Persistently undereating for a long time, you will start to feel the consequences.
Calorie restriction is essential for weight loss, but there is a limit. Though many have questioned its existence, thestarvation mode has long been blamed by dieters for making it difficult to lose weight.
Although it may not always be to blame for weight reduction plateaus, adaptive thermogenesis, the technical term for starving mode, does exist.
What is the starvation mode?
When you consume fewer calories, your body worries that it will not get more food any time soon. Your body overcompensates by burning fewer calories and retaining fat reserves to make up for this prospective food shortage. As a result, your body reaches a weight loss plateau instead of continuous weight loss.
A 2017 study from the University of Cambridge examined the weight loss effects of mice's adaptation to calorie restriction. Researchers reported a set of neurons in the hypothalamus that, when stimulated, cause hunger. That collection of neurons, however, goes dormant and tries to limit energy expenditure when food is limited.
9 symptoms of starvation
After skipping only one or two meals, your body does not enter adaptive thermogenesis. However, after persistently undereating for a long time, you will start to feel the consequences and see that you are not losing weight anymore.
Some of the warning signs and symptoms of starvation mode include:
- Feeling cold: According to a study published in the journal Aging, calorie restriction reduces your core body temperature, therefore you feel cold.
- Lethargy: On a starvation diet, you would not likely be eating enough, which will leave you constantly exhausted. Without enough calories, you may even lack the willpower to complete your daily tasks.
- One study from 2002 reported that undernourished female athletes frequently experience fatigue that prevents them from participating in their preferred physically demanding sports.
- Another review in 2012 suggested that female athletes who competed in physically demanding sports (such as gymnastics and figure skating) that required them to maintain a lean physique reported low energy levels, decreased bone mineral density, and missing periods.
- Constant hunger: The secret to losing weight is to make sure you feel satisfied even when you are in a calorie deficit. The starvation mode leaves you always hungry. Your diet does not provide enough food to satisfy you and increases your food desires.
- A 2013 study reported that persons who reduced their daily calorie intake by 40 percent for one day felt significantly hungrier the next day. Additionally, undereating increases cortisol production in the body. This stress hormone contributes to weight gain and obesity by promoting hunger.
- Constipation: Constipation is a direct result of undereating. It may occur despite the presence of plenty of fiber in your diet.
- A 1994 comparative study on 18 individuals older than 60 years reported that with adequate intake of fiber or water, those who ate fewer meals per day were more likely to experience constipation.
- A study conducted on more than 300 college-aged women reported that two years later, chronic dieters frequently experienced bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and stomach pain.
- Depression: Nutrient shortages are one of the many possible reasons for mental health problems. You could not be getting the nutrients that have a beneficial impact on your mood if you are not eating enough, and your body has entered starvation mode. These nutrients include omega-3 fatty acids, iron, folate, vitamin D, B vitamins, zinc, and iodine.
- Hair loss: Hair loss brought on by calorie restriction is likely a sign that you are not obtaining the nutrients your hair needs to keep healthy. Protein and fatty acids are some of these crucial nutrients.
- Missing periods: Amenorrhea is a condition where a woman skips at least three menstrual cycles in a row.
- When your body is starving and you keep eating too little, you deprive it of the nutrients it needs for the reproductive system to work properly. The hypothalamus and pituitary gland functions are impacted by these dietary inadequacies, resulting in this disease.
- According to a 1982 study, 90 percent of underweight women with amenorrhea or infertility caused by calorie restriction started menstruation after they reached their ideal body weight, and 73 percent of themcould get pregnant.
- Mood swings or irritability:
- Along with losing about 25 percent of their body weight, participants in the Minnesota Starvation Experiment developed anemia, weariness, apathy, acute weakness, irritability, neurological impairments, and lower extremity edema.
- In 2000, 413 male and female high school and college students participated in a survey in which those who self-reported food restriction also reported feeling moody, irritated, melancholy, and having decreased self-esteem among many other unfavorable side effects.
- Sleep problems: Currently, a wide variety of sleep disorders and issues impact a large portion of the population and a rigid diet makes them worse.
- One 1994 study that followed nine obese women who cut calories reported that after four weeks on their new diet plan, they had trouble falling and staying asleep.
- A 2005 study that had 381 male and female college students reported that individuals who were on restricted diets reported having bad moods and getting little rest.
What can you do to get out of starvation mode?
If you believe that your body has genuinely reached a weight-loss plateau because of your calorie restriction, you can change things to get the scale's numbers moving once more. You can break out of adaptive thermogenesis by eating more food, even though this may seem paradoxical for weight loss reasons.
Here are a few strategies to get out of starvation mode:
- Consuming food frequently: You might not always feel hungry, which is a sign of starvation. Have a modest meal or snack every three to four hours if you wish to overcome a weight-loss plateau and exit adaptive thermogenesis. Moreover, eating frequently prevents long hours between meals, overeating, and bingeing.
- Including strength training in your routine: If you start to lose weight without doing anything, you will lose muscle mass along with fat. Maintaining sufficient muscle mass is essential to maintaining your metabolism and preventing starvation. The general opinion among experts suggests performing strength-training activities at least two times a week, whether they are performed with bodyweight or on weight machines at the gym.
- Making a meal and snack plan: Planning your meals helps you remember to eat frequently and enables you to ensure that you are getting enough nutrients to prevent the symptoms of starvation mode. For instance, you may schedule walnut snacks and fatty fish dinners to guarantee that you are getting enough omega-3 fatty acids. You can plan to eat leafy greens and fortified oatmeal to ensure that you are getting enough minerals, such as potassium and magnesium, regularly.
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Medically Reviewed on 9/9/2022
References
Image Source: iStock images
mTORC1 in AGRP neurons integrates exteroceptive and interoceptive food-related cues in the modulation of adaptive energy expenditure in mice. https://elifesciences.org/articles/22848
Long-term calorie restriction, but not endurance exercise, lowers core body temperature in humans. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21483032/
The implication of the binomial nutrition-immunity on sportswomen's health. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12142960/
The Female Athlete Triad. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3435916/
The Starvation Symptom Inventory: Development and Psychometric Properties. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5622727/
