Starvation mode - why you shouldn't diet too severe!
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Seaham Towny
Striker
Not pretending I know better than you mate, far from it but I thought this was a complete myth?
B
Bagpuss
Guest
Research suggests it is a myth....For me people when people fail to lose weight when they restrict calories it is because they either do not track their calories accurately or simply lie to themselves....If you cut your calories by 500 to 1000 a day your metabolism might slow slightly but it would not be physically possible for it to slow that much. I have done this sat on my arse for 6 weeks with a busted ankle and dropped 24lbs in 6 weeks simply by eating a strict 1200 cals a day.
supersesh
Winger
I believe it to be completely true , this last month I've had a girl in which I spotted was eating way too low, reset her, now we are achieving weight loss.
Seaham Towny
Striker
Other than this, is there any evidence to support it? Not trying to be a dick. Genuinely interested
D
Deleted member 26533
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Women have other issues that can come in to play relating to their menstrual cycle and water retention, which can mask fat loss
supersesh
Winger
Most likely pal, it was something I read up on year ago. It certainly makes sense as to why it would happen. And I've seen results with my own eyes when I've tried this method with my clients.
It's kool to be skeptical because 90% of info online is a load of sh!te. Anything I teach or preach is something I've experienced/failed/ learnt from myself then mastered. Many times in class I get something I don't know and I always hold my hands up straight away and say I don't know that.
If I ever post anything on here for you guys to read it's genuinely because I think it may help someone and i 100% believe it to be true
the 1200 worked because your expenditure was so low, if however you were hitting gym 3-5 times a week and active job you would most certainly hit starvation mode eating 1200 a day. The more severe the diet the more chance of losing muscle, and send alarm bells ringing in the body.
This is why bodybuilders who are dieting introduce re-feed days, because after a long period of dieting the body finally clicks on. A high carb refeed resets the body and fat loss continues. As the body fat gets lower re-feeds have to be introduced more frequent as the body is aware you are already very low end body fat (dangerously low) and it doesn't really want to lose any more. I'm 8% at the minute and re-feed every 2 weeks. I only introduce re-feed from 10% downwards at the first sign of fat loss slowing down (if my diet is on point and not slacking
)Tricking the body is key really.
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dangermows
Striker
Most likely pal, it was something I read up on year ago. It certainly makes sense as to why it would happen. And I've seen results with my own eyes when I've tried this method with my clients.
It's kool to be skeptical because 90% of info online is a load of sh!te. Anything I teach or preach is something I've experienced/failed/ learnt from myself then mastered. Many times in class I get something I don't know and I always hold my hands up straight away and say I don't know that.
If I ever post anything on here for you guys to read it's genuinely because I think it may help someone and i 100% believe it to be true
the 1200 worked because your expenditure was so low, if however you were hitting gym 3-5 times a week and active job you would most certainly hit starvation mode eating 1200 a day. The more severe the diet the more chance of losing muscle, and send alarm bells ringing in the body.
This is why bodybuilders who are dieting introduce re-feed days, because after a long period of dieting the body finally clicks on. A high carb refeed resets the body and fat loss continues. As the body fat gets lower re-feeds have to be introduced more frequent as the body is aware you are already very low end body fat (dangerously low) and it doesn't really want to lose any more. I'm 8% at the minute and re-feed every 2 weeks. I only introduce re-feed from 10% downwards at the first sign of fat loss slowing down (if my diet is on point and not slacking
Tricking the body is key really.
You should be in a lab not a gym marra, very impressive and interesting stuff.
In fact do it, Youd knock Brian Cox off his pin up science perch
(Yes I still have a man crush)and being mental and that
Charmless Man
Striker
Most likely pal, it was something I read up on year ago. It certainly makes sense as to why it would happen. And I've seen results with my own eyes when I've tried this method with my clients.
It's kool to be skeptical because 90% of info online is a load of sh!te. Anything I teach or preach is something I've experienced/failed/ learnt from myself then mastered. Many times in class I get something I don't know and I always hold my hands up straight away and say I don't know that.
If I ever post anything on here for you guys to read it's genuinely because I think it may help someone and i 100% believe it to be true
Adaptive thermogenesis is a real thing. It happens. Your body anticipates starvation (calling it a starvation response is a misnomer as most people will never experience anything close to starvation) and 'makes efficiencies'.
However, the calories it saves are in no way proportional to the deficit which creates the metabolic response. Say you need an 800kCal deficit to elicit adaptive thermogenesis (which is one threshold which is reported), your body doesn't then save 800kCal. It responds in order to save some calories which amount to nowhere near the initial deficit. An average figure reported in the literature is 120kCal.
If very harsh calorie restricted diets have any clinical significance at all in relation to hindering weight loss then it lies in periods of overfeeding and dishonesty about diet.
If the body is in a calorie deficit it will lose weight. We cannot get away from this very simple fact.
There is research on this topic, some quite conclusive research. 36 male volunteers were put on a diet which represented 50% of their estimated TDEE. All of them lost a lot of weight, an average of 25% across all participants. The average body fat % among participants by the end of the study (24 weeks) was 5%.
If you're genuinely in starvation then muscle breakdown is inhibited.
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