starvation mode bunk?
Replies
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:grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :noway: *FACEPALM* They'll learn :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble:
at this point, I may explode if I see another starvation mode posts, lol
weight loss is about the simplest concept on Earth, move more, eat less.
if you are hungry you need to eat, forget about how many calories you've already counted and eat
or pass out, either way you get what you deserve
Its really not that simple though. In fact its so complex, that scientists can't even agree on what goes on under the hood. The only thing that they pretty much agree on is that a caloric deficit is needed to lose weight.
But the key to successful weight loss is putting the mind and the body in synch such that the person eats the right amount and does the right amount of exercise to lose enough fat to maintain a healthy weight. This is an art because every body responds differently to changes.
Simple *CONCEPT* the doing is rather difficult for many people, not all
*CONCEPT* as in, basketball, concept=get the ball in the hoop, actually executing said concept might be difficult for some, not all0 -
:grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :noway: *FACEPALM* They'll learn :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble:
at this point, I may explode if I see another starvation mode posts, lol
weight loss is about the simplest concept on Earth, move more, eat less.
if you are hungry you need to eat, forget about how many calories you've already counted and eat
or pass out, either way you get what you deserve
Its really not that simple though. In fact its so complex, that scientists can't even agree on what goes on under the hood. The only thing that they pretty much agree on is that a caloric deficit is needed to lose weight.
But the key to successful weight loss is putting the mind and the body in synch such that the person eats the right amount and does the right amount of exercise to lose enough fat to maintain a healthy weight. This is an art because every body responds differently to changes.
Simple *CONCEPT* the doing is rather difficult for many people, not all
*CONCEPT* as in, basketball, concept=get the ball in the hoop, actually executing said concept might be difficult for some, not all
Its a disservice though to treat weight loss as a simple concept as move more, eat less, because while that is the desired end result, it is not a means to get there. Your body controls your mind more than your mind controls your body.0 -
think you are doing people a huge disservice with this article and encouraging a very bad and dangerous habit, that ruins 99.99999% of diets. You claim you are going to dispel a myth, then admit the "myth" is true. You admit that your metabolism does slow at low caloric amounts.
YOU ARE TELLING PEOPLE IT'S OK TO DESTROY THEIR METABOLISM BECAUSE THEY'LL LOSE WEIGHT ANYWAY.
In other words you completely missed the point. The point is that even though you will still lose weight the amount of calories you need to maintain the weight loss will go down. Why do that to yourself? even a 20% slowdown is no joke. If poison made you lose weight would you drink it? And I speak from personal experience as some1 who tried both ways, and trust me, it takes a hell of a lot more discipline to lose weight the healthy way, making sure you eat just enough, make sure your not losing your lean muscle, have the right balance of cardio and weights, than to go the way of the anorexic and eat a celery stick a day. You guys are the ones looking for the easy way out, and trying to justify an unhealthy habit.
You say you'll still lose weight if you eat 500 calories a day. Well, after their done with their diet, 99% of people go back to eating as they did before. Now that they have their shiny new -25% metabolism, what do you think is going to happen? That's right, they put on MORE weight than they had before because their metabolism is slower. I have personally experienced that. And from what i've seen in myself and others, when you're body is starving, it packs on the weight FAST. Almost every1 who i've seen fail at dieting is for this reason. Then what do they do? That's right, they starve themselves again, wrecking their metabolism again, and again, and again. This is something your article doesn't discuss, the effect of doing this to yourself multiple times. And what are you left with? A bunch of overweight Americans who don't understand why starving themselves is not working. Not only that but they've probably done all kinds of weird things to their body that wont manifest itself until much later.
And even if they don't gain the weight back, for one they wont be able to go back to eating the same amount of calories they used to. This is something the person above who claimed starvation worked for them failed to mention. I wonder whether she has to eat less calories now to maintain her weight.
Also, muscle is expensive- it costs more calories than fat to maintain. You say it doesn't make sense for your body to break down muscle but it actually makes a lot of sense. Breaking down muscle is one of the ways your lowers it's metabolic rate. That way it gets energy and lowers the amount of energy it needs at the same time.
As for me? I finally learned how to lose weight right, and now I can actually eat MORE than I could before and not gain weight back because my metabolism is actually more efficient now. You guys go ahead and yo yo diet while your body eats itself. Because you'll still lose the weight right?
July 6, 2010 12:23 AM
I'll copy this post from the comments.
Ultimately I only really tell people to try eating more if they're not losing and asking for help. I don't know enough about the science to say one way or the other whether it's true. I'll keep eating my 1600 calories a day and continue to lose weight.0 -
think you are doing people a huge disservice with this article and encouraging a very bad and dangerous habit, that ruins 99.99999% of diets. You claim you are going to dispel a myth, then admit the "myth" is true. You admit that your metabolism does slow at low caloric amounts.
YOU ARE TELLING PEOPLE IT'S OK TO DESTROY THEIR METABOLISM BECAUSE THEY'LL LOSE WEIGHT ANYWAY.
