Does Starvation Mode Exist? (i.e. If you eat too little, will you gain weight?)

“Starvation mode” is a common fear among dieters. The claim here is that if you diet too intensely for too long, your metabolism will get damaged. This is caused by your body’s protection system. And as you continue to eat less, you will stop losing weight, and in some cases, gain weight! That is because your metabolism has dropped way too low.

And to make things sound more absurd, the same people claim that to lose weight, the solution is then to eat more, not less! That’s basically telling someone who is struggling with weight loss, “Hey! Stop dieting and start eating more! You’ll then start to lose weight as a result!” Yes, this belief is actually rampant and it is termed as “starvation mode”.

But how true is this? Is “starvation mode” a myth or is it a real thing? More importantly, what should you do if you hit a weight loss plateau? Read on to find out more!