Starvation Mode is a big MYTH!

MacMadame wrote an excellent blog on the topic of starvation mode:

http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-star vation-mode.html


"While there is no biologic evidence to support the "starvation mode" myth, there may be behavioral reasons why weight loss stops when calories are severely reduced. Over-restriction of calorie intake, known as high dietary restraint is linked to periods of overeating, hindering successful weight loss."  http://www.weigh****chers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum =1&art_id=35501

The VSG way of eating is pretty much a calorie restricted Atkin's or South Beach diet.  I have several friends that have adopted Atkin's as a way of life and have been able to keep the weight off long term, BUT those friends were less than 100 lbs overweight. 

I myself was able to lose 70 on Atkin's and gained it back by reverting to my old eating patterns plus some to make up for the deprived feeling of zero simple carbs.   I do much better when I allow myself what I want in very limited quantities. 

My doctor's plan includes simple carb choices with protein minimums, calorie and carbohydrate limits.  It encourages low fat eating,  bagels, whole grain breads and more sugary fruits than are to my liking.  I can stay within my surgeons guidelines and do Atkins at the same time by picking the foods from the list that I feel are more appropriate considering my issues with simple sugars and meet the protein guidelines and stay under the calorie limits while still having small portions of fat.  I do have simple carbs try to limit them to before workouts (rather unsuccessfully at times).

When someone comes to the board and their doctor wants them to lose 20 or 30 before scheduling a date, before the preop diet and does not give them a nutritionist or a plan to follow that it is wrong and they should return to that doctor and ask for guidelines.  If the are waiting out the first appointment and want to try to do something about their weight before seeing the surgeon I am absolutely going to say that following Atkin's food choices is the best way I ever found to kick simple sugar addiction and start getting on track  I was able to do it for 15 months, I have a friend that runs a low carb web site that has been successful for 10 years.

Repeated dieting and extreme calorie restriction does slows the resting metabolic rate which is why it is important to exercise to boost the metabolic rate. 

True starvation mode requires getting down to about 5% body fat. I have yet to see a ticker on OH of a person that is in the single digits for BMI, I think the lowest I have seen has been 18.

Old Medic, thank you for saying, so eloquently, what so many of us are thinking as we read posts about people supposedly going into starvation mode and roll our eyes.

A stall =/= starvation mode!

However, I have a question for you, Old Medic.  Do you really need eleven tickers? ;-)

Old Medic,
I am so glad you have brought this up.  I keep reading people telling others to up their calories to get out of a stall, and I sigh.  My doctor went slightly balistic when I told him about these posts.  He told me that the worst thing I could do for my weight loss long term would be to follow this advice.  He told me that the best thing to do to break a stall is to continue eating 600-800 cals. a day with 80g. of protein until goal.  Period, end of story.  He clearly told me that starvation mode for us is a big myth and that it has derailed more patients than he can count.  It's nice to think you can just eat your way out of a stall.  Long term this just reduces your weight loss.  I have given this advice to many people on this site, I am not sure it is always welcome.  I can always count on you to speak the truth as you see it.  Good job, Old Medic. 

I feel the same way Elina!  My doc/nut say NOTHING about calories in my diet plan.  It's actually based completely around PORTION SIZE and PROTEIN....the goal?  Eat mostly protein and only eat 1/2 cup food per meal.  If I don't snack, my calories are in that 600-800 range and I lose FANTASTICALLY!  (along with exercise).  I'm amazed when I see people upping calories.  Maybe it honestly works for some but it does NOT for me.  My metabolism is so messed up, the lower the better for me and the less carbs the better.
In the 3 years I've been seeing my nut/surgeon.  They've never once asked me how many calories I eat a day.  It's always "how much" as in portion size.

Another WRONG theme that keeps re-occurring is this myth that being in KETOSIS is "starvation mode". 

Our bodies WAY prefer burning sugar to burning our fat stores.  We have to force our bodies into a fat burning mode.  We have tens of thousands of calories of stored fat that we have to burn up.  The stored fat does not just evaporate, it has to be used to fuel our bodies. 

When we are burning fat we are in "Ketosis".  Our breath has a unusual chemical smell, and sometimes our sweat does too in this Ketosis.  THIS IS WONDERFUL FOR US!  It means we are using up the fat stores, and we will be loosing weight the right way, by burning the fat.

I think where this whole erroneous thing came from is that Normal weight people who are diabetic, who do not make their own insulin do not want to be in ketosis. Overweight people who want to get rid of the excess stored fat DO want to be in Ketossis.

Un-fortunately, if you consume too many carbohydrates that give you a big blood sugar spike, your body drops out of ketossis, stops burning fat, and makes lots of insulin to burn the blood sugars instead.  If you have enough glucose sugar in you blood, you body will even convert it into fat and store more fat in your fat cells. Not so good if you are trying to loose fat weight.

Right on Mack!

 Very cool post! I have  a very good friend who has a PHD in nutrition and is a world leading academic in obesity studies (specialises in childhood obesity research) and she tells me that the average woman eats far more protein than they actually need. Your body only 'needs' about 50gms a day apparently!

All very good info - well done those of you that read this stuff and pass it on to us!!

I actually think many people don't eat enough protein in a day (normal, non WLS people).  I also think we should have more than 50....but that's me.  My surgeon says 60-70, which I can barely reach most days.  With that higher goal, it makes me eat less carbs because I'm eating more protein instead.

I love your post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm so sick of hearing about starvation mode...ummmm....I think it's B.S.  It's what the dieticians/nuts want to say so they can encourage "balanced" eating with plenty of grains and carbs that we DON'T need!  But when you get to the mechanics of losing weight, balanced doesn't always work.  Not for me!
Chck out nutrition labels, everything is labeled for someone with a "2,000 calorie per day diet"...like anyone really needs that much!