Is starvation mode real or a myth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While a drastic cut in calories below what you are burning per day is going to make you lose weight (calories in less than calories out), and no one eating 1200 calories month after month is going to not eventually lose weight (and many people misreport how many calories they are consuming per day), starvation mode is a thing in that it effects a) your basal metabolic rate slightly b) your hormonal profile and tendency to release cortisol and retain fat, especially around your midsection and c) minor changes to thermoregulation, spontaneous movement (fidgeting, etc.), menstruation, muscle hypertrophy, and other physiological functions. Your body is intelligent and it will conserve calories if the deficit is too steep and shut down functions it considers unessential.

You can make your body more apt to store fat rather than lean tissue and cause your body to burn calories at a slightly lower rate meaning you need to eat less and less to continue to lose weight (beyond that once you lose weight, your BMR is lower). Although basal metabolic rate is mostly determined by body size, there can be minor variations of 100-300 calories per day and your body can normalize to the lower end of this range. Your body is going to shut down functions it considers unessential, and it's going to become more lethargic so you move and fidget less over the day. The amount of calories/body weight will slow down if you restrict too much. It can also cause your immune system to shut down, mess up your hormones, and it hinder how much fitness you are able to gain (e.g. gains in strength from strength training, or gains in cardiovascular conditioning from aerobic exercise) from working out. It can also mess up your thyroid.

For this reason, typically when losing weight, deficits of ~300-500 calories/day (~1 lb/week) is considered more sustainable than going on a rapid 1200/day diet. Certainly less potential for affecting your health in a negative way.

this is all nonsense. i mean iif one doest eat a single thing for a month, maybe some of it is true, but to talk about this in respect to 1200 per day is a LOL. 1200 is more than what many women need to merely maintain their weight. 1200 is a lot of calories... it's just that people are fat and eat a lot and feel they are starving when they eat the amount their body actually needs.

I do not believe in "starvation mode", but i can tell you most women need more than 1200 calories/day to maintain their weight. the exception being a women who weigh 100 lbs. Anyone who says they ear eating 1200 cal and not losing weight is delusional and most likely not tracking accurately or eating 1200 cal consistently.

Now will metabolic rate slow down some on very low calorie diets, yes. but this is due to the fact that low calorie diets, especially ones without sufficient protein and where heavy weigh lifting in not involved, will also cause someone to lose a lot of muscle along with the fat. Loss of muscle decrease metabolic rate. This is also one of the big reasons our metabolism slows as we age; we are less active and lose muscle mass which decreases metabolic rate. Losing fat will decrease energy needs as well because someone who weights 200 lbs does not have the same caloric needs as someone who weights 150 lbs. but again, this reduction is not so sever that you will notice and it is not the reason some one has "plateaued" after a few weeks.

an average woman in the USA is 5 4. most women are supposed to weigh no more than 120 lbs. that is 1200 per day or less to maintain.

Where are you getting this number from?

I uses a 5'4", 120 lb. 40 yr old female for this BMR calculation.

BMR calculators are giving me a BMR of 1200 calories but BMR is the calories you need to maintain your weight if you are literal comatose and do not leave bed all day. For people who do not stay in bed 24 hrs/day the calorie range is anywhere from 1440-2300, it varies greatly based on activity level. but even someone who is sedentary needs at least 1440 calories. and someone who exercises 1-3 times per week need 1650 calories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While a drastic cut in calories below what you are burning per day is going to make you lose weight (calories in less than calories out), and no one eating 1200 calories month after month is going to not eventually lose weight (and many people misreport how many calories they are consuming per day), starvation mode is a thing in that it effects a) your basal metabolic rate slightly b) your hormonal profile and tendency to release cortisol and retain fat, especially around your midsection and c) minor changes to thermoregulation, spontaneous movement (fidgeting, etc.), menstruation, muscle hypertrophy, and other physiological functions. Your body is intelligent and it will conserve calories if the deficit is too steep and shut down functions it considers unessential.

