"Starvation mode" fact or fiction?
- Thread starter BerryBerry
- Start date
Phoenyx
Step away from the cake..
Can I just go back to the original posters question and say that when we use the calories in, calories out model of dieting (calorie restriction), we are hoping that any deficit we need id obtained from our fat stores. What actually happens is that our bodies also decrease energy expenditure, a natural response to less energy coming in. The body can do this on a variety of ways and the real trick to losing weight is to enable the body to utilise its fat stores for the deficit and not reduce the energy it expends or use lean muscle mass as a source of energy.
How to do this is a subject of much debate. It's not just what calories are coming in, but the macro and micronutrient composition of your diet and your exercise regime. Gary taubes talks about this in his book, and I think Zoe harcombe does as well. I also love the site marksdailyapple
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-maintain-muscle-while-losing-weight/#axzz204Ptjubq
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/the-knowledge/eating-less-will-not-make-us-weigh-less
Sadly, the more I read, the less I think I know, so I don't pretend to have the answer to this one. Some researchers suggest that the body doesn't cut back on calorie expenditure for at least 48 hours, which is why calorie cycling or intermittent fasting can work, but why eating more at the weekends only might not.
http://www.johnsonupdaydowndaydiet.com
Genesisuk.org/research (featured in this months Cosmo)
But ultimately, research does suggest cutting calories every day to below your bmr will slow your weight loss (although you will still lose weight), may cause you to lose lean muscle mass, and you are likely to gain it back (although that probably applies to every diet).
Hope this helps!
How to do this is a subject of much debate. It's not just what calories are coming in, but the macro and micronutrient composition of your diet and your exercise regime. Gary taubes talks about this in his book, and I think Zoe harcombe does as well. I also love the site marksdailyapple
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-maintain-muscle-while-losing-weight/#axzz204Ptjubq
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/the-knowledge/eating-less-will-not-make-us-weigh-less
Sadly, the more I read, the less I think I know, so I don't pretend to have the answer to this one. Some researchers suggest that the body doesn't cut back on calorie expenditure for at least 48 hours, which is why calorie cycling or intermittent fasting can work, but why eating more at the weekends only might not.
http://www.johnsonupdaydowndaydiet.com
Genesisuk.org/research (featured in this months Cosmo)
But ultimately, research does suggest cutting calories every day to below your bmr will slow your weight loss (although you will still lose weight), may cause you to lose lean muscle mass, and you are likely to gain it back (although that probably applies to every diet).
Hope this helps!
BerryBerry
Silver Member
Thanks Phoenyx, that does help. I wholly believe your point about the nutrient composite of the diet being vitally important alongside calorie counting.
I think another point I was trying to make in my initial post is that before I become au fait with calorie content I got by more on a common sense approach to healthy food, the result being that some days I might have been below my BMR without realising purely because that day had consisted of mostly fruit and veg and soup for instance.
I think another point I was trying to make in my initial post is that before I become au fait with calorie content I got by more on a common sense approach to healthy food, the result being that some days I might have been below my BMR without realising purely because that day had consisted of mostly fruit and veg and soup for instance.
BerryBerry
Silver Member
Sorry to harp back to this but my losses are still stalling - I have been trying to get as close to 1200 weekdays and going over on weekends.
Does noone else feel scared about purposefully eating more - I just cannot get my head to believe it will help me...
Does noone else feel scared about purposefully eating more - I just cannot get my head to believe it will help me...
conlou1
Gold Member
im eating more this week, as i felt i wasnt eating enough and my weight losses slowed, and i thought if 1200 is the lowest you can safely go to without going into starvation then what would i have to drop it to when i plateau...so i am having 1400 a day, ive miraculously lost 2 pound in a couple of days so am sticking with it for now. give it a go its only one week out of your life what have you got to lose?
BerryBerry
Silver Member
You are right- its not going to throw me massively off course if I try it for a while, and if I don't give it a chance how will I ever know.... I have pretty much hit 1200 so far this week and will persevere for the rest of the week! Promising myself this.
conlou1
Gold Member
just noticed your stats this is probably why its taking more effort to come off hun. your well within your healthy bmi and your goal is very low...have you been that weight before? im 5.5 and i know at 8.7 i would be skeletal...ive been there before, but i understand were all different shapes...but it could be that thats just a bit too low for you personally?
BerryBerry
Silver Member
I'm not sure to be honest as I had never weighed myself til earlier this year when I started to feel a bit uncomfortable with my body. I have definitely been slimmer than I am now and just sort of guessed at a goal weight. I am aiming more for a point where I am happy with my body and think after a bit more weight loss the emphasis will turn to toning and maintenance, I think there is at least another 5kg to shift before then I would estimate. But I do understand its harder to lose when you are in a healthy BMI and also I don't mind at all if the downward trend takes a few months rather than a few weeks.
