Do you believe in "starvation mode"

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  • brookepenni
    brookepenni Posts: 787 Member
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    "In fact after I read tons and tons of people diet story, the only conclusion that comes is "Listen to your body, being too restrictive is the worst thing to do". "

    I apology if I may hurt you brookepenni
    No its all good - it wasnt you specifically. I have just noticed these last couple of weeks soooo many posts on starvation mode and people really being quite agressive telling others they MUST eat back their exercise calories. I laugh though when this advise comes from quite clearly obese people who have litteraly been on mfp for 1-2 weeks (who died and made them experts?). What annoys me more is how impressionable people take snippets and run with it as gospel - then you start seeing replies which say "I read somewhere that you need to..." Or my favourite this week was someone claimed that MFP need to take a recent post (by someone who was sharing his experience with the dreaded plateau and starvation mode) and turn it into a FAQ or instructions for new people. Since when is someones experience scientific fact? When did we consider just 1 person to be all that there is. Since when do we ignore science and just take one persons advice?!? Argh!

    What you state is exactly right. Learn your own body - dont reply on others opinions or experience. We are not sheep - we are all individuals with different ways of doing things. Unless you do everything perfect, you are not like me. So why should I think I am like you?!

    Edited to add: Generally speaking - it is so dangerous to take medical advice from the internet, strangers or unvalidated sources.... And this is what this is - medical advice. We are playing with our bodies, our lives.

    But yeah, nothing about you personally Razique! :)
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
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    Yeah, +1
    It could be dangerous. But sometimes I'd rather see people here posting their dangerous diet plan and having it noticed rather than someone who's about to die slowly by eating one apple per day :-(

    I think we should, when we know them, teach the big, big principles, but not giving at all medical advices, I agree, I see that more and more. In the end, people follow blindly, and don't think (like u said, sheeps :p )
    thanks for the reminder :-)
  • popchex
    popchex Posts: 52 Member
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    Not so much the way it's used here, I believe in the body's responses and "feast" or "famine" though, on a long term basis. Not over the course of a day though. Over months? Yes.
  • Kym1610
    Kym1610 Posts: 333 Member
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    I think 1200 is not a magic one size fits all number, and that the term "starvation mode" is over used by people that don't fully understand the term.
  • eayal002
    eayal002 Posts: 186
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    I don't think the question is on starvation mode do you loss weight, more what happens when you start eating more calories when you reach your goal? How does your body react? Because it has been deprived does it begin to store or with exercise has your metabolism gotten to a point where you will be burning extra calories.

    I suggest a very slow increase of calories when you reach your goal.

    With that said, I'm on the mind set you have to feed it to loss. I think your body's overall health is better when it is getting the nutrients it needs and I just don't believe it can from 1200 calories specially if you are also doing an exercise routine be cardio or weight training. That's my 1 cent won't even say it's worth 2 :)
  • Angelabec
    Angelabec Posts: 505 Member
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    I found this quite interesting, it explains where the theory of starvation came from, and why, in essence, it's incorrect.

    http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-starvation-mode.html

    I'm also quite interested to know where people came up with the idea that you need to eat back your exercise calories. I understand that people get hungrier if they have done more, that's fine, and I understand that it shouldn't hinder your projected weight loss if you do, as long as you are still in deficit, but I can't understand the insistence that you 'must' do this. As I understand it, you need to eat an approximate amount of calories - between 1000 to 1200 depending on the person, to meet your nutritional needs. Once you have eaten them, they don't disappear if you exercise though, so unless you are wanting to create muscle and therefore requiring extra protein, why do you actually 'need' more? I've not seen anything on here to make me believe that it is necessary, and even MFP, which gives you dire warnings about actually eating under 1200, doesn't say anything about your net calories.

    Sorry that was a bit of a rant, but I just felt the need to say it :tongue:
  • zoodalia
    zoodalia Posts: 294
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    I find if I eat slightly lower than I should I hardly lose much at all but some time ago I was unhappy and ate about 100 calories a day for about 6 weeks and lost 30 pounds in the first month (bear in mind I was only a UK size 12 to start with so weight shouldn't have been falling off me!).

    I think that if you give your body a little it hangs on to it, but if you give it hardly anything it has nothing to hang on to. If that makes sense.

    P.S. I'm not condoning rapid weightloss, it's so unhealthy and I put it all back on again once I cheered up!
  • bsalis76
    bsalis76 Posts: 31
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    Nope.. don't believe in it.

    However, having said that... if your serious about permanent weight loss and healthier living. You would eat properly, exercise, and take your time loosing the excess.
  • Fit4_Life
    Fit4_Life Posts: 828 Member
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    I'm on a 1,000 cal diet. No, I do not believe in "starvation mode". If I lift weights and want to gain muscle, well ya..maybe I would consider it. But, I'm one who is not very motivated to start lifting weights, just yet. Maybe when I lose my 50 lbs first. :) Only you know your body, what you can and can't do.
  • Pattinan
    Pattinan Posts: 42 Member
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    I was losing weight pretty regularly and feeling great. Then...I did some reading on the message boards about "starvation mode" and spent the last 2 wks trying to make sure I eat my 1200 ca. I am not eating back my exercise calories. I am gaining weight!! Geez...I was better off with my 1000 ca while trying to lose.
  • brookepenni
    brookepenni Posts: 787 Member
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    Ok rapid and extreme weight loss is one thing, but we're talking about 1200 calories a day, give or take. Where do people get the idea that you can not eat nutritionally for 1200 calories a day. If you are smart, you can totally do this without depriving yourself. You just have to be cleaver with your calorie bank.

    And then there are the comments about gaining it all when you return to normal eating?!? Who says this isn't normal now? Why do people presume everyone is going to revert to old habits? This presumes we were all fat and lazy sods who never left the couch and ate KFC 14 times a day. That's not how I gained weight! Through this process I have learnt so much and I can guarantee I won't be going back to how I ate before. My partner and I have changed our lifestyle completely to ensure our plates never get that full and all the rest. So please everyone stop assuming this is just the means to an end, once we've all lost weight were going to go back. Sure, some will, I'm not that naive but instead remind yourself that we are all very different.

    Now that's healthier living, and losing weight the healthy way in my opinion.
  • theoneandonlybrookie
    theoneandonlybrookie Posts: 341 Member
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    No but I do believe that you need to feed your body correctly if you want to shed fat but gain muscle. People who eat too few calories do lose weight and eventually, if they continue, become underweight. I struggled with this when I was an undergrad and became obsessed with nutrtition. I was way too thin because I only netted a few hundred calories per day. I lost a lot of the muscle I had built up after 13 years of swimming competitively. I was unwell, physically and mentally.

    On another note, I also believe that people don't need to eat back all of their exercise calories, and that inaccurate burn estimates are responsible for quite a bit of frustration.

    There's a sweet spot for each person, a daily number that allows you to lose weight but continue to workout and build and maintain muscle. And it changes on your journey, depending on how much you lose and how much you do.
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
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    And then there are the comments about gaining it all when you return to normal eating?!? Who says this isn't normal now? Why do people presume everyone is going to revert to old habits? This presumes we were all fat and lazy sods who never left the couch and ate KFC 14 times a day.

    Ahah, best answer ever :laugh:
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I found this quite interesting, it explains where the theory of starvation came from, and why, in essence, it's incorrect.

    http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-starvation-mode.html

    I'm also quite interested to know where people came up with the idea that you need to eat back your exercise calories. I understand that people get hungrier if they have done more, that's fine, and I understand that it shouldn't hinder your projected weight loss if you do, as long as you are still in deficit, but I can't understand the insistence that you 'must' do this. As I understand it, you need to eat an approximate amount of calories - between 1000 to 1200 depending on the person, to meet your nutritional needs. Once you have eaten them, they don't disappear if you exercise though, so unless you are wanting to create muscle and therefore requiring extra protein, why do you actually 'need' more? I've not seen anything on here to make me believe that it is necessary, and even MFP, which gives you dire warnings about actually eating under 1200, doesn't say anything about your net calories.

    Sorry that was a bit of a rant, but I just felt the need to say it :tongue:

    People "came up with idea" to eat your exercise calories back because that is exactly how MFP is set up. It tells you to eat them.
    Any time you go to someone like a nutritionist, or even do the math yourself, the calories burned in exercise are accounted for in some way. And MFP does tell me if my net is too low.
    A nutritionist will figure out your base rate, figure out your daily activity level, then add in how often you expect to exercise and come up with a number. They will then subtract a number of calories, usually about 500 for every pound per week aim, and that is your number of calories per week. For example, my trainer came up with the number of around 1700 for me.
    MFP figures out your base rate and adds in your daily activity, but does not account for exercise. When you log exercise, you are told to eat those extra calorie. MFP figured me at 1450 for a lb a week, same target as the trainer. When I burn my 300-400 calories and eat them back, I am consuming about 1700-1800 calories a day - same thing the trainer suggested. Two different formulas, same result.

