Have you noticed how food content has suddenly taken over social media? Influencers who once posted makeup tutorials or skincare routines are now sharing recipes, cooking videos, and constant food-related content. This shift isn’t random. A starved brain becomes fixated on food and influencers are profiting from the engagement that obsession drives.

You might be thinking, “But I’m eating, so I can’t be starving”.

The reality is that dieting has profoundly distorted our sense of what enough food actually looks like.

If your parents took you to Weight Watchers (I’m so sorry), or put on Jenny Craig, followed 1200/1500/1800/2000-calorie a day plans, cut carbs, intermittently fasted, or regularly skipped meals, your internal sense of adequate intake has likely been skewed. There’s a strong chance your body has spent extended periods in a state of semi-starvation — often followed by catch-up or binge eating later in the day.

We’re constantly sold the lie that losing weight automatically equals better health, making dieting seem not just normal, but virtuous. In reality, many diets push the body into a semi-starved state. While right loss is framed as “fat” loss, that’s only part of the story.

Your body needs:

Glucose and fat for energy
Protein to repair and maintain the ~36 trillion cells that keep you alive

Unlike fat, you only store around 12-24 hours’ worth of glucose, and protein isn’t stored at all — it is your body: your muscles, organs, blood, skin, hair, and bone. When energy intake is restricted, the body is forced to break itself down. Fat tissue is used for energy, while lean tissue is broken down to supply protein and produce glucose.

During semi-starvation, the body breaks down roughly 40g of fat tissue and 37g of lean body tissue per day. Lean muscle mass is lost first. Followed by the liver and intestines, and over time, this includes the heart muscle.

This is also why weight regain — often plus some — is so common once dieting stops. The body needs reliable energy available for it to rebuild the tissue it was forced to sacrifice.

Diet culture doesn’t care about your health. As long as you dislike your body, someone is making money. Women are disproportionately affected because women account for up to 80% of consumer spending. You weren’t born hating your body — you were taught to. As long as you believe that your body is a problem, you’ll keep spending money trying to “fit” it. But you can’t fix what was never broken.

Manufacturing the OBes*ty Epidemic

Diet culture has also been remarkably successful at equating weight with health by manufacturing the so-called “obes*ty epidemic”.

In 1995, Professor Philip James established the International Obes*ty Task Force (IOTF), which produced one of the first major scientific reports on rising global “obes*ty” rates. From the outset, the IOTF’s goal was to push the World Health Organisation (WHO) to treat obes*ty as a global health crisis.

In 1997, the IOTF report formed the basis on the first WHO expert consultation on obes*ty. Their data showed increased mortality at BMI values below 18.5kg/m2 and above 30kg/m2. However, the decision was made to set the overweight cut off at 25kg/m2. When Professor Phillip James was asked how he determined the BMI cut-offs of 25, 30, and 40, he claimed “It just seemed to fit”.

Overnight, the “overweight” threshold shifted from a BMI 27 to 25. One day you were considered “healthy”, the next you were classified as “overweight” — without your body changing at all.

Most importantly, the IOTF was largely funded by two pharmaceutical companies. Around two-thirds of its budget came from Roche and Abbott. Roche produced the weight-loss drug orlistat (Xenical), while Abbott manufactured sibutramine (Reductil) — a drug withdrawn from the Australian market in 2010 due to increased risks of heart attack and stoke.

The Biology of Human Starvation

Must of what we know about semi-starvation comes from Ancel Keys work, The Biology of Human Starvation, commonly known as the Minnesota Starvation Study — an experiment that would be considered unethical today.

The study ran from November 1944 to October 1945, near the end of World War II. Thirty-two men aged 20–33 participated, all conscientious objectors in excellent physical and psychological health. They lived under continuous supervision in the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene.

Study design

12-week control period
24 weeks of semi-starvation
12 weeks of restricted rehabilitation
8 weeks of unrestricted rehabilitation for some participants
Follow-ups at 8 and 12 months post-starvation

A reduction of just 15–20% in energy intake was enough for participants to develop clear psychological symptoms of semi-starvation.

Despite structured work, physical activity (including 35 km of walking per week), and an intensive educational program, participants experienced severe physical and mental decline. Motivation, concentration, and emotional regulation deteriorated significantly. Only one participant managed to complete a master’s degree during the semi-starvation phase.

Although the study involved men, researchers noted that in observational data, women often experienced significant metabolic suppression with much smaller weight changes.

Signs of Semi-Starvation

When the body isn’t receiving enough energy, it will do everything it can to conserve fuel and drive you toward food.

Physical Symptoms	Psychological Symptoms	Food Behaviours
Metabolism decreases by ~40% Loss of strength & weakness Muscle cramps Tiredness, fatigue & insomnia Increased hunger Bloating, diarrhoea, constipation Dry hair & hair loss Pale, dry, rough skin Interrupted sleep Cold hands & feet Getting sick more often Reduced libido & fertility Loss of menstrual periods Dry mouth, cavities & tooth loss Palpitations Low blood pressure	Social withdrawal & isolation Mood swings Declining motivation Irritability Impaired concentration Outbursts of anger Depression Sensitivity to noise Unable to do things they want to do Outbursts of anger More serious & sarcastic and less humour Denial of symptoms & severity	Increased interest in food Food is the central topic of conversation Food fads Collecting recipes & studying menus Thinking about meal times More possessive about food Eating slowly Anger if food is being wasted Playing with food Licking plates & eating crumbs Planning the days eating Internal conflict between storing food & ravenously eating it Increased gum chewing, tea & coffee drinking & nail biting