Starvation Mode
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candessb
Posts: 52 Member
Me:
female
5'5"
140#
35 years old
I never really thought "starvation mode" was real. Mainly because I was eating 1250 calories and exercising everyday and only lost a pound a week. I thought that surely reduction in calories by 200/day would just expidite my weight loss. I was wrong.
In my attempt to lose 6 pounds in 3 weeks, I was eating around 1000 calories a day and exercising everyday burning around 450 calories/day. I lost zero pounds. Frustrated and defeated, I decided to take a break. I'm still exercising (but less vigorous, only burning around 250-300 calories) and eating around 1500-1800 calories a day. I think I've actually gained a few pounds. Has anyone else had this experience??
female
5'5"
140#
35 years old
I never really thought "starvation mode" was real. Mainly because I was eating 1250 calories and exercising everyday and only lost a pound a week. I thought that surely reduction in calories by 200/day would just expidite my weight loss. I was wrong.
In my attempt to lose 6 pounds in 3 weeks, I was eating around 1000 calories a day and exercising everyday burning around 450 calories/day. I lost zero pounds. Frustrated and defeated, I decided to take a break. I'm still exercising (but less vigorous, only burning around 250-300 calories) and eating around 1500-1800 calories a day. I think I've actually gained a few pounds. Has anyone else had this experience??
0
Replies
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You aren't in starvation mode, because it isn't real in the way people think it is.
You're at a healthy weight already, so 2 pounds a week is too aggressive of a goal. You need to make sure your logging is as accurate as possible. If you aren't weighing your food, a food scale may be a valuable investment for you.19 -
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You are not in starvation mode. It does not exist. You simply under ate (damaged your body) and you are retaining water because you body is repairing itself (temporary weight gain (water/muscle)). This is common if you diet and exercise. If you calorie-counted properly, you have not gained weight (fat).3
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Does a body work efficiently when you eat too little or don't stay hydrated? No. I know this is not scientific, but I believe that if you're under eating you won't be able to put in the workout effort to burn the high # of calories you think you're burning. That, and it adds stress to the body and stress can cause water weight.4
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How do you know how many calories you are eating?2
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And your body can slow down your normal daily activity, which is usually bigger burner of daily calories than a workout.
Nothing like slowing down daily by 300 cal and adding a 200 cal workout.
other reasons for slow down too.
But none of them lead to the effects commonly said to exist with starvation mode, which is better named the adaptive thermogenesis that studies for years have shown exist when you get extreme with diet.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251
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And your body can slow down your normal daily activity, which is usually bigger burner of daily calories than a workout.
Nothing like slowing down daily by 300 cal and adding a 200 cal workout.
other reasons for slow down too.
But none of them lead to the effects commonly said to exist with starvation mode, which is better named the adaptive thermogenesis that studies for years have shown exist when you get extreme with diet.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251
If you're skeptical because Heybales recommended his own MFP blog post, don't be. It's pure gold. One of the more informative and helpful things I've read on MFP. It's very useful to understand adaptive thermogenesis, and the study cited in the blog entry is very good food for thought in other ways, too.5 -
Me:
female
5'5"
140#
35 years old
I never really thought "starvation mode" was real. Mainly because I was eating 1250 calories and exercising everyday and only lost a pound a week. I thought that surely reduction in calories by 200/day would just expidite my weight loss. I was wrong.
In my attempt to lose 6 pounds in 3 weeks, I was eating around 1000 calories a day and exercising everyday burning around 450 calories/day. I lost zero pounds. Frustrated and defeated, I decided to take a break. I'm still exercising (but less vigorous, only burning around 250-300 calories) and eating around 1500-1800 calories a day. I think I've actually gained a few pounds. Has anyone else had this experience??
Eating more and gaining weight? Yes.2 -
Everyone that comes out of a diet is going to gain most of the water weight back that they had a big drop in the first week or two of starting a diet.
No one starts a diet and loses 5 lbs of fat the first week - most is water weight.
Starting eating about normal - back it comes.
But good news - it's a part of LBM, the body must manage it, and it increases your metabolism. A little bit.
