Starvation mode: fact or myth?
blueberrymuffin995
Posts: 7 Member
Hello everyone 
I'd like to ask if starvation mode is really a thing? I mean does your body get into starvation mode if you eat way less than you are supposed to? My sister who is 16 years old and my brother who is 25 are both very slim and fit and I know for fact that they barely eat more than 700 calories per day (my brother actually eats a little bit more but I don't think he goes over 1200 calories). They are not doing this on purpose, they are not on a diet or something but they are busy all day and it seems like they don't get very hungry. Both of them have karate lessons 3 days a week and I assume that's why their metabolisms haven't slowed down, because they stay active and their body has adjusted to this way of life. Everyone says that if you eat that little you'll stop losing weight at some point,your metabolism will slow down and you'll start gaining weight because your body will store everything you eat as fat. Also, one of my friends lost a significant amount of weight in 2 months by eating so little and she has kept the weight off. What do you think?? Sorry for the long post
I'd like to ask if starvation mode is really a thing? I mean does your body get into starvation mode if you eat way less than you are supposed to? My sister who is 16 years old and my brother who is 25 are both very slim and fit and I know for fact that they barely eat more than 700 calories per day (my brother actually eats a little bit more but I don't think he goes over 1200 calories). They are not doing this on purpose, they are not on a diet or something but they are busy all day and it seems like they don't get very hungry. Both of them have karate lessons 3 days a week and I assume that's why their metabolisms haven't slowed down, because they stay active and their body has adjusted to this way of life. Everyone says that if you eat that little you'll stop losing weight at some point,your metabolism will slow down and you'll start gaining weight because your body will store everything you eat as fat. Also, one of my friends lost a significant amount of weight in 2 months by eating so little and she has kept the weight off. What do you think?? Sorry for the long post 0
Replies
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It's a myth. There is however, metabolic adaptation, but I wouldn't worry too much about that with people who haven't dieted for long stretches at a time. The reality of it is, unless you're with them continuously, you have no idea how much they're really eating.0
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Sure I can't be with them continuously but I always ask my sister what she has eaten for the day and sometimes (most of the times, it'd be a more suitable phrase) she only has lunch and a toast at school or something! And the days we are at home, I observe what she eats and she hardly gets hungry or when she does she eats like a bird. More or less the same happens with my brother. And I was just wondering what is going on with the starvation mode thing! Thanks for the replies 0
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total myth ...
and you could of searched the forums before posting because there are about a million topics on this..
unless you are weighing and logging everything they eat, you have no way of knowing how much they truly are consuming...0 -
If I asked my daughter (aged 16) what she ate today, she would not be able to remember, fact! She's a teenager and there's far more interesting stuff to worry about!
My advice would be worry less about what they eat, and just look after yourself. Try and eat healthily, and weigh and log everything on MFP. Once you;re in the habit, it gets easier.0 -
PurpleTina wrote: »If I asked my daughter (aged 16) what she ate today, she would not be able to remember, fact! She's a teenager and there's far more interesting stuff to worry about!
My advice would be worry less about what they eat, and just look after yourself. Try and eat healthily, and weigh and log everything on MFP. Once you;re in the habit, it gets easier.
I'm not putting myself through this procedure of starvation! Actually I'm eating very healthy and exercising, there is just some stubborn body fat that I'd like to lose, but it'll happen at some point the right way. My question was just out of curiosity and I mentioned my sister as an example to clarify my question. I'm not saying I'm controlling what she eats and stuff (I only ask her sometimes because as an older sister I care about her health) or that I plan to starve myself, don't get me wrong.0 -
Unless you are with them every second of every day, you have no idea what they eat.0
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Unless you are with them every second of every day, you have no idea what they eat.
I understand that, I'm not stupid. I mentioned my sister and her eating habits as an example to clarify my question.
I'm aware that I can't possibly know how many calories she eats per day, the number was indicative because her calorie intake is around that number more or less. I've been living with her for 16 years now, don't you think I would know something more about her eating habits, if I didn't know, I wouldn't have even mentioned her.
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It's a myth. Human beings evolved to go long stretches of time without having to eat. Very obese people sometimes go on medically supervised diets of 300 calories a day for months. The metabolism slows down, but you don't stop losing weight.
It's extremely unlikely that your siblings are consuming only 700 calories a day while engaging in vigorous physical activity.
Although the conventional wisdom used to be that the only effective way to lose weight was gradually, some people do better when they go on an extreme or somewhat extreme diet on a short-term basis. For them it's motivating to lose the weight and they eat more healthily after going on maintenance, so they keep the weight off. Only healthy people should pursue such an option, and it would be optimal if they saw a doctor and a dietitian.0 -
It's a myth. Human beings evolved to go long stretches of time without having to eat. Very obese people sometimes go on medically supervised diets of 300 calories a day for months. The metabolism slows down, but you don't stop losing weight.