You can make your body more apt to store fat rather than lean tissue and cause your body to burn calories at a slightly lower rate meaning you need to eat less and less to continue to lose weight (beyond that once you lose weight, your BMR is lower). Although basal metabolic rate is mostly determined by body size, there can be minor variations of 100-300 calories per day and your body can normalize to the lower end of this range. Your body is going to shut down functions it considers unessential, and it's going to become more lethargic so you move and fidget less over the day. The amount of calories/body weight will slow down if you restrict too much. It can also cause your immune system to shut down, mess up your hormones, and it hinder how much fitness you are able to gain (e.g. gains in strength from strength training, or gains in cardiovascular conditioning from aerobic exercise) from working out. It can also mess up your thyroid.

For this reason, typically when losing weight, deficits of ~300-500 calories/day (~1 lb/week) is considered more sustainable than going on a rapid 1200/day diet. Certainly less potential for affecting your health in a negative way.

this is all nonsense. i mean iif one doest eat a single thing for a month, maybe some of it is true, but to talk about this in respect to 1200 per day is a LOL. 1200 is more than what many women need to merely maintain their weight. 1200 is a lot of calories... it's just that people are fat and eat a lot and feel they are starving when they eat the amount their body actually needs.

I do not believe in "starvation mode", but i can tell you most women need more than 1200 calories/day to maintain their weight. the exception being a women who weigh 100 lbs. Anyone who says they ear eating 1200 cal and not losing weight is delusional and most likely not tracking accurately or eating 1200 cal consistently.

Now will metabolic rate slow down some on very low calorie diets, yes. but this is due to the fact that low calorie diets, especially ones without sufficient protein and where heavy weigh lifting in not involved, will also cause someone to lose a lot of muscle along with the fat. Loss of muscle decrease metabolic rate. This is also one of the big reasons our metabolism slows as we age; we are less active and lose muscle mass which decreases metabolic rate. Losing fat will decrease energy needs as well because someone who weights 200 lbs does not have the same caloric needs as someone who weights 150 lbs. but again, this reduction is not so sever that you will notice and it is not the reason some one has "plateaued" after a few weeks.

an average woman in the USA is 5 4. most women are supposed to weigh no more than 120 lbs. that is 1200 per day or less to maintain.

Welp, this is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

I’m anorexic and BMI 13 - I am in starvation mode

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While a drastic cut in calories below what you are burning per day is going to make you lose weight (calories in less than calories out), and no one eating 1200 calories month after month is going to not eventually lose weight (and many people misreport how many calories they are consuming per day), starvation mode is a thing in that it effects a) your basal metabolic rate slightly b) your hormonal profile and tendency to release cortisol and retain fat, especially around your midsection and c) minor changes to thermoregulation, spontaneous movement (fidgeting, etc.), menstruation, muscle hypertrophy, and other physiological functions. Your body is intelligent and it will conserve calories if the deficit is too steep and shut down functions it considers unessential.

You can make your body more apt to store fat rather than lean tissue and cause your body to burn calories at a slightly lower rate meaning you need to eat less and less to continue to lose weight (beyond that once you lose weight, your BMR is lower). Although basal metabolic rate is mostly determined by body size, there can be minor variations of 100-300 calories per day and your body can normalize to the lower end of this range. Your body is going to shut down functions it considers unessential, and it's going to become more lethargic so you move and fidget less over the day. The amount of calories/body weight will slow down if you restrict too much. It can also cause your immune system to shut down, mess up your hormones, and it hinder how much fitness you are able to gain (e.g. gains in strength from strength training, or gains in cardiovascular conditioning from aerobic exercise) from working out. It can also mess up your thyroid.

For this reason, typically when losing weight, deficits of ~300-500 calories/day (~1 lb/week) is considered more sustainable than going on a rapid 1200/day diet. Certainly less potential for affecting your health in a negative way.

this is all nonsense. i mean iif one doest eat a single thing for a month, maybe some of it is true, but to talk about this in respect to 1200 per day is a LOL. 1200 is more than what many women need to merely maintain their weight. 1200 is a lot of calories... it's just that people are fat and eat a lot and feel they are starving when they eat the amount their body actually needs.

I do not believe in "starvation mode", but i can tell you most women need more than 1200 calories/day to maintain their weight. the exception being a women who weigh 100 lbs. Anyone who says they ear eating 1200 cal and not losing weight is delusional and most likely not tracking accurately or eating 1200 cal consistently.