What's usually more beneficial is the increased energy you get, moving more, having better workouts, see better results.7 -
Everyone that comes out of a diet is going to gain most of the water weight back that they had a big drop in the first week or two of starting a diet.
No one starts a diet and loses 5 lbs of fat the first week - most is water weight.
Starting eating about normal - back it comes.
But good news - it's a part of LBM, the body must manage it, and it increases your metabolism. A little bit.
What's usually more beneficial is the increased energy you get, moving more, having better workouts, see better results.
Not necessarily.
There is one specific protocol that can has been shown to peel roughly 6 pounds of fat in a four day period. However, due to how extreme it is, you end up having to take a two week diet break after those few days, just to keep your hormones from crashing. It also requires an amount of exercise that most just don't have time for (walking 20 miles).
I only even bother bringing it up, because you used rather strong language with "no one starts a diet and loses 5 lbs. of fat in the first week." It can be done, it's just not a good idea for most (read 99.99999% of people).0 -
I'm going to ask an outrageous question here - you're already at a healthy weight, why do you feel the need to lose six more pounds? I see a lot of posts like this and find it quite concerning.3
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I'm going to ask an outrageous question here - you're already at a healthy weight, why do you feel the need to lose six more pounds? I see a lot of posts like this and find it quite concerning.
Technically I'm also at a healthy weight. My body fat is still too high. There's no reason to be at the top of the range.7 -
So, first, thank you al for your replies. To answer a few of you, I am absolutely positive I am properly logging my calories. I was measuring, weighing and logging every solitary thing that passed through my lips. I have an electronic scale and was not guessing at all. The only "guess work" would be total calories burned though exercise, but I think my Fitbit is fairly accurate.
Another thing I'd like to address the "why do you need to lose weight?" question. I'm a healthy weight. Yes. Which is great. But I'm looking for my ideal weight now. Weight lose of 10 pounds would still have me in a healthy weight range and would cause less stress on my joints, heart and lungs, plus I would be slimmer/leaner and more confident in my own skin. It's a personal ideal and choice.
Third, I did not gain any weight during the two weeks, but once I ate at my maintanance rate, I gained. Now, it might be water weight, like someone suggested. But frustrating, nonetheless.
Thanks for any/all insight. It is greatly appreciated!0 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Everyone that comes out of a diet is going to gain most of the water weight back that they had a big drop in the first week or two of starting a diet.
No one starts a diet and loses 5 lbs of fat the first week - most is water weight.
Starting eating about normal - back it comes.
But good news - it's a part of LBM, the body must manage it, and it increases your metabolism. A little bit.
What's usually more beneficial is the increased energy you get, moving more, having better workouts, see better results.
Not necessarily.
There is one specific protocol that can has been shown to peel roughly 6 pounds of fat in a four day period. However, due to how extreme it is, you end up having to take a two week diet break after those few days, just to keep your hormones from crashing. It also requires an amount of exercise that most just don't have time for (walking 20 miles).
I only even bother bringing it up, because you used rather strong language with "no one starts a diet and loses 5 lbs. of fat in the first week." It can be done, it's just not a good idea for most (read 99.99999% of people).
Going by the availability of 31 calories per pound of body fat per day ( http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/members/Rapid_Fat_Loss_What_is_the_Maximum_Rate_of_Fat_loss.cfm) to lose 6lb of fat in 4 days you would need to be carrying about 170lb of body fat. Otherwise you would not be able to sustain that deficit through fat alone and the loss would be partly muscle.
So yes, it's possible, but only if you are morbidly obese. Even to lose 5lb of fat in a week would require 80lb of body fat.
For OP, who is in the normal weight range, it is not possible.1 -
I'm going to ask an outrageous question here - you're already at a healthy weight, why do you feel the need to lose six more pounds? I see a lot of posts like this and find it quite concerning.
Why do you feel the need to establish one approved body fat level for all women?
IMO, as long as someone is not following unhealthy behaviors to reduce their body fat, there is nothing inherently wrong with a desire to look leaner, more athletic, etc, if that is one's personal preference.
Oddly enough, I have never seen this "concern" expressed for a male who wants to look "ripped".
