You Shouldn’t Be Overly Concerned With Starvation Mode Myth

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.

But adaptive thermogenesis just doesn't have the same ring to it as Starvation Mode.

Starvation mode sounds far more scary and dangerous.

QFT

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.

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.

You are a bad person.

You are a bad person.

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

:laugh: