We already talked about weight loss plateaus and unexpected weight changes. In this post, I want to go over another enemy of the average dieter which is the so-called “starvation mode” or “starvation metabolism”. Now, what is this phenomenon exactly?

 

Here’s what most people would say:

 

To lose weight, you have to consume fewer calories. However, if you go too far and reach a point where you take in too few calories, your metabolism shuts down and your body reaches a state where you will no longer lose weight. 

 

Many people also believe that this starvation metabolism can have more drastic effects than not losing weight. They heard that it can actually cause weight gain. To overcome this problem, they believe that you should eat more calories, not less. 

 

So are these claims true or is this just another lie we are sold by the dieting industry?

 

Let’s have a look:

 

First, let’s see what’s true about it. Yes, it is true that prolonged dieting causes your metabolic rate to slow down over time. This is whats known as adaptive thermogenesis. The more drastic your deficit is the faster and more significant this effect will be.

 

Now is this effect enough to make you stop losing weight?

 

No, most certainly not. And it definitely isn’t significant enough to cause weight gain.

 

Adaptive thermogenesis happens slowly and over weeks or months. We know this from starvation studies like the Minnesota study where participants had to follow a 24-week long “starvation diet” consisting of two meals small per day of roughly 1500 calories. This amount was then reduced even further until they reached about 5% body fat. 

 

Now, in this experiment what happened to their metabolisms?

 

By the end of the study, the men’s metabolic rates had dropped by about 40%. This is quite a bit but keep in mind that much of this was due to the overall loss of weight and 40% still isn’t close to the 100% that would constitute a complete shutdown of your metabolism.

 

And all this was under the largest possible calorie deficit. Something that you will fortunately never have to go through. 

 

Bottom line is that if the starvation mode was real, it would have kicked in and prevented this drastic weight loss from happening. 

 

Now, before you think the idea is completely fabricated, there is a similar phenomenon that does occur along with prolonged calorie deficits. This phenomenon not only entails a small drop in metabolic rate but also increased cravings and fatigue.

 

This is due to increased cortisol levels due to the stress you put your body through when crash dieting. This is why I always tell my students to use a moderate instead of a large calorie deficit and to take regular diet breaks.

 

Taken together they will make the experience of dieting a lot more tolerable and boost your motivation and energy. 

 

So to wrap up this post let me tell you that starvation mode, even though it has some truth to it, is something that’s mostly blown out of proportion.

 

If you stopped losing weight then make sure to follow the advice I gave in the previous lesson on weight loss plateaus and sudden weight changes.