    There are a number of reasons to maintain a moderate deficit of calories instead of creating a large one. One being that slower weight loss in larger people can decrease the extra skin. Eating too few calories can have a negative impact on your metabolism in the long run. No, I am not saying "starvation mode", but it can make it harder to lose weight or require you to cut more calories out. IF you are eating the bare minimum, that doesn't give you any extra room to go.

    I am in the slow and steady camp. Feed your body properly,workout and you will see results. There is no need to starve your body to achieve results.

    Protein doesn't create muscle, lifting heavy will and you won't gain muscle on a calorie deficit. Protein does help maintain the muscle. Losing muscle = lower metabolism. Muscle burns calories. Too few calories = burning muscle = lower calorie burned.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I believe that the term "starvation mode" is overused and often inappropriately used.

    But, I also believe that severly restricting calories is not a healthy long term strategy. You run the risk of not getting enough nutrition to keep your body healthy and for most people it isn't going to be sustainable, so you are setting up habits that you can't possibly keep up over time.

    I also don't see the point in restricting cals more than is necessary, I'm betting that a lot of people who blindly choose the fastest weight loss option could lose weight on a larger number of calories. And we also have to consider that 1200 is for the "average" person - probably someone like me as a 5'4" woman, just over 150 pounds. A big man or a small woman are going to have a differnt number that is the healthy limit for each of them.

    To me, food is enjoyable, it is social, it is part of every culture, so finding away to enjoy a moderate amount of good food and be healthy seems like a win-win situation to me.

    Rubybelle is wise. All of this.
  • avk9802
    avk9802 Posts: 84 Member
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    Thanks so much!
    :)
  • avk9802
    avk9802 Posts: 84 Member
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    I dont and I'm getting really, really sick of all the forum posts here lately TELLING us what to do. Everyone is sudenly an expert on complete strangers bodies - even people who are 100lbs overweight and been here for a week are suddenly experts on my body.

    Ive stuck to 1200-1400 calories since May, lost 55lbs (25kgs) and never had a gain - during this time Ive also spent 5 weeks on international or interstate holidays too. I dont eat my exercise calories back (well obviously sometimes just 200) and I am so over people telling me to eat more or that my muscles are drying up. I have just 5kgs to go now - and I understand it will slow. I wont be posting a 'help me' post once it slows, or even if I plateau which I know is inevitable soon.

    Blah blah, spout your science all you want (outdated and un specific that it is) - but do what you want with YOUR body. Leave me to do mine! (OK, rant over).


    I've only been on this website for like 2 weeks and this is the first I've posted about "starvation mode" and I was just curious to people's opinions. You didn't have to answer if it made you so upset.
  • brittanyjeanxo
    brittanyjeanxo Posts: 1,831 Member
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    I prefer the term "storage mode." And yes, I "believe" in it, because it stalled my weight loss for a month. After I started eating closer to my BMR I lost 4 pounds. So, yes. Yes I do.
  • cardigirl
    cardigirl Posts: 492 Member
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    I believe in starvation mode but I think it takes time to develop. Like eating poorly for years, or undereating for years. I'm an example of what "dieting" long term can do to your system. Lose 30lbs, gain back 40, lose 40lbs, gain back 50, and all because of under-eating and eating the wrong types of food. And it gets more difficult to lose the weight each time.

    Once I started trying to live "healthy" rather than being concerned with the scale, I lost inches, gained muscle and reshaped my body. And I eat way more than 1000 calories. But it is good food.

    If you look at food as fuel for the body, it becomes less about "how much" and more about "what will this food do for my health" which makes it easier.
  • JennyZD
    JennyZD Posts: 176 Member
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    You can still lose weight-- just not fat. When your body does not have the necessary fuel from food it starts eating away your muscles for energy. I started with 1200 cals as MFP suggested but as I became more educated about food and my body I realized that I needed to eat more (and clean). I eat around 2000 cals when I exercise and still lose and love how my muscles are shaping up. Google a pound of fat to see how it looks like-- that's what you want to lose, not muscle!

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