Starvation Mode and Weight Loss
One of the most popular diet trends people are following to lose weight today is the "starvation diet". Severe food restrictions with limited portion sizes and low calories are the hallmarks of this type of diet. While it's hard to believe, starving your body can actually make it difficult to meet your weight loss goal. Here is everything you need to know about starvation mode and weight loss.
Starvation mode and weight loss
Eating less can affect your metabolism, and then your body begins to conserve our stored fat. As a result, there are fewer calories burned even if you exercise and work out regularly. Hence, it is important to avoid hunger and stay fed for successful weight loss.
Nearly a third of Americans diagnosed with obesity are no surprise following this form of diet. It slows down your body's internal system and makes sense that it won't be fed soon. As a result, the body's fat stores become the mode of survival. When you start eating, your body's natural response is to save itself in case it starves again. This can actually lead to weight gain even if fewer calories are eaten. In addition, the hunger period can lead to overeating. This is because the body becomes excessively hungry, which makes it harder to control the number of calories ingested. In the process, you will not only gain back the lost weight, but more too.
Negative effects of hunger on health:
- A starvation diet can lower levels of serotonin, a chemical that makes you feel peaceful, content, and calm. The drop in serotonin levels can make you feel more grumpy and disturbed. This condition can cause you to fall for the extra goodies and lose motivation to eat healthily.
- In addition to the fact that hunger doesn't help long-term weight loss, it also leads to muscle loss. The obvious solution to this problem for most people is to exercise to make up for muscle loss, but a body that does not have enough fuel cannot build muscle.
- The most harmful effect of starvation diets is malnutrition. The lack of essential minerals and vitamins can make you feel tired, depressed, nauseated, and irritable. Eliminating essential nutrients like vitamin D and potassium can increase blood pressure. It can also negatively affect cognitive abilities and lead to chronic depression.
Levels of hunger:
The hunger diet consists mainly of three stages. Let's take a look at each stage:
This stage involves maintaining blood sugar levels through the production of glucose from fats, glycogen, and proteins. Most of the glucose is formed, which is intended to be used directly for energy production from the amino acids of proteins.
This phase can take up to several weeks. For this particular phase, fats are the main source of energy. Towards the end of the week, the brain begins to use the ketone bodies in addition to glucose.
In this phase the fat reserves are completely used up and the body switches to proteins for energy production. The muscles are quickly exhausted and the proteins are broken down. At this stage, cell functions deteriorate.
Side effects of starvation mode and weight loss
The starvation diet has a huge impact on your body's immune system. In addition to weight loss, some systems of this diet include:
- listlessness
- retreat
- apathy
- Susceptibility to disease
- Massive edema on the abdomen and lower limbs.
- Hair color changes
- Flaky skin
End stage of starvation mode and weight loss:
The terminal stage usually results in two diseases, namely marasmus and kwashiorkor.
- Marasmus is caused by the extreme lack of energy, often due to insufficient protein and insufficient calories.
- Kwashiorkor deeply affects children who are protein deficient.
- People can actually die of starvation, which is generally caused by severe electrolyte imbalances and extreme tissue breakdown. All of these lead to a heart attack or an abnormal heart rhythm.
How do I fight starvation mode?
- Listen to your body's natural hunger signals. Eat enough to improve your metabolism. Find out your basic calorie needs by taking into account your current weight, gender, and activity level. It is important to be very realistic about the entire weight loss process. Calculate your BMR.
- Avoid overeating by eating on time regularly. Normal body functions such as breathing, heartbeat, brain function and temperature regulation are very important for your survival. When calorie consumption is absent, you may be prone to overeating and also feel bad physically on a psychological level.
- Ignoring the hunger signals can lead to feelings of guilt, frustration, and shame, which make the whole weight loss process even more difficult. So instead of starving yourself out of food, make sure you are eating enough by having three important solid meals and several healthy snacks in between throughout the day.
- To structure your plans more effectively, you can try temporary eating or intermittent fasting. But whatever you do, it's better to avoid hunger and then end up by finally giving in and overeating. This can make you feel down to the extent that you leave behind the whole idea of taking appropriate initiatives for your better health.
EndNote:
Most people believe that they lose control of a diet due to a lack of willpower. However, binge-type behavior is actually caused by a biological drive resulting from a drastic reduction in calories. The power of your body's natural signals should never be underestimated. Trying to lose your body weight by reducing food intake and exercise can backfire and prove counterproductive. Food restrictions can alter your brain chemistry and lead to an increase in hunger.
Hence, the best and most practical solution to achieve long term weight loss is to follow a natural diet and make positive disciplined changes in your lifestyle.
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