Has anyone ever been through "Starvation Mode?" Tell your st

taylorwantstobehealthy
taylorwantstobehealthy Posts: 23
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
i always here about it, has anybody every had it? did you gain everything back?
i need some advice and just evidence that if i do eat too low what can happen.
your experiences will help me stay healthy :) thanks!
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Replies

  • pattymartin2010
    pattymartin2010 Posts: 11
    bump
  • acaudill042106
    acaudill042106 Posts: 108 Member
    I do know that until I started eating back my exercise calories the weight I was losing stopped coming back the next week. Now that i'm exercising AND eating the calories back that I should i'm steadily losing 1.8 lbs a week. Pay no mind to the ticker...that thing hasn't worked since I started MFP.
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    Please see my blog (link below)
  • jedi9393
    jedi9393 Posts: 121
    I think starvation mode is a myth. I dont understand it myself, but I dont understand how people even starve in prision if your body will just keep on the fat. If that was the case then no one would starve to death.
  • sunshineshica
    sunshineshica Posts: 277
    I have. It hasn't been consistently though. It's like probably once a week I'll see that comment. So i just move on to the next day. No issues on gaining weight back. I exercise regularly.
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    Please see my blog (link below)

    Thanks for the blog link, that helps! I never fully eat my exercise calories back on purpose. However, I try to at least eat back half or so if I can. If I'm hungry at a decent time, I'll eat. If I'm not hungry, however, I won't eat.
  • _Ben
    _Ben Posts: 1,608 Member
    As Ive said a million times, starvaiton mode does exist, but everyones body reacts differently to it. I zigzag my diet from about 1500 calories to - maybe about 1000 calories (some times a bit less). This causes my body to not really go into any sort of starvation mode, or better yet a lower Daily Calories Burned, and continual weight loss!
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
    Hey - I never actually went into "starvation mode" but when I first joined, after the initial loss that everyone haves when they first start eating right, I stopped losing and it was because I was trying to stick to just the 1200 calories and not eating back any of my excercise calories (and I was working out 7 days a week)...as soon as I started eating some of those calories back (I usually aimed for at least 2/3 of them as I have to rely on MFP calculator as I did not have a HRM so I am sure it overestimated burns) I started losing steady again..I simply was not eating enough to sustain my metabolism...I would eat 1200, excercise 600 which would leave me at a net of 600....not enough...plus I was cranky, lacking energy, etc....so you need to eat, eat, eat what it tells you too :)
  • tmaksparkie
    tmaksparkie Posts: 279
    I personally yes have been through it and am still dealing with it. I did a very low calorie plan and my metabolism got so low that I gained some back not much but like 8lbs and tried everything to start losing again. I was stalled for at least 4 months now and I now have to deal with gaining weight back before my body resets to lose it again. I still have a good amount of body fat 30% so I can do up to a 1000 calorie deficit for the day but I try to stay in between 500-1000 calorie deficit. But my body thinks it is starving so my nutritionist says I will gain some weight back before my body will start to relese fat again. So yes keep calories at a good level and just move more, a good example of a plan is Jamie Eason's 12 week live fit on bodybuilder.com and burn the fat feed the muscle.
  • mandemonious
    mandemonious Posts: 217 Member
    I have experienced this. I lost 20 lbs by overly restricting my calories and as soon as I started eating normally again, I gained 30 lbs back over the next several months. It was terrible. I was super tired all the time and had insatiable hunger.

    Not only does it create a bad yo-yo cycle, but you can cause long term damage to your metabolism that is very hard to reset. Your body will begin to break down the proteins in your muscle and you can also lose bone density. This is a TERRIBLE side effect for anyone, but especially women who are more prone to osteoporosis.

    Stay healthy. Eat smart. Exercise. That is the only way to lose weight, keep it off, and stay healthy. Hope this helps :happy:
  • mercurymumof3
    mercurymumof3 Posts: 18
    I was on 1200 calories a day and after an initial good weight loss got stuck for over a month. I also felt rotten - no energy and really grumpy. Once I started eating more I put on a few pounds over a few weeks but then it started coming off again. But still very slowly. Don't go there!
  • claire_xox
    claire_xox Posts: 282 Member
    It is of my understanding through uni that starvation mode kicks in after around 90 days of severe undereating, and only takes 7 or so days to jump back to normal.... a few weeks of low calories is BAD for you, but it should not show any extreme effects either


