Don't believe in "Starvation Mode"?

shaunshaikh · March 2011

meggonkgonk · March 2011

*like*

smiley01x · March 2011

BUMP

sometimes i feel guilty about eating those calories. i feel so afraid to OVER eat, that i do not think about under-eating. thanks for the post

LOVEthighSELF · March 2011

bump

Oompa_Loompa · March 2011

thankyou for putting all this awesome info together

luv2ash · March 2011

I never eat mine

obviously nothing has kept me from losing.

dmmsquared · March 2011

Thanks! Don't have time to read all the posts now, but will do so later.

jsmjboertlein · March 2011

I know from experience it's true. Last year I struggled so bad to lose weight and couldn't understand why. I thought I needed to feel hungry to lose weight. I was eating 400-800 calories a day and working out like feind. Well this year I'm doing MFP. I'm eating my calories as close as I can and sometimes more and dropping weight like a bad habbit. And I don't ever feel hungry.

wenders123 · March 2011

Totally agree

shaunshaikh · March 2011

I never eat mine
obviously nothing has kept me from losing.

When you get closer to your goal, it will be different.

michellehorvath · March 2011

BUMP

sometimes i feel guilty about eating those calories. i feel so afraid to OVER eat, that i do not think about under-eating. thanks for the post

Me too!!!

But you might be onto something because you totally just described me!! I'm going back to 1lb a week and see if I can get off this plateau!! Thanks for the advice I hope you're right!!

LeonaB17 · March 2011

Yes! Thank you for posting this.

shaunshaikh · March 2011

Just as a quick note -- sometimes I have workouts that exceed 1,000 calories and it seems almost impossible to eat enough food to get myself to a healthy deficeit. I normally do a couple things:

1. I aim for a number 300 short of my goal, and then give myself 200-300 extra another day I don't workout. Pretty much cycling my calories, but a little more random and less methodical.
2. I eat more natural/healthy fats like nuts, avocado, etc. which are calorie rich. 1 gram of fat is 9 calories while 1 gram of protein/carbs is 4 calories.

tmaksparkie · March 2011

I never eat mine
obviously nothing has kept me from losing.

You may not eat your exercise cals but how much more weight do you have to lose? If you are close to goal I say within 20lbs it becomes very hard, it is a slow process but we all have to do what is right for our bodies. Me personally I under ate for 8months I mean yes 800-1000 cals a day max and now my metabolism is so screwed up I have to fix it. I was to the point of if I ate more then 1200 cals I gained weight that is how far my metabolism was, but I still did lose 80lbs doing this and now I am skinny fat because of it and half to change my body comp.

So yes thanks you for posting this info it is helpful to many.

SarahNicole317 · March 2011

There are a lot of topics in the health and fitness field that seem 'controversial'. I use that term loosely though as there is always going to be a study or experience that proves something to be right or wrong. It's all in how researchers present the information.

I don't think you can call it starvation mode though when someone hits a plateau. People can hit plateaus on a 1400 calorie diet or a 700 calorie diet. It's about keeping your body guessing. I don't believe it is healthy to consume under 1200 calories per day, mentally or physically. I also feel the same about doing excess amounts of cardio... as this will slow your metabolism. Not because of the 'starvation mode', but because you begin to sacrifice precious muscle which will reduce your metabolic rate. Same goes with hitting a plateau after you have lost weight. You must adjust your calories according to weight loss. Your body needs less to survive.

Some may consider 'starvation mode' to be a slang word or jargon... you know like 'muscle confusion'. It is really just a decrease in your metabolism from have a reduction in calories or high expenditure of calories over an extended period of time. This can easily be prevented by cycling your macronutrients, increasing intensity and decreasing time, cycling calories so you take in more on more intense workout days, lifting harder, etc.

Another huge mistake people make is eating way under protein and way over on carbohydrates. It's much easier for the body to turn carbohydrates into fat than it is to turn protein into fat. It is more likely that people eating way under their calories (as in under 1200) to lose weight are taking in poor carbohydrate sources in excess rather than eating a lot of protein to meet their 'calorie goal'. Again, this is going to reduce metabolic rate.

rachel1975f · March 2011

Quote from the OP: "These people are always close to their goal weight. They always work out an insane amount, usually large amounts of cardio. They NEVER go over their calorie goal and are usually under it. They rarely eat back their calories. They eat a really balanced diet and rarely break from their diet. "

I am probably going to jinx myself, but this sounds just like me, except I do have 23 more pounds to get to goal. But I always stay at 1200 cals, never eat my exercise cals, cardio exercise 5 to 7 times a week, and I have stuck to it since 1/1/11. I have lost 25 pounds since then, between 1.5 and 3 pounds a week steadily. No plateau!! I keep waiting for it, but it never comes!! Anybody know why?

MakingAChoice · March 2011

I never eat mine
obviously nothing has kept me from losing.

