THE BIG STARVATION MODE MYTH.

keep your protein intake at ~0.85g - 1.5g per lb of body fat

Really ?

that's what my trainer/nutritionist told me, and i have only seen a+ results since.

nope

editted to say, 1.5g of protein per POUND OF BODY FAT??? lmao, could you imagione how many chickens a 350 pound person would have to eat???

For those of us that are trying to lose "the last 5-10 lbs," starvation mode COULD come into play. And I know people are going to be screaming at me about citing specific studies or scientific papers. However, let's just forget the science and think practically. I think most of us (who are not obese) want to be able to enjoy eating as much food as possible while still being about to lose or maintain weight. I like to call it the sweet spot. So, for me at least, the whole starvation mode argument is a moot point. I'm not looking to become a fitness model overnight. I just want to be healthy and feel good, and maybe get a six pack one day. So, I like to set my calories to my maintenance. That way I know the approximate point where I will start to gain weight.

That's just my philosophy. Take it or leave it.

lack of food can cause the body to go into starvation mode, or starvation response, according to an article in the March 2006 edition of the journal "Annual Review of Physiology." Starvation mode is a metabolic response to the body being deprived of food, which may occur during periods of famine or economic depression, when using a fad diet, or when suffering from anorexia nervosa. A variety of specific signs and symptoms affect those whose body has gone into starvation mode.

Physiological Symptoms

Reducing calories to a very low level prevents the body from obtaining proper nutrients and energy, according to the "Annual Review of Physiology" article. As a result, fatigue is common because the body does not have ample energy to function. The body breaks down muscles to be used as fuel as it attempts to keep vital organs like the heart and lungs functioning. Vitamin deficiency is another result of a lack of nutrients, and can lead to anemia, diarrhea, rashes, edema and heart failure. Testosterone levels decrease during starvation mode, so sexual drive also decreases. The primary drive in a food-deprived body is to eat to regain energy and nutrition, not to reproduce. In women, irregular menstruation or a complete absence of a menstrual cycle may occur.


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Depression and Anxiety

In a landmark study by Dr. Ancel Keys, published in the book "The Biology of Human Starvation", subjects who were place on a starvation diet experienced psychological changes. Depression was one such symptom. Dr. Keys found that those who ate the least calories were the most depressed. Anxiety is another psychological symptom of not consuming enough calories. Dr. Keys noted nervousness and impatience among the participants in the study. Some people even avoided eating because they were fearful of gaining weight.

Food Obsession

Food obsession is another symptom of starvation mode, as found in Dr. Keys' study. The deprived body focuses on food because it needs the energy and nutrients to survive. A person in starvation mode may spend much time talking about food, thinking about food and searching for food. In developed countries, people in starvation mode -- such as dieters or people with anorexia nevosa -- may also spend much time watching cooking shows, looking at recipes or shopping for food.

Weight Regain

According to study in the March 2001 issue of the "British Journal of Nutrition," a reduction in the intake of food leads to a reduced metabolic rate, or a decreased rate in burning calories. This decrease in metabolic rate increases as the person loses weight. Once a person begins to eat more, he often experiences increased appetite while his metabolic rate stays at a low level, according to a study conducted by Dr. Abdul Dulloo that was reported in the March 1997 issue of "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." As a result, the person often regains all the lost weight and may even gain more weight than when the starvation started. The weight that is put on is mostly fat tissue, noted Dulloo.

For those of us that are trying to lose "the last 5-10 lbs," starvation mode COULD come into play. And I know people are going to be screaming at me about citing specific studies or scientific papers. However, let's just forget the science and think practically. I think most of us (who are not obese) want to be able to enjoy eating as much food as possible while still being about to lose or maintain weight. I like to call it the sweet spot. So, for me at least, the whole starvation mode argument is a moot point. I'm not looking to become a fitness model overnight. I just want to be healthy and feel good, and maybe get a six pack one day. So, I like to set my calories to my maintenance. That way I know the approximate point where I will start to gain weight.

That's just my philosophy. Take it or leave it.

lol @ 5-10 lbs.

those are single digit bodyfat numbers and your practical thinking is wron. so is your philosophy because you are refusing to listen to science.

Beware of the trolls!

