The Starvation Mode Myth...again.

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Replies

  • sunny111775
    sunny111775 Posts: 6
    Eat more. You will lose weight
    ;)
  • yogagirl100
    yogagirl100 Posts: 18 Member
    Thanks, I was starting to get worried about my calorie intake.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Interesting indeed

    If one does measure their BMR and it is low and their TDEE is also low - then to lose weight in a healthy manner you have to be higher than BMR and lower than TDEE - right

    So what if those numbers say BMR is 822 and TDEE is 1350 - 515 calories per day decfict for 1 pound per week loss = 835

    Very low calorie in the scheme of things - correct?

    What does this person do? eat 1200 only 150 deficit it would take them 24 days to lose a pound and be on the edge of 'maintenance' or eat 1,100 and lose about .5 lb a week?

    I am just asking because some people really do have this issue with low BMR.

    Except for building a bit of muscle which helps a very little to rasie the BMR (I heard the net is 2 calories a day for each lb of LBM) or taking stimulatnts like caffine I have not heard of a great way of boosting BMR.

    So what is your advise in this case?

    that's why % are better. that person should be eating at TDEE -10-15%. 1147 to 1215 calories/day.

    And in this case a BMR that low the person would have to be 3 foot something and like 60lbs.
  • Kenazwa
    Kenazwa Posts: 278 Member
    I'm afraid Starvation Mode is a card destined to be thrown on the table every single day for all of eternity.
  • allana1111
    allana1111 Posts: 390 Member
    Thank you for some facts!
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Not that I agree nor disagree but just to play devil's advocate here's an article someone on MFP posted elsewhere about how "scientific research" is flawed :laugh:
    Not specifically 'scientific research', but the conclusions.
    This is why I read studies myself to see exactly what they did and the results they got.
    Ok, they could also have made up the data, but that's where multiple studies by different groups come in!
  • nje444
    nje444 Posts: 62
    Great post and props to the men who volunteered for the study in the first place. I know I would be so "hangry" (hungry/angry) if I had to starve myself for any amount of time.
  • nje444
    nje444 Posts: 62
    I applaud your efforts, but starvation mode will never die on mfp


    It will certainly never die as long as MFP spins this yarn - "*Based on your total calories consumed for today, you are eating too few calories. Not only is it difficult to receive adequate nutrition at these calorie levels, but you could also be putting your body into starvation mode. Starvation mode lowers your metabolism and makes weight loss more difficult. We suggest increasing your calorie consumption to 1200 calories per day minimum."

    If this so called 'starvation mode' exists - why were the people in WW2 camps, and why are anorexics, like walking skeletons? Certainly all these people were/are very, very ill and malnourished, but it did NOT happen because their calorie intake went under 1200 for a few days.

    Does it? Jesus! They need to rethink this big time!


    I think we should start a petition to take that nonsense down!!! They could still have the warning, but just take out all the starvation mode bs.

    "

    Agreed 100% but they should also change the response after you finish logging for the day. According to MFP, I should be down to between 109 and 112 lbs because of my diet/exercise ratio. Not only is that not happening, it is not something I am going for. A simple "Congratulations" would be better than throwing out numbers.
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
    Reading the forums for the last couple of days, it seems this very informative thread is over-due for a Feb. bump.
  • cabinfeverinalaska
    cabinfeverinalaska Posts: 1
    What is TDEE?
  • molonlabe762
    molonlabe762 Posts: 411 Member
    bump for later
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
    What is TDEE?

    Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
  • sunny111775
    sunny111775 Posts: 6
    ditto to that
  • jazzyfizz4658
    jazzyfizz4658 Posts: 1
    i do completely agree with this, what i really wanna know is how can you get out of 'starvation mode'?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    i do completely agree with this, what i really wanna know is how can you get out of 'starvation mode'?

    Reverse diet. Slowly increase your calories up to where it should be. Add 100 calories per week.
  • bunnydumpling
    bunnydumpling Posts: 7 Member
    That's such an old experiment! We've come so far in 60+ years...Are you a RD (registered dietitian), or at least a nutritionist?
  • bunnydumpling
    bunnydumpling Posts: 7 Member
    Actually I forgot to add that I used to skip meals profusely and exercise 5-6 times/week doing about 100 minutes of hard cardio each time and also up to an hour of weight training while restricting. I saw a RD who told me that I had to quit exercising and just eat and I lost 15 pounds in 2.5 months with her as my personal meal planner. Get a professional to help plan the amount of exercise and meals if you wanna lose the weight!
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
    That's such an old experiment! We've come so far in 60+ years...

