Do you believe what they say about "starvation mode"?

amelodyasong
amelodyasong Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
For those who don't know it: "Starvation mode is a state in which the body is responding to prolonged periods of low energy intake levels. During short periods of energy abstinence, the human body will burn primarily free fatty acids from body fat stores. After prolonged periods of starvation the body has depleted its body fat and begins to burn lean tissue and muscle as a fuel source."

If your body goes into starvation mode when your calorie intake is low then... why do anorexic people lose so much weight? Is it really a myth?
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Replies

  • crazy_ninja
    crazy_ninja Posts: 387 Member
    Boooooooring............how often this will you guys restart this starvation crap?

    :huh:
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    People who believe this REALLY believe it. You're not going to change their minds.

    However, your body is designed to lose fat for fuel. To lose weight, you need a deficit. If you have no fat, your body will try to protect itself, but if you've got a lot of extra LBS, then your body will use that.

    But, you're just asking for trouble posting it here :P
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
    For those who don't know it: "Starvation mode is a state in which the body is responding to prolonged periods of low energy intake levels. During short periods of energy abstinence, the human body will burn primarily free fatty acids from body fat stores. After prolonged periods of starvation the body has depleted its body fat and begins to burn lean tissue and muscle as a fuel source."

    If your body goes into starvation mode when your calorie intake is low then... why do anorexic people lose so much weight? Is it really a myth?

    Anorexic people lose weight because they don't eat and they are slowly starving themselves. Not sure that's the comparison I would go with.
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
    Starvation mode, what's that ???lol
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Depends what "they" meant by "prolonged periods", "low energy intake levels" and how much fat the subjects had to start with.

    Under controlled conditions fat people on 600 or 800 calorie diets lose weight (>70% fat) over periods of several weeks. A very obese man who ate literally nothing for a year lost about 0.7 lbs per day (then kept it off for 5 years).

    Restricting energy intake will reduce metabolic rate to some extent, but only by a couple of hundred calories or so.

    There isn't a "mode" where anything "switches" from fats to other sources, in general what is available is used - eat carbs, burn carbs etc. Practically all weight loss involves both fat and non-fat hence the 3500 calories rather than 4100 per lb.

    "The energy balance equation only falls down in free living humans, mainly women, and their pets." as I read somewhere.
  • Love_flowers
    Love_flowers Posts: 365 Member
    I'm a believer. :wink:
  • ElizaRoche
    ElizaRoche Posts: 2,005 Member
    No.
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
    It's hard to get adequate levels of nutrition at a below or bare minimum calorie count. Your body is a machine. Feed it.

    And with that I leave the beating of the dead horse to someone else.
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
    I dont know whether I believe in 'starvation mode' as such. What I do know, is that last year, I was working out up to 3 hours a day, and eating a low calorie diet. Did my body change? No, and I was constantly tired and hungry. My body has changed more in the past couple of months through heavy lifting, and eating well , then it did in a whole year of trying to beast it out.

    And happyfeetrebel, that woman on your profile pic does not have 'killer legs'. she has like no muscle on her thighs whatsoever.
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
    I dont know whether I believe in 'starvation mode' as such. What I do know, is that last year, I was working out up to 3 hours a day, and eating a low calorie diet. Did my body change? No, and I was constantly tired and hungry. My body has changed more in the past couple of months through heavy lifting, and eating well , then it did in a whole year of trying to beast it out.

    And happyfeetrebel, that woman on your profile pic does not have 'killer legs'. she has like no muscle on her thighs whatsoever.

    Yeah but her thighs don't touch.

    Which apparently is some kind of holy grail goal around here.
  • Caitlinhappymeal
    Caitlinhappymeal Posts: 185 Member
    Boooooooring............how often this will you guys restart this starvation crap?

    :huh:

    your comment is so inspiring especially for new members who are still finding their way round this site, very welcoming.
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
    Boooooooring............how often this will you guys restart this starvation crap?

    :huh:

    your comment is so inspiring especially for new members who are still finding their way round this site, very welcoming.

    Luckily you are here to provide some inspiration of your own?
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    Boooooooring............how often this will you guys restart this starvation crap?

