Starvation mode: fact or fiction?

I don't know if it exists or not. What I do know is that if I consistently eat less than 1200 cals a day, my body gets used to that and it's hard to maintain on that small amount of food. I'd rather have a metabolism that works efficiently. If I'm hungry, I will overeat. If I'm satisfied, I can maintain my eating habits.

I agree. If I'm over hungry, I'll eat just about anything and everything!

Where is the science? That is what I was thinking when I read the article. It seems antidotally that when people DON'T EAT ENOUGH that they hold onto the weight as well as numerous dieticians and physical fitness experts are strongly encouraging people to not go below 1200 calories- are they espousing a myth? I rather eat well and have energy, exercise and take off my weight slowly and steadily.

I have actually done a PSMF.....protein sparing modified fast....actually the one by lyle mcdonald...it works....but isn't meant to be sustained for a long period of time.....did my metabolism slow down?...I don't know because I used stimulants to make sure it didn't slow down......extremely LOW calorie diets work...this I know...but really aren't healthy for use as a lifetime change....research lyle mcdonald....I found him interesting...and very knowledgeable on nutrition!
Rob

In my experience there's definitely a starvation mode. In fact I wrote a blog post that touched on that earlier this week. Years ago I decreased my calorie intake and increased my exercise because I wasn't losing weight anymore, did it to the point where I was eating 500-800 calories a day and exercising for 3 hours. I not only still didn't lose any more weight but nearly ended up in the hospital. And when I was so sick that I literally could barely eat and was living off only broth and diet jello I gained 10 pounds in 2 weeks because I couldn't do any exercise. Between that and having my doctor tell me that I came -> <- that close to ending up in the hospital, all because of what I was doing, was a serious reality check.

I currently I know someone who is consulting with a whole medical team to consider water fasting for perhaps as long as a year. This person is heavier than several of us combined and I do not advise this without the kind of medical support he will have.

I have today lost 65 pounds lowering my calories to equal 2 to 3 pounds per week, the math can be worked out on your goal settings. For some months now I have been below the 1200 figure usually mentioned.

I am sedentary. I am short. I am female.

The BMR at my goal weight is less than 1200 calories. So according to that decades old study, what is that supposed to mean?

Yes, yes I hear the cry of the exercisers, and yes I will walk etc at some point.

For now I keep tweeking my calorie figures, I eat the most nutritious foods I can and I am losing steadily.

I weigh everything, everything, everything. I log each meal before I eat it.

I do not have a day off each week.

The holidays set me back 3 lbs, but once back on the plan the weight is coming off again.

The downside: I am totally consumed with myself. I wake each morning, weigh-in and log on to MFP, I check in if I have had a loss, adjust my calorie goals, and start to plan my food day. I leave the site up all day logging each cup of water, each gram of food, and check my community postings frequently.

I do not have to cook for others or deal with a job or children, been there done that. For those of you with more complicated lives you have my sincere sympathy.

The industrial food system has been addicting us for years on their fat-salt-sugar regime. What other addiction says have only one cigarette, one drink, one dose of drugs per day.

Food must be eaten. But we need to change the brain big time to repair and retrain our eating habits and appetites.

Thank you for the link, I must say I have found the starvation mode thing a myth too. My experience is anecdotal yes, but I don't care.

IMO, the use of both terms--"starvation mode" and "myth" are imprecise and lead to misunderstandings.

The author uses the term "myth" because it has more of an impact than "overused". But I think it can still be misleading.

My experience is that, while not a "myth' per se, true "starvation mode" is something that few people will ever experience. Most "plateaus" in weight loss are due to the interplay of a number of factors, the most frequent being that people underestimate their caloric intake. And there can be a varied response to a low calorie intake, which complicates things even more.

Let me throw out some logic (my thoughts) here...Just to tickle the brain.
So those who do eat below 1200 calories and are apparently gaining or maintaining weight, what are they eating? I bet you $100 bucks it is a LOT of carbs and processed sugary/salty snacks and other processed crap that grocery stores and corporate businesses trick us into thinking is ‘healthy’ to eat; thus it is no wonder people 'hold onto their fat/weight'.

Personally I believe in eating only when you are hungry and eat all the good natural foods you want until you feel satisfied! I don't eat processed foods or sugar snacks other than fruit and the occasional coconut milk ice cream. I eat all the organic veggies and meats I want. Some days I may eat only 500 cal and some days I may be over 1200 cal, yet I still maintain my weight and continue to increase my lean muscle mass. So, for me anyways, this is a myth.

http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

There is a point where you're starving, but a lot of things go into what is called "starvation mode". Some people eat really low calories, lose tons of weight, then gain it back when they return to "normal" eating. But their "normal" eating habits are what caused them to be overweight in the first place, so they gain it all back because they haven't developed healthy eating habits. Or it could be that they go low, then binge and eat everything in the fridge and then some.

Does your metabolism slow down when you reduce calories? Yes. An overweight person has a faster metabolism than a slimmer person, so as you lose weight, your metabolism slows down.

And every body is different. I don't lose weight on 1600 calories - I have to go down to about 1200. I've survived fine on 1000 with tons of energy and good weight loss. (I also can't do the recommended 5-6 small portions per day: I have to do two large meals, with some calories left over for snacking.)

So there are a lot of variables that go into weight loss, and I think the whole "starvation mode" thing is just another attempt at a quick-fix explanation.