The Truth About ‘Starvation Mode’

My dad always told me there are three sides to every story: side A , side B, and the truth.  Well this applies to the theory of Starvation Mode.  Like metabolism, and fat burning, this is an irresponsibly thrown around phrase that has people acting in the wrong direction and becoming further frustrated.

So what is ‘Starvation Mode’.  Well truthfully, it is a term used to describe a state which your body enters when it doesn’t get food for a period of time.  Metabolism slows down, system functions slow down, and the body relies on its own resources for nutrients, mainly muscles.  This is an extreme situation as the body is eating its own muscle and the number of times this happens to people is minimal to non-existent.

What many refer to as ‘starvation mode’ is actually better called ‘storage mode’ where the body holds on to extra energy (ie fat) as a reaction to a lack of nutrients or quality food, lack of nutrients on a schedule, or too little food.  The bodys metabolism still slows down, but it holds on to excess energy as it has no idea when it will get nutrients again.

It is this very occurrence that reinforces the habit of eating every three to three and a half hours and being consistent with that schedule.  When you are consistently feeding your body on a schedule that is in three hour intervals, AND feeding it supportive foods (lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and small amounts of fat), your body doesn’t see the need to hold on to extra energy or fat, so it burns it up.

So eating once or twice a day doesn’t work as well as once may have been believed.  Get your body on a schedule and eat in smaller intervals throughout the day.  Choose supportive foods, and combined with exercise, you will torch body fat and turn your metabolism around.  To fight this process is to fight physiology; a battle which you will not win.