    :huh:
    Until EVERYBODY agrees!
  • nasreenbaby
    nasreenbaby Posts: 11
    What if you eat healthy the whole week and throw in one starvation day here or there only once in a while?
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    If your body goes into starvation mode when your calorie intake is low then... why do anorexic people lose so much weight? Is it really a myth?
    How many muscular anorexics do you know?
  • norwichman
    norwichman Posts: 5 Member
    I am trying 500 calories /day for a week and will see how the weight loss goes. I know how to eat healthy and have done 1500 calories/day successfully losing weight slowly. I want faster and more dramatic results and am happy to eat just dinner and drink water all day to achieve that. I've gone from no dieting around 2500 calories to 500!

    If the rate of weight loss slows down then I'll stick myself on 1500 calories which I know I can do fairly easily
  • pjrbs
    pjrbs Posts: 179 Member
    I think people talk about starvation mode as it is the term this site uses. Whether you agree or disagree, MFP states the following when you eat less than 1200 calories.


    Based on your total calories consumed for today, you are eating too few calories. Not only is it difficult to receive adequate nutrition at these calorie levels, but you could also be putting your body into starvation mode. Starvation mode lowers your metabolism and makes weight loss more difficult. We suggest increasing your calorie consumption to 1,200 calories per day minimum.
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
    I am trying 500 calories /day for a week and will see how the weight loss goes. I know how to eat healthy and have done 1500 calories/day successfully losing weight slowly. I want faster and more dramatic results and am happy to eat just dinner and drink water all day to achieve that. I've gone from no dieting around 2500 calories to 500!

    If the rate of weight loss slows down then I'll stick myself on 1500 calories which I know I can do fairly easily

    Enjoy your hard-earned flabby-skinny physique.
  • chroniclesofthinoholic
    chroniclesofthinoholic Posts: 143 Member
    What if you eat healthy the whole week and throw in one starvation day here or there only once in a while?


    I think that's fine...my mom fasts 12 hours twice a week(not consecutive) and at 60 she's pretty healthy! :)
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
    I dont know whether I believe in 'starvation mode' as such. What I do know, is that last year, I was working out up to 3 hours a day, and eating a low calorie diet. Did my body change? No, and I was constantly tired and hungry. My body has changed more in the past couple of months through heavy lifting, and eating well , then it did in a whole year of trying to beast it out.

    And happyfeetrebel, that woman on your profile pic does not have 'killer legs'. she has like no muscle on her thighs whatsoever.

    Yeah but her thighs don't touch.

    Which apparently is some kind of holy grail goal around here.

    Yeah I don't get that, its total thinspo porn. yuk.
  • Sarinene
    Sarinene Posts: 10
    Personally I believe that I'm living proof that it's not true - at least not as much as people wants it to be. I starved myself for a really long time and I lost 35 kg (77 lbs) in just a couple of months. This was without exercise and having a sedentary lifestyle. However, if you starve yourself for just a couple of days you don't lose any weight (except for water weight), and I think that is because as soon as the body gets used to the starvation it no longer goes into shock and puts itself in starvation-mode. Therefore, it burns calories from fat like it would otherwise.

    I don't know if that made sense to anyone else, but that's what I think about the subject. I also want to say that I do not promote starvation in ANY way. I just thought I'd share my experience.
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    If your body goes into starvation mode when your calorie intake is low then... why do anorexic people lose so much weight? Is it really a myth?

    Anorexic people lose so much weight because their body is eating away at their organs.. I guess if you want to get to that point before you realize you need to eat, go for it..

    But seriously (don't think you really meant anorexic people as in when they start getting close to killing themselves) why eat like a bunny and work like a bull.. you can have your cake and eat it too. Having too big of a deficit will eventually result in a plateau, or an unsustainable weight loss or target weight.. why eat very little, work hard, lose 20 lbs quickly.. then gain it back when you start eating normally... wouldnt you rather eat, enjoy life, work hard, lose 20 lbs(or however much) and keep it off.
  • chocolateluvr80
    chocolateluvr80 Posts: 64 Member
    "Starvation mode" is your body's way of protecting itself from famine. Your body needs glucose in order to preform cellular metabolism. Also the main reason that people that severely restrict their calories feel mentally sluggish is that about 80% of your energy needs are to your brain. Oh, and you don't burn fat in "starvation mode" your body actually breaks down muscle (you know, like what your organs are made of). That is why anorexia nervosa kills you. Eventually your organs fail.
  • ladioffaith
    ladioffaith Posts: 49
    I have upped my calories ala "In Place of a Road Map" (it's a group I found on here) because I found my weight loss had slowed to less than 1.5 pounds a week. In less than a week of increasing my calories (by a mere 330 more than MFP recommended) I already am showing some initial success. I think I've lost about 3 pounds so far.

