anorexia, bariatric surgery and starvation mode

Posts: 18
7/27/12 3:51 P

I'd encourage you to read this article. asmbs.org/2012/06/new-studies-weigh-in-on-
safety-and-effectiveness-of-newer-bari
atric-and-metabolic-procedure-sleeve-g
astrectomy-demonstrates-weight-loss-an
d-safety-comparable-to-more-established-procedures/

Metabolic/bariatric surgery has been shown to be the most effective and long lasting treatment for morbid obesity and many related conditions and results in significant weight loss. That's not an opinion. It's a statement of fact according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, to name one source.

If you think of bariatric surgery as a "quick fix", you have little to no knowledge of what is involved in these procedures.

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1/12/12 1:11 P

Wow. Thank you to all who responded. Such great insight. Cleared a lot of stuff up for me.

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Posts: 416
1/11/12 6:15 P

I had a duodenal switch bariatric surgery nearly 11 years ago. I worked my tail off, and between the smaller amounts of food I consumed and walking, I lost 170#.

Guess what? I've gained back 70 pounds. PLUS, I've had a plethora of malnutrition based problems on top of it. Dieting in "starvation mode" is lower your metabolism and potentially case a plethora of problems... anemia, b-12 deficiency, etc, etc, etc. I even developed seizures because of such significant deficiencies.

And 11 years later, my stomach is again "normal" size (not the capacity it once had, but large enough to gain weight rapidly when I was on bed rest during pregnancy).

This time I'm doing it right. I know the huge difficulties that malnutritian can bring. And it's a MYTH that if you're overweight you can't be malnurished.

Edited by: JOYFULJUDYLYNN at: 1/11/2012 (18:15)

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1/11/12 6:08 P

As the dietitian for Sparkpeople, I have read through all the posts on this thread and there is really nothing more to add. The information is fairly accurate.

I never use the work starvation mode regarding tradional weight loss. Yes, a person can drop calories too low, metabolism can slow, they feel tired and have less energy---so the intensity they give to their workout is less...all this tied together can stop the scales from moving. Is it true "starvation"--- no; but their food intake is altering their weight loss.

There are basically 2 different types of weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery and lap band surgery) and the result on the body are entirely different and the eating plans needed are different. Surgery is not a quick fix. For the weight loss to be permenant---the diet must be followed for the rest of one's life. These folks are monitored closely on a weekly basis to assure that true starvation is no happening. Nutritional supplements are given, lab work is done regularly....to keep this drastic change as safe as possible.

SP dietitian Becky

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1/11/12 2:16 P

Hopefully, a spark expert can clear this up but

starvation due anorexia and starvation mode are two different things.


I am in recovery from anorexia, purge type and my tsh levels were below ONE. Also, when you start recovery (refeeding) your body goes through a hypermetabolism phase. You start to have cold chills and night sweats so you need more calories to keep the weight on.
(People with anorexia also experience Edema so the scale shows a higher number, but it eventually goes away.)

There are some published studies that show people with anorexia LOSE weight when they first enter inpatient and start eating again. lol...

I know a lot of people with eating disorders refuse to recover because they think they are doomed to have a slow metabolism. That simply is not the case.

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1/11/12 1:55 P

Yes for life. Post bariatric patients eat small amounts for the rest of their life. Haven't you ever met someone who has had gastric surgery and regained ALL their weight back? I know a few. That's due to not following the post surgery lifestyle including small portions, healthy eating and exercise. That's basically because a patient didn't learn anything. They decided to eat too much after surgery, their stomach stretched back to regular size (which it WILL do with large amounts of food) and well..weight gain.

I agree that sometimes the surgery works for people but it ONLY works if you are really truly willing to change your life and LEARN how to keep it off.. but I think most opt for it because they want a "quick fix" to their weight..well who doesnt? but the problem is that they don't LEARN anything. Getting your stomach cut in half isn't teaching you WHY you're overweight to begin with, how to prevent it from happening again, and how to be healthy. can you tell i'm anti-surgery?

As far as gaining from starvation mode, well I'm proof of this. For me anyways, I DID gain from not eating enough...and we arent talking about super low calories here either. I was eating 1400 cals per day, jogging 5 miles a day at 150 pounds. My body said "no" and literally held onto my weight for 2 STRAIGHT months! No loss. not one tiny bit! So I thought maybe i was eating too much (despite what my calorie range was). I dropped my calories to 1200 and well..gained a few pounds (still while running and exercising) within a few days.

someone on Spark suggested that i eat more. I was in disbelief. like eating more would REALLY help me lose..well I figured nothing else was working so i gave it a shot. I started eating 200 calories more per day and within a week, the scale started to move down. I balled my eyes out that day. That was my "ah ha" moment. When I realized that your body really does NEED a certain minimum amount of calories just to be alive, for your brain to function, heart to beat, etc. My body obviously went into starvation mode because I was creating TOO much of a calorie deficit between what i was burning with diet and exercise and what I was eating. ..THAT is starvation mode.....hope this helped :)

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1/11/12 1:52 P

Almost. They can eat a little more once they've lost the weight, but they can never eat as much as a person the same size who lost the weight by less drastic means.

The other issue with anorexia (and with bariatric surgery patients if they don't get proper follow-up care) is that after a certain point, the body stops burning fat and starts breaking down other tissue instead, especially muscle. If it only happens for a little while, it uses regular muscle, the kind you think of first when somebody says the word. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so losing it means that your metabolism will always be slower. What's worse, though, is that if the starvation goes on for very long, you start losing cardiac muscle, and possibly other organ tissue. When an anorexic dies, the technical cause of death is usually heart failure or kidney failure. The same thing can happen to bariatric surgery patients if they don't follow their instructions.

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1/11/12 1:41 P

Often, yes. A good doctor will make sure their patient is dedicated to the process of learning how to eat properly before they will agree to perform the surgery.

Immediately after the surgery, the intake is very strict and very small. After the incision has healed, I believe that the patient can start to add more food. But yes, if metabolic damage has been done, they will have to be very careful with how they eat for the rest of their lives because they can gain weight easily.

Edited by: BITTERQUILL at: 1/11/2012 (13:43)

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1/11/12 1:35 P

So those who have had bariatric surgery have to eat that little the rest of their lives or they will just gain the weight back and at a more rapid rate then those who never had the surgery?

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1/11/12 1:18 P

Undereating does *not* cause you to gain weight. That is impossible according to the laws of physics.

It can, however, slow your metabolism significantly, so losing weight is much harder than it would otherwise be. Your body clings to every calorie and the metabolic damage can remain even if you go back to eating properly.

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1/11/12 1:14 P

I am confused. Everyone here talks about "starvation mode" and how if you don't consume enough calories your body will just keep them and you will end up gaining weight. But isn't that exactly how bariatric surgeries and anorexia work? Consuming so few calories that your body ends up using all your stored up supply and you lose weight. Is there something I am not understanding about these three things?

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