Now will metabolic rate slow down some on very low calori(e diets, yes. but this is due to the fact that low calorie diets, especially ones without sufficient protein and where heavy weigh lifting in not involved, will also cause someone to lose a lot of muscle along with the fat. Loss of muscle decrease metabolic rate. This is also one of the big reasons our metabolism slows as we age; we are less active and lose muscle mass which decreases metabolic rate. Losing fat will decrease energy needs as well because someone who weights 200 lbs does not have the same caloric needs as someone who weights 150 lbs. but again, this reduction is not so sever that you will notice and it is not the reason some one has "plateaued" after a few weeks.

an average woman in the USA is 5 4. most women are supposed to weigh no more than 120 lbs. that is 1200 per day or less to maintain.

Welp, this is ridiculous.

I"m 5'1" and my lowest adult weight was about 127 lbs and my ribs were visible-my mom freaked when she saw me! I was doing a lot of field work that summer-running up and down outcrops and skipping lunch so I was constantly moving and dropped like 8 lbs without really trying that summer. I was wearing an xs and yet according to the charts I was borderline overweight and needed to lose another 20 lbs...trust me I didn't have it to lose.

Yes! This index was devised 200 years ago using young, white Western Europeans who were self-reporting their weights. There is no record of the age of the individuals as well...are these 16 year old ladies and 18 year old men?? Did the woman have any muscle mass-probably not, they were wealthy women that didn't do housework or farmwork or exercise to build muscle. The person that devised this wasn't even a medical doctor.

And up until like 1998 overweight status didn't hit until you have a 28 for BMI but that was changed to 25 which made millions of people overweight and their life insurance policies so up in cost...surprise surprise.

[Anonymous]

Starvation mode is a myth.
Yes metabolism slows as you lose weight because someone who weights 200 lbs doesn't have the same caloric needs as someone how weights 150 lbs. But the idea that if you always eat X # 0f calories will cause your body to adapt to that level is ridiculous. If that were the case it wouldn't be possible for people to literally starve to death because their body could in theory adapt to only needing 1000, 800, 500 cal/day. But that doesn't happen. They keep losing weight until they die.

Now plateaus. The term plateau is widely overused on this board. Someone doesn't see the scale more for a few days and claims they are in plateau. Not understanding that weight loss is not linear or that various outside factors (hydration, water retention, hormones) also impact the number on the scale and this can mean that sometime this number doesn't change or bounces around for a week. These bouncing numbers can also be hidden if you weigh yourself less frequently.

Now for people who claim they have been in a plateau for a long period of time, say 2 months. I would really need to taka hard look at what they say they are doing versus what they are really doing. Often times the plateau is because they have made changes that they don't realize. These could include some calories creeping in, not weighing, tracing and measuring as accurately as they were in the beginning, not adjusting calories down after they have lost a significant amount of weight, maybe not as consistent with sticking to their calories or workouts. The list goes on but I can bet that they are doing something that is causing this. I never believe the I eat 1200 cal EVERY day and can't lose weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Starvation mode is real.
Weight loss is much more than calories in calories out, it's more about what you eat and when.
I'm loosing weight on 1800 kcal daily without excersising (just walking 10k steps).

how much do you weight?
I would also bet that you would lose even more weight faster if you ate 1200 calories a day. Not suggesting you do that as I think a more moderate deficit is better, but if you ate less you would not stop losing weight. People who claim to not lose weight on low calorie diets are not in "starvation mode" they are simply not really eating as low calorie as they want to believe.

Im 5'7, 190 now, down from 225, and I keep going, for quite some time, with couple of plateaus and setback
No, thank you, I won't do 1200 ever again, it's not sustainable in the long run. I'm done with yo-yo diets, they are not healthy. I'll keep eating my 1600-2000 kcal, slowly and steady loosing 1-2 lb a month until I reach my goal of 165 lb, hopefully by the end of this year.

