call it what you want "starvation mode" is REAL

Oh no buddy I've read them so many of them. Both against and for. So many. I think they are definitely making me loopy. Lol

Lol oh dear. See why I hate the starvation mode posted research. There is also research disproving it but it seems most people lean towards believing it.

actually, it seems to me that you are mixing research and anecdotal examples. I mean, I do get your very valid point that ppl through around "starvation mode" far too lightly and think that if they skip breakfast or go without food for 36h - that's it, they are causing 'starvation mode'. but I'm really not aware of any research claiming such things . on the other side 'choosing not believe' that a prolonged, very high calorie restriction (CR) will change your body's hormonal response and induce metabolism slow down which cannot be accounted for only by the loss of body mass - that's a completely different story. I've seen few studies showing that a prolonged CR did not do things like slow down metabolism nor induced loss of a lean body mass, but - the first study was done on menopausal women, a population that already has slower metabolism, and the second one was done on army recruits put through extreme training, again a group that is not exactly directly comparable to the majority of us here (I gave my opinion about this on one of the starvation mode threads in the intermittent fasting group). On the other hand - I've seen a lot of studies showing prolonged effects of CR on metabolic rate.

Just do a google search for starvation mode myth.

Ok first and foremost forget about BMI as there have been countless studies to prove that these reading are often not accurate.

Use the Katch-McArdle Formula or the Harris Benedict Formula.

Drop your calorie intake by 30% for 3 days and then go back to the normal calorie intake for 1 day and then go back for 3 days, keep this system all the way and you will never enter "Survival mode" as I like to call it.

IMPORTANTLY, make sure you eact good clean nutritious food over 5-6 meals a day (to keep the metabolism working overtime) together with a cardio workout of a minimum 30 mins per day 4-5 times per week plus a weight training workout 3 times per week.

Do this and you will lose weight and survival mode is something you will never have to worry about.

When you do plateau just work harder on the cario side..

Cheers and good luck people.

I like the eating below 30% for 3 days then back to normal for 1 day. Don't think there is much to any difference eating 6 meals vs 3.

Big difference.

Eating 5-6 meals a day allows your metabolism to work overtime.

Firing your metabolism is an extremely important ingredient in weight loss.

oh, here we are again . your MR does not stop or slow down when you don't eat. do you think you have a lower BMR at 3am than at 3pm? the only 'firing' your M gets form food is the thermal effect of food, which is overridden by the additional Cal you gave your body in that meal.
It's simple - if 5-6 meals a day make you happy and work for you, great, go for it. But I would never force someone to do that if it doesn't feel right for them (as it doesn't for me).

copied this from another post i recently made...

seems to fit here...

the myth that low cal diets will slow your metabolism are unfounded...

In one study, researchers found that the when they made people fast for 3 days, their metabolic rate did not change
-Webber J, Macdonald IA, The cardiovascular, metabolic and hormonal changes accompanying acute starvation in men and women. British journal of nutrition 1994; 71:437-447.

In another study by a different group of researchers, people who fasted every other day for a period of 22 days also had no decrease in their resting metabolic rate
-Heilbronn LK, et al. Alternate-day fasting in nonobese subjects: effects on body weight, body composition, and energy metabolism. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2005; 81:69-73

In addition, people who were on very low calorie diets and on a resistance exercise program (i.e. lifting weights) did not see a decrease in resting metabolic rate, and these people were only eating 800 Calories a day for 12 weeks

In another interesting study, women who ate half the amount of food that they normally eat for 3 days saw no change in their metabolism either
-Keim NL, Horn WF. Restrained eating behavior and the metabolic response to dietary energy restriction in women. Obesity research 2004; 12:141-149.

The bottom line is food has virtually nothing to do with your metabolism. In fact, your metabolism is much more closely tied to your bodyweight. If your weight goes up or down, so does your metabolism. The only other thing that can affect your metabolism (in both the short term and longer term) is exercise and weight loss. Even in the complete absence of food for three days, your metabolism remains unchanged.

Enough with the not eating enough will slow your metabolism people...

I feel like some people believe they are in starvation mode for several false reasons.

1.) You need to recalculate your given calorie intake every 5 lbs or so. To do this, I usually reset myfitnesspal by switching to "gain a lb" then back to normal so that it will recalculate.
2.) If you are exercising, measuring is important. I was morbidly obese at one point, and sometimes I just lost inches & not pounds. If you are not exercising, this can still happen. I'm currently doing ADF & I've noticed the constant body cleansing has made me leaner even when pounds weren't being shed.
3.) Accurate journaling is the only way to correctly establish if your metabolism is incorrect. If you are -3500 calories in a week for a few weeks, but the scale/measurements haven't changed, then you should consult a physician.
4.) Weigh at the same time of the day each time. Your body can fluctuate several pounds throughout the day.