Sarvation mode is just wishful eating...

msf...that just answered my questions perfectly. Thank you. I'm going to word my responses to VLCD's a bit differently now.

sarvation?

Here's the thing...if my goal is fat loss, and I stall at the gym, I don't much care. The strength training at that point is a means to an end, which is of course, fat loss. I deload 20-30%, and start my cycle over again.

I understand what you mean...but I'll be honest, I've never seen anyone faceplant at the gym from an average calorie deficit, unless they're eating too little to sustain normal daily activities. Sometimes they will feel light headed if they've had no food at all in the proceeding 5hrs or so...but even that is a trained response. I train HARD with between 16-20hrs of zero caloric intake under my belt every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Good point, and from the look of those cannons of yours, you've got a system that works!


For me, I have a decent amount of fat to lose before I concern myself with strength training. So I'm working under a calorie deficit (1000 cal/day or less) and straight cardio (exercycle 5x60min/wk.)

As I get closer to my goal for Phase I of my plan, I'll start adding strength training. I plan to do serious lifting, and want to make sure I have plenty to fuel the muscle repair. Also, by focusing on cardio only for now, I'll have improved circulation and endurance for when I get to that point.

Are you eating less than 1000 or is your deficit at least 1000? if you are eating less than 1000 calorie a day, no wonder you are worried about faceplanting.

All this 'i cant reach my calories etc etc... we were all fat that is how we got fat by eatng too many calories. Eat less, burn more, be thin!!!

I think you are right about that.

Constipation mode is just wishful farting.

I think in the interests of balance it should be pointed out that, as I said above, the concept of starvation mode is usually poorly applied. It's not like a light switch where if you eat under 1,200 calories your body suddenly decides to go into starvation mode, or if you miss a meal that happens or even if you have plateaued it is caused by this.

It is much more likely whne it comes to plateaus that people have forgotten that as you lose weight the number of calories you need to maintain weight is reduced accordingly, under reporting of true calorie intake and / or over estimating of calories burned through exercise, water / glycogen issues masking fat loss on the scale. There is a misconception that fat loss stalls altogether in "starvation mode" when in reality it doesn't. It simply becomes a lot harder and requires proportionally much more effort to do so in comparison to a "lifestyle diet."

That is not to say that people who chronically underfeed their bodies or restrict energy intake for many months don't suffer the effects of starvation mode. I think that it certainly does happen but just not as commonly as people may think.

A starvation type diet will work to reduce weight in the short term. It is undeniable that people will and do experience this. However that isn't saying much. ALL diets which somehow make you operate at a calorie deficit will cause weight loss.

In my view the success of a diet isn't actually about what happens whilst you are undertaking it or even about the amount of weight you lose (I know I'm sounding a bit crazy here but bear with me....) The success of a diet is about what happens when you come OFF it. The real prize is maintenance. A good diet provides the building blocks for a long term ability to maintain weight at a stable level for years to come, not just a few weeks (unless you are puposefully dieting down for a specific event and do not care about putting on weight after that eg an athlete making a weight class, looking good on your wedding day etc)

The problem with the excessively low calorie approach (especially if it is coupled with a high exercise volume) is the remarkably poor finishing position it leaves you in. Your metabolic rate has a much sharper adaptive reduction to BMR in comparison in comparison to a slow and steady diet. In addition your body becomes much more efficient at fat storage due to changes in hormone levels. The end result is that the vast majority of crash dieters will end up regaining all the fat they lost prior to their diet and then some. You can circumvent this by being sticking to very low calories for the rest of your life and maintaining high levels of exercise if you wish. That doesn't sound like much fun to me or even realistic in the long term.

If you love and respect your body it will love and respect you back. If you treat it poorly and try to beat it into submission then expect a fight. You will probably lose...

Constipation mode is just wishful farting.

She also believes though that if you come out of a sauna weighing half a stone less than when you went in, you've just managed to lose half a stone of fat! If only it were that simple!