Starvation mode
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Eating too few calories will slow down your metabolism. But a slow metabolism doesn't suddenly make you stop losing weight if you continue eating at a deficit. This myth came from people who crash diet, consuming 500-700 calories a day, drop 5 lbs, then return to normal eating only to find they gained it all back and more.
And yes, it takes consistent, long term (a few weeks) low calorie eating to slow down your metabolism. Likewise, it takes consistent long term normal eating to return it back to it's proper state.
Starvation mode is a myth birthed from a pebble of truth.0 -
Um, let's look at BMR. The lower your weight, the lower your calorie needs UNLESS you need to compensate for activity to maintain. Metabolism will not STOP. How would that be possible? Your metabolism is the energy your body needs to function: breathe, circulate blood, cellular regeneration, daily movement, digestion. Who are these people that say this junk in the name of science? Vismal, thank you (seriously) for your intelligence.0
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The kittens are AWESOME!0
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Well there was a study done that took a group of people and had them consume no calories for days. The results were 72-96 hours on average it took for the metabolism to slow down.
So when on an extreme deficit combined with a high expenditure lifestyle (totally not recommended) it'd probably be advantageous to keep your metabolism running smoothly by having a cheat meal every 3 to 4 days0 -
Well there was a study done that took a group of people and had them consume no calories for days. The results were 72-96 hours on average it took for the metabolism to slow down.
So when on an extreme deficit combined with a high expenditure lifestyle (totally not recommended) it'd probably be advantageous to keep your metabolism running smoothly by having a cheat meal every 3 to 4 days0 -
Well there was a study done that took a group of people and had them consume no calories for days. The results were 72-96 hours on average it took for the metabolism to slow down.
So when on an extreme deficit combined with a high expenditure lifestyle (totally not recommended) it'd probably be advantageous to keep your metabolism running smoothly by having a cheat meal every 3 to 4 days
I said cheat meal, not cheat day. The idea of the cheat meal would be to keep the metabolism running smoothly while on a very low calorie diet. It's an idea, or broscience. The no calorie study I mentioned was to give the OP an idea of how hard you would have to diet for starvation to even start happening. No calories is an extreme example and it took 3 to 4 days. That was just one study though. There's of course others. I'd still recommend the 2 cheat meals a week if eating at an extreme deficit 0-500 cal/day or at least eat extra around workout times. I'm a believer in diet experimenting. Live and learn!0 -
Believing in starvation mode is as much a myth as believing that eating Twinkies will make you thin, blonde, and sweet inside.0
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Can someone offer me some advice on starvation mode please?
It's meaningless unless you're already skinny.0 -
Well there was a study done that took a group of people and had them consume no calories for days. The results were 72-96 hours on average it took for the metabolism to slow down.
So when on an extreme deficit combined with a high expenditure lifestyle (totally not recommended) it'd probably be advantageous to keep your metabolism running smoothly by having a cheat meal every 3 to 4 days
I said cheat meal, not cheat day. The idea of the cheat meal would be to keep the metabolism running smoothly while on a very low calorie diet. It's an idea, or broscience. The no calorie study I mentioned was to give the OP an idea of how hard you would have to diet for starvation to even start happening. No calories is an extreme example and it took 3 to 4 days. That was just one study though. There's of course others. I'd still recommend the 2 cheat meals a week if eating at an extreme deficit 0-500 cal/day or at least eat extra around workout times. I'm a believer in diet experimenting. Live and learn!0 -
Okay, okay so starvation mode is a myth. Calories out > than calories in will result in weight loss. Some slowing of the metabolism will happen if the deficit is large enough for long enough.
Maybe OP wants to know how large a deficit can he maintain without adverse effects on his metabolism? I'd like to know that too.0 -
I don't think most people associate "starvation mode" with literally starving to death, but good on you all who went down that road. I think it's more likely in reference to the problem you get when you undereat and your body decides to hang on to every last calorie out of some biological programming (OMG THERE'S A FAMINE!!).
Weight loss is more than calories in v calories out, sorry. I've eaten 1200 cals for weeks and lost NOTHING, even gained a kg or two, and upped my calories to 1300 or 1400 and started losing again regularly. Lots of people have experienced this. Eating too little and not losing? Up your calories by 100 - 200 and start losing again.
