!!!