Le sigh.
This quote just goes to prove that reading comprehension is a lost art.
Nowhere in the article does the author advocate replicating the Minnesota experiment. She just (correctly) points out the truth behind "starvation mode", a term that is bandied about far too often in the fitness community.
Consuming under 1200 calories will not immediately break your metabolism, nor will it make your muscles fall off (as long as sufficient protein and resistance training are present).Totally disagree with this article.... I think the word Starvation mode when used on here is used more loosely than what its actual meaning is.
That's exactly the problem the author is trying to address. Words have meanings.0 -
I'm just confused because when I was at the doctor's, I said that I was seeing a nutritionist and she had me on 1088 calories. I asked, isn't that dangerous? And my doctor told me that it absolutely wasn't. I only had 10-15 lbs to lose. Him saying this contradicts everything everyone says on here that you MUST eat at least 1200 calories. It doesn't work for me. I have narcolepsy and hypothyroid disorder and my metabolism is slow I guess. I work out HARD. But I cannot eat 1200+ calories a day and lose weight. PERIOD.0
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think you are doing people a huge disservice with this article and encouraging a very bad and dangerous habit, that ruins 99.99999% of diets. You claim you are going to dispel a myth, then admit the "myth" is true. You admit that your metabolism does slow at low caloric amounts.
YOU ARE TELLING PEOPLE IT'S OK TO DESTROY THEIR METABOLISM BECAUSE THEY'LL LOSE WEIGHT ANYWAY.
Le sigh.
This quote just goes to prove that reading comprehension is a lost art.
Thanks Ron! You are the voice of reason among some very overzealous people.
Nowhere in the article does the author advocate replicating the Minnesota experiment. She just (correctly) points out the truth behind "starvation mode", a term that is bandied about far too often in the fitness community.
Consuming under 1200 calories will not immediately break your metabolism, nor will it make your muscles fall off (as long as sufficient protein and resistance training are present).Totally disagree with this article.... I think the word Starvation mode when used on here is used more loosely than what its actual meaning is.
That's exactly the problem the author is trying to address. Words have meanings.0 -
OP is also posting junk like this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/468980-has-anyone-tried-the-alternate-day-diet
I think she needs an intervention.
First of all, it isn't "junk." Everyone is not going to believe exactly what you believe, realizing that is part of being a mature adult. I asked that because I had been looking at books on Amazon and saw that and someone posted a review where they lost a ton of weight so it peaked my interest.0 -
I'm so glad that I've lost 65# without starving myself and that I am gradually eating more calories and still losing because I'm learning to stoke my metabolism by eating more and exercising more intensely. It's so much more wonderful of a way to live than starving.
While you can eat less and lose weight faster, your metabolism will slow down. The OP even admits this in her blog, for goodness sake. She then goes onto say that she is subsisting on 750-850 calories/day. Yikes! That sounds like a miserable way to live to me.
Of course, our bodies also burn a bit less calories just by virtue of being smaller but that's not the same thing as damaging your metabolism. I lived with a damaged metabolism for years. I'm thrilled that I'm repairing it this time around.
I do zig-zag my calories throughout the week and eat lower on some days to account for higher calorie days. I eat to my weekly target instead of my daily. This week I have enjoyed two different lunches out where I ate huge quantities of yummy food and also enjoyed a huge cinnamon roll. Other meals have been smaller and cleaner with more healthy choices. And I'm down 2# this week.
My calories for the week due vary because my exercise burn varies. This week I am allowed about 10,500 calories for the week once my calorie burns are factored in. While I don't usually eat back all my exercise calories because I like to have a bit of a buffer allowing for underestimating what I've eaten and overestimating what I've burned, I'll usually eat back about 60-70% of them over the course of the week. I figure I'll end the week with eating 10,000 calories. (My deficit in MFP is calculated to have me lose 1#/week so this will put me into about a 4000 calorie deficit for the week.)
Anyway, my point is, do you want to enjoy 10,000 calories a week and still lose weight or eat what the OP says she would be eating in a week to lose weight which is about half of that (around 5000 calories)?
Sorry, OP, I think your blog post is bunk.0 -
This blog makes a really good case as to why starvation mode is just a myth. Please read/ Plus the first paragraph about MFP people is so true, it's funny. http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-starvation-mode.html
I've read this article before and I completely agree with the author. I think starvation mode does exist, but not until your calories get really low, like below 600 cals or so. Your metabolism may slow down, but you will still lose weight. You don't see kids in poverty-stricken countries walking around chubby because they aren't eating enough.
If you still have energy and can get through your workouts, if you are not dizzy, if your blood sugar is stable, if you have mental clarity; if you basically feel good all around, then you're eating enough. Case closed.
YUP.0 -
I'm just confused because when I was at the doctor's, I said that I was seeing a nutritionist and she had me on 1088 calories. I asked, isn't that dangerous? And my doctor told me that it absolutely wasn't. I only had 10-15 lbs to lose. Him saying this contradicts everything everyone says on here that you MUST eat at least 1200 calories. It doesn't work for me. I have narcolepsy and hypothyroid disorder and my metabolism is slow I guess. I work out HARD. But I cannot eat 1200+ calories a day and lose weight. PERIOD.
