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

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  • Sarinene
    Sarinene Posts: 10
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    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
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    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
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    "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
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    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
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    "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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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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  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    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.

    Yeah... Plus, there's just SOOOOO many healthy and muscular looking anorexia sufferers.

    I don't blindly believe... well, pretty much anything about anything. Some of what "They" say about Starvation Mode is bunk, some of it's true.

    In my own personal experience, losing weight with prolonged low calorie deficit left me with lower lean body mass and higher body fat than losing weight with a moderate, appropriate calorie deficit. The time it took to lose weight wasn't much different... in fact, I lost faster on a moderate deficit.

    So when the options are (1) eat about 1000 calories a day, feel like crap and end up a mushy size 8 at 130 pounds, or (2) eat about 2000 calories a day, feel wonderful and end up a taut and firm size 4 at 130 pounds... I'd be crazy to go the very low cal route.
  • Crayvn
    Crayvn Posts: 390 Member
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    your topic title is..do you believe what THEY say...

    who is they?

    there are so many myths..theories.statistics .lies about this topic... each of our bodies are unique and because of that, our bodies will have different reactions, results, looks, etc. some sooner than others...

    There is one basic calculation to weight loss.. and deep down everyone knows what that is... and add a dash of patience :)

    if you want to talk about body physique that is a whole other science.

    right now my thighs touch and i am over weight .lol... i am ok with becoming skinny fat when i reach my goal weight, as long as my insides are healthy, vitals are stable, and overall feel good mentally and physically ..

    i doubt i will ever go into starvation mode tho..i love to eat :D
  • Shua89
    Shua89 Posts: 144 Member
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    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?

    Actually, when I was anorexic many years ago I was very muscular because I worked out constantly. I ended up being in a car accident at one point (when I was a size 2) and my physical therapist and doctor both said I was the most muscular woman they had ever met. It depends completely on how the anorexia exhibits itself. Yes, I was starving myself (one meal per week) but I was also working out 5 hours a day. I would run 6 miles, then go home and ride my exercise bike for another hour and a half, then do step aerobics for an hour, then do calisthenics for another hour. I was probably muscle wise in the best shape of my life.

    It's obviously not what I recommend but there are different ways that anorexia shows itself.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    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?

    Actually, when I was anorexic many years ago I was very muscular because I worked out constantly. I ended up being in a car accident at one point (when I was a size 2) and my physical therapist and doctor both said I was the most muscular woman they had ever met. It depends completely on how the anorexia exhibits itself. Yes, I was starving myself (one meal per week) but I was also working out 5 hours a day. I would run 6 miles, then go home and ride my exercise bike for another hour and a half, then do step aerobics for an hour, then do calisthenics for another hour. I was probably muscle wise in the best shape of my life.

    It's obviously not what I recommend but there are different ways that anorexia shows itself.
    Lean =/= Muscular.
  • mensasu
    mensasu Posts: 355 Member
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    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?

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  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
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    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.

    This.

    Same thing for me.

    I started out at 1200 calories per day and burning 500-1000 calories 4x per week at my workouts. It didn't take long before I completely stalled out. Eating closer to 1700-1900 calories per day and burning 200-500 calories per workout session (heavy lifting plus light cardio), and I lost 40+ lbs.

    The correct term for what is commonly referred to as "starvation mode" is adaptive thermogenesis, and it does happen especially for people who are on a very low calorie diet for an extended period of time.

    Some good papers to read about this very thing:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20935667
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18842775
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17260010
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    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.
    So to conclude; you're actually at about the same place you were before, just with more exercise? :)

    For me so far having lost 4 stone this time and 3 stone a few times before, more food=more weight. Less food=less weight.
    Different for others, no doubt.
  • bradphil87
    bradphil87 Posts: 617 Member
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    If you live in an area where you have Internet (non third world countries) you will never truly experience "starvation mode." Omg I ate 1300 cals today and worked out so I dropped below 1200 and now I'm in starvation mode....or "I see the problem, I didn't get fat from eating too many calories, I got fat from eating too few." Really?
  • Cazzy34
    Cazzy34 Posts: 159 Member
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    Bumping to read later :)
  • pullipgirl
    pullipgirl Posts: 767 Member
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    "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.

    LOL that's not true at all where do people get this information?

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