I eat around 1700 to 2100 calories a day these days but less than 20g a day of carbs. I lose weight at the rate of about 1.5kg a week. I'm 40, 5'9" and 104kg. I've lost about 23kg since I started.I would eat close to or slightly over my BMR most days, and I don't exercise. I work in an office. What you eat is equally as important as how many calories. Those who love your internet science, go look it up.0 -
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A
You'll find in those studies that while some effects and the mode is real - the myths that many times goes along with it is not.
In that one study, merely overweight folks reduced their total daily burn by 20% by taking a 25% deficit off their lab measured TDEE in 3 months.
But as it shows, recovery is possible, the documentary is slightly negative in that regard.0 -
@tuxedord re: metabolism impacts
I do think every body is different, but I'm happy to share my experience, as a sample size of one, and some other observations.
(1) When I consume ~BMR for 4 weeks, my metabolism decreases 20%. I lose weight pretty quick (~1lb/wk) despite the slow metabolism and pretty low BF% (16%). I can continue running 4 mi/day, but I do run faster when fuelled better.
(2) There's a metabolic limit to how much energy fat can render. It's ~30kcal/lb fat/day. Someone carrying 100lb fat can tolerate a big caloric deficit, considering he can get 3000kcal/day from stored fat before eating a bite. This guy will have little metabolic "adverse effect" from severe caloric restriction. Someone with 20 lb fat on their skeleton, by contrast, will see metabolic impacts with a much smaller deficit.
(3) I've had appreciable experience with fasting (for spiritual reasons), and my body reacts very quickly to caloric restriction. Maybe it's because I'm lean to start with or because past experience has conditioned my body to recognize fasting. When I cut calories to <500/day, I feel sleepy within 24 hours. I can think and function fine, but exercise is out of the question and I need 2 hrs more sleep/day.0 -
This topic gets debated to death around here. Here's some factual information:
You can starve. If you deprive yourself of enough calories for a long enough period of time, you will die. It has and does happen to people. When people starve to death, they lose TONS of weight. They do not magically stop losing weight because they are starving. They do see some slowdown to their metabolisms but not enough to cease weight loss. They exhaust the great majority of their stored fuel. They look like skeletons before they die.
In order to die you need to be at or near zero intake for a very long time (depending on how much stored energy you have).
So is starvation mode real? It just depends what you mean by starvation mode. If you mean a magical metabolic condition that stops you from losing weight because you are eating low calories, then no, it's a myth. If you are asking can you starve to death by eating nothing or next to nothing for a long long time, then yeah, that can happen.
/thread. And most threads with "starvation" or "1200" in the topic, now that I think of it.0 -
Weight loss is more than calories in v calories out, sorry. I've eaten 1200 cals for weeks and lost NOTHING, even gained a kg or two, and upped my calories to 1300 or 1400 and started losing again regularly. Lots of people have experienced this. Eating too little and not losing? Up your calories by 100 - 200 and start losing again.
Aren't you special? Why don't you go teach the starving kids in Africa how to gain weight while eating at a deficit.0 -
I only clicked on the thread to view the train wreck. Looks like Mr. awesome.... Err I mean vismal saved the day !!!
Exellent work.0 -
Weight loss is more than calories in v calories out, sorry. I've eaten 1200 cals for weeks and lost NOTHING, even gained a kg or two, and upped my calories to 1300 or 1400 and started losing again regularly. Lots of people have experienced this. Eating too little and not losing? Up your calories by 100 - 200 and start losing again.
Aren't you special? Why don't you go teach the starving kids in Africa how to gain weight while eating at a deficit.
Did you realize starvation mode and starving are not the same thing?
You are referring to starving, they are referring to starvation mode. Few posts up are a few links with plenty of studies to educate yourself about the mode, not the starving.
And yes, to above post, obviously 1200 was the goal, and was not adhered to constantly very well, probably some binges in there, hence the weight gain.
Exact reason for one of the myths attached to starvation mode, you'll gain fat and weight and burn off muscle. Never mind the fact if deficit was that much you likely burned off muscle anyway, right along with the fat.
Eating more finally just unstressed their body and likely some decent water weight dropped, as well as generally less stress is better for weight loss anyway.0 -
I am keenly aware of the starvation mode myth and AT but thank you for your concern. I have been on this site for a while after all. The person who wrote that clearly believes in the starvation mode myth:I think it's more likely in reference to the problem you get when you undereat and your body decides to hang on to every last calorie out of some biological programming (OMG THERE'S A FAMINE!!).
This, along with what ever I quoted above where my main contentions. This was never about starving vs starvation mode. The remark about the African kids was a sarcastic way of telling the person her logic is askew if she thinks she's gaining weight while eating at a deficit.0
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