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your body is going into starvation mode rubbish at slimming clubs. .am I the only one who thinks this is utter nonsense!

132 replies

deffonamechange · 17/11/2016 19:21

I have joined a slimming club. Stuck to it . I do loads of exercise anyway. Been doing it 4weeks..have lost 2lbs and tonight put 0.5lbs on!!
Leader said I am not losing because I am not eating enough!
Drives me insane this theory!
If I eat more I will be eating the same as I ate before joining!
How does anorexia work?
Why do laws of physics say less calories in and more exercise lose weight?

So frustrated! !! Argh!!!

OP posts:
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OohhThatsMe · 17/11/2016 19:25

That's absolute bollocks. As you say, what about anorexia?

I was at my thinnest when I didn't eat breakfast. Now that's called 16-8 or something, but for me it was called "getting up late and not being able to afford to buy breakfast on my way to work." And you still get people talking about how you have to eat breakfast every day to kickstart your metabolism. Absolute rubbish.

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downwardfacingdog · 17/11/2016 19:26

Yep it drives me bonkers. Unfortunately my lack of will power means I am unable to lose weight without paying to be weighed every week so I have to put up with the drivel.

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Amandahugandkisses · 17/11/2016 19:29

It really is nonsense.

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HappyHeart87 · 17/11/2016 19:31

Never done a slimming club, but my pilates teacher (new class) this week told us that your body "burns protein" during the first 10 minutes of a workout because "that's how long it takes for the oxygen to start flowing through your body".

I've racked my brains but just can't work out what concept she's misunderstood....

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pigsDOfly · 17/11/2016 19:31

So by that thinking people who are actually starving would just get fatter. How is that supposed to work.

Makes no sense.

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crayfish · 17/11/2016 19:32

Load of rubbish. I was at my thinnest when I ate the least and exercised the most (within reason - I was still healthy). Skipping breakfast always helps me lose weight if I need to, so I don't believe the whole 'kick-start your metabolism' thing either.

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crayfish · 17/11/2016 19:33

They also love to tell you that 'fat is turning into muscle' too... Confused

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ShastaBeast · 17/11/2016 19:35

It makes sense to me. It's about metabolism. Starving yourself will slow your metabolism as your body is saving it's energy for this low food availability period. I've seen recovering anorexics claim they've put a very large amount of weight on because their bodies store so much energy that a normal diet causes weight gain. I found eating breakfast very effective for weight loss.

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Bertucci · 17/11/2016 19:36

It is bollocks.

My friend's husband left her and she existed on red wine and took up smoking and she lost 2 stone in no time at all. (Ironically - she had never looked better)

If this starvation theory was true - her body would have held on to every pound.

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HorraceTheOtter · 17/11/2016 19:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

beccabanana · 17/11/2016 19:38

I'm no diet expert but I know when I eat breakfast I'm starving by lunchtime and eat even more at dinner time. When I don't eat breakfast I eat much less during the day and am not starving hungry.

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Twalls · 17/11/2016 19:41

Yes it's bollocks. If it were true, the "starving children in Africa" would all be obese, surely?

I think it's more to do with what you eat, rather than how much. I have been doing slimming world too and have lost nearly a stone. I'm eating slightly less than I used to but mostly, I am just choosing healthier options. Less fat, more greens and proteins.

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runningtogetskinny · 17/11/2016 19:47

It's rubbish! I lost nearly 3 stones by waiting until I was REALLY hungry before eating. It's also bollocks about some foods being 'free' or unlimited, if I want to drop a few pounds I just eat one meal a day for a few days/weeks Monday - Friday, with plenty of water and the odd piece of fruit in between. I've been around 9 1/2 stone for 3 years doing this. I also run every day, often before any food and feel great Smile

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MaQueen · 17/11/2016 19:50

It's arrant nonsense touted by people who have no idea how the human body actually works FFS.

We have several friends who are doctors and they just guffaw at this sort of pseudo-physical-babble-bullshit. When DH wants to get ready for the start of the season he limits himself to 1000 calories per day, and runs 3-4 miles a night. He easily loses 2 stones in about 6 weeks.

You don't 'have to kick-start your metabolism' because it never really shuts down, if it did you'd be so I'll.

And don't even get me started on the numpties who faff about de-toxing. There. Is. No. Need. Just what the fuck do you think your liver and kidneys do, exactly???

Rant over...

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ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe · 17/11/2016 19:50

There's so much rubbish written about losing weight because everybody and their dog wants to sell a book about it.

Starvation mode my arse.

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Pistachiois50pmore · 17/11/2016 19:52

It's so stupid, total bad science.

Your body is not the speedometer in the film Speed. I hate the way they make out like intent matters too - there's never any suggestion that someone slim who isn't on a diet and normally eats three square meals a day would pile on the pounds if they forgot to have breakfast one day.

Good explanation here: www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501

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DecaffCoffeeAndRollupsPlease · 17/11/2016 19:53

I think long term low calorie can slow down your metabolism permanently, so slow and steady makes more sense for keeping excess weight off.

Contestants on the biggest loser were found to have really messed up their metabolism through the show's encouragement of super low calorie.

So I do believe in starvation mode but I don't think it is an instant reaction to low calorie. The first reaction to low calorie is for the body to burn fat stores as fuel.

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toptoe · 17/11/2016 19:54

Low carb is the way to go. Only diet that works for me. You can eat as much protein and low carb stuff as you like then

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Believeitornot · 17/11/2016 19:55

I thought starvation mode is just the idea that if you stop dieting and eat normally, then your body retains more as fat?

It doesn't mean you get fat if you eat less Hmm

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bunnyfuller · 17/11/2016 19:59

Try going on a SW group and stating that he obvious 'but what about anorexia/Africa' when someone tells a Hun the brainwashed marketing guff about not eating enough. If you're up for a Hun lashing, that is. I think the general ideas of slimming clubs often make sense, but some of them are utter cat poo

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SquedgieBeckenheim · 17/11/2016 19:59

I'd stop going to that diet group and speak to someone who actually knows what they're talking about!
It's about eating the right foods, in the right quantity and ensuring you burn off more than you put in.
Eating regularly through the day can keep your blood sugars more stable, meaning you don't over eat when you do have a meal and preventing energy lows.
I see plenty of people who have perfectly healthy diets but are over weight because they eat too much!

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ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe · 17/11/2016 20:00

No, Believeit, it's if you eat too little your body hangs on the few calories you provide and uses them better and prevents you from losing weight.

So yes, if you eat less than a minimum you keep your fat, according to that theory.

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Jackie0 · 17/11/2016 20:00

I never lost weight following slimming clubs rules, I just needed the weigh in to focus my mind on eating less.

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Believeitornot · 17/11/2016 20:02

I mean I f you diet, you lose weight - then you pile it back on if you stop dieting because your body hangs on to it.

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Pisssssedofff · 17/11/2016 20:03

I've honestly never looked so good as I did in the three months post split with ex, basically I don't think anyone needs the calories we all eat day in day out.
We do need energy though, paleo diet worked really well for me, literally fruit veg and meat.

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