Nope. You just proved that it is all about calories in and calories out. 1800 calories is fewer calories than what yo uneed to maintain a weight of 190 lbs. When you weight 190lbs it isn't shocking at all that you can lose on 1800 calories. The idea that everyone needs to eat 1200 calories to lose weight is ridiculous. That is only necessary for people who weight under 120lbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While a drastic cut in calories below what you are burning per day is going to make you lose weight (calories in less than calories out), and no one eating 1200 calories month after month is going to not eventually lose weight (and many people misreport how many calories they are consuming per day), starvation mode is a thing in that it effects a) your basal metabolic rate slightly b) your hormonal profile and tendency to release cortisol and retain fat, especially around your midsection and c) minor changes to thermoregulation, spontaneous movement (fidgeting, etc.), menstruation, muscle hypertrophy, and other physiological functions. Your body is intelligent and it will conserve calories if the deficit is too steep and shut down functions it considers unessential.

You can make your body more apt to store fat rather than lean tissue and cause your body to burn calories at a slightly lower rate meaning you need to eat less and less to continue to lose weight (beyond that once you lose weight, your BMR is lower). Although basal metabolic rate is mostly determined by body size, there can be minor variations of 100-300 calories per day and your body can normalize to the lower end of this range. Your body is going to shut down functions it considers unessential, and it's going to become more lethargic so you move and fidget less over the day. The amount of calories/body weight will slow down if you restrict too much. It can also cause your immune system to shut down, mess up your hormones, and it hinder how much fitness you are able to gain (e.g. gains in strength from strength training, or gains in cardiovascular conditioning from aerobic exercise) from working out. It can also mess up your thyroid.

For this reason, typically when losing weight, deficits of ~300-500 calories/day (~1 lb/week) is considered more sustainable than going on a rapid 1200/day diet. Certainly less potential for affecting your health in a negative way.

this is all nonsense. i mean iif one doest eat a single thing for a month, maybe some of it is true, but to talk about this in respect to 1200 per day is a LOL. 1200 is more than what many women need to merely maintain their weight. 1200 is a lot of calories... it's just that people are fat and eat a lot and feel they are starving when they eat the amount their body actually needs.

I do not believe in "starvation mode", but i can tell you most women need more than 1200 calories/day to maintain their weight. the exception being a women who weigh 100 lbs. Anyone who says they ear eating 1200 cal and not losing weight is delusional and most likely not tracking accurately or eating 1200 cal consistently.

Now will metabolic rate slow down some on very low calorie diets, yes. but this is due to the fact that low calorie diets, especially ones without sufficient protein and where heavy weigh lifting in not involved, will also cause someone to lose a lot of muscle along with the fat. Loss of muscle decrease metabolic rate. This is also one of the big reasons our metabolism slows as we age; we are less active and lose muscle mass which decreases metabolic rate. Losing fat will decrease energy needs as well because someone who weights 200 lbs does not have the same caloric needs as someone who weights 150 lbs. but again, this reduction is not so sever that you will notice and it is not the reason some one has "plateaued" after a few weeks.

an average woman in the USA is 5 4. most women are supposed to weigh no more than 120 lbs. that is 1200 per day or less to maintain.

Where are you getting this number from?

I uses a 5'4", 120 lb. 40 yr old female for this BMR calculation.

BMR calculators are giving me a BMR of 1200 calories but BMR is the calories you need to maintain your weight if you are literal comatose and do not leave bed all day. For people who do not stay in bed 24 hrs/day the calorie range is anywhere from 1440-2300, it varies greatly based on activity level. but even someone who is sedentary needs at least 1440 calories. and someone who exercises 1-3 times per week need 1650 calories.

^ that sounds right.

Starvation mode doesn't exist, unless you are consistently eating less than 1000 calories per day and muscle wasting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While a drastic cut in calories below what you are burning per day is going to make you lose weight (calories in less than calories out), and no one eating 1200 calories month after month is going to not eventually lose weight (and many people misreport how many calories they are consuming per day), starvation mode is a thing in that it effects a) your basal metabolic rate slightly b) your hormonal profile and tendency to release cortisol and retain fat, especially around your midsection and c) minor changes to thermoregulation, spontaneous movement (fidgeting, etc.), menstruation, muscle hypertrophy, and other physiological functions. Your body is intelligent and it will conserve calories if the deficit is too steep and shut down functions it considers unessential.

