Starvation Response? (Maybe for Leigh)

NHFLLC · 05-14-2009, 11:22 PM

I'm reading the FLTS and wanted to know if there is any way to determine where the starvation response kicks in. Is there a set number of calories for men/women of a certain weight or body composition? A set number lean mass poundage?

Lets set up two examples:
1) A 140 lb women with 30% BF, 25 and 5'1", exercising 5 times a week.

2) A 240 lb women with 40% BF, 25 and 5'6", exercising 5 times a week.

My typical strategy would be to calculate BMR's and activity levels, then drop 500 calories for the goal of fat loss. But, I am realizing that for the heavier population it is sometimes necessary to push that higher, say 1000 calories, as they have a much higher store of reserve energy to pull from in a deficit.

My question is for the "lighter" population. Say example one, her BMR with activity level (1.55) will be around 2230/day (using Harris-Benedict). If you drop 1000 for an aggressive weight loss plan that leaves 1230/day. So, at what point does the drop become too aggressive, invoking the starvation response and begin to sacrifice muscle tissue??? Any difference between men/women, body weight, ect.?

Any help is appreciated.

Leigh P. · 05-15-2009, 01:26 AM

The complicated answer is it depends. I have seen a few formula thrown around, I have been looking into one myself but at the end of the day its genetics first, protein and lifting 2nd, and the extreme of activity combining with it.

A few quick things to note is that generally the higher amount of fat, the less muscle you are likely to lose.

The more you refeed and break properly, the less muscle you will lose.

The more you adjust intake for activity level, the less muscle you will lose.

Obviously it gets a lot more complicated than this, but "starvation response" isn't a real thing, it is a tagline for halting ones metabolism. This can be done in a million different ways but the end result isn't usually the same.

Since you have the package I highly recommend reading MRM, if for nothing more than for what NOT to do and how the metabolism can slow down, etc.