Starvation mode

Orla K

There was a few threads that mentioned this a while ago and while I used to think it was a myth now I'm wondering is there a small bit of truth somewhere there and what is it.

menoscemo

Orla K wrote: »

There was a few threads that mentioned this a while ago and while I used to think it was a myth now I'm wondering is there a small bit of truth somewhere there and what is it.

If the starvation mode 'myth' were true then logiccally; people dying of starvation would be really fat.
Funnily enough they are actually extremely underweight and carry next to no body fat at the time of death.

Orla K

menoscemo wrote: »

If the starvation mode 'myth' were true then logiccally; people dying of starvation would be really fat.
Funnily enough they are actually extremely underweight and carry next to no body fat at the time of death.

I'll be honest here, I was hoping for a more indept, more scientific answer. This reply explains nothing that I don't already know.

rubadub

menoscemo wrote: »

If the starvation mode 'myth' were true then logiccally; people dying of starvation would be really fat.

Can you link to any definition of "starvation mode" where you can come up with that logic?

I expect you or others are knowingly & pedantically twisting a dumbed down version of what people really mean by it. -or else the person giving the definition really is remarkably stupid and got the definition wrong.

**Portia**

Starvation mode is what people mistakenly call metabolic adaptation. If you have been dieting for a lng time your body becomes used to the lesser calories it has been getting and realises that it may stay this wa for a while. As it feels under threat that body fat levels may reach dangerously low levels it shuts down other functions in the body which calories are used for in order to preserve the fat. For example it may reduce production of nail or hair growth, it may not 'waste' energy producing the hormones required for sleeping etc. So the deficit is being rectified by the body shutting down processes which are not strictly necessary instead of burning fat. This is what is often happening when a dieter experiences a stall and can also be a reason dieters often experience insomnia, poor nail/skin/hair quality, etc..

rubadub

**Portia** wrote: »

Starvation mode is what people mistakenly call metabolic adaptation.

I don't understand why you say "mistakenly", it should really be many people call metabolic adaptation starvation mode. Its just happens that metabolic adaptation is your preferred term.

There are several other terms used to describe the phenomenon, wiki head the page as "starvation response"

Equivalent or closely related terms include famine response, starvation mode, famine mode, starvation resistance, starvation tolerance, adapted starvation, adaptive thermogenesis and metabolic adaptation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation_response

--Kaiser--

OP I don't know why you brought this up but I suspect you don't know what starving is. Starving is not the result of a diet, starving is the result of extreme hunger and malnutrition from, basically, having no food to eat for a long period.
You're not starving after fasting for a week for example, most people would be able to handle that fine

Gummy Panda

anyway easiest way out of you metabolism slowing down is to have a cheat meal/day. Then get back on the diet.

If you have been dieting for several weeks, a diet break week may be a better option.

Orla K

Few things I should clear up I don't mean starving I mean the thing that's commonly known as starvation mode a better name would probably be one of the ones rubadub mentioned such as metabolic adaptation.

The reason I ask is because I'm curious about it. I'm eating plenty of food that I'm not worried about my metabolism. I just know there's more for me to learn about this and I want to know more about it.

**Portia**

rubadub wrote: »

I don't understand why you say "mistakenly", it should really be many people call metabolic adaptation starvation mode. Its just happens that metabolic adaptation is your preferred term.

There are several other terms used to describe the phenomenon, wiki head the page as "starvation response"



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation_response

Yeah true it is my preferred term because often people who talk about 'starvation mode' do not really understand what they're talking about. In my opinion 'metabolic adaptation' better describes the condition and so leads to less confusion about what it actually is. In my experience I have found that people who talk about 'starvation' mode are the same ppl who think you need to eat 6 times a day to 'speed up your metabolism' etc..

**Portia**

Orla K wrote: »

Few things I should clear up I don't mean starving I mean the thing that's commonly known as starvation mode a better name would probably be one of the ones rubadub mentioned such as metabolic adaptation.

The reason I ask is because I'm curious about it. I'm eating plenty of food that I'm not worried about my metabolism. I just know there's more for me to learn about this and I want to know more about it.

Well how I explained I above is pretty much it and like one of the other posters said the best way to combat is is to take a diet break and eat at maintenance for at least a week until your body is 'relived' that I is again getting enough calories and will then burn fat once in a deficit again. The longer you diet the more breaks you should take, so if someone had a lot of weight to lose they would need to schedule a break every few months to prevent the adaptation. How long it takes to adapt is different from person to person.

Hope that helps