You can make your body more apt to store fat rather than lean tissue and cause your body to burn calories at a slightly lower rate meaning you need to eat less and less to continue to lose weight (beyond that once you lose weight, your BMR is lower). Although basal metabolic rate is mostly determined by body size, there can be minor variations of 100-300 calories per day and your body can normalize to the lower end of this range. Your body is going to shut down functions it considers unessential, and it's going to become more lethargic so you move and fidget less over the day. The amount of calories/body weight will slow down if you restrict too much. It can also cause your immune system to shut down, mess up your hormones, and it hinder how much fitness you are able to gain (e.g. gains in strength from strength training, or gains in cardiovascular conditioning from aerobic exercise) from working out. It can also mess up your thyroid.

For this reason, typically when losing weight, deficits of ~300-500 calories/day (~1 lb/week) is considered more sustainable than going on a rapid 1200/day diet. Certainly less potential for affecting your health in a negative way.

this is all nonsense. i mean iif one doest eat a single thing for a month, maybe some of it is true, but to talk about this in respect to 1200 per day is a LOL. 1200 is more than what many women need to merely maintain their weight. 1200 is a lot of calories... it's just that people are fat and eat a lot and feel they are starving when they eat the amount their body actually needs.

I do not believe in "starvation mode", but i can tell you most women need more than 1200 calories/day to maintain their weight. the exception being a women who weigh 100 lbs. Anyone who says they ear eating 1200 cal and not losing weight is delusional and most likely not tracking accurately or eating 1200 cal consistently.

Now will metabolic rate slow down some on very low calorie diets, yes. but this is due to the fact that low calorie diets, especially ones without sufficient protein and where heavy weigh lifting in not involved, will also cause someone to lose a lot of muscle along with the fat. Loss of muscle decrease metabolic rate. This is also one of the big reasons our metabolism slows as we age; we are less active and lose muscle mass which decreases metabolic rate. Losing fat will decrease energy needs as well because someone who weights 200 lbs does not have the same caloric needs as someone who weights 150 lbs. but again, this reduction is not so sever that you will notice and it is not the reason some one has "plateaued" after a few weeks.

an average woman in the USA is 5 4. most women are supposed to weigh no more than 120 lbs. that is 1200 per day or less to maintain.

Wrong. As someone pointed out, perhaps if you were in a vegetative state, but even then, maintenance would be more around 1400 calories. A 5'4" 120 women (that is me, actually), who lives a reasonably active life and exercises a few days a weeks needs somewhere between 1600-1900 calories to maintain

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Starvation mode is a myth.
Yes metabolism slows as you lose weight because someone who weights 200 lbs doesn't have the same caloric needs as someone how weights 150 lbs. But the idea that if you always eat X # 0f calories will cause your body to adapt to that level is ridiculous. If that were the case it wouldn't be possible for people to literally starve to death because their body could in theory adapt to only needing 1000, 800, 500 cal/day. But that doesn't happen. They keep losing weight until they die.

Now plateaus. The term plateau is widely overused on this board. Someone doesn't see the scale more for a few days and claims they are in plateau. Not understanding that weight loss is not linear or that various outside factors (hydration, water retention, hormones) also impact the number on the scale and this can mean that sometime this number doesn't change or bounces around for a week. These bouncing numbers can also be hidden if you weigh yourself less frequently.

Now for people who claim they have been in a plateau for a long period of time, say 2 months. I would really need to taka hard look at what they say they are doing versus what they are really doing. Often times the plateau is because they have made changes that they don't realize. These could include some calories creeping in, not weighing, tracing and measuring as accurately as they were in the beginning, not adjusting calories down after they have lost a significant amount of weight, maybe not as consistent with sticking to their calories or workouts. The list goes on but I can bet that they are doing something that is causing this. I never believe the I eat 1200 cal EVERY day and can't lose weight.

I've read on weight lifting boards that when your weight loss stalls, its because your body adjusts to your new lower caloric intake. So you need to do refeed cycles. Slightly increase your calories for a week or two and then go back to being in a deficit to get your metabolism to respond.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m anorexic and BMI 13 - I am in starvation mode

If you are making light of a terrible disease, it is not funny.

If you are serious, I wish you peace and recovery