"starvation mode"

I keep hearing this isn't real. Can someone elaborate? Is there a source or study to back it up?

In a nutshell, your metabolism will slow down in response severe calorie restriction.  As you continue to restrict calories, the additional weight loss will proportionally less.  For example, if you restrict your energy intake by 3,500 calories per week then you will lose about a pound of fat.  If you restrict it by an additional 3,500 calories then you will lose a second pound of fat.  However, eventually you will be consuming so few calories that you enter "starvation mode" and additional deficits will result in less additional weight loss.  A third 3,500-calorie deficit may only be an additional half pound.

Some people mistakenly believe that starvation mode is the reason behind a stall but that is impossible.  Its effect is relatively minor and it can never cancel out the full effect of the calorie deficit.

Thanks for the post. I've been on here 13 yrs and this is the best way I've seen it explained.

Jen 13 yrs post op RNY

Chulbert explained it very well. It can definitely slow your weight loss, but will not stop it entirely.  The bigger issue, IMO, is that when you too severely curtail calories you are also curtailing nutrition, and not everything is replaced by the vitamin supplements.

Lora

Yes. This is partly why there is such an emphasis on protein for all of us. Part of it is satiety, but also to make sure we get the proper nutrition first, before simply filling energy needs.

The studies that I have seen show that a very low calorie diet for an extended period result in a metabolism that slows by an average of 15%. Keep in mind that your metabolism will slow an additional amount based on how much weight you have lost, but that reduction in BMR will occur no matter how the weight came off.

Researchers now believe that WLS actually increases your metabolism, which of course would contribute to weight loss, not slow it down. I haven't seen the actual studies yet though.

I should add this -- what most people think of when starvation mode is brought up is that weight loss will stop entirely because of starvation mode. That's utter nonsense. If you are at a caloric deficit, you will burn fat and lose weight.

I am so glad you posted this response.  I think that sometimes those of us with a food addiction have used "starvation mode" as an excuse to resort to unhealthy binging under the guise of trying to "break a stall."  In my very humble opinion, if this was the case, there would have been some fat people during the holocaust.  The facts are, calorie deficits result in lost weight.  

Yes, if starvation caused us to stop losing weight, how would you explain anorexia.  They certainly keep losing!