What is Starvation Mode
You’ve heard it from your mom or Mikey at the gym. “Your body will go into starvation mode,” they said. Is starvation mode a real thing and if so—what is it?
Well, it’s often considered the nemesis of weight loss.
While you’re doing everything right, suddenly you might find yourself unable to lose weight. Or, say you’re NOT doing everything right and not eating enough—starvation mode creeps up on you and you might think, “Gosh, I hardly eat anything, why aren’t my pants looser?”
Starvation mode. That’s the answer.
The Brain and Starvation Mode
The brain is a beautiful thing—but it’s also looking out for its number one—and that’s you. So when you eat less or lose a bunch of weight, your brain thinks you’re in trouble. The main goal of your brain is to keep you alive. So, it starts pulling back the reigns by reducing the number of calories you burn in order to conserve energy.
You might have been 10 pounds away from those goal jeans and suddenly—the scale won’t budge.
Brain—are we watching the same show, here?
Yes and no.
The brain looks at information first—not your reflection in the mirror.
Not only does it reduce the number of calories you burn—it literally sabotages your efforts by releasing hormones that make you hungrier and turns on that little voice that says “Skip the gym….just skip it.”
So, that little voice IS real? Yep. Sure is. And it’s coming straight from your melon with a motive.
This is completely natural and while annoying, something you can absolutely overcome.
The Fundamentals of Dieting
Here’s how it happens, you are taking in excess calories you don’t burn off. Like a proper stage 10 hoarder, your body tucks those calories in the folds of fat cells for a ‘rainy day’. Only the rain never comes and your waist grows and grows.
So, you go on a diet that aims to reduce your caloric intake. Obviously.
You start using more calories than you ate and so those ‘rainy day’ calories are used—which is when you notice the weight loss, right?
YAY! Right?
Well, to YOU. But to your brain, it’s like taking away the broken handle bar from an antique bike someone’s aunt’s friend gave to a hoarder 17 years ago.
Prepare for a fight.
Your brain was saving that fat for survival. And now—to your brain, the battle cry has been heard.
Enter: starvation mode.
Your body is in full riot gear waiting for the apocalypse. You’re tired, hungry, not losing weight and skipping the gym.
Your brain: #WINNING.
So can you ever overcome starvation mode?
Indeedily do.
How To Overcome Starvation Mode
We know you’re burning fewer calories because your brain is in freak out mode.
We also know your body is eating muscle for fuel. Gross.
First—cheat. That’s right, if you read about the Whoosh Effect here, you know cheating can help kick your body back into calorie burning gear. If one meal doesn’t help, then take a break from the diet for a week or two and get your brain back to chill mode.
Second: eat protein. Since you’re losing muscle mass-protein will help build muscle. Plus, it takes the most energy to break down protein. So you’ll be burning more calories through the thermic effect of protein.
Third, and most important—lift weights. You can maintain and even increase your metabolic rate with resistance training while increasing your muscle mass.
However, the women who did resistance exercise maintained their metabolic rate, their muscle mass and their strength levels.
Burn More Calories and Fat
Starvation mode can slow down your weight loss but it is not permanent. You can overcome it—or stay on top of things. If you know you’re going on a diet, or you’re already experiencing the dreaded slowed metabolism—get CapsiLean. It will do the work for you. It burns calories, blocks carbs and burns fat. Get it now and get better results on the scale.