Please stop saying everything is starvation mode...

You killed Kenny! You starvation modes!

Thanks susank66! Oops sorry I am new to the forums, should've 'quoted' to reply to your comment.

I swear if I see one more thread where someone says that someone is in "starvation mode" because they missed snack 2 or are eating 1200 calories a day I am going to have a melt down.

You have to not eat ANYTHING for 72 hours for your body to to into starvation mode and start turing to muscle to for energy. And even then the effect is pretty minima. Martin Beckham does a great job of laying out all the research on his web site www.leangains.com.

so if you skip breakfast you are not in starvation mode...if you do not eat an apple at 2pm you are not in starvation mode.

There are plenty of people out there (myself included) who skip breakfast, train fasted, and have our largest meal post workout and we are not in starvation mode. I have lost 3% body fat using leangains 18/6 which is an 18 hour fast and a six hour eating window.

Under eating can lead to a possible plateau but it does not mean you are in starvation mode.

Taken from Wikipedia:
STARVATION RESPONSE - 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.[2]

Ordinarily, the body responds to reduced energy intake by burning fat reserves first, and only consumes muscle and other tissues when those reserves are exhausted. Specifically, the body burns fat after first exhausting the contents of the digestive tract along with glycogen reserves stored in muscle and liver cells.[3] After prolonged periods of starvation, the body will utilize the proteins within muscle tissue as a fuel source. People who practice fasting on a regular basis, such as those adhering to energy restricted diets, can prime their bodies to abstain from food without burning lean tissue.[4] Resistance training (such as weight lifting) can also prevent the loss of muscle mass while a person is energy-restricted.

2^ Dieting and Metabolism
3^ Therapeutic Fasting
4^ Ask an Expert: Fasting and starvation mode

So starvation mode is not about NOT eating but more about consistently low energy intake that causes the body to cannibalize itself in an effort to survive. You will still lose weight no doubt about that. Just don't expect it to just be fat loss.

I guess what we can say with greater accuracy is that a consistently low calorie intake will result in a slower metabolic rate making it harder to shift those stubborn pounds.