What is starvation mode?

[Perry]

If you eat too little you will put your body into what is called "starvation mode".

Ok......so, you would assume that you will lose weight faster etc. in this mode and yes you will loose weight but not FAT! When you send that signal too your body, the first thing our bodies do is lock the fat vault. Your body uses fat for energy and will hold on to that first and foremost. When in starvation mode your body will search for another resourse.........and that would be protein etc.... muscle mass etc.

When you go into starvation mode you will basically shut down your metabolic function......which is indirect contrast with the goal of induction....to jump start your metabolism, along with many other things....you risk a weakened immune system, no energy, ability to concentrate, anemia. In starvation mode your hair can fall out, your skin becomes thin and pale.

2big wrote:
the reason you want to eat at your BMR or higher is because that is the minimum amount of calories your body needs to keep you alive while you sleep in bed 24 hours aday. Go below it and the body shuts down the non life supporting functions conserving cals and it starts looking for stored cals in your body. Now all of you have little light bulbs going off: "See I knew I could eat less and lose this fat." Wrong our bodies have a predetermined choice for carbs, protein, and fats in that order, so your body is busy sending out "help I'm starving messages" and mobilizing the chemicals it needs to eat proteins stored in your body as muscle tissues. The site in the body that does all the work is the liver and that is the site we want working on burning fats, but it can only do one at a time so while you are burning those muscles and protein from your diet your body says okay dietary fats I'll just store you for later. Now the smarty pants that don't understand the steps in protein burning are saying Dr Atkins said in the absence of carbs you don't store fats! Well guess what? Protein burned for fuel is converted by your liver to a sugar and now you have the needed insulin surging through your body storing fats.

You will eventually run out of burnable muscles and then burn some fat but it will be a long slow journey and you won't like your flabby self when you get done. Fat burning preserves the muscle tissue giving you a smaller body at a higher weight which is just amazing to all of the members.

So check your BMR and AMR and then eat your Atkins plan between the two. Dr Atkins tells you this but not in easy to understand sentences. Eat only enough to satisfy your hunger, eat small serving when not hungry, eat more if you are tired.

Happy low carbing to you and remember as you lose the weight your BMR will get lower so if you want to continue your rapid loss you will need to lower your cals about 9/pound or increase your activity levels