The starvation response is the body’s remarkable ability to conserve its energy sources at times when it recognizes a lack of food supply. There are true stories that have proven that men can live for days or weeks with no food telling that the tale is true. This becomes possible due to the ability of the body to slow down the rate at which it burns down calories. Once deprivation is sensed by the body, it slows down the metabolic activity as soon as possible. For those who are in grave danger, this mechanism can be a real life saver. People who would like to lose fats and go on extreme dietary restrictions don’t want to have a slow metabolism.

The human body may not be able to tell the difference between starvation and dieting. When it senses deprivation, the starvation response is activated as an instinct for survival. During times when there is actually a lack of food, the body gradually feeds off itself, literally. It initally burns fat and then the muscles along with the internal organs for energy. At its normal metabolic rate, the body cannot survive for long. Because of the starvation response, the metabolic rate slows down and allows the body to live off lesser amounts of energy until it hopefully gets a reliable source of food. The same response will take place if you restrict food in order to lose fats. Having a sluggish metabolism is the common result of extreme and prolonged calorie cutting.

The law of energy balance says that to lose fat, you have to take in fewer calories than you burn. It is true, but that is not taking into consideration the body’s reaction to the deprivation. You also need to consider the starvation response in the entire equation. That’s why we come up with dietary plans like eating small, frequent meals and eating every three hours. That is to make sure that the body gets no inkling of a possible food shortage. If not, it will surely go into a starvation mode and cause the metabolic activity to slow down.

When we first cut back on calories, very visible results are immediately appreciated. However, a few days of this and the body’s starvation response kicks in, slowing down metabolism and therefore, fat loss. If it is not reversed, and the restrictive diet continues, you will fail to lose weight even with a very low caloric intake. The starvation response is a natural human instinct for survival. To lose fat more efficiently, you have to work with and for the body, not against it.

Extreme diet restrictions don’t work because the body has built in mechanisms for ensuring that it survives. The best fat loss plan is one that makes the body better, not just to look at, but more importantly, in how it functions.

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