STARVATION MODE?

When talking to a Dr. they still consider you to be starving yourself of nutrients. You may want to call it something else, but its still considered starving yourself. That is where I was 2 years ago when I was 220lbs (mostly due to the fact I had no money and was living on ramen noodles 3 times a day, 7 days a week while pregnant). I was getting my calorie intake, but I was getting absolutely no nutrients. The Dr. considered me to be starving myself.

I do want to call it something else, I want to call it what it is defined as. Malnutrition. I am not impressed by what one particular doctor says from his mouth. I have a Dr. in front of my name too, does that make me right?

Considering while you're pregnant you have at least 2 Dr's (at least in a non-third world country), and I had 3 and they all agreed and promptly put me on nutrition drinks, I doubt you're correct.

Eating significantly below your BMR for a sustained period of time can cause metabolic slowdown. It's not starvation mode; it's more like adaptation. Your body doesn't have the energy it needs, so it sort of reworks itself to be able to run on the number of calories you've been giving it. I don't see that happening in the beginning of a journey, but as you continue to lose weight it may pose a problem.

That's all correct and well, but some people think it will make them GAIN weight. Their metabolism would only slow from starvation after the fat reserves were used up. I've never seen fat, starving people, and that's why starvation mode is widely frowned upon here.

My understanding, and please correct me if I'm wrong, is that adaptive thermogenesis in response to starvation intake means when you *do* return to eating normally your body will store more of the increased calories as fat and your slowed metabolism means your TDEE is lower than it would otherwise have been...although adaptive thermogenesis will re-correct itself over time. Obviously you can't gain weight if you are truly at a deficit, but VLCD can cause damage that manifests when intake returns to normal, no? Sorry if I'm doing a bad job of explaining but I'm on my phone and it's hard to edit the text. Anyway, is that sort of correct?

Yes that is correct. I think the myth of "starvation mode" was people just vaguely hearing something about how if you eat less you gain fat, not fully understanding the whole narrative and thinking that it means your body will store fat while starving or being at a severe deficit. What you said is true.

Look, lets break this down into its components here.

1. Malnutrition is what happens when you don't get enough of the essential micronutrients your body needs. True or False and if you think False then why?

2. Starvation is what happens when you don't get enough of the macronutrients your body needs. True or False and if you think False then why?

3. A person can be malnourished regardless of the level of macronutrients that they take in. True or False and if you think False then why?

I probably should just drop this as it has nothing to do with the OP's question but I'm just really not sure what the disconnect is here. Starvation and malnutrition are two separate concepts about two separate things, micro and macro nutrient. I also don't know what having 3 doctors while you were pregnant has to do with anything about the meaning of words.

OPs question stems from an automatic message MFP spits out when someone is even a few calories below 1200.



i know starvation mode is not real, to call some one to be starving in the absolute sense, you have to be not eating for more than 72 hours etc etc, but i am not sure why this site uses that phrase in its automatic warning? "you are eating too few calories, it may slow your metabolism" is fine, may be they should remove "starvation mode" from that message, to stop a lot of the people here from keep going on and on about how you will gain weight if you starve!

OPs question stems from an automatic message MFP spits out when someone is even a few calories below 1200.



i know starvation mode is not real, to call some one to be starving in the absolute sense, you have to be not eating for more than 72 hours etc etc, but i am not sure why this site uses that phrase in its automatic warning? "you are eating too few calories, it may slow your metabolism" is fine, may be they should remove "starvation mode" from that message, to stop a lot of the people here from keep going on and on about how you will gain weight if you starve!

I agree that this statement should be modified. I didnt really think I was in "starvation mode". I just wanted to know what happened if your body goes into it and/or what could happen if you eat too few calories. i.e, could your body actually "store" fat (or whatever it may store) and show as weight gain. I have been eating around 1000 calories a day so when I saw a gain in weight, it sparked me to ask this question. I know it's only a pound and could be anything, but I was curious. I learned a few things from this thread, thank you all very much, but the biggest thing I learned....that this "starvation mode" thing is a real touchy subject

If you read the whole thread there is great info that explains. Mostly people confuse vocabulary. To answer your question if you are eating less than you burn you will NOT put on fat.

I'm not sure if anyone mention this yet because I haven't read through the chain, but if you are eating too few calories your body produces more cortisol. Cortisol can, among other things, cause your body to hold onto water.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

Yeah, if you have plenty of fat to spare and are eating something every day your body won't go into starvation mode and you will lose plenty of weight. I've been on a strict 900 calorie or less diet for the past 3 weeks and have lost 12.5lbs since I started. I drink only water and snack on healthy foods like grapes, bananas, apples, and carrots throughout the day. I have plenty of energy (enough to work on my feet all day and still walk 3mi after work) My sleeping habits are the same meaning I don't require extra sleep to compensate for a calorie deficit. If you have 20lbs or more to lose, your body won't starve. YOUR BODY WILL EAT THE EXTRA FAT!

And being an EMT doesn't give you a PhD. I planned this diet out with a nutritionist and had to readjust it several times until it worked. I understand that it might not work for everyone, but you don't HAVE to eat the minimum base of 1,200 calories or replenish all your calories burned, as long as you are not feeling sluggish or have moments of dizziness/black outs. Sorry if either of my comments offended your sensibilities.

It doesn't offend anyone's sensibilities, but it does go against MFP forum guildlines. You are basically advocating an extreme diet. There are people on here that won't read that you planned it with a doctor, they will just do it. You will also find later that your diet is unsustainable. Stick with it until you hit goal, maintain for a year, and then come back and see us. IF you use the search function you will see many many threads of people advocating the same diet you are that are repeat MFP offenders..they lose the weight and can't keep it off once they stop the low calorie.

I have been using MFP for a while but this is my first post. I just have a question about "starvation mode". I have been under my calorie count quite often. Sometimes by as much as 300 calories. I get the warning about "starvation mode". I have lost 11lbs in about two months. My last weigh in I gained a pound. It kind of startled me! My question is, What happens when your body goes into "starvation mode"? Could this be why I started gaining? I feel just fine. I have been under my calories because I am satisfied with what I ate, meaning not hungry. I am afraid that if I eat more I will not reach my goal. Any advice?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/761810-the-starvation-mode-myth-again