Explain the fat burning thing?

[Laketon79]

All my life I've been taught that if you don't eat your body can go into "starvation mode" and start storing fat instead of burning it? So that's why you're supposed to eat frequently. I know this is wrong but how do I explain it? Is there such a thing as starvation mode?

[Tom Denham]

You don't go into starvation mode after 3 hours or even 6 hours. You don't even go into starvation mode after 12 or even 24 hours. You go into starvation/conservation mode when you don't eat enough chronically. People who eat tiny amounts routinely go into starvation mode because they are chronically under feeding their bodies. Then they have difficulty losing fat because their bodies are holding onto everything tightly.

 

Many people who have been chronic dieters need to eat more and convince their bodies that they are not living during a famine. When their bodies relax, they start using fat stores instead of holding to them tightly. This does not mean a person can overeat and still lose weight, but it is important to eat enough.

 

Enough food is described well in the Whole9 meal template: http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf