what is up with starvation mode...
Replies
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Well, too large of a deficit has a name...anorexia nervosa. I mean eating a decent amount of food, clearly NOT starving yourself. If I do a vegan day (totally not illegal by mfp standards) it's NEARLY impossible to eat all my calories without gorging on peanut butter or almonds. And I'm not going to eat peanut butter by the spoon (the thought makes me want to vomit) just to get calories. The point is, your brain will not cease to function because you didn't meet the BMR...it will get it's energy by converting your fat and/or muscle to usable energy...a simple physiology class will teach that. I do agree that long term living under BMR can cause problems (because clearly eventually you're going to run out of fat/muscle for your body to live on...and the health problems will be there WAY before this happens) but occasionally going below, or even running a bit (little bit, not like 1/2) below BMR is NOT going to kill you.Yes!! This DRIVES me crazy!!! omg. You'll go into 'starvation mode' when you are STARVING yourself...1200 calories (and probably even less) is NOT starving.
And going below BMR will not kill you, I mean if you are at 1/2 of it consistently you might have a problem, but your brain, digestive system, heart, etc WILL NOT suffer..it will just EAT YOU for energy...and that's kinda the whole point...now when you run out of things for your body to eat for energy (fat, then eventually muscle..which noone wants to happen) THEN you've got real problems. I'll probably get a good bashing from the starvation mode police for this, but I'm a big girl, I can take it :P
Unfortunately, too large of a deficit results in the latter more than the former...and IMHO, eating below BMR is almost always "too large of a deficit". I'm a big proponent of eating as much as possible while making progress towards the goal instead of as little as possible...because I believe the metabolism adjusts to the calorie intake (and activity)...or at least it appears this way based on my two years of daily data on myself where I can see the gradual shift in NEAT dependent on whether I'm in a surplus or deficit over a period of time.
*I'd add in a 'trust me, I'm a doctor' at this moment..but I'm not going to...but I AM a nursing student (working on my BSN) and I've taken enough classes regarding the human body to know a little bit about it...clearly I'm here because I didn't follow what I know, but that's another situation all together LOL0 -
Much of the decision to utilize muscle is determined by the amount of stored energy in the form of fatty acids someone has. Obese people will have enough fat for ketone production over the long haul as compared to someone with much lower body fat. Basically there are situation where eating under BMR is not a problem. It's the nutrient contribution that that situation produces, so in that context, it's not advisable.Yes!! This DRIVES me crazy!!! omg. You'll go into 'starvation mode' when you are STARVING yourself...1200 calories (and probably even less) is NOT starving.
And going below BMR will not kill you, I mean if you are at 1/2 of it consistently you might have a problem, but your brain, digestive system, heart, etc WILL NOT suffer..it will just EAT YOU for energy...and that's kinda the whole point...now when you run out of things for your body to eat for energy (fat, then eventually muscle..which noone wants to happen) THEN you've got real problems. I'll probably get a good bashing from the starvation mode police for this, but I'm a big girl, I can take it :P
Unfortunately, too large of a deficit results in the latter more than the former...and IMHO, eating below BMR is almost always "too large of a deficit". I'm a big proponent of eating as much as possible while making progress towards the goal instead of as little as possible...because I believe the metabolism adjusts to the calorie intake (and activity)...or at least it appears this way based on my two years of daily data on myself where I can see the gradual shift in NEAT dependent on whether I'm in a surplus or deficit over a period of time.0 -
Well, too large of a deficit has a name...anorexia nervosa. I mean eating a decent amount of food, clearly NOT starving yourself. If I do a vegan day (totally not illegal by mfp standards) it's NEARLY impossible to eat all my calories without gorging on peanut butter or almonds. And I'm not going to eat peanut butter by the spoon (the thought makes me want to vomit) just to get calories. The point is, your brain will not cease to function because you didn't meet the BMR...it will get it's energy by converting your fat and/or muscle to usable energy...a simple physiology class will teach that. I do agree that long term living under BMR can cause problems (because clearly eventually you're going to run out of fat/muscle for your body to live on...and the health problems will be there WAY before this happens) but occasionally going below, or even running a bit (little bit, not like 1/2) below BMR is NOT going to kill you.Yes!! This DRIVES me crazy!!! omg. You'll go into 'starvation mode' when you are STARVING yourself...1200 calories (and probably even less) is NOT starving.
And going below BMR will not kill you, I mean if you are at 1/2 of it consistently you might have a problem, but your brain, digestive system, heart, etc WILL NOT suffer..it will just EAT YOU for energy...and that's kinda the whole point...now when you run out of things for your body to eat for energy (fat, then eventually muscle..which noone wants to happen) THEN you've got real problems. I'll probably get a good bashing from the starvation mode police for this, but I'm a big girl, I can take it :P
Unfortunately, too large of a deficit results in the latter more than the former...and IMHO, eating below BMR is almost always "too large of a deficit". I'm a big proponent of eating as much as possible while making progress towards the goal instead of as little as possible...because I believe the metabolism adjusts to the calorie intake (and activity)...or at least it appears this way based on my two years of daily data on myself where I can see the gradual shift in NEAT dependent on whether I'm in a surplus or deficit over a period of time.
*I'd add in a 'trust me, I'm a doctor' at this moment..but I'm not going to...but I AM a nursing student (working on my BSN) and I've taken enough classes regarding the human body to know a little bit about it...clearly I'm here because I didn't follow what I know, but that's another situation all together LOL
Yeah, I've done what I am warning about and I have never been close to suffering from anorexia nervosa. There is a HUGE difference between having too large of a deficit and the negative effects and anorexia.
The whole point if this thread is about dispelling the fear of going under calorie goal for one day or a couple of days. The point I was making was about doing it over a long period of time - like a lot (not all) of those who are eating 1200 calories a day and exercising. For a lot of people (not everyone) on this site, 1200 is under BMR, then there is adding exercise on top of that.
No, your brain will not stop functioning, no one here has said that. We are talking about continuing in weight loss and maintaining once you have reached goal and how hard that may be.
And I am very familiar with BSN program.
ETA - because I just saw neaderthin's post - yes, the more you have to lose, the greater the calorie deficit can be. But eventually it comes down to modest deficits.0 -
i eat 1200 cals a day, and im not in starvation mode. im losing weight, definately not starving, and feeling awesome!!! ive lost 71 pounds in 8 months... just about done here with losing in a few more months...0
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No kidding.The biggest problem and confusion I see is, people seem to interpret the meaning with multiple definitions.
Like so many other things on this site.
LOL like cleanses clean out toxins???
I was thinking more legit terms that are misunderstood.
cleanses are not legit? crap....0 -
Meh, forgetting about the term "starvation mode" which is over used and misunderstood here, eating too few calories over a long period of time has a negative effect whether it is truly starvation mode or not.
Just because someone is not in starvation mode doesn't mean there is no concern.
But yea, lets just forget that phrase.
^this...
...although I was under my goal today by about 200 calories, so I'm definitely in starvation mode right now...(at least until midnight when my body resets).
Wha??? The body resets at midnight?? I thought it was 7!!
no, the intestines shut down at 8pm but the body then resets at midnight...got it now?0 -
Well, too large of a deficit has a name...anorexia nervosa. I mean eating a decent amount of food, clearly NOT starving yourself. If I do a vegan day (totally not illegal by mfp standards) it's NEARLY impossible to eat all my calories without gorging on peanut butter or almonds. And I'm not going to eat peanut butter by the spoon (the thought makes me want to vomit) just to get calories. The point is, your brain will not cease to function because you didn't meet the BMR...it will get it's energy by converting your fat and/or muscle to usable energy...a simple physiology class will teach that. I do agree that long term living under BMR can cause problems (because clearly eventually you're going to run out of fat/muscle for your body to live on...and the health problems will be there WAY before this happens) but occasionally going below, or even running a bit (little bit, not like 1/2) below BMR is NOT going to kill you.Yes!! This DRIVES me crazy!!! omg. You'll go into 'starvation mode' when you are STARVING yourself...1200 calories (and probably even less) is NOT starving.
And going below BMR will not kill you, I mean if you are at 1/2 of it consistently you might have a problem, but your brain, digestive system, heart, etc WILL NOT suffer..it will just EAT YOU for energy...and that's kinda the whole point...now when you run out of things for your body to eat for energy (fat, then eventually muscle..which noone wants to happen) THEN you've got real problems. I'll probably get a good bashing from the starvation mode police for this, but I'm a big girl, I can take it :P
Unfortunately, too large of a deficit results in the latter more than the former...and IMHO, eating below BMR is almost always "too large of a deficit". I'm a big proponent of eating as much as possible while making progress towards the goal instead of as little as possible...because I believe the metabolism adjusts to the calorie intake (and activity)...or at least it appears this way based on my two years of daily data on myself where I can see the gradual shift in NEAT dependent on whether I'm in a surplus or deficit over a period of time.
*I'd add in a 'trust me, I'm a doctor' at this moment..but I'm not going to...but I AM a nursing student (working on my BSN) and I've taken enough classes regarding the human body to know a little bit about it...clearly I'm here because I didn't follow what I know, but that's another situation all together LOL
whats wrong with peanut butter by the spoon? Sounds like heaven to me...0 -
i eat 1200 cals a day, and im not in starvation mode. im losing weight, definately not starving, and feeling awesome!!! ive lost 71 pounds in 8 months... just about done here with losing in a few more months...
but you are in starvation mode...you can't lose weight while in starvation mode! Immediately increase your calories to TDEE and deduct 20% ...NOW! < I call those people the TDEE 20 Percenters - lol - I should start a thread about that ...that will piss some people off big time...0 -
I think people are just using the phrase wrong.
When most people say "you are going into starvation mode!!!!" They mean that the person is probably seeing a stall in weightloss from eating too little.
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence (I've experienced this too) that there is a threshold of calories (unique to every person) that if you go below, you will stall out. People are misinterpreting this as 'starvation mode' because they don't really know all the facts.0 -
I think I must have gone into starvation mode yesterday between morning and afternoon. You know like the kind of starvation mode where the body just hangs onto fat. I woke up and ate nothing. Instead I drank about 3 gallons of water and guess what? When I weighed myself a few hours later I was up about 20 pounds from my morning weigh in! It's not fair, I didn't eat anything! How could I have gained all this weight?!!! I am living proof that starvation mode does occur!0
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I think people are just using the phrase wrong.
When most people say "you are going into starvation mode!!!!" They mean that the person is probably seeing a stall in weightloss from eating too little.
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence (I've experienced this too) that there is a threshold of calories (unique to every person) that if you go below, you will stall out. People are misinterpreting this as 'starvation mode' because they don't really know all the facts.
i believe you are right..I m just on a mission to correct the record and spread some knowledge! lol0 -
I think people are just using the phrase wrong.
When most people say "you are going into starvation mode!!!!" They mean that the person is probably seeing a stall in weightloss from eating too little.
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence (I've experienced this too) that there is a threshold of calories (unique to every person) that if you go below, you will stall out. People are misinterpreting this as 'starvation mode' because they don't really know all the facts.
i believe you are right..I m just on a mission to correct the record and spread some knowledge! lol
I think we need a new phrase for the 'too little calorie stall' So we can get rid of the phrase completely for diet talk0 -
I think people are just using the phrase wrong.
When most people say "you are going into starvation mode!!!!" They mean that the person is probably seeing a stall in weightloss from eating too little.
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence (I've experienced this too) that there is a threshold of calories (unique to every person) that if you go below, you will stall out. People are misinterpreting this as 'starvation mode' because they don't really know all the facts.
i believe you are right..I m just on a mission to correct the record and spread some knowledge! lol
I think we need a new phrase for the 'too little calorie stall' So we can get rid of the phrase completely for diet talk
how about "plateau level calorie consumption"0 -
skipping meals is one thing but starvation mode is another. I was full and satisfied last night and ended up with not using like 400 calrories and they told me when I closed my diary for the day that I was putting myself in starvation mode. It was not intentional. From now on I am going to eat what I am supposed to so I am satisfied until morning. hate waking up ravenous0
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how about "plateau level calorie consumption"
Accurate but not very snappy.
How about 'The low calorie fat cling'?0 -
...although I was under my goal today by about 200 calories, so I'm definitely in starvation mode right now...(at least until midnight when my body resets).
Wha??? The body resets at midnight?? I thought it was 7!!
It only resets at midnight if you haven't eaten since 7PM. I understand the confusion with those numbers, though.0 -
i love it when someone is like ' oh no I missed snack 10 of 11 I am in starvation mode.." F'ing please...
Lol0 -
You're all good so long as you don't eat after 6! Lmao0
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I think people are just using the phrase wrong.
When most people say "you are going into starvation mode!!!!" They mean that the person is probably seeing a stall in weightloss from eating too little.
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence (I've experienced this too) that there is a threshold of calories (unique to every person) that if you go below, you will stall out. People are misinterpreting this as 'starvation mode' because they don't really know all the facts.
i believe you are right..I m just on a mission to correct the record and spread some knowledge! lol
wrong.....
regardless of "enough " cals - if you re not eating enough essential fats in your diet your body will sense this and hoard fat or wont give it up and this is the key to misconception...0 -
The term starvation seems to be used way too frequently. It is a dreamland for some it seems. I mean who wouldn't like to eat more when fat loss slows? I follow different BB log books, and how odd, I never see a mention of loving their diets before they step on stage nor do they talk about eating more to lose those last few pounds. Those people that have been at it know how to lose and gain (for the most part anyway).
I also don't think many distinguish the difference between starvation and the bodies natural response to weighing less. Weigh less---->need less. Same applies with exercise. Get in shape---->burn less calories unless you push harder. The law of depreciating returns is a mean one.0 -
YOU MUST STOKE THE METABOLIC FIRE EAT EVERY 2 HOURS
i'd like to meet the genius who came up with that one...he has probably made millions on books...
Had a Pt tell me that you wake up in starvation mode EVERY DAY, so it doesnt matter if it's only a single bite of food, but you MUST eat something within a half hour of waking up to get out of starvation mode.
Oh the terrible metaphors. What's harder, getting a fire started or keeping it going? Can your car's engine run if there's no gas in the tank?
1. You were CLEARLY not a pyromaniac as a kid. There is NOTHING easier than starting a fire.
2. Ok, if we're gonna go with bad car matephors .. my engine runs the same regardless of if I have a full tank or 1/8th of a tank ...0 -
It's pretty much there to cover their *kitten* so that if someone becomes anorexic or dies that MFP can't be sued because the person was "warned." Simple lawyer speak.
I personally have never been in starvation mode. I freaking love to eat. I thought I was going to lose my mind when I couldn't eat after midnight the night before my brain surgery (link on my profile if anyone wants to read that whole story).0 -
What you need to consume depends on what activities you are doing. I did a five mile run this morning and 45 minutes of TRX, before I even got started I had consumed 500 calories. If your sitting on your butt, doing noting 1200 might work just fine for you. But if your doing alot of exercise or even a lot of heavy work, you got to eat.0
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Wait..does that mean since I only had a 137 calorie muffin for breakfast this morning since I was too lazy to make anything that I'm gonna go into starvation mode before I have a snack or lunch???? O_O *gasp* !!!!0
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Who even shares ice cream?! That's like sharing chocolate... It's a no no.oh, that reminds me, I need to eat some ice cream so I don't go into starvation mode . . .
I'll share mine!0 -
Well, too large of a deficit has a name...anorexia nervosa. I mean eating a decent amount of food, clearly NOT starving yourself. If I do a vegan day (totally not illegal by mfp standards) it's NEARLY impossible to eat all my calories without gorging on peanut butter or almonds. And I'm not going to eat peanut butter by the spoon (the thought makes me want to vomit) just to get calories. The point is, your brain will not cease to function because you didn't meet the BMR...it will get it's energy by converting your fat and/or muscle to usable energy...a simple physiology class will teach that. I do agree that long term living under BMR can cause problems (because clearly eventually you're going to run out of fat/muscle for your body to live on...and the health problems will be there WAY before this happens) but occasionally going below, or even running a bit (little bit, not like 1/2) below BMR is NOT going to kill you.Yes!! This DRIVES me crazy!!! omg. You'll go into 'starvation mode' when you are STARVING yourself...1200 calories (and probably even less) is NOT starving.
And going below BMR will not kill you, I mean if you are at 1/2 of it consistently you might have a problem, but your brain, digestive system, heart, etc WILL NOT suffer..it will just EAT YOU for energy...and that's kinda the whole point...now when you run out of things for your body to eat for energy (fat, then eventually muscle..which noone wants to happen) THEN you've got real problems. I'll probably get a good bashing from the starvation mode police for this, but I'm a big girl, I can take it :P
Unfortunately, too large of a deficit results in the latter more than the former...and IMHO, eating below BMR is almost always "too large of a deficit". I'm a big proponent of eating as much as possible while making progress towards the goal instead of as little as possible...because I believe the metabolism adjusts to the calorie intake (and activity)...or at least it appears this way based on my two years of daily data on myself where I can see the gradual shift in NEAT dependent on whether I'm in a surplus or deficit over a period of time.
*I'd add in a 'trust me, I'm a doctor' at this moment..but I'm not going to...but I AM a nursing student (working on my BSN) and I've taken enough classes regarding the human body to know a little bit about it...clearly I'm here because I didn't follow what I know, but that's another situation all together LOL
Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness. It's a lot more than just "not eating enough".0 -
Wha??? The body resets at midnight?? I thought it was 7!!no, the intestines shut down at 8pm but the body then resets at midnight...got it now?You're all good so long as you don't eat after 6! Lmao
The looming confusion surrounding eating cutoff times stems from the modern era in which the railroad and telecommunications caused people to realize time seemed different in diferent places. In efforts to fight this, Standard Time was established---
The first adaptation of a standard time in the world was established on December 1, 1847, in Great Britain by railway companies using GMT kept by portable chronometers. About August 23, 1852, time signals were first transmitted by telegraph from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich *
What we need is something like that, but instead of Greenwich Standard Time, maybe we should call it "Sandwich Standard Time"
( *wikipedia quote)0 -
I think after starvation mode, its probably muscle gain, because everyone knows if you swing the barbie weights around 3 times a week, and eat 3 McDonalds cheeseburgers and nothing else (because you wanted to stay under on calories) that you would easily put on 3 lbs of muscle, is the next biggest thing that gets me going, that or when a woman says I dont lift because I dont want to get bulky, Weight room is for everyone, and Bulky takes alot alot alot of work.0
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My body obviously didn't get the starvation mode memo.
There have been extended periods in my life (and I'm talking several months) when I've been super busy stressed, with NO time to grocery shop or cook, just work and sleep (working disaster relief, family member terminal illness, etc) and I've dropped weight like crazy simply from calorie deficit. That's eating awful processed junky fast food every day too -- because it was either that or eat nothing at all.
Oh, and I didn't pack on twice as much weight when normal life resumed either, just gradually returned to where I'd been.0 -
skipping meals is one thing but starvation mode is another. I was full and satisfied last night and ended up with not using like 400 calrories and they told me when I closed my diary for the day that I was putting myself in starvation mode. It was not intentional. From now on I am going to eat what I am supposed to so I am satisfied until morning. hate waking up ravenous
ummm that's a joke right?
You have to eat nothing for three days to be in starvation mode...
being four hundred cals below your goal is not starvation mode...
this is what I am talking about people!0
This discussion has been closed.
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