I am going to discuss a term that gets thrown around a lot- Starvation mode. Not eating enough calories, then you stop losing weight, and your diet is pretty much shot because you're losing muscle.
What if I told you that it's a myth?
I found an article that discusses a military study done that people do not go into "starvation mode" (most of the time) until they have a very low body fat percentage- 5% for men 10% for women.
But why do we start slowing down in weight loss after a while?
" People with more fat available to oxidize…can oxidize more body fat per minute. The less body fat you have, the less you can oxidize per minute. So as you get closer to your lower limits of body fat, the slower you will burn what body fat you have. This is why those last 4-5 pounds come off slowly, NOT because you are wrecking your metabolism with an aggressive diet. "
That's right. Weigh less, burn less. Also those who are low calorie probably do not move as much as they should.
One of the commentors on this post had an interesting point too-
Our ancestors did not eat every 3 hours (sometimes going all day foodless) and they looked a lot better than most bodybuilders and people today.
So, what's your take on starvation mode? Do you believe it to be fact or fiction?
To this day, we are taught to fear starvation mode and slow metabolism, a state when the body clings on to fats. However, military research proves otherwise!
ReplyDeleteStarvation mode / slow metabolism - military says no fear