    This may encourage you not to starve yourself (MFP doesn't either) but also encourages lots of strength training and cardio limited to walking. Also we DON'T eat our calories back.

    So yesterday, MFP said I was 239 calories under, thanks to exercise. I was actually 1 calorie under my true goal. So it kind of comes out in the wash.
  • norwichman
    norwichman Posts: 5 Member
    "Starvation mode" is your body's way of protecting itself from famine. Your body needs glucose in order to preform cellular metabolism. Also the main reason that people that severely restrict their calories feel mentally sluggish is that about 80% of your energy needs are to your brain. Oh, and you don't burn fat in "starvation mode" your body actually breaks down muscle (you know, like what your organs are made of). That is why anorexia nervosa kills you. Eventually your organs fail.

    I don't believe this. Anyway, 3KG drop in 5 days and waist is down and inch too.
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    http://healthscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=512:are-you-in-the-starvation-mode-or-starving-for-truth&catid=102:jeff-novicks-blog&Itemid=267

    I dont believe that if I am losing just 2 lbs a week (Net 800 calories daily) I will go into starvation mode with a high nutrient low calorie diet.
  • ang3h
    ang3h Posts: 185 Member
    I do. I had plateaued--my weight didn't budge when I was only eating 1300-1500 calories and exercising like a madwoman.. now that I've upped it to 1800 I'm slimming down again.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I've lost my link, but you should really read the non-metabolism part of the famous/infamous Minnesota Starvation Study. It wasn't really the slowing metabolism that worried me. It was all the psychological problems that the study seemed to cause in volunteers. They started out with subjects who were both mentally and physically healthy. By the end a large percentage of them exhibited severe mental illness. This is from the wikipedia article:

    "Indeed, most of the subjects experienced periods of severe emotional distress and depression. There were extreme reactions to the psychological effects during the experiment including self-mutilation (one subject amputated three fingers of his hand with an axe, though the subject was unsure if he had done so intentionally or accidentally). Participants exhibited a preoccupation with food, both during the starvation period and the rehabilitation phase. Sexual interest was drastically reduced, and the volunteers showed signs of social withdrawal and isolation. The participants reported a decline in concentration, comprehension and judgment capabilities, although the standardized tests administered showed no actual signs of diminished capacity." <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment&gt;

    To me it's not about whether your metabolism is going to slow. It's about what's healthiest. Now this is talking about people who are close to a healthy weight severely restricting themselves for long periods. I definitely do not think you have to "jumpstart" your metabolism or eat every 2 hours or whatever. The phrase 'starvation mode' is overused for sure, but there are dangers to prolonged periods of restricting calories.
  • norwichman
    norwichman Posts: 5 Member
    OK, I've stopped now on day 6. I've been measuring day by day and yesterday I dropped only 0.1KG, which means my body went into starvation mode because of the cold and the low calories.

    That said, over that time i went from 80.5KG to 77.2KG and went from a 39 to a 38 inch waist.

    I've gone back to my regular diet plan of 1500 calories a day, which is a 2200 deficit.
  • papastu
    papastu Posts: 737 Member
    I dont know whether I believe in 'starvation mode' as such. What I do know, is that last year, I was working out up to 3 hours a day, and eating a low calorie diet. Did my body change? No, and I was constantly tired and hungry. My body has changed more in the past couple of months through heavy lifting, and eating well , then it did in a whole year of trying to beast it out.

    And happyfeetrebel, that woman on your profile pic does not have 'killer legs'. she has like no muscle on her thighs whatsoever.

    Yeah but her thighs don't touch.

    Which apparently is some kind of holy grail goal around here.


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