    Evolution doesn't work that fast.
  • rocknlotsofrolls
    rocknlotsofrolls Posts: 418 Member
    IF starvation mode were true, you would'nt see skinny starving kids on those commercials. IF you don't eat, the body will take your stored fat. That's why Camels have humps.
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
    TLDR
  • MagJam2004
    MagJam2004 Posts: 651 Member
    IF starvation mode were true, you would'nt see skinny starving kids on those commercials. IF you don't eat, the body will take your stored fat. That's why Camels have humps.

    I tried so hard to read all these posts seriously, but I lost it on this one, and am still smiling while writing this.

    Unfortunately I don't have a link to a research article or published paper on the subject but I would have to believe there is a wide difference between a malnourished Ethiopian child, and someone with a screwed up diet. By diet, I mean the food they eat not the program they are on. When I think of starvation mode, I immediately start thinking about when I skip breakfast. This makes me think about the different studies (again no links, sorry) that show folks who skip breakfast gain more weight than those who don't. There are probably about as many or more that disagree with that opinion which leads me to only one conclusion. You will have to find what works for you and your body. Try that TDEE thing though it sounds horribly complicated to my simple self. Try fasting, since it worked in the old days when food wasn't so readily available (I assume since agriculture and domesticated animals weren't always around). But for heaven's sake, don't start comparing yourself to camels, or donation infomercials! Unless you are in fact a malnourished Ethiopian child, in which case I empathize and wish you the best. *queue a Rebecca St. James song in the back ground*
  • vschwgrt1
    vschwgrt1 Posts: 86 Member
    what I would like to know is, what exactly is starvation mode. 1200, 1000, 900? and what if those calories are good clean food? Lean protean , lots of vegs and fruit. Low fat dairy? How can that be starvation? Lots of water, a multi vitamin. I can eat a lot of good food for 1100 calories
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    This makes me think about the different studies (again no links, sorry) that show folks who skip breakfast gain more weight than those who don't.
    But do they show that they gain more weight WHILE on reduced calories. Anything I've seen directly links weight gain and weight loss to calories.

    Some people find that they eat more later if they don't have breakfast. Many people find the exact opposite.
  • MagJam2004
    MagJam2004 Posts: 651 Member
    Some people find that they eat more later if they don't have breakfast.

    From what I remember, I think that was the focus of the article. You end up eating too much later in the day. To be honest, I don't recall a mention of calorie requirements. It was one of those, average person on an average diet kind of things.
  • Unknown
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  • lisawinning4losing
    lisawinning4losing Posts: 726 Member

    Does Starvation mode cause our bodies to catabilize (devour our muscles and other lean mass)? Yes and No.

    Lean individuals lost great amounts of fat-free, lean tissue during starvation, but obese individuals lost much more fat tissue. The loss of lean mass is not as critical to the obese person simply because an obese person has more lean mass than a person of the same age and height but normal weight. Here we get to a basic idea that makes sense – fat storage – the same way animals build up bulk to rely on during the winter, obese people have fat stores they can use (to a limited extent) in times of need. This means that the effects of a semi-starvation diet upon a normal weight individual are of course much more devastating than the effects on someone who is obese.


    I'm glad you pointed this out because it's true that your body will use fat stores before it will start eating into your muscle. So, if you're obese then you really don't have to worry too much about starvation mode. But, if you go too low it can still have a negative effect on your metabolism. I think that for an overweight person 1200, especially if that's net, sounds perfectly reasonable, if you can do it.
  • lisawinning4losing
    lisawinning4losing Posts: 726 Member
    Also, I think it helps if you eat a lot of protein.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    TLDR

    bumpity bump bump
  • jinimittal
    jinimittal Posts: 1 Member
    So going along with all this, I'm curious about diets such as the Venus Factor. The premise of the diet says 1. We all have been made to learn and think that we need more calories than we really do, and in order to lose body fat we must have a calorie deficit. 2. This calorie deficit for a prolonged period of time (6 days) can start to dramatically reduce metabolism, so after 6 days there should be an eat up day, in which you eat the amount of calories you would normally need to maintain your body weight. And last of all, the diet says that most people do not diet properly and they do it backwards, in fact though there should be a larger deficit in the beginning, once you begin to get closer to your target you should be adding more calories as your body has less fat to continue using for stores.

    Would you say that this is accurate? I have been having mixed feelings about this diet after a couple of people asked me what I thought.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Doing alternate high and low calorie days works nicely for me.
    That doesn't mean 'starvation mode' as described by most on here is the way it works.
    It's generally accepted that it's an idea to taper your diet as you get leaner - the less fat the body has, the less it wants to give up.
    One way you can do this is keep your calories constant - not just from having to shift less weight around daily, you'll burn less calories.

    However, I'd be sceptical of anything that tries to sell it's self as a "diet". Rather, I'd like well researched 'scientific' facts presented to me about the differences your choices make, so you can choose the best ones for you.

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