Starvation mode is a real thing, although, it seems to be misunderstood and/or way overblown in this "community." In fact, starvation mode, or whatever you want to call it, is one of the reasons humans were such good survivors back in the days before civilization and modern technology. So, the point is the environment has to be considered. Most of us on here are most likely fortunate enough to never have to worry about where our next meal is coming from. In fact, a lot of us have more food at our disposal than know what to do with. So, as a side effect, some of us became overweight or obese. People who are very overweight and obese most likely don't have to worry about starvation mode any time soon. In fact, if you are obese and are serious about losing weight, I suggest seeing a trained professional such as a medical doctor in the field or a dietician. Don't listen to people in the internet like me!

For those of us that are trying to lose "the last 5-10 lbs," starvation mode COULD come into play. And I know people are going to be screaming at me about citing specific studies or scientific papers. However, let's just forget the science and think practically. I think most of us (who are not obese) want to be able to enjoy eating as much food as possible while still being about to lose or maintain weight. I like to call it the sweet spot. So, for me at least, the whole starvation mode argument is a moot point. I'm not looking to become a fitness model overnight. I just want to be healthy and feel good, and maybe get a six pack one day. So, I like to set my calories to my maintenance. That way I know the approximate point where I will start to gain weight.

That's just my philosophy. Take it or leave it.

You know, I frequent another forum on the internet, it is nothing to do with dieting and weightloss but to do with conspiracies and everytime there are people replying to threads on there that others disagree with, they love to use the word "troll" and the sentence "beware of the trolls".

People who disagree are not trolls, they just merely disagree.

Now regarding the bolded bit above from your quoted post: No, starvation mode will not come into play, if it did, nobody would ever reach their goal who had stuck to their original calorie plan. You don't want science brought into the argument lest it proves your own theory wrong, no problem with that, but it is just your opinion and there is also no problem with that, providing you don't mind other people having theirs.

Regarding losing weight on maintenance calorie levels, that is pointless to me as it would keep me at the same weight as it is not a deficit. That is what maintenance level is meant to be after all isn't it - maintaining one's weight.

Yes, unfortunately there really are trolls that have nothing to do but get everyone riled up for their own entertainment. People do this in real life too. However, I have no problem with people genuinely disagreeing with me. That was not the intention of my comment. It was more just for entertainment purposes. I find it ironic that you read into it so much.

I've learned that, with some topics, arguing is pointless and a waste of time. Most people get so obsessed with being "right" that they miss an opportunity to learn something. I am not going to waste my time trying to dig up reasearch just to proved to someone on the Internet that I am "right." If you see that as a "win" then hurray for you. I have come a long way and learned a lot with this philosophy so I am fine with "losing."

And I never said that I eat at maintenance. I just set my calorie goal to that so I know to not go over. I think you missed the point. Oh well. Sorry for trying to be reasonable.

Not sure I agree with your third and fourth paragraph either, you are guessing at this point ratuilher than using any actual science and are as guilty as anyone else.

Ever noticed people even when really nowhere near lean struggling to drop weight despite having a good diet in place? That would suggest heavy handed dieting methods before, going to low with calories.

I coach people, and esp now, a lot of women. I don't see it occur if calories are kept sensible and cardio isn't over done. This is based on experience - I've currently got 11 women on my books that I coach

I read this. It says that there was a study done that shows that starvation mode doesn't kick in until you have 6% of body fat or below. I've included the text of the actual study and the link below




http://fitnessblackbook.com/main/starvation-mode-why-you-probably-never-need-to-worry-about-it/


Starvation Mode – Why You Probably Never Need to Worry About It

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
Starvation mode is a term that gets thrown around loosely. Many people believe that too little protein or too few of calories in a day will cause loss of muscle mass. What if I told you that it is extremely difficult to go into starvation mode until you get down to 5% body fat(10% for women)? Brad Pilon and John Barban have given me permission to give you access to the first 15 minutes of one of their paid recordings: “Starvation Mode”. Brad and John discuss surprising findings of a military study, where they purposely tried to get the soldiers to lose muscle and get into starvation mode. They found it took extreme conditions to reach this point.

Brad and John Show You How to Get Into Starvation Mode?

These guys take an interesting approach. They show you exactly what it takes to reach starvation mode. By showing how difficult it is to reach starvation mode, they destroy a lot of muscle loss myths. Once you listen to this, you can relax and not stress out about losing muscle when you are dieting and exercising to lose body fat. As you will see, you don’t even need to begin to worry about this until your reach crazy low body fat levels. Here’s that recording:

My Notes From the Starvation Mode Recording

All of this is covered in the recording, but I wanted to put some of this in text as well. You can also right click and save this recording and listen on your computer or iPod. I’ll post my notes below like I typically format my blog posts.

