Rename starvation mode to survival mode.

I know this is hotly contested on mfp and there are pretty much 2 main camps on here, those whom believe it to be true and know it to be true and those whom do not believe it to be true and firmly advocate that it is a myth. Now I am not here to debate it's existence or to initiate a debate about it but what I do want to clarify is the misconception about this mysterious mode. For me "starvation mode" is a misnomer, it has nothing to do with actually being hungry which is what most of us would associate that with given its name. It implies starving yourself. Well that is not the case, I propose for a minute that you clear your notions on this and consider my take on this. I see it as survival mode more than starvation mode. Your body needs x amount of cals to function daily, your body needs x amount + more to allow for proper metabolic function. Now the X amount can vary person to person, those whom are exceptionally small may not need that magical 1200 cals a day for this to work, and the same applies if you are a 200 pound 6ft tall person, you simply need more than 1200 cal a day. Now with that said I know some of you are going to flip a lid at that last part so take a breather and hear me out. The body can and will adapt to everything you do to it diet wise. So if you got used to eating 600 cals a day then the body will adapt to that and you will feel full on those 600 cals, but you are not in a good metabolic position to burn fat anymore because in order for your body to do that for you it had to lower your metabolic rate to a crawl. You are in survival mode, as the body will consume everything it can to keep the brain and organs functioning.

So to address this from a weight loss standpoint yes you will lose weight either way, there is no doubt about that. Will you be healthy doing a low cal diet like 600 a day. Well that is super hard to do as the body needs a certain amount of vitamins, fiber, carbs, protein, fat, etc to maintain a healthy function so I highly doubt that this is doable even on the cleanest of diets. Most likely what will happen if you continue on that path is the consumption of your muscle tissue, burning of all fat reserves and an overall breakdown of your skeletal structure. You may be happy with your current weight that you hit but it really is not sustainable long term.

Now on other hand those whom are like myself whom advocate healthy eating, sensible caloric reductions for effective fat loss and a healthy diet will see benefits across the board other than fat loss. Increased energy, good mood, clear skin, healthy hair and nails, muscle growth and easy fat loss. The goal we have it to retain the muscle and shed the fat while slimming down and ultimately making a new goal once we hit the current one. I am taking it a step further by going into a muscle building program once I hit the bodyfat percentage that I want. My way is sustainable long term and I have easily shed the fat by letting my body's increased metabolic rate use up that fat store.

So with that said i think you really need to reconsider what survival mode means to your body and what it means to your health and yes fat loss is achievable either way, hell you can eat twinkies and shed weight but you will feel like crap. So in the end it is a matter of which side of the fence you want to be on, and which one suits your belief system best.