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Most of us have heard of “starvation mode”, the idea that if you eat too little for too long, your body eventually stops losing weight and holds onto every calorie. But is that actually what happens?

In this episode, we unpack what really happens to your metabolism during prolonged calorie restriction and why the popular idea of “starvation mode” gets metabolic adaptation wrong.

We look at two of the most famous (and frequently misunderstood and misrepresented) examples in the history of weight loss research: the Minnesota Starvation Experiment and The Biggest Loser.

The Minnesota study showed just how dramatically the body can respond to prolonged energy restriction, while The Biggest Loser became famous for findings suggesting that some participants experienced substantial metabolic adaptation after losing large amounts of weight.

In this episode we discuss:

• What exactly is starvation mode?
• What is the strongest research we have in support of starvation mode?
• Why do people misrepresent this research to support an argument that is factually incorrect?
• What actually happens to your metabolism when you lose weight?
• How much can metabolic adaptation really explain?
  
  

We separate what the science actually shows from the common claims you see online about starvation mode, metabolic damage, and “damaged” metabolisms.

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If you are interested in fat loss science, you can purchase Ben's best-selling comprehensive fat loss book, Everything Fat Loss. http://geni.us/EverythingFatLoss