    edited cause it was meant to say 'should not' instead of 'should'
  • lauramonster
    lauramonster Posts: 94
    I more or less restricted/starved myself for three or four months. I lost a ton of weight to the point that I was underweight, but then I gained it all back and more. If you don't eat enough, your body can't function, your brain can't function, if you're taking medications, they won't work, etc. And I was "thin," but I still didn't have the body I wanted, because I wasn't getting enough protein and other nutrients and because I wasn't working out because I didn't have the energy. I wouldn't recommend it.
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    I think starvation mode is a myth. I dont understand it myself, but I dont understand how people even starve in prision if your body will just keep on the fat. If that was the case then no one would starve to death.
    Unless you're SURE of that (as I am, hence the experiment) you really shouldn't be encouraging people to starve themselves, even unwittingly - do your research!
  • taylorwantstobehealthy
    taylorwantstobehealthy Posts: 23
    when you say heavily restricting, do you mean less than 1200 calories?
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
    Yes I have, I was a very long time meth user (17 years) during that time I would go 3 or more days sometimes without eating a thing. And then when I did eat it would be like a hamburger or burritto and then back to getting high and not eating for days. You would think I would be stick skinny but i wasnt i weighed around 120 ish which isnt bad for my height. Anyways 5 years ago I quit meth. I went to eating around 1500 to 2000 calories a day all while walking 4 miles to work everyday and gained 100 pounds in a year. Thats what im in the process of working off now
  • robinso5
    robinso5 Posts: 310 Member
    Unfortunately I have been on this for way to long, like 6 or 7 years! i havent lost nor gained any weight in this time frame due to my body staying in starvation mode! what i do is save my calories for sweets ( i love them) and therefore get no real nutrition! so my body lives on whatever I give it which seems to be FAT from sugars! Well I recently started exercising and eating mych better and i have lost 15 pounds but i am not losing like i want to because my body will go into starvation as soon as i miss a day of eating all of my calories! Its not a good way to be, almost like a condition that is unknown!
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    As Ive said a million times, starvaiton mode does exist, but everyones body reacts differently to it. I zigzag my diet from about 1500 calories to - maybe about 1000 calories (some times a bit less). This causes my body to not really go into any sort of starvation mode, or better yet a lower Daily Calories Burned, and continual weight loss!
    Yo-yo'ing is fine, it's when people consistently go below 1200 that problems ensue.
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    It is of my understanding through uni that starvation mode kicks in after around 90 days of severe undereating, and only takes 7 or so days to jump back to normal.... a few weeks of low calories is BAD for you, but it should not show any extreme effects either


    edited cause it was meant to say 'should not' instead of 'should'
    That's not my experience, after only 10 days I plateaued, and just a few days to normalise.
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    i am not losing like i want to because my body will go into starvation as soon as i miss a day of eating all of my calories!
    Far be it from me to encourage ANYONE undereating, every now and again won't do you any harm
  • drvvork
    drvvork Posts: 1,162
    Starvation mode does exist...
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    this did happen to me. After a year and a half of having huge deficits from lots of working out and trying to be "good" I couldn't lose a pound. I even gained a few. I didn't get it. So frustrating. Then MFP showed me that I wasn't eating enough. Once I ate more, I started to lose inches.
  • taylorwantstobehealthy
    taylorwantstobehealthy Posts: 23
    wow thanks so much for sharing everyone! this has given me a huge reality check, im deffinately going to be eating more now! but now im nervous i will gain weight :S ive been eating 800-1200 for a while up until recently where i'm forcing myself to eat 1200+, oh no :( but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end :)
  • Kat5343
    Kat5343 Posts: 451 Member
    I have my ups and downs. Sometimes I eat significantly under my calorie goal and then a few days later I eat over. So far this has served me well. I am consistently losing weight so I do not plan on changing anything until I have a stall.
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    I'm going to put this forum thread in my blog. Usually you get a lot of uninformed nay-sayers responding to questions like this, but these responses are real-life, and as such are extremely valuable.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    when you say heavily restricting, do you mean less than 1200 calories?

    i think it depends on the total deficit you're running daily, like 1500+ deficits for people who are not obese is pretty severe deficit
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    wow thanks so much for sharing everyone! this has given me a huge reality check, im deffinately going to be eating more now! but now im nervous i will gain weight :S ive been eating 800-1200 for a while up until recently where i'm forcing myself to eat 1200+, oh no :( but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end :)
    Please don't be nervous - I've done that for you ;)
  • 8rules
    8rules Posts: 169
    Starvation mode is a garbage can term for "something is not working in your diet strategy"

    You can eat 800 calories a day, but if it is 80% sugar and 20% fat, triglycerides will be flying into your fat cells, but leave very very slowly, and your fat cells will cling to them, while your muscles break down to provide energy and your hunger pains sore. You WILL lose weight, just not fat.

    When your active tissues start to break down for energy, you are LITERALLY VERY hungry. This is actual and true starvation, regardless of whether or not fat loss is present. If you are not absolutely hungry like crazy, you are likely not in starvation mode.
  • Mairgheal
    Mairgheal Posts: 385 Member
    Here's a thread of someone who has experienced it: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/174065-starvation-mode-is-real-and-ugly
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Starvation mode is a garbage can term for "something is not working in your diet strategy"

    You can eat 800 calories a day, but if it is 80% sugar and 20% fat, triglycerides will be flying into your fat cells, but leave very very slowly, and your fat cells will cling to them, while your muscles break down to provide energy and your hunger pains sore. You WILL lose weight, just not fat.

    When your active tissues start to break down for energy, you are LITERALLY VERY hungry. This is actual and true starvation, regardless of whether or not fat loss is present. If you are not absolutely hungry like crazy, you are likely not in starvation mode.

    usually the reason a minimum of 1200 cals daily is suggested is that it is very hard to hit your macros at less calories, unless you are very petite
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