It's extremely unlikely that your siblings are consuming only 700 calories a day while engaging in vigorous physical activity.
Although the conventional wisdom used to be that the only effective way to lose weight was gradually, some people do better when they go on an extreme or somewhat extreme diet on a short-term basis. For them it's motivating to lose the weight and they eat more healthily after going on maintenance, so they keep the weight off. Only healthy people should pursue such an option, and it would be optimal if they saw a doctor and a dietitian.
Thank you for your reply. You're the only one who actually answered my question properly and about the calorie intake, it might sound extremely unlikely to be so low, but trust me even if it's not 700 calories, it's definitely less than 1000. There have been days that she has had only lunch, she just doesn't get hungry. That's why I wondered about the starvation myth in the first place. Thanks again 0 -
blueberrymuffin995 wrote: »It's a myth. Human beings evolved to go long stretches of time without having to eat. Very obese people sometimes go on medically supervised diets of 300 calories a day for months. The metabolism slows down, but you don't stop losing weight.
It's extremely unlikely that your siblings are consuming only 700 calories a day while engaging in vigorous physical activity.
Although the conventional wisdom used to be that the only effective way to lose weight was gradually, some people do better when they go on an extreme or somewhat extreme diet on a short-term basis. For them it's motivating to lose the weight and they eat more healthily after going on maintenance, so they keep the weight off. Only healthy people should pursue such an option, and it would be optimal if they saw a doctor and a dietitian.
Thank you for your reply. You're the only one who actually answered my question properly and about the calorie intake, it might sound extremely unlikely to be so low, but trust me even if it's not 700 calories, it's definitely less than 1000. There have been days that she has had only lunch, she just doesn't get hungry. That's why I wondered about the starvation myth in the first place. Thanks again
Just no. You have no idea if at school she eats more than she says, or when you aren't home, she snacks etc.
If she was only eating 700 cals she would be emaciated and likely diagnosed with an eating disorder.-1 -
blueberrymuffin995 wrote: »It's a myth. Human beings evolved to go long stretches of time without having to eat. Very obese people sometimes go on medically supervised diets of 300 calories a day for months. The metabolism slows down, but you don't stop losing weight.
It's extremely unlikely that your siblings are consuming only 700 calories a day while engaging in vigorous physical activity.
Although the conventional wisdom used to be that the only effective way to lose weight was gradually, some people do better when they go on an extreme or somewhat extreme diet on a short-term basis. For them it's motivating to lose the weight and they eat more healthily after going on maintenance, so they keep the weight off. Only healthy people should pursue such an option, and it would be optimal if they saw a doctor and a dietitian.
Thank you for your reply. You're the only one who actually answered my question properly and about the calorie intake, it might sound extremely unlikely to be so low, but trust me even if it's not 700 calories, it's definitely less than 1000. There have been days that she has had only lunch, she just doesn't get hungry. That's why I wondered about the starvation myth in the first place. Thanks again
Just no. You have no idea if at school she eats more than she says, or when you aren't home, she snacks etc.
If she was only eating 700 cals she would be emaciated and likely diagnosed with an eating disorder.
She may have the odd very low calorie day, but, being a teen, she probably has crazy high-calorie days, too. Teens sometimes do get distracted/busy and undereat...and they also tend to randomly eat entire boxes of poptarts or bags of chips or their mother's entire Talenti stash, NOT THAT I'M BITTER, BUT, SERIOUSLY MY KIDS ARE KILLING ME. If she is at a healthy but slim weight, she's likely averaging out to maintenance+appropriate body maturation growth calories over the course of a week.0 -
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So since you got the exact answer you were listening to does that mean this thread is over? Everyone can move on now?[/quote]
I'm simply saying that the answer that user gave me was helpful and not judgmental like most of the other replies. And if you have any kind of problem with my question you could have easily ignored it. You don't have to be mean. You can move on with your life now.0 -
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Starvation mode is real, but it isn't what most people think of when they use the term. Starving yourself cannot - CANNOT - increase your weight. What happens is when your body adapts to surviving on much fewer calories than it needs, it does one or more of these things:
- Slows down metabolism, making you feel lethargic, and more importantly, expending less energy while doing everyday things. And yes, it tries to store everything it can. But if it still expends more calories than it takes in, then it just can't store stuff.
- Makes you hungry all the time until you give in and start binging. It then stores THOSE extra calories from your binging as much as it can.
- Makes it more difficult for you to exercise. For effective workout, your muscles need to be fueled. If you don't give them that, they will in turn put out less energy.
- Burns muscle! If your body has little fat available for the extra energy it needs, it will go for the next best thing and "eat" your muscles. Lean tissue isn't something you want to lose, even if that means losing weight.0
This discussion has been closed.
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