I used to not be able to lose on 1200 calories per day either. I also have metabolic issues. But I am working on repairing my metabolism and it has improved quite a bit and I expect that to continue. I would rather taking longer to lose the weight but have a fully-stroked hot-burning metabolism when I'm done than the sluggish metabolism I used to have.
If you only have 10-15# to lose, there really is no reason to rush the process, imho. I've lost 65 and have a good 40 to go but I'd rather it take longer and do it healthier and in a sustainable way than slowing down the metabolism even more.0 -
You can throw scientific research, hard facts, and sound advice at someone all day, but in the end, they will do what they want.
Bottom line:
Starvation makes you lose weight, but also kills you
You eat at a long term deficit, you'll lose fat and muscle
The more muscle you lose, the lower your BMR will become
Your body will adapt to live on fewer calories by slowing down your bodily functions: sleep poorly, think cloudy, twitch less
Sometimes, I think people learn faster the hard way. Some people refuse to acknowledge truth unless they come upon the realizations on their own.
Until then:
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I'm just confused because when I was at the doctor's, I said that I was seeing a nutritionist and she had me on 1088 calories. I asked, isn't that dangerous? And my doctor told me that it absolutely wasn't. I only had 10-15 lbs to lose. Him saying this contradicts everything everyone says on here that you MUST eat at least 1200 calories. It doesn't work for me. I have narcolepsy and hypothyroid disorder and my metabolism is slow I guess. I work out HARD. But I cannot eat 1200+ calories a day and lose weight. PERIOD.
ok so you just answered your own question there. Thyroid conditions drastically change metabolic rates, and your situation must be considered outside the norm and thus you cannot use the same standards as someone without a condition that effects the metabolism.0 -
I have hypothyroidism BUT I take medicine to make my thyroid normal, so it does not slow my metabolism.0
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This still going on? Lol, wow, let the people starve themselves to death, we'll come to the funerals and eat
Carbs too! 0 -
Totally disagree with this article.... I think the word Starvation mode when used on here is used more loosely than what its actual meaning is. I think people hit Plateau's and weeks with no weight loss and the Starvation mode words are thrown around loosely. Now as far as the eating more to lose weight theory, it is spot on (atleast for me and quite a few other people on this site by what I have read in these forums) You Can Not run high caloric deficits (sure you can get away with it in the beginning but if you do it over long periods of time it could screw up you metabolism permanently and not to mention you are going to sacrifice lean muscle mass. Each person responds to weight loss according to their on make up and what works for one may not work for another. I know for me, My BMR is currently 2450 and that is with a built in 500 calorie deficit to lose a pound a week and I consume 3200 calories a day ( eating back 85% of my exercise calories) and I am losing 1 to 2 lbs. a week and have for the past 31 months. Do I hit Plateau's (of course) and to break through them I up my calories (Yep that means a eat more to lose weight) by a couple hundred calories and it jump starts my system and I am back to losing weight. So again you need to read the info that is out there and do what works best for you, I have been under the care of doctors and working with a dietician since I started and they have always backed the way I have been losing. Slow and steady wins the race, and yes it takes longer to get the weight off but it is the healthy way to do it, both mentally and physically......
May2009 @ 560 lbs.
January 2012@ 267lbs.
I agree 100%! And OMG! Look at you!!! You have done an outstanding job!!! Truly inspiring! Thank you for posting, I am going to send you a friend request, I would love to watch your progress! Congrats on your success!0 -
Extremely low calories is a diet. I am trying to adopt a lifestyle that I can maintain. I am not on a diet.
That's "very" smart and it's the only way that really works long-term and that's healthy.
This is so true!0 -
There is something missing from the many comments: nutrition.
I can eat 1,200 calories in Jello pudding every day for six weeks. I'll lose weight. I'll also be malnourished.
The human body needs a balance of oils, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber (and other stuff) to function healthily. Maybe someone doesn't want to call it starvation, fine. The fact remains that if you try to function on exceptionally low caloric and nutritional intake for a long period of time you are going to cause damage to your vital organs.
Do your research, speak with your physician. Everyone's plan will be unique because we don't all face the same nutrition needs and health issues.0 -
There is something missing from the many comments: nutrition.
I can eat 1,200 calories in Jello pudding every day for six weeks. I'll lose weight. I'll also be malnourished.
The human body needs a balance of oils, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber (and other stuff) to function healthily. Maybe someone doesn't want to call it starvation, fine. The fact remains that if you try to function on exceptionally low caloric and nutritional intake for a long period of time you are going to cause damage to your vital organs.
Do your research, speak with your physician. Everyone's plan will be unique because we don't all face the same nutrition needs and health issues.
My favorite response! Not snarky or condescending, just factual and helpful. Wish everyone's post was like this!0
This discussion has been closed.
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