Starvation mode is a myth.

Options
1234568»

Replies

  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    Options
    Great article showed up in my friend feed:

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    The TL;DR is this: For virtually all people, if you aren't losing weight, it is for one reason only: You aren't really maintaining a calorie deficit.

    Starvation mode only happens once you have lost so much body fat that you can't lose anymore without dying. If you are overweight, and you eat a calorie deficit, you will lose weight no matter what.

    If you think you are dieting and you are not losing weight the most likely explanation is you aren't accurately tracking your calories.

    fully agree! I was given the "your going to die, the worlds going to end, dooms day" warnings of starvation mode 10 months ago... since then, ive lost 95 pounds, switched to maintenance, and not only have not gained a pound, I have still managed to lose an additional 4 pounds since maintenance. never experienced this magical "starvation mode" theory. body never started storing fat, body never resisted weight loss... weight came off well, and now on maintenance, I have no problem with weight gain.
  • crazie4lulu
    crazie4lulu Posts: 762 Member
    Options
    **Gets popcorn ready**
    and is pulling up a chair waiting for a virtual fight to break out......
  • Kanohane
    Kanohane Posts: 112 Member
    Options
    Great article showed up in my friend feed:

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    The TL;DR is this: For virtually all people, if you aren't losing weight, it is for one reason only: You aren't really maintaining a calorie deficit.

    Starvation mode only happens once you have lost so much body fat that you can't lose anymore without dying. If you are overweight, and you eat a calorie deficit, you will lose weight no matter what.

    If you think you are dieting and you are not losing weight the most likely explanation is you aren't accurately tracking your calories.
    Finally, someone admits this!!! I fast all the time and have never experienced starvation mode...I keep losing pounds and my metabolism is still the same...meh, but whenever I try to explain why fat people can't go into starvation mode, the whole conversation goes to hell, then anorexia, then death... *throws a chair*
  • chrisn82
    chrisn82 Posts: 1
    Options
    Mcgrawhaha, I'm really happy to hear about your experience. I'm fairly new to this and started reading about "starvation mode" and it just didn't seem to add up to me (honestly, my mind immediately jumped to Holocaust victims and African villagers). I read another similar article that also cited the Minnesota experiments and drew the conclusion that REAL starvation mode is a very different thing than an overweight person worrying about whether they're eating 1200 vs 1500 calories. In any case, I'm very happy to hear that you dropped the weight and maintained deficits without huge problems. I am on a 2lb/week plan, I'm 211lbs (as of today) at 5'10" tall. MFP has me at a 1440 cal/day goal and honestly, most days I hit between 1000-1200 and I haven't been feeling hungry. At first I was happy that at the end of the day I had room for some ice cream, but I don't usually take advantage of that any more and I rarely eat back my workout calories. I'm very careful about sticking to recipes from eatingwell.com and documenting my intake. I've been working out and tracking with both a Fit Bit and HRM. I'm easily dropping the weight and am down over 10lbs now in just a couple of weeks. I also have consistent energy throughout the day, I used to get sleepy after lunch and take naps after work, neither of those happen any more. I've also felt like I'm more content and generally in a better mood, which I'd attribute more to working out. I definitely feel best on the days that I can get a good workout in early in the day. My confidence has even gotten a little bump, though that was never much of an issue for me, but I'm beginning to have delusions of grandeur and dream of future days when I'll be all buff and super models will swoon over me ;)
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Options
    Bump :smooched:
  • samedame
    samedame Posts: 36
    Options
    Thank you for this article. My food calculator on this website has been telling me that I am "not eating enough calories" but to maintain my weight I actually only need around 1600, so I am trying to keep it around 1000 or under most days. The food calculator says I must eat at least 1200, because of that starvation mode thing, so I was worried that I should eat more. But I think I am just fine after reading this article. Actually I have been losing weight fine. I feel okay too. This helped get rid of my doubt and fear.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    Options
    Mcgrawhaha, I'm really happy to hear about your experience. I'm fairly new to this and started reading about "starvation mode" and it just didn't seem to add up to me (honestly, my mind immediately jumped to Holocaust victims and African villagers). I read another similar article that also cited the Minnesota experiments and drew the conclusion that REAL starvation mode is a very different thing than an overweight person worrying about whether they're eating 1200 vs 1500 calories. In any case, I'm very happy to hear that you dropped the weight and maintained deficits without huge problems. I am on a 2lb/week plan, I'm 211lbs (as of today) at 5'10" tall. MFP has me at a 1440 cal/day goal and honestly, most days I hit between 1000-1200 and I haven't been feeling hungry. At first I was happy that at the end of the day I had room for some ice cream, but I don't usually take advantage of that any more and I rarely eat back my workout calories. I'm very careful about sticking to recipes from eatingwell.com and documenting my intake. I've been working out and tracking with both a Fit Bit and HRM. I'm easily dropping the weight and am down over 10lbs now in just a couple of weeks. I also have consistent energy throughout the day, I used to get sleepy after lunch and take naps after work, neither of those happen any more. I've also felt like I'm more content and generally in a better mood, which I'd attribute more to working out. I definitely feel best on the days that I can get a good workout in early in the day. My confidence has even gotten a little bump, though that was never much of an issue for me, but I'm beginning to have delusions of grandeur and dream of future days when I'll be all buff and super models will swoon over me ;)

    that is so awesome! very excited for you! do what works best for you, forget about everyone else!
  • Romaena
    Romaena Posts: 9
    Options
    Yep, booze is a killer.... Take it from me... And as long as you have fat stores, you won't starve....
  • 50marathons
    50marathons Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    I weight 261 because I've obviously put my body in "starvation mode" hehe. I had 1199 calories once. That did it.
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
    Options
    Thank you for this. I am on a 1000 calorie diet through a program I joined, and I also have been working out. I am only in my first week of it but I feel fine and hardly deprived.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    Options
    starvation mode, as thrown around here on mfp is a joke! i ate at 1200 calories for 1 year and lost 100 pounds... never went into starvation mode, my hair is thicker than ever, and my nails still have to be nearly chewed off daily because they grow out so quick... i never felt tired, never felt drained, kicked my own *kitten* at the gym 3-5 times a week... and still... no starvation mode, weight came off fine, and now, eating normal amounts of calories upwards of 2000, not gaining weight... the end of the world your going to die starvation mode people would like for you all to believe that your body will defy math and science, and gain weight at a calorie deficit... that is not the fact...
  • wrests
    wrests Posts: 84 Member
    Options
    Yeah, due to past ED's, when I don't 'try' to eat more, I have a habit of consuming around 1000 calories a day. I even tried 1200 and lost a few lbs, and got completely stuck, even when I was religious with weighing and everything. Eating 1900 I'm losing regularly, so I think it's silly to definitely say that people 'aren't weighing correctly', when everyone's body works differently. Many a time the person in question just isn't well versed in these sorts of things, but it's inaccurate to assume that they're always wrong because their bodies don't work the exact way that you think they should.
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
    Options
    Just had my week 2 weigh-in for my 1,000 calorie a day (Doctor supervised, high protein, low fat, controlled carbohydrates, meaning 80-100 g's per day).

    I have lost 5.5 each week for 2 weeks, 11 pounds total, and the Tanita says 10 pounds of that was pure fat, and I feel great, this is probably better nutrition than I got eating before the diet.

    I know the 5.5 won't last, just enjoying the ride while it does!

    I don't feel starving at all, but I drink lots and lots of water.

Categories