"starvation mod" a myth? slimfast question

If one times in too few calories, I have always heard about "starvation
mode" and you will stop losing weight. However, how does one lose so much
weight, and continue to, after having a gastric bypass operation? You can
only eat food in the total amount of the size of an egg. My aunt had the
bypass a year ago. She said from eight weeks after the procedure to
currently, she is only eating 1000-1200 calories a day. She still have 60
to lose. So why can she always eat so little, and still drop pounds fairly
consistently?

I am thinking of trying the slimfast plan, a varied one, this coming weeks.
I bought a ton of the Optima shakes, fruit and stocked up on lean proteins
and veggies. Slimfast is also only 1200 calories a day. Anyone
substantially overweight had luck with slimfast's plan? I will have 40 at
least minutes of exercise a day also.

"Angie" wrote in message
...
If one times in too few calories, I have always heard about "starvation
mode" and you will stop losing weight. However, how does one lose so much
weight, and continue to, after having a gastric bypass operation? You
can only eat food in the total amount of the size of an egg. My aunt had
the bypass a year ago. She said from eight weeks after the procedure to
currently, she is only eating 1000-1200 calories a day. She still have 60
to lose. So why can she always eat so little, and still drop pounds
fairly consistently?

Because "starvation mode" is total BS. Your metabolism may slow somewhat
but if you burn MORE calories than you take in you will lose weight.

I am thinking of trying the slimfast plan, a varied one, this coming
weeks.

I knew a woman it worked great for. She was busy working full time so had 2
drinks a day and a frozen diet dinner at night - plus fruit.

I bought a ton of the Optima shakes, fruit and stocked up on lean proteins
and veggies. Slimfast is also only 1200 calories a day. Anyone
substantially overweight had luck with slimfast's plan? I will have 40
at least minutes of exercise a day also.

Go for it! )

LW
Start - 7/5/06 - 170lbs
Today - 159 lbs
Goal - 130lbs
Height: 5'6" Age: 61
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angie wrote:

If one times in too few calories, I have always heard about "starvation
mode" and you will stop losing weight. However, how does one lose so much
weight, and continue to, after having a gastric bypass operation? You can
only eat food in the total amount of the size of an egg. My aunt had the
bypass a year ago. She said from eight weeks after the procedure to
currently, she is only eating 1000-1200 calories a day. She still have 60
to lose. So why can she always eat so little, and still drop pounds fairly
consistently?

Personally, I do think that people spend too much energy worrying
about "starvation mode". It doesn't make sense to me that the body
could suddenly becomes a super efficient machine when facing a sustained
lack of calories. There might be other factors at work though. When
faced with a sudden and drastic drop in daily calories, one might
unconsciously compensate by doing less activity for example. But the
idea that one's metabolism "shuts down" during periods of starvation
seems to be nonsense to me. Look at pictures of the poor souls
unfortunate to be trapped in situations of real starvation. They
obviously and tragically lose quite a bit of their body mass. They
don't die fat. Please understand that I'm not saying that self
starvation is a good thing, or the best way to lose weight. I
personally think it is a self defeating strategy that backfires with a
vengeance on most people to attempt it.

I am thinking of trying the slimfast plan, a varied one, this coming weeks.
I bought a ton of the Optima shakes, fruit and stocked up on lean proteins
and veggies. Slimfast is also only 1200 calories a day. Anyone
substantially overweight had luck with slimfast's plan? I will have 40 at
least minutes of exercise a day also.

A lady at work went on slimfast about the same time my weight loss
was becoming visible to other people (seventy pounds lost, and it's
still not very visible to me. Darned screwball self perception!). At
first she lost weight faster than I did. For about a month and a half,
she made great progress. Then her loss started to taper off. Then
stop. Then she regained. It just wasn't a sustainable life style
change for her. Will power is wonderful, if you happen to be in
possession of one made of iron. But most of us aren't, myself
included. Maybe your experience will be different, and I hope the best
for you. Still, I think you might want to also examine ways that you
can make permanent, sustainable changes in your eating patterns that
will lead to long term weight loss.

--
Annie

As of 07-27-06: 258/189.5/140 Standing at 5 foot 4.

70 pounds lost. 48 left to go. Started February/07/05

Come visit my weight-loss web site, Annie Takes Off.
http://webpages.charter.net/lenny13/DietFrontPage.html

Angie wrote:
If one times in too few calories, I have always heard about "starvation
mode" and you will stop losing weight. However, how does one lose so much
weight, and continue to, after having a gastric bypass operation? You can
only eat food in the total amount of the size of an egg. My aunt had the
bypass a year ago. She said from eight weeks after the procedure to
currently, she is only eating 1000-1200 calories a day. She still have 60
to lose. So why can she always eat so little, and still drop pounds fairly
consistently?

Looks like you've answered your own question.
"Starvation mode" is as much a rationalization
(giving oneself permission) to eat more as it is
based in fact.

I am thinking of trying the slimfast plan, a varied one, this coming weeks.
I bought a ton of the Optima shakes, fruit and stocked up on lean proteins
and veggies. Slimfast is also only 1200 calories a day. Anyone
substantially overweight had luck with slimfast's plan? I will have 40 at
least minutes of exercise a day also.

Although I don't really see it that way, my
diet could be seen as having a loose similarity
to the slimfast plan. I use diet journaling
software to track macronutrient (carbohydrate,
protein, fat) percentages and calories. I
find that I have to use one or two protein shakes
per day to end up with the desired macronutrient
ratio. The plan that I've worked out for myself
over the last year continues to work. I'd
recommend the same to you or anyone else who
is starting out. Keep a journal; can be on
paper or software, take a metabolic typing test
to provide an idea of what kind of diet (macro-
nutrient ratio) to start with, and read plenty
of library diet books to increase knowledge and
motivation. Long term success comes with putting
together a custom plan that caters to your needs
as an individual and can be maintained for years.

In my online briefcase I have journaling software
and a metabolic typing test. Feel free to download
and make use of them. Here's a link:
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/kd6tas
The metabolic typing test uses the terms: protein
type, mixed type, and carbo type. If you're a
protein type, start your reading with low carb
diet books like Protein Power Lifeplan and Atkins.
If you're a carbo type, start with low fat books
like Ornish and Pritikin. If you're a mixed type,
start with moderate carb books like Zone, Perricone
and South Beach. After a year of learning and
adjusting your way of eating, take the test again.
You're likely to find that your metabolic type
may have changed a bit. It's my feeling that many
people will end up somewhere in the mixed type
range as they learn more about nutrition and about
themselves (what calorie level and macronutrient
ratio seems to work best overall). I also believe
that anyone who starts out as a protein type or
mixed type should give serious consideration to
the low carb diets that use benign dietary ketosis
to suppress appetite and cravings. That makes
dieting so much easier. In time, after most of
the weight is lost and the learning has taken place,
one can begin to shift toward a more mixed type
(moderate carb or balanced) way of eating as they
see fit. The appetite and craving suppression
effect of the low carb diet will disappear, but
by then the person should have enough experience
with journaling, portion control and all the other
skills needed to be able to put away the low carb
crutch. And if control is ever lost, the person
will know that they can always go back to low carb
to regain control.

I hope this helps.

Bill Eitner
--