Can you lose weight by starving yourself?
I always stuff myself at the buffet...
I got an excellent question from a reader today that went something like this:
I’ve been barely eating for two weeks and have lost weight. How do you explain this?
This is such a good question and a topic that I think people are interested in so I decided to answer with a blog post so hopefully others can benefit from it.
Many people wonder the same thing. Why do I need to exercise and eat healthy when I can lose weight by starving myself? And probably a lot of us have seen people who have stopped eating almost entirely and have lost weight. So why is this the case and why wouldn’t you do this if it works?
Well, let me say up front that starving yourself does result in weight loss. And, it can be quite effective. The reason it is so effective is because you are creating a huge calorie deficit between the calories you are burning on a daily basis and the calories you are eating on a daily basis. You can’t help but lose weight when you do this.
Remember a pound of fat is 3500 calories. So to lose a pound a week, you have to burn 3500 more calories in a week than you eat. I’ll use myself as an example. My basal metabolic rate, the amount of calories my body burns just resting, is about 1900 calories per day. So, if I were starving myself by only taking in say 800 calories per day, I would be creating an 1100 calorie deficit per day. This would result in a 7700 calorie deficit over a week. I would burn a little over two pounds of fat a week at this rate.
Sounds great, right?!
Well, there are two problems with starving yourself to lose weight.
1. Your body will figure out very quickly what you are doing. When it realizes it is starving, it will adjust your hormones that regulate fat storage. So your body responds by becoming very efficient at rationing the calories you give it and also very efficient at storing fat. And why wouldn’t it? Your body assumes it is starving.
This starving response causes your metabolic rate, your body’s natural fat-burning engine, to slow down and burn as few calories as possible. Therefore, when you start eating normally again (which anyone who starves themselves for an extended period will eventually do), your metabolism has slowed substantially. Hence, you store even more fat than you were before you starved yourself, making it harder to lose weight in the future. This effect has been documented in a recent study that I read and couldn’t reference now to save my life.
2. Starving yourself isn’t the most effective weight loss strategy long-term because you sacrifice muscle. Your body, when faced with an energy shortage, will break down your lean muscle mass and use it as fuel. This is of course a last resort but your body doesn’t know the difference between starving and dieting. It is trying to protect itself.
It is also well-documented through research that muscle mass burns more fat. So, when you reduce your muscle mass, you reduce your body’s ability to burn fat, now and in the future. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn, the more weight you lose. You reduce this fat-burning muscle mass when you starve yourself, making it harder for your body to burn fat.
So, while starving yourself may work to lose weight in the short-term, you do yourself a tremendous disservice by making it harder to lose weight in the future.
Update 12/31/11: A far safer and more effective method is to follow a diet plan that involves intermittent fasting, which can have the same increased fat-burning effect as cardio…
…check out this very interesting video on how this works.
To check out Brad’s course, Eat Stop Eat, click here.
What do you think about this strategy? Let me know in the comments below…
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Why is it that when people are sick and they lose their appetite and can’t eat much they lose weight
Good question Tom. It is because when people get sick and don’t eat, they create a calorie deficit. In other words, they burn more calories than they eat and they lose weight because of it. Your body burns calories all the time, which is called your basal metabolic rate. When this number of calories exceeds what you eat daily, you will lose weight.
what if you do eat but still work out will u lose the weight then or no?
@ Taylor, you have to create a calorie deficit to lose fat. Eat fewer calories than you burn and work out, you should lose weight.
My friend starved herself and lost a lot of wieght she started eating regularly again but never gained and ounce. Based kn your information how is this possible?
Thanks for the comment. There could be a lot of reasons for someone not gaining the weight back. My point was that starving isn’t a very good strategy for healthy weight loss. It does work to lose weight, but a much better strategy in my experience is following a diet low in calories and with very little processed sugar. Good question.
What if you just took metabolism pills while your starving yourself? That way you’re metabolism wouldn’t completely go to shit.
I have not ate in two days i dont know whats wrong with me I make food and then dont want to eat it but then my stomache aches in pain when i dont eat. I dont understand.
Good question Alyssa. Personally, I would certainly consult a doctor before taking any metabolism pills or anything of that nature. I usually advocate against “extreme” approaches to weight loss, as they don’t work long term anyway. To me a far better way is to get on an exercise and eating plan that is highly effective at burning fat. A colleague of mine just released a cardio training program that shows people how to maximize fat loss, and I personally used the techniques in the program to get down to 6% body fat. It is called Visual Impact Cardio and my be a program to consider. You can check out a free video on the program at http://www.20minutefatloss.net/visualimpactcardio. It is really good. Again, always consult your physician first. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Courtney, thanks for the comment. I would absolutely consult a doctor on this issue. I am not qualified to give medical advice so you must speak with you doctor about your situation.
i actually started taking diet pills this week and not feeling any hunger..but the problem is..i sometimes feel nausea,headache and being pale..i tried eating but my body doessnt want food..i really want to loose weight fast..if i stop taking diet pills, i will go back to my same hobby eating and eating..take note that i really hate doing exercises:( help me..
Hi Anne, I am not an advocate of diet pills as I think they can negatively impact your metabolism. You should absolutely consult your medical doctor about the side effects. I believe that following a healthy eating plan is the way to effectively lose weight. You may consider consulting a dietitian about losing the excess weight. There is also a program out called the Diet Solution Program that will teach you what foods to eat based on your metabolic type, which it shows you how to determine. You can check it out here. Hope this helps.