Why Are Brad and John Examining a Military Study?

Brad and John mainly look at a military experiment done by Karl Friedl. They point out that the military has less restrictions and can push people much harder than they can in a typical university study. There is no way this stuff would get approved by a university, but no problem for the military. In their words…To find limits to what the body is capable of, you need to dip into military research.

Step 1 to Get Into Starvation Mode—> Start Out Lean

Karl Friedl used fit and athletic soldiers with an average body fat of 14%. This is what John Barban calls “4 pack lean”. There were guys as low as 6% body fat and as high as 18% body fat. Think along the lines of a fit and muscular soldier to get an idea of the participants of this study.

Karl Pretty Much Tortured These Guys for 8+ Weeks!

Karl had these guys eat between 1,000-1,200 calories…but burn upwards of 6,000 calories per day with crazy activity levels and sleep deprivation. So deficits in the 3,000-4,000 range on some days. Average deficit was 1,200 calories per day. They trained like mad and also went through extreme sleep deprivation.

Here’s what happened during the 8 weeks (avg height 5’9″):

At Start… 167 lbs & Adonis Index of 1.4
2 Weeks…156 lbs & Adonis Index of 1.44
4 Weeks…152 lbs & Adonis Index of 1.45
6 Weeks…146 lbs & Adonis Index of 1.50
8 Weeks…140 lbs & Adonis Index of 1.52
Note: Adonis Index refers to the shoulder circumference divided by the waist circumference. As an example, my shoulder measurement is 50 inches and my waist is 33 inches. If I divide my shoulder by my waist I get 1.51. The ideal Adonis Index is 1.61. The video below explains why a 1.61 ratio is pleasing to the eye in not just body proportions…but in art, architecture, etc.

In This Experiment, They Were NOT Trying to Preserve Muscle

The important thing to remember in this study was that they were trying their best to beat these guys down. They weren’t doing things that normal people would do while dieting, like proper resistance training. Here are some of the tactics they used to try to get into starvation mode.

Severe Caloric Restriction
Severe Amount of Exercise
Severe Amount of Mental Stress
Extreme Sleep Deprivation
Began to Lose Lean Body Mass Between Weeks 6 and 8

At around the 8 week mark a lot of guys who were in the 5%-6% range could not drop any more body fat. This is when they began to lose lean muscle. The guys who started out the leanest, reached their limits at week 6. These were the guys who lost the most amount of lean body mass.

They Didn’t Lose Muscle Just Because They Were at 5%-6%

They lost muscle because they were still having days where they were running at a 3,000 calorie deficit. Once someone reaches their lower limits of body fat percentage it makes sense to eat close to maintenance levels. This strong calorie deficit at this low body fat level also caused extreme hormone disruptions: Testosterone dropped, thyroid issues, mood changes <---this is true “starvation mode”.

Why People Think Their Metabolism is Slowing Down

People with more fat available to oxidize…can oxidize more body fat per minute. The less body fat you have, the less you can oxidize per minute. So as you get closer to your lower limits of body fat, the slower you will burn what body fat you have. This is why those last 4-5 pounds come off slowly, NOT because you are wrecking your metabolism with an aggressive diet.

Most People Never Need to Worry About Starvation Mode

Most likely, starvation mode isn’t happening to anybody reading this. The average person thinks starvation mode happens between meals. It isn’t about not having enough calories. It isn’t about not having enough protein. It only effects people at their critical low body fat mass. You have to be in a massive deficit and already at your critical low body fat level. You are “6 pack ripped” before ever getting to starvation mode.

Not sure I agree with your third and fourth paragraph either, you are guessing at this point ratuilher than using any actual science and are as guilty as anyone else.

Ever noticed people even when really nowhere near lean struggling to drop weight despite having a good diet in place? That would suggest heavy handed dieting methods before, going to low with calories.

I coach people, and esp now, a lot of women. I don't see it occur if calories are kept sensible and cardio isn't over done. This is based on experience - I've currently got 11 women on my books that I coach

agreed.. women do not go into single digits... I knew this even during my first month of lifting