The starvation mode lie

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kodakdigitalcamera
kodakdigitalcamera Posts: 67
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone else agree that starvation mode in an overweight to obese person doesn't exist? Studies have shown that the body can not starve until it reaches low body fat levels below 20 percent.
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  • GrAlVt
    GrAlVt Posts: 42
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    Biology doesn't care if you agree with it or not.

    The phrase 'studies have shown' is never a valid argument until you show the studies.
  • JuneBPrice
    JuneBPrice Posts: 294 Member
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    I don't think it's a lie, but I think it's blown way out of proportion. It just doesn't make sense that if someone is overweight, their body is going to burn muscle instead of fat.
  • Krazy_Kat
    Krazy_Kat Posts: 212
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    It's probably a lie, but there is still no benefit in eating very low calories when you can eat more. Why torture yourself?
  • barbielovesgym
    barbielovesgym Posts: 43
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    i agree and it is highly misused around fitness communities.
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
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    It's not a lie. Yes, when you are excessively overweight your body will compensate for short periods of time of very low calorie intake by consuming body fat and some muscle. That is the whole reason for your body storing body fat. However the key is SHORT TERM. As this period of very low calorie intake continues, your body reacts and starts trying to store most calories as fat and slowly limiting bodily functions.

    I agree this term gets thrown around very loosely and improperly here. It takes a good amount of time to drop into starvation mode as long as you haven't completely stopped eating and some time to climb back out of it.
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
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    I am just going to start posting the Lyle McDonald interview excerpt in every "starvation mode" thread I see from now on:

    In general, it’s true that metabolic rate tends to drop more with more excessive caloric deficits (and this is true whether the effect is from eating less or exercising more); as well, people vary in how hard or fast their bodies shut down. Women’s bodies tend to shut down harder and faster.
    But here’s the thing: in no study I’ve ever seen has the drop in metabolic rate been sufficient to completely offset the caloric deficit. That is, say that cutting your calories by 50% per day leads to a reduction in the metabolic rate of 10%. Starvation mode you say. Well, yes. But you still have a 40% daily deficit.
    In one of the all-time classic studies (the Minnesota semi-starvation study), men were put on 50% of their maintenance calories for 6 months. It measured the largest reduction in metabolic rate I’ve ever seen, something like 40% below baseline. Yet at no point did the men stop losing fat until they hit 5% body fat at the end of the study.
    Other studies, where people are put on strictly controlled diets have never, to my knowledge, failed to acknowledge weight or fat loss.
    This goes back to the under-reporting intake issue mentioned above. I suspect that the people who say, “I’m eating 800 calories per day and not losing weight; it must be a starvation response” are actually eating far more than that and misreporting or underestimating it. Because no controlled study that I’m aware of has ever found such an occurrence.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    you probably have to define your terms, "starvation mode" is too open to interpretation and extrapolation - especially by the "you'll hold onto all your fat" fraternity (probably a sorority in reality).

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2495396/pdf/postmedj00315-0056.pdf is interesting reading. No food for a year. Lost a lot of weight, kept it off.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
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    You have excess body fat precisely for this reason; so your body consumes that primary for reserve energy rather than all muscle mass, internal organs, bones, eyes, skin etc.

    You won't feel great, but extremely obese people can eat at an extremely low calorie intake or even fast and be metabolically fine.
  • Erisad
    Erisad Posts: 1,580
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    I agree. I have a bmi of 33, so there's no way that my body is going to "starve" if I don't eat enough. There's plenty of fat for it to chew off before I'll "starve." :/
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    Okay, someone in starvation mode will continue to lose weight. But it will be a very slow process and it will probably cause rapid weight gain once they end calorie-restriction. Why are those desirable outcomes, people who think starvation mode is silly?

    FWIW, I do actually know two people who were overweight *because* they were not eating enough. They had eating disorders, and when they were put by their dietitians on a diet they felt was way too much food, the pounds dropped off.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    Forget the word "starve"
    Nobody starves.
    When you restrict calories too much, your metabolism stifles ie slows down.
    FACT!
    But do whatever you want. Net 200 calories per day, let's see how that works for you.
    Good Luck :drinker:
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    Adaptive Thermogenesis is wrongly labelled "Starvation mode"

    http://www.burnthefat.com/metabolic_damage.html
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    People often confuse hormonal imbalance with starvation mode.
    When dieting down you have a hormonal response to effectively slow the body from losing its energy stores.

    See chart below:

    On the left you are anabolic or building mode.
    On the right you are in catabolic or breakdown mode.
    Screenshot2012-07-02at82739AM.png

    Going well over TDEE will result in overfeeding to build muscle provided you have had the proper stimulation, or fat if you havent.
    Some people really bulk up and add fat because they can burn it off faster than others but a 20% over TDEE should do it.

    Going below TDEE will result in weight loss in the form of fat.
    The further to the right you go, the more chances you have of losing more lean mass due to hormonal response and energy balance.

    The body doesnt want to be lean gang so it will maintain fat even at very low calories.

    Bumping up calories a couple times a week or spike days or cheat days or eat whatever the fuk you wanna eat days will help regulate some of the hormones but only as long as you eat at the proper level to do so.
  • chicpeach
    chicpeach Posts: 302 Member
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    Whether it is or not is not really the issue. If you starve yourself thinking your body will live off your fat reserves, ask yourself this: what kind of nutrition does your fat reserve supply for the biological processes that proper eating supports? Does it have the vitamins and minerals? How about the protein need?

    If you don't eat proper nutrition, your body is going to take what it needs from wherever it can get it. Not eating enough calcium? No problem - your teeth have plenty, so do your bones. Not getting enough protein? No problem, there's plenty in your muscles. If you don't mind your body robbing Peter to pay Paul, go ahead and eat under your BMR. You will lose weight. No guarantees on the state your health or your ability to maintain the reduced weight when your done though.
  • CountryMom03
    CountryMom03 Posts: 258 Member
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    I am just going to start posting the Lyle McDonald interview excerpt in every "starvation mode" thread I see from now on:

    In general, it’s true that metabolic rate tends to drop more with more excessive caloric deficits (and this is true whether the effect is from eating less or exercising more); as well, people vary in how hard or fast their bodies shut down. Women’s bodies tend to shut down harder and faster.
    But here’s the thing: in no study I’ve ever seen has the drop in metabolic rate been sufficient to completely offset the caloric deficit. That is, say that cutting your calories by 50% per day leads to a reduction in the metabolic rate of 10%. Starvation mode you say. Well, yes. But you still have a 40% daily deficit.
    In one of the all-time classic studies (the Minnesota semi-starvation study), men were put on 50% of their maintenance calories for 6 months. It measured the largest reduction in metabolic rate I’ve ever seen, something like 40% below baseline. Yet at no point did the men stop losing fat until they hit 5% body fat at the end of the study.
    Other studies, where people are put on strictly controlled diets have never, to my knowledge, failed to acknowledge weight or fat loss.
    This goes back to the under-reporting intake issue mentioned above. I suspect that the people who say, “I’m eating 800 calories per day and not losing weight; it must be a starvation response” are actually eating far more than that and misreporting or underestimating it. Because no controlled study that I’m aware of has ever found such an occurrence.

    Hmm very interesting!!:) Thanks for sharing that! Alot of this stuff can be so complicated to figure out and understand but your post along with the study was very well written and layed out:) This goes along with what I tend to believe also, it just makes more sense. Do I feel a person needs to drop below what their maintance is? well no, no exactly but I feel if they eat like they should and then exercise a whole lot, then they are only defeating the purpose by eating back those exercise cals. Even though your burning off cals with exercise, your still getting nutrients and such from the food you take in that day, so your body is taking it in. Anyway...sorry to ramble lol, great post!!:)

    ~Carrie~
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Starvation mode is probably an erroneous term. My doctor calls it "Hybernation Mode". You continue to lose but at a lower rate, like a bear in hybernation.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
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    Does anyone else agree that starvation mode in an overweight to obese person doesn't exist? Studies have shown that the body can not starve until it reaches low body fat levels below 20 percent.

    It's actually below 5 or 6%. And pretty much no one that's on this site has experianced it or know anyone who has unless your friends with people in 3rd world countries.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,018 Member
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    It's been effectively and correctly described by a few of the above posters but that won't stop people to continue to think that when in starvation mode people stop losing weight and possibly gain fat. The madness will never end.:laugh:
  • patchesgizmo
    patchesgizmo Posts: 244 Member
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    I have a friend who has always been thin and active, but eats terribly. She now eats about once a day and drinks very little water, and she is gaining weight instead of losing. So I am thinking her body is in starvation mode and has been for several years. It is going to eventually kill her but she will not listen. She is also extremely jealous of the fact that I eat, and I am losing weight. she is now trying to compete with me. Sigh I keep trying to talk her into eating more and especially drinking more fluids a day.
  • coolbluecris
    coolbluecris Posts: 228 Member
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    Whether it is or not is not really the issue. If you starve yourself thinking your body will live off your fat reserves, ask yourself this: what kind of nutrition does your fat reserve supply for the biological processes that proper eating supports? Does it have the vitamins and minerals? How about the protein need?

    If you don't eat proper nutrition, your body is going to take what it needs from wherever it can get it. Not eating enough calcium? No problem - your teeth have plenty, so do your bones. Not getting enough protein? No problem, there's plenty in your muscles. If you don't mind your body robbing Peter to pay Paul, go ahead and eat under your BMR. You will lose weight. No guarantees on the state your health or your ability to maintain the reduced weight when your done though.

    Love this !!

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