Starvation Mode?

i will ask her, her thoughts on this when I speak with her again, which should be soon.............I will do some more reading and research on this topic and I will ask her when I speak with her again.

Not to get too sidetracked from the Oiginal topic...............

You and your wife's experience with an Endocrinologist is basically the same thing I had been experiencing from a regular family practice MD, Gynecologist and an Endocrinologist..............

Hence the reason for switching over to Naturopathic Dr and a Natural Pharmacist that compounds his own scripts.

I have been told that there is nothing wrong with my Adrenals or my Thyroid............and I have been previously treated for hypothyroidism a couple years prior when I was still living in Virginia. The Endo there treated me based on the symptoms I was having and the underlying other endocrine and metabolic issues...........Moved to Illinois, no insurance - so did not go to the Dr to get meds refilled.

I paid independently for my own blood work along with what the Dr ordered through my insurance. Took both results to the Naturopath here in St Louis and she shook her head and stated.........."How can they say you don't have thyroid issues?" She also stated that basically the reason I am having such a hard time losing weight is because my Thyroid, Pituitary and Hypothalamus glands are not communicating with each other properly............And she said my Adrenal Glands are screaming at me from being fatigued.

She ordered a Saliva test to confirm the adrenal issue and was right............

Banks -

Question for you..............

Is it possible that most people that think they are going into starvation mode have some small degree of Metabolic Resistance?

I just have a hard time believing that because someone cuts their calories to lose weight that basically they are entering starvation mode..............

I think some degree of actual starvation (as demonstrated in the Minnesota Studies) would have to take place for such a phenomena to exist.........

Thoughts?

Banks -

Question for you..............

Is it possible that most people that think they are going into starvation mode have some small degree of Metabolic Resistance?

I just have a hard time believing that because someone cuts their calories to lose weight that basically they are entering starvation mode..............

I think some degree of actual starvation (as demonstrated in the Minnesota Studies) would have to take place for such a phenomena to exist.........

Thoughts?

Hmm, metabolic resistance. It is absolutely possible. I'll expand that a tiny bit in that everyone has a different level of insulin resistance, and (while we call it genetics), it's just basic chemistry. I mean, there's a reason why people in certain areas of the world are more susceptible to fat storage (and specifically, fat storage from specific food types), and that goes back to the concept of evolution and the environment they evolved in. Natural selection will dictate which human ancestor flourished in cold weather, and it stands to reason that someone in an ice age who had better insulation and the ability to store fat faster would survive, considering how many ice ages there have been over the course of human evolution, I could see that.


I guess it's all in how you think about starvation mode.

I think of starvation mode as nothing more than the gradual progression from feast towards famine, and our body's change as we progress down that scale. I don't think you flip a switch and go from normal metabolic rates to extreme fat storage, but I do think (think the scales of justice) that at a certain point the balance is tipped from burning more fat than your body is storing, to burning less fat than your body is storing while slowing down organ function to compensate for the lack of energy. For most normal people (I.E. people with less than about 35% body fat) that's a point anywhere between 1/4 lb per week deficit (for someone with a low % of body fat) to about 2 lbs per week (for someone approaching that 35% point). There's also (I'm sure) a point for people with dangerously low fat levels as well, but I haven't really studied anorexia so I can't say how the chemical changes occur for them.

that being said, I think it's virtually impossible for someone with very high levels of body fat to enter that starvation. Its all about surface area of body fat. The more "pockets" of fat you have, and the larger the volume of that fat, the faster you burn it and the more you can grab from stores at any one time, so someone who has lots, can burn more at any one point in time, essentially mitigating that tipping point so much that the body never recognizes a need to enter the extreme fat storage mode. It's why I always try to caveat my starvation mode statements with the exception of people who are obese.

Good Morning, Banks,

First let me say "thankyou" for all your advice and work on this website. I have been a member of MFP since February 2010 and although I consistently log my food and work out, I have not lost a pound. After many visits to various doctors (they tell me just to eat less) and total frustration with the weight problem (I am hypothyroid - but corrected with meds), I decided to have my RMR/BCA metabolism tested and will start working with a trainer in the gym. I should have my RMR results this afternoon. My husband has told me for years that I do not eat enough, but my brain just doesn't want to agree with that information.
My husband and I eat pretty much "clean", but I think sugar and the wrong carbs may be one of my problems. I am not giving up!!
This is a tremendous website that has helped so many people lose weight and share experiences. Congrats on your weight loss success and please tell your wife I feel her frustration.
Have a great day

GO RED SOXS!!!! Although we do have a new pitching sensation in DC....

doh, double post!

please post what you frind out from you resuls.