zig zagging and starvation mode

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farmgirlsuz
farmgirlsuz Posts: 351 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am sure this has been addressed a gazillion times, but here goes..

How long does is take for the body to go into "starvation mode". Is it an instantaneous thing, by the day, week, month? How long does it take to go back to "normal" metabolism after starting to eat enough calories?

Calorie Zig-Zagging...how long does this take to work?

I was consistantly dropping 10 lbs per month and then I came to a screeching halt for the past three weeks with no weight loss for three weeks. Can you say "plateau"? Arggg! My diet has not changed a bit, and I have tried increasing my weight training and the cardio is still about the same as it has been for five months, 5-6 days a week. And don't say to take measurement-I do, and no change there either. I knew this day would happen, but I was hoping later than sooner.

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  • ccwicks
    ccwicks Posts: 39
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    Bump
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
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    I don't know about zig zagging.

    However, starvation mode is not instant and there is no definite answer as to when it would kick in and when it would go away. That is dependent on each of our bodies and our histories.

    I think when most people think they're in starvation mode, it is a plateau, and that is why adjusting their calories works for them.

    Starvation mode, per the studies, only happened when the fat levels were down below a critical level. It is not something that would probably happen on this website unless someone had a SEVERE eating disorder.
  • brandihutchinson
    brandihutchinson Posts: 68
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    I can tell you about the starvation mode, but that's all I know. Your body doesn't go into actual starvation mode until 21-40 days of eating NOTHING. I've done my research and am puzzled by the people saying starvation mode happens instantly when you don't eat enough. Our bodies have been trained to eat alot, and when our stomachs growl, it doesn't mean we are starving, it means our stomachs aren't getting food at the time or amount it's used to.
    I hope this helps!
  • RebelliousRibbons
    RebelliousRibbons Posts: 391 Member
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    Increase your food intake for a couple days. You might not be eating enough. The more you lose, the more you should slow it down. So keep working out, but eat more, and see how that goes. If you start to gain, slow down the eating of course, but it might stop the plateau. I've heard of people having a lot of success with this.
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
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    You said you added more time to your exercise. Have you tried changing the activities you are doing? I know that when I hit a plateau, I change the exercise I am doing at least for a few days then I can go back to my normal routine. For example: my main exercise is the elliptical machine. I use it once or twice a day. However, if I hit a plateau, I either cut the elliptical out completely and run/bike for a few days or add one of those on top of the elliptical. It seems to mix it up enough for me to start losing again.
  • babs23
    babs23 Posts: 86
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    You could be over training. Loosing those last 20-30 pounds is very different when you are no longer obese.

    I recommend listening to Jillian Michaels podcast called "Debunking The Plateau." She talks about finding a calorie deficit sweet spot to lose those pounds.

    You can listen to it here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jillian-michaels-show/id418368811

    Seriously, listen to it today. :)
  • lauristewart
    lauristewart Posts: 379 Member
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    Bump
  • MissMaggie3
    MissMaggie3 Posts: 2,464 Member
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    Bump for me too!
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    The problem here is one of terminology. When most people here talk about starvation mode, they are talking about their body adapting its metabolism substantially lower so weight loss stops. Others are talking about literally starving. As for the more common usage, it takes a long time for your body to slow down the metabolism that way. Studies on fasting (no food at all just non-caloric liquid like water) show there is not a drop in metabolism for up to 3 days. In fact for the first 24 to 36 hours, maybe longer, the metabolism actually increases and switches over to burning mainly fat for energy. So short term low calories won't do this.

    Long term caloric restriction, however, will. As someone seeking to lose weight you have likely been in a caloric deficit for a long time. Over that time you have lost weight which will lower your calorie needs since you are not carrying around that weight every day, and your metabolism has slowed. Depending on how much fat you had to lose, that decrease will be different from person to person. If you have changed your calorie intake to account for that, you may be at a point where you need to so something to speed stuff up. I would suggest at the very least have a re-feeding day where you eat whatever you want, then get back to your caloric deficit eating as you do now. However, you may need to increase your calories daily. As you get close to your goal your body will not tolerate as large a deficit, so you need to change your goals. If they are at 2LB/week change them to 1.5, 1.5 to 1 and so on. See if that helps.

    The other thing I would do, if you don't already, is include strength training in your exercise. This can either be with weights or using body weight exercises. I have some body weight stuff on my blog http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/rileysowner
  • bobisagirl
    bobisagirl Posts: 12 Member
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    I haven't yet reached a plateau (thank heaven) but I've been reading up on what to do when it eventually happens. Upping your calorie intake may help as suggested, and if you start to gain you could try doing more exercise to balance it out.
    I stopped losing any weight for about 2 weeks at one point, and guessed it was due to bloating (it was), so if there's any reason you might be retaining water (hormone fluctuation, too much salt, soft drinks, chewing gum, acidic fruit, all sorts of nonsense) you can try Jillian Michael's crazy anti-bloat juice (which tastes like pond water but works). Basically get 60oz/nearly 2 litres of distilled (I didn't use distilled) water, add a splash of cranberry juice, juice of half a lemon and let a dandelion teabag steep in there for a while. Drink the lot through the day. Do this every day for a week. Gross, but really works.
    My father is a doctor, and he recommended the Ducan diet if your metabolism needs a boost. Basically the idea is you eat as much protein as you want, for a week, but ONLY protein. No greens, no carbs, no nothing (spices and flavourings are allowed), then after a week or so you start switching it up with normal food. Look it up online, there's lots about it. I don't usually believe in fad diets but dad's a good doctor and has had great results with it. I think one of the reasons it would help a plateau as well is cuz it'd probably bring up your calorie count, but with lean protein which the body digests fairly quickly. A warning though, you will have cravings and feel super-tired when exercising, so take it easy especially with cardio.
    Hope this helps!
  • lauristewart
    lauristewart Posts: 379 Member
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    I have been zig zagging my calories now for a month and it has helped out a lot! This is what I do:

    Monday 1400 cal
    Tuesday 1400 cal
    Wednesday 1800 cal
    Thursday 1200 cal
    Friday 1350 cal
    Saturday 1800 cal
    Sunday 1200 cal

    I make sure I work out on my high end days and make Thursday my rest day. Those 1200 cal days are tough, but love the 1800 cal days. I am almost to my goal, so I probably will increase the amount I eat in a few weeks.

    good luck!
  • MrsT_2009
    MrsT_2009 Posts: 90 Member
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    Thank you thank you thank you for this! I'm listening now
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
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    lol. there is no such thing as starvation mode..

    you want to get techincal about it...the moment you go on a calorie deficit you are starving your body.

    there have been no scientific studies to support 'starvation' mode..as the diet community believes it to be
  • summalovaable
    summalovaable Posts: 287 Member
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    I just recently pulled out of a 10 month plateau. And honestly the only thing I've done differently is have 3 binge days this weeek instead of 1. Of course the day after my 2000 calorie binge I would eat under 1000 calories...but its the first 5 lb lost I've seen since about last summmer
  • farmgirlsuz
    farmgirlsuz Posts: 351 Member
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    Thanks to everyone for their input! A lot of good info shared.
  • anna_lisa
    anna_lisa Posts: 486 Member
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    thanks for this
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    I've also hit a plateau for the past few weeks-- the number on the scale is not moving. After starting to use MFP AND getting a heart rate monitor to track my calorie output, I have discovered that I was not eating enough. I also heard that starting a different fitness program/doing new exercises might help as well. So that is also what I'm doing. I'm hoping it will work, but I definitely recommend a heart rate monitor and changing up your exercise, and of course, tracking the calories you eat.

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