"Starvation Mode": Real or Myth? (vegetables, overweight, weight loss)
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I've always wondered this. Makes sense to me, but many today - particularly proponents of intermittent and extended fasting - insist that it's not a thing. I adhered to 23/1 OMAD for about a year (lost ten pounds, plateaued for months, went to 2MAD and gained them all back), and I would swear it permanently slowed my metabolism. What would you say?
In my experience fasting needs to be combined with a sustained low-carb diet and exercise to have a lasting effect. If you only lost 10 pounds over a year I'm guessing a lot of that was temporary water loss.
Not quite the same thing, but a recent study showed that being overweight may permanently rewire how your brain reacts to food, which could contribute to why weight loss is hard to maintain for some people: https://www.webmd.com/obesity/news/2...e-to-nutrients
...not to mention menopause. It's been virtually impossible for me to lose weight ever since, and I gained about 30 pounds after being naturally thin all my life. All tests are normal, except for high triglycerides ("metabolic syndrome").
I'm seriously considering liposuction since it's all in my abdomen (some central/visceral obesity but mostly subcutaneous fat).
And, yes, apparently you have to a) cut calories and/or b) eliminate carbs to lose weight, which tells me that IF doesn't work for weight loss. That's simply a diet, which people have been using for eons.
I've always wondered this. Makes sense to me, but many today - particularly proponents of intermittent and extended fasting - insist that it's not a thing. I adhered to 23/1 OMAD for about a year (lost ten pounds, plateaued for months, went to 2MAD and gained them all back), and I would swear it permanently slowed my metabolism. What would you say?
I think starvation mode is when fasting hits around the 72 hour mark.
I've always wondered this. Makes sense to me, but many today - particularly proponents of intermittent and extended fasting - insist that it's not a thing. I adhered to 23/1 OMAD for about a year (lost ten pounds, plateaued for months, went to 2MAD and gained them all back), and I would swear it permanently slowed my metabolism. What would you say?
Not only did it permanently slow my metabolism (and make the weight come back quickly) there are several you tube channels of people who got gastroperisis.
My guess is that we are all different.. some people have a high enough metabolism from the start to keep starvation mode from never happening.
The rest of us don't. And after every diet, our metabolism lowers more and more. In fact, this is my theory on why 50% of people are fat. They started a diet, they dropped their metabolism... they dieting again, metabolism drop. Essentially they were training their bodies to become more efficent with food.
If you start your life at 6'4 and are male you could have a TDEE of 3000 cals. But if you are a women who is 5'3 your TDEE could start at 1700 cals. But no one ever takes that into consideration.
I agree. There are two things the older women I ask (because I do know and informally poll them) tell me is the key to their success in remaining thin. They never took HRT and they eat very little. Again, if you've lowered your metabolism, you basically can't even eat your normal daily allotment of calories without gaining weight or, in our case, regaining.
The theory of IF is that every hour beyond about 16 that you don't eat, your body is burning your fat stores for fuel. Perhaps, but you're also slowing down your engine.
I agree. There are two things the older women I ask (because I do know and informally poll them) tell me is the key to their success in remaining thin. They never took HRT and they eat very little. Again, if you've lowered your metabolism, you basically can't even eat your normal daily allotment of calories without gaining weight or, in our case, regaining.
The theory of IF is that every hour beyond about 16 that you don't eat, your body is burning your fat stores for fuel. Perhaps, but you're also slowing down your engine.
For the record, I personally do not believe in the Keto or Intermittent fasting thing at all. As you pointed out, short term you may lose some weight - but a lot of it is water. The best thing is just to cut down on carbs; and by that I don't mean super low carb but just fewer carbs, more protein and fat, and get some exercise. This is what works for me, and I am now 73 and a good healthy weight for my height and I actually have a half-way decent shape (although a lil too much belly, lol)
For the record, I personally do not believe in the Keto or Intermittent fasting thing at all. As you pointed out, short term you may lose some weight - but a lot of it is water. The best thing is just to cut down on carbs; and by that I don't mean super low carb but just fewer carbs, more protein and fat, and get some exercise. This is what works for me, and I am now 73 and a good healthy weight for my height and I actually have a half-way decent shape (although a lil too much belly, lol)
They're just calorie restriction by another means.
Seems silly to me to do keto or IMF, but whatever works for you is what works for you. I like to eat twice a day and when I need to lose weight what I do is I eat meat and non-starchy vegetables most of the time and crack down on my junk intake, my beer intake. I do really love a good steak, one of those 40 oz porterhouses from a steakhouse? That's mine. Back off. I wouldn't be able to get fat eating steak. As much as I do enjoy it, if that's all I could eat was Peterson's crazy carnivore diet of beef and salt I would lose weight.
I thought the benefit of fasting was for blood sugar/diabetes, not for weight loss.
Obviously if you fast and don't make up the meal, you would reduce calories, but that is not what I am talking about.
If you eat 15,000 calories a week, fasting or not fasting, then what is the difference toward weight loss? I'm not seeing it.
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