12 -
Starvation mode as you describe it isn't real. You will burn fewer calories if you eat a low amount, but that is because you start to lose your will to move around and because there is less that your body has to do to metabolize food. You will not, however, stop burning calories or losing weight until you drop dead (which is a possibility if you eat too little).0
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While my motivation to move was definitely lowered, the reduction in overall calories burned (according to my fitbit HR) was only about 100 calories less per day.
I cannot explain the fact that I didn't lose anything! We don't have to call it starvation mode, but I am thouroughly convinced that my metabolism slowed down significantly enough to hault weight loss for what I was doing (which numerically speaking should have dropped pounds).0 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Everyone that comes out of a diet is going to gain most of the water weight back that they had a big drop in the first week or two of starting a diet.
No one starts a diet and loses 5 lbs of fat the first week - most is water weight.
Starting eating about normal - back it comes.
But good news - it's a part of LBM, the body must manage it, and it increases your metabolism. A little bit.
What's usually more beneficial is the increased energy you get, moving more, having better workouts, see better results.
Not necessarily.
There is one specific protocol that can has been shown to peel roughly 6 pounds of fat in a four day period. However, due to how extreme it is, you end up having to take a two week diet break after those few days, just to keep your hormones from crashing. It also requires an amount of exercise that most just don't have time for (walking 20 miles).
I only even bother bringing it up, because you used rather strong language with "no one starts a diet and loses 5 lbs. of fat in the first week." It can be done, it's just not a good idea for most (read 99.99999% of people).
Going by the availability of 31 calories per pound of body fat per day ( http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/members/Rapid_Fat_Loss_What_is_the_Maximum_Rate_of_Fat_loss.cfm) to lose 6lb of fat in 4 days you would need to be carrying about 170lb of body fat. Otherwise you would not be able to sustain that deficit through fat alone and the loss would be partly muscle.
So yes, it's possible, but only if you are morbidly obese. Even to lose 5lb of fat in a week would require 80lb of body fat.
For OP, who is in the normal weight range, it is not possible.
Anecdotally as someone who has run the protocol mentioned by @Gallowmere1984 , whilst having less than 30lbs of fat mass and losing somewhere in the region of 2.5-4lbs of fat, the above does not stand true.
If you have a read over on bodyrecomposition, you will see a number of logs where people have successfully lost 3+lbs of fat in 4 days using this protocol.1 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Everyone that comes out of a diet is going to gain most of the water weight back that they had a big drop in the first week or two of starting a diet.
No one starts a diet and loses 5 lbs of fat the first week - most is water weight.
Starting eating about normal - back it comes.
But good news - it's a part of LBM, the body must manage it, and it increases your metabolism. A little bit.
What's usually more beneficial is the increased energy you get, moving more, having better workouts, see better results.
Not necessarily.
There is one specific protocol that can has been shown to peel roughly 6 pounds of fat in a four day period. However, due to how extreme it is, you end up having to take a two week diet break after those few days, just to keep your hormones from crashing. It also requires an amount of exercise that most just don't have time for (walking 20 miles).
I only even bother bringing it up, because you used rather strong language with "no one starts a diet and loses 5 lbs. of fat in the first week." It can be done, it's just not a good idea for most (read 99.99999% of people).
Going by the availability of 31 calories per pound of body fat per day ( http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/members/Rapid_Fat_Loss_What_is_the_Maximum_Rate_of_Fat_loss.cfm) to lose 6lb of fat in 4 days you would need to be carrying about 170lb of body fat. Otherwise you would not be able to sustain that deficit through fat alone and the loss would be partly muscle.
So yes, it's possible, but only if you are morbidly obese. Even to lose 5lb of fat in a week would require 80lb of body fat.
For OP, who is in the normal weight range, it is not possible.
LBM loss always occurs, whether people want to believe it or not. It may not be skeletal muscle, but people often forget that water, connective tissue for fat, excess skin, etc. counts as LBM.
Anyway, here's an explanation of the study the four day cut is based on, because the study itself is behind a ridiculous paywall: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/time-efficient-reduction-fat-mass-4-days-exercise-caloric-restriction-research-review.html/
And yes, it was done on overweight men, but Lyle's modifications to their methods in creating ERFL actually ended up making it viable for leaner individuals.0
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