Katy in Training

So it has come to the point in my day that I realize I haven't eaten yet and probably should, but I am not hungry. Right now I'm sitting here forcing myself to eat a banana and drink this protein shake while looking up the truths (and falsities) about starvation mode.

I've always been curious about this "mode" and the amount of fear it puts into people attempting to circumvent a plateau. Most diets are based on calorie restriction. There are 600 calorie liquid diets that doctors place patients on. Gastric bypass patients being their journey restricted to about 9 oz of liquid a day (for quite a while) and sure their hair falls out from the lack of protein they are able to consume, but they lose the weight. That is after all the whole purpose of having major surgery to decrease stomach size, calorie restriction. Anorexic/ bulimic girls lose weight on this premise - Thou shall count calories and restrict intake accordingly, (I do not condone any eating disorder just using it as an example) and yet people spout that if you restrict your intake too drastically your body will go into starvation mode and you will stop losing. I believe this to be a falsehood, I mean no one who ever died from malnutrition did so overweight.

Much of what I've read shows that restricting calories leads to a longer healthier life in the long run. Now when I say restricting calories I do not mean omitting them all together, I simply mean reducing caloric intake by 500 calories or those who's caloric intake are below 1000 day.

That being said, there are negative changes I believe your body does actually incur do to prolonged calorie restrictions. It has been proven that greatly restricting calories can cause lean muscle depletion, hair loss and can lead to inadequate nutrition. Many people who suffer with eating disorders are hospitalized due to heart problems caused by lack of proper nutrition and the strain it puts on ones body.

Personally I don't see myself going weeks without eating, but a day or two of fasting or forgetting to eat (whatever) isn't going to cause my body to stall or attack itself and I don't think I'll slip into any mode, starvation or other.

......................................................................................................................................

Calorie restriction, or caloric restriction (CR), is a dietary regimen that, when not associated with malnutrition,^[1] improves age related health and slows the aging process in some animals and fungi by limiting dietary energy intake

..........................................................................................

In obese patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), reducing calorie intake improves glycemic control, often more rapidly than weight loss

In obese NIDDM subjects, a 7-day period of calorie restriction produces approximately half of the overall improvement in HGP, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion that is obtained after a substantial loss of weight. These findings indicate that calorie restriction has an important regulatory effect on the metabolism of obese patients with NIDDM that is independent of weight loss.

..........................................................................................

A calorie-restriction diet decreased the deterioration of nerves in the brain and increased nerve creation in animals with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and stroke.

If you're following a calorie-restriction diet, you can offset some losses in bone density and muscle mass through regular physical activity, such as walking or jogging, and by making sure you get enough calcium and vitamin D.