Is starvation ideal for weight loss?
Oh, so let me take a guess, you are searching for a way to lose weight. And like hundreds of simpletons out there, you too think that starvation would be the golden path to weight loss. Hey, I am not mocking your straight mindedness in any way. I too, once believed that staying hungry and depriving myself of any food for longer hours will help me get the body I have always envied. Luckily, I understood the true concept of weight loss at the right time. I know that there are many out there who are yet to face the reality. Today over here, I will try to explain starvation mode and why it should not be relied upon for healthy weight loss.
Concept of Weight Loss
Your body tends to lose weight when your calorie output is greater than your calorie input. You need to create this calorie deficit that will put you on the track to weight loss. We tried to explain this concept in detail under ‘Right Calorie Diet’ so we won’t pull up many details here. Hence, please check out that article to get a better understanding on an ideal calorie diet. Just to summarize it, we can say that the calorie deficit should be such that your body is able to shed extra kilos without facing any ill-effects.
What is Starvation?
Now starvation technically means depriving yourself completely of food. However, for weight loss enthusiasts, starvation means consuming very little calories. It has been laid down that an average woman should take in at least 1200 calories/day while an average man should take at least 1500 calories/day for healthy functioning. When you supply your body with calories lesser than this bare-minimum amount then you are starving your body.
Starvation Myths
It goes around pretty popularly that starvation does not help you with weight loss. It instead prevents weight loss by slowing down your metabolism. An even more bizarre notion is that starvation actually promotes weight gain.
Slow metabolism: As far as slowing of the metabolism is concerned, yes, it is true. However, the slowing down of the metabolism is not so drastic that it can prevent weight loss or even more sinister, make you gain weight. Also, a drastically slow metabolism is a very long term starvation effect. This might not even happen when you are on short term starvation plans for weight loss.
Weight Gain: I just told you that starvation is when you supply your body with very little calories. When the calories are not even sufficient for regular bodily functions, how will you gain weight? You would never have any calorie for storage as fat.
Weight gain associated with starvation has more to do with you resuming the normal diet. Your body, after being subjected to starvation, still clings on to slow metabolism to save energy. Thus, even when you resume eating normally, it takes some time before your body resumes normal metabolism. Thus, it burns less and stores more calories. It is therefore, the resumed eating and not starvation that could be associated with the supposed weight gain.
Now, I am not promoting starvation as an ideal method for weight loss. It definitely affects your overall health and well-being. But as far as facts are concerned, no it does not promote weight gain nor prevents weight loss.
What is Starvation Mode?
Starvation Mode is scientifically called as Adaptive Thermogenesis. It is a process or a phase our body enters in when it is subjected to starvation. This is completely natural, unavoidable and in most cases very crucial. This is our body’s defense against starvation to ensure survival even when there is less food.
When your body notes that it is continuously receiving fewer calories, the starvation mode is switched on. Fearing that it won’t receive enough calories, your body slows down the metabolism. Hence, in starvation mode, your body burns lesser calories and saves energy to help you survive longer.
Why is starvation not ideal?
Some think that starvation mode is the key to quick weight loss while many think that it does more harm than good. There are a lot of starvation diet plans that force your body to shed weight at a very fast pace. They are pretty effective and often not detrimental to health because they are Not Long Term Plans. Subjecting your body to short periods of starvation and going high on fluids, might not invite troublesome health disorders.
However, it is far from being perfect:
Reversible: Looking from a practical pint of view, weight loss through ‘short term’ starvation is mostly reversible because all you lose in that short span is water weight (maximally). Starvation breaks down a great chunk of your glucose reserves responsible for a speedy drop in weight. Your body will start collecting glucose again as soon as you resume normal diet and hence, you are most likely to gain again. If you don’t adopt a healthy lifestyle and exercise after coming out of starvation then you might not be able to maintain the weight and eventually gain back what you lost.
Ill-health: When you subject your body to longer periods of starvation, you will surely lose weight but it won’t be a healthy in the long run. It will invite an array of health issues including emotional, psychological, hormonal, and sleep disorders. You might end up disrupting your appetite and metabolism irreversibly.
Ideal way to Weight Loss
I know you are tired of trying newer things and then being let down. You have reached a point where you are ready to take any advice if it comes with the tag of weight loss. But my dear folks, what’s the point of losing weight if you are not able to enjoy that achievement? A weak, sickened, unhealthy body will not give you the privilege of enjoying a leaner and slimmer body. The best way to lose weight is to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Stick to a healthy balanced diet, include exercising in your routine and stay away from stress. Follow this healthy living and you will be slim and fit for as long as you live.
Originally published at www.femi9.in.
