So I was reading around the site, some of the articles. One of them said if you deprive your body of too many calories a day it will go into "starvation" making you feel more and more hungry then you really are. So heres the dumb question. What if I just ate more and more of foods with little to no calories then wouldn't my stomach feel full even though it is not getting the required calories? Like for example ate a ton of fruit and fell full from the fruit with really no calories. That way one could lose weight faster and the body would not go into starvation mode because it would feel full at all time even though its not full from calories? Maybe I am just understanding it all wrong. Thanks for any information you can give me.
Hello,
I must admit that I am not an expert but while your stomach may feel full eating just fruit your body is still going to see it as not getting enough calories or nutrition. Back in the early 90's I remember doing a crazy diet where you eat just fruit one day, fruit and veggies another, all bananas one day, protein one day, etc for 7 days and while you can lose weight it will come back on very quickly at the end of the diet (if you can last on it). Not only that but on the days I was eating all fruit and veggies and no protein I remember feeling very light headed and had terrible gas pains.
So in other words, you may feel full but your metabolism will slow down and you will most likely have some very unpleasant side effects and once you can no longer stick to such a low calorie diet the pounds will come back on quickly.
Judy
Height: Tall enough for my feet to reach the ground
I think I know what you mean, something like, you feel physical hunger from your stomach being empty, so if I put something in it to take up the physical space, with little/no calories I wouldnt feel hungry. Therefore, actually be consuming less calories/food.
IS THIS HOW I UNDERSTAND YOU?
I would say you are understanding things incorrectly. Your body feels hungry from lack of nutrients, not necessarily emptiness. You need to have nutrients in order to fulfill the bodys requirements.
So eating low calorie nutritious food and staying under your personal bodys requirements for daily life is what helps you lose weight.
What you are saying seems to have a little bit to do with the "Volumetric" principles (google for more info). Yes, it is true, if you eat foods high in volume, but low in calories, you will feel full, but you also need to give your body the nutrients it needs, otherwise, no matter how full your stomach feels, your metabolism will be out of whack.
In other words, you can use the principle of low caloric density foods in combination with some healthy lean proteins, whole grains and healthy fats. This will give you enough nutrients and keep you satisfied.
Another thing – you said that you can eat as much fruit as you can, keep in mind that fruit, though healthier that French fries, still has calories. If you really stuff your self with fruit, you are not exactly getting away calorie free. For example a medium-large size banana has about 100 calories. I can eat about 4-5 of those if I was trying to stuff my self, but that would give me 400-500 calories, which is about the same as a good size healthy meal. So you might as well eat a balanced meal full of veggies and fruit for desert. You will achieve the same result calorie-wise and your body will get the other nutrients besides what it gets from fruit.
I hope this helps. One more thing – there is no such thing as a dumb question. Ask away whatever comes to your mind. Remember – we’re all in this together.
"starvation mode" is not to do with the fullness of your stomach but how many calories you give the body to do its job i.e. breathing, keeping your temperature stable, digesting. The theory states that when you deprive your body of those nutrients and calories your body (because of its evolutionary genius) will try and conserve those calories which means FAT. Fat is something that is very easily used by the body to make energy to keep you going.
I've heard some people say that the theory is "wrong" because Anorexics lose weight. These people are not understanding what calories are or how that is. Anorexics lose weight because they go through long periods of restriction, or they purge (vomit up food eaten). The body has to tap into their fat storage to keep the body functioning. The reason why dieters are more likely to put on weight because of "starvation mode" is because we still eat and allow our food to pass through our body naturally. If we have deprived ourself for three days and then eat on the fourth - allowing the food to pass through and the nutrients to be taken during digestion those calories will be stored. So if you plan on eating 500 calories a day - as soon as you stop eating 500 calories a day (eating above 500 calories) the body will rejoice "yay we have food back" and do what it does best... KEEP YOU ALIVE (our body although amazing isn't quite as smart as our brains lol... we know we're there isn't a famine but our bodies dont).
So - to answer your question lol... that was all very long winded, if you eat loads of lets say Salad all day and stick to 200 calories a day the body is not getting what it needs nutritionally and WILL tap into your fat storage. You WILL lose weight BUT... as soon as you go back to 1200 - 2000 a day your metabolism will be shot and your body will try to conserve the food you've eaten - you will more likely put on the weight you lose very easily PLUS more (thats for conservation).
Sorry this is so long and I am by no means a professional - please if I've said anything wrong or am mistaken I beg you to rectify it.
To be honest, I think that we don't really understand "starvation mode". Well, at least I don't. There's lots of conflicting information out there and if there is such a thing it really is based on long term restriction.
But I DO believe that the best way to lose weight AND keep it off (and that last part is important) is to generally feed your body healthy foods, so it gets all the nutrients it needs from a variety of sources. Yes, to lose you need to restrict and eat fewer calories than you need, but you can do this safely and lose weight consistently.
I may be wrong, but it sounds like you might be looking for a "quick fix" and from all I have read and seen on this site that backfires nearly every single time. It's nearly impossible to do long term, so when people can't do it anymore they boomerang, eat a LOT, and usually gain all the weight back and then some...
So - to answer your question lol... that was all very long winded, if you eat loads of lets say Salad all day and stick to 200 calories a day the body is not getting what it needs nutritionally and WILL tap into your fat storage. You WILL lose weight BUT... as soon as you go back to 1200 - 2000 a day your metabolism will be shot and your body will try to conserve the food you've eaten - you will more likely put on the weight you lose very easily PLUS more (thats for conservation).
That's mostly true, but the body often doesn't use the fat stores when it is in "starvation mode". It keeps the fat and starts to eat the muscle and that is why it is so dangerous. Remember your heart is a muscle and if you starve yourself, your heart can get damaged. The inevitable yo-yoing that always happens when you starve yourself is the other reason not to dip too far low in your daily calorie consumption.
but the body often doesn't use the fat stores when it is in "starvation mode". It keeps the fat and starts to eat the muscle and that is why it is so dangerous.
Thank you so much Alinnell I totally forgot that point. So yes as Alinell said it leads to damaging your heart but we can also know that Muscle burns more calories than fat - and so if your body is eating your musce... what is going to burn the calories (by the way this is an extremely simplified version of what goes on in ur body lol)? As soon as you go back to eating regularly there isn't as much healthy muscle there to use up calories... therefore it will be stored as fat for a rainy day. (I hope that all made sense and thank you Alinnell you rock!!)
thanks for the information guys. I will do it the right way I guess and just cut back may cals by maybe 500 a day and see where that gets me and if its not enough ill cut a little more but I will eat healthy things but vary what I am eating and get good protein sources to help my body out and get to my goal of 102 ish pounds so I can be a jockey. I will do things the right way. Thanks for the help.
Thank you so much Alinnell I totally forgot that point. So yes as Alinell said it leads to damaging your heart but we can also know that Muscle burns more calories than fat - and so if your body is eating your muscle... what is going to burn the calories (by the way this is an extremely simplified version of what goes on in ur body lol)? As soon as you go back to eating regularly there isn't as much healthy muscle there to use up calories... therefore it will be stored as fat for a rainy day. (I hope that all made sense and thank you Alinnell you rock!!)
You're right. It is an extremely simplified example, but that just makes it easier to understand! Glad I could help.
A dumb question but here goes.
