If you follow health and fitness creators online, you have probably heard of starvation mode. It is a term that is especially prevalent within the Fat Acceptance community where creators often discourage people from going on a calorie deficit. After all, according to them, calorie deficits are the equivalent of starvation and being in starvation mode is extremely unhealthy.
But is there such a thing such as starvation mode? Well, there is only one way to find out – by digging into the science!
What Is Starvation Mode? Does It Even Exist?
We live in a world where myths can be so widely accepted that they start sounding like the truth. So, is starvation mode a real thing? Well, yes. But before you start freaking out, hear me out.
Starvation mode is just another term for adaptive thermogenesis. When you eat in a calorie deficit for a long time, your body sees this constant restriction as a sign that all is not well. As such, it starts conserving energy to protect itself from this threat of food scarcity. As such, your metabolism takes a hit and you may find yourself feeling more sluggish or see that your weight is not changing as much as you expected.
That’s pretty much what happens when you get into this physical state. So, no, you are not starving. Your body is just adapting to prolonged calorie restriction and taking measures to protect you.
Are You In Starvation Mode? Here Are Telling Signs
There are pretty easy ways to know if you have entered starvation mode, as follows:
You are constantly hungry.
Accounting for taste and emotional hunger, you always feel like you want to eat more. When you eat, you barely feel full and when you are not eating, you are thinking about food. And I am talking about the kind of hunger that makes your stomach feel empty and even growl.
You are always tired.
Your body compensates for the prolonged calorie restriction by slowing down your metabolism. So, you end up with less energy to do even normal activities. You just want to sit or lie down. When it comes to movement, you choose easy exercises or none at all, e.g., taking the lift instead of the stairs, sending someone to do things for you instead of doing them yourself, etc. If you are continuously choosing to save energy because you are feeling tired, you may be in starvation mode.
You are often cold.
Have you been more sensitive to the cold recently? Your body may have adapted to your calorie restriction and compensated for this by lowering your temperature. As such, even as other people barely feel the rush of the wind, you may find yourself shivering.
Please note that these changes may also be a result of other things. For example, you may be tired because you have not been sleeping well or may be cold because you have hypothyroidism. However, if nothing else in your life has changed save for a calorie deficit that’s been going on for a long time, you are probably in starvation mode.
Will Starvation Mode Make You Gain Weight?
A common concern people have about starvation mode is that it may slow down their weight loss or cause weight gain. But is this the case? Well, things are not black and white. Starvation mode in itself will not make you lose or gain weight. After all, it only lowers your metabolism a bit to account for the prolonged calorie deficit.
However, your response to the starvation mode can affect your weight. For example, if you start eating more food to account for the physical hunger, you may enter a calorie surplus and start gaining weight. Another example is where you stop moving much because you are tired such that your calorie intake becomes higher than your maintenance calories – this is unlikely but it can happen.
As such, the only way you can lose or gain weight in this mode is by changing how you eat or move. But if you keep things constant, your weight should barely be affected.
Is Starvation Mode Serious? Should You Be Worried?
The truth is that starvation mode is not as significant as some creators may want you to think. Sure, the name itself sounds scary. But it simply implies a change in your metabolism to account for the calorie deficit. What’s more, starvation mode does not mean you are starving. Unless you severely restrict your food, you are not going to starve and should not worry about this.
However, being in starvation mode is not good for your physical or mental health. After all, calorie deficits should not feel like punishment. So, if you get to a point where you are constantly thinking of food or are almost always cold or have trouble moving due to low energy levels, it is definitely time to reassess your calorie intake.
How to Get Out of This Mode
The easiest way to phase out of this mode is to go on a diet break or even do a reverse diet so that you can meet your body’s calorie needs. As you do this, ensure you vary your nutrients so that you can give your body enough replenishment to normalize your systems. After this, you can rethink your initial calorie deficit and whether you were way too under your maintenance so you can have an easier time the next time you cut your calories.
For more on how diet breaks and reverse diets work, please check out the guides below:
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