. . . yet!

Louiselesley · March 2011

Before this site I honestly hadn't a clue about this! I thought eating less meant loosing weight and god was I wrong. I have an awful habit of not eating enough (some people probably would love that habit without knowing about this!)

I don't have a huge appetite but since hearing about this I make an effort to snack a little to make up my calories! Thanks for this post!

gnutrifitness · March 2011

BUmp!

kevbrinks · March 2011

To be clear:

What 75% (my estimate) of MFP users would define "Starvation Mode" as...

THAT, I do not believe in.

Testimonials, anecdotal evidence, all of it means NOTHING in my opinion. Show me scientific evidence of a starving person that gains weight as a direct result of their starvation.

phnx72 · March 2011

BUmp!

sarakaufman · March 2011

Bump!!!

shaunshaikh · March 2011

Show me scientific evidence of a starving person that gains weight as a direct result of their starvation.

Who said people would gain weight as a result of starvation?

There is plenty of scientific evidence that people who consume too few calories over a long period of time thwart their weight loss. I know that there are posters on here that have 10+ links on hand to fire off when somebody brings this topic up, so I will just wait for them instead of wasting my time searching for it.

cutmd · March 2011

I'm still confused because my understanding is that the average person vastly underestimates his or her calories, and I have a hard time believing the overweight are an exception. So if you think you're sticking to 1200, it's probably 1500 or more, so how do you know whether you really need to increase or just hunker down and double-check your numbers?

jaymeec75 · March 2011

bump

shaunshaikh · March 2011

OK, I went ahead and added cited studies. I remember an epic starvation mode thread that ended up with some pretty good info on it.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/175608-starvation-mode-is-a-myth-the-science?page=5

If I were you, I would skip from the OP and jump straight to page 4 for the good info from the informed posters.

SarahNicole317 · March 2011

I'm still confused because my understanding is that the average person vastly underestimates his or her calories, and I have a hard time believing the overweight are an exception. So if you think you're sticking to 1200, it's probably 1500 or more, so how do you know whether you really need to increase or just hunker down and double-check your numbers?

I think that is a good point to make. Unless people are consuming all of their calories out of premeasured serviing size packs then they probably are off. The majority of people might 'measure' their food, but to be 100% accurate you have to actually weigh everything.

http://caloriecount.about.com/truth-starvation-mode-ft28742
This link basically explains it in layman's terms. It also links to research, but the gist of it is that yes your metabolism will slow down, but even when you cut calories by 50% your metabolism will slow 10% (approximately), thus there will still be a 40% deficit. Also, if people are eating right on as long as they are in a deficit then yes they may hit a plateau because their body has adjusted, but even without adjusting calories or exercise if they are consistent they will eventually break through the plateau...I've been training a girl for 3 years and every 10 lbs or so she hits a plateau. I don't make adjustments to her diet, but after a few weeks of staying consistent she will drop 2 or 3 lbs out of nowhere.

Justin741 · March 2011

I feel confused.

kevbrinks · March 2011

Show me scientific evidence of a starving person that gains weight as a direct result of their starvation.

Who said people would gain weight as a result of starvation?

There is plenty of scientific evidence that people who consume too few calories over a long period of time thwart their weight loss. I know that there are posters on here that have 10+ links on hand to fire off when somebody brings this topic up, so I will just wait for them instead of wasting my time searching for it.

Take 5 seconds and do a MFP search for "starvation mode gain weight".

"Thwart their weight loss"? You mean gain weight? Or do you mean "stop losing weight"? Maybe you mean "lose weight less quickly than if they ate more calories? Or do you mean, the rate of weight loss gradually becomes less significant the more calories you cut? You are being very unclear.

Kat120285 · March 2011

Show me scientific evidence of a starving person that gains weight as a direct result of their starvation.

Who said people would gain weight as a result of starvation?

There is plenty of scientific evidence that people who consume too few calories over a long period of time thwart their weight loss. I know that there are posters on here that have 10+ links on hand to fire off when somebody brings this topic up, so I will just wait for them instead of wasting my time searching for it.

Exactly. I know from experience. I was vastly undereating a year ago. When I realized just how many calories I was taking in I immediately knew why my body wasn't changing. Because it was holding onto anything that I had left and anything that came in. I did gain weight once I started eating a healthy amount of calories again because my body wanted to hang onto everything that came in because it was thinking that I would at some point "starve" myself again. Once it realized I was going to keep feeding it, it started dropping the weight again but at this time it was healthy weight loss. If you don't feed your body, yes you can lose weight but think of what you're losing. If your body isn't getting enough fuel from calories and it's eaten basically all it's fat, it turns to muscle.

phnx72 · March 2011

I never eat mine
obviously nothing has kept me from losing.

When you get closer to your goal, it will be different.

I don't think I understand what makes the goal weight different other than the title.

Don't believe in "Starvation Mode"?

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