OKay Another Question About "Starvation Mode"?

Question

Well, a friend of mine very recently told me that she ate between 700-1000 calories for 2 months and LOST (yes not gained) 18lbs. Now, if this is true, isn't it safe to assume your body will not go into starvation mode UNLESS you switch back to your old diet suddenly from your low-cal diet? OR, is it that her body IS in starvation mode, and even though she is gaining weight, she is losing more than she gains so in the end it makes up for it anyways? PLEASE, only people who know what you're talking about answer this.

Answer 1

If your friend never switches back to a normal diet she will die due to lack of nutrients to sustain the body.  The thing is, when people decide to switch back to a normal diet, they gain the weight back rapidly.  Why? Because when a person is anorexic their body is in starvation mode.

What happens when one starves themselves, is, by going to an extreme deficit of calories, meaning, under 1,200 calories, or your daily maintenance, your body goes into what is called a starvation mode. It is a natural technique to adapt to the environment because your body thinks that there is no food around you.

As a result, your body slows down its metabolism to preserve fat storages to keep you alive. Since obese people have much more fat in their body it will take a while longer until they are deprived of the nutrients to keep then alive.

Starving oneself leads to muscle-loss mainly, not fat loss, which is a common misconception.  Basically, either you switch back to normal eating and gain weight back rapidly, or, you never switch, and die from lack of sufficient nutrients.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

Depending on a person's height, body fat distribution, etc., one may or may not lose eating this much.  Generally, it is said that eating this much slows down the body's metabolic rate.

Switching back will not cause you to go into starvation mode.  A person theoretically goes into starvation mode by eating less calories than your body needs to survive.  It is then said that your body stores most incoming calories as fat to survive.

This isn't necessarily true, as metabolism, and a person's body in general contribute to whether or not a person loses.

I would say that, from all that I've seen and read, about 60% of people can lose weight this way, and the other percent stay the same.  For a period of time this summer, I ate similarly with a low-cal amount and lost about 5-8lbs, but I've heard of people who gain or stay the same.

A draw back would be that it isn't "healthy" and that a person begins to lose muscle mass, energy, etc.

Anyway, I feel like I've slapped down a bunch of mumbo-jumbo here.

But in conclusion, starvation mode is caused by an unsustainable amount of calories.  I wouldn't advise moderate-intense excercise while doing this as a person would have less energy and could faint, etc.  

I am in no way against dieting this way, though.