The Starvation Myth

Eat until you're full and then STOP. Don't eat just to fulfill some caloric goal of 1500 or whatnot. My opinion.

This is something I struggle with. After years of over-eating, I am not able to know the difference between satisfying my hunger and eating until I'm full.

For anyone still in support of the "starvation mode":

You don't need to understand research studies or complicated biochem to understand why its bunk. Just ask yourself this

Why on Earth would your body, while starving, turn the few calories you are taking in into fat and not use them!? Turning stuff into fat is when your body already has plenty of available energy.

if your body is continuously functioning throughout the day, you need to eat. that makes sense.

if you don't eat enough calories for your body to keep functioning at a HEALTHY rate, isn't that dangerous to some degree? kinda like wanting your car to keep running without fuel?

LOL, I so agree:)

/grabs popcorn

this should be interesting

if your body is continuously functioning throughout the day, you need to eat. that makes sense.

if you don't eat enough calories for your body to keep functioning at a HEALTHY rate, isn't that dangerous to some degree? kinda like wanting your car to keep running without fuel?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS!

if your body is continuously functioning throughout the day, you need to eat. that makes sense.

if you don't eat enough calories for your body to keep functioning at a HEALTHY rate, isn't that dangerous to some degree? kinda like wanting your car to keep running without fuel?

The car analogy only works if you have no body fat to spare. At 20 lbs. overweight, I have 20 x 3500 = 70,000 calories in my tank I'm trying to burn off.

If I top off my tank each day with all my BMR calorie burn plus all my exercise calorie burn, what activity is left to burn off my excess? The calories I expend brushing my teeth and driving to the gym?

No wonder people give up and want to turn to lipo. You don't need to walk this tiny tightrope between what is 'too few calories' vs. what is no longer a deficit.

i found this to hopefully explain how undereating effects the body
I don't get how the whole "starvation mode" thing works. Ya know, how if you eat under so many calories a day, or none at all, your metabolism will go down and you wont lose weight? But if it's true, how are people with liKe anorexia nervosa so skinny?
26 Replies (Because they keep eating less. When they eat more they gain weight because their metabolism is so slow.

If you under eat, your metabolism adapts and is more energy efficient i.e. it shuts down non-essential processes to focus on keeping you alive with what little calories you give it. Because they eat like 300-500 cals a day and your body can only do so much to adapt to a starvation level of cals.

I don't care for the term "starvation mode". Basically it is metabolic adaption and happens to all dieters to some degree. If your body considers itself in a famine, it will decrease the amount of cals you burn to a certain extent and start burning muscle instead of fat as it takes more to support and you can't have that if you are in a famine. There are also a whole lot of hormonal things that happen when you diet and your body tends to "defend" your starting weight. Someone who has "dieted down" to 140 lbs tends to burn less cals to maintain that 140 lbs then another person who is at that weight naturally and never dieted to get there. The whole process is very complex and everyone's body is differentActually not all anorexics actually eat that low. Some eat in the 500-1200 range and still end up very underweight and sick. If someone is tall then they need more calories naturally so if they normally maintain on 2000 or more then eating 1400 can lead to anorexia. Yes it is true that as your body adapts you have to eat less to keep losing because your body will fight to keep you alive. Also many anorexics actually have a hard time gaining. Sometimes the weight initially come on faster and then the metabolism will kick in and/or they become hyper-metabolic (metabolism goes into hyper burn essentially) and they need more to get to a healthy weight. Most end up needing 2000 or more calories to repair damage and restore weight.

Also a person who is overweight who drops weight very quickly in an unhealthy manner can still be in the healthy weight range but suffer all the same effects as a person who is classed as anorexic. You can pack all the nutrients you want into your diet but if you don't eat enough your body doesn't have the fuel to use them efficiently. Basically eating as little as possible and losing as fast as possible puts strain on the body and can do damage. Slow and steady wins the race and keeps off the yo-yo ride.

More important than the metabolism stalling out is the fact that if your body is not getting enough fuel it has to take it from your muscles and bones. You want to eat above your BMR but below your daily burn and exercise to maintain the muscle you have throughout the weight loss journey. Its not just about reaching a number its about attaining/maintaining a strong healthy body that will carry you for a lifetime.

There is enough info out there that if an individual can't figure out what they need on their own then they are in trouble. No calculator can tell a person exactly what they need to lose weight and preserve or build muscle. Starvation Mode is not a myth, it is just a phrase started to represent what happens if a body is not fueled enough in order to "work" in a healthy and effective manner.

Do what you want to figure out how your body will work in an effective manner. Try it with 500 calories a day and see how that works for you, try it with more or even less. Many of us will be here to watch and learn.

denise:drinker: :drinker:

and if you really think undereating as never killed anybody think about all the anerexics that have died because yes eventually your organs do give up so it makes sense that you give your body the fuel it needs i know that i would rather lose weight slower and healthier then go to bed on a night with that awful starving feeling in my stomach

:laugh: :bigsmile: eat what you want to and quit gripin because someone has another opinion:drinker: :drinker:

At the end of the day I believe that everyone should do what works best for them. I currently eat back most of my calories because I know that is a longer term solution for me to maintain my weight loss goal. People who feel totally fine with netting between 800-1200 calories should continue to do so if they feel that it works for them. No matter what advice is given, all of our bodies respond differently to certain weight loss regimens. I personally tried only eating at 1250 calories a day but I noticed that I became more fatigued in my workouts, and just tired in general throughout the day. Now that I am set to only lose a 1/2 pound per week, I am set up to net 1420 calories a day, and this regimen is something that I feel that I can sustain for a long time. I think that's the most important thing to remember; whatever regimen you are on should be a lifestyle change. If you 're fine with netting 1000 calories a day and can continue to do it for long term without any ill-effects, then by all means keep on doing it. It's our own bodies and we should take most advice with a grain of salt until you personally know that it works for you!

/grabs popcorn

this should be interesting

BWAHAHAHAHAHA - I know what you mean