If you starve yourself, you won't lose weight.

I call it "starvation mode." It happens when you restrict your calories to lose weight. While you can lose "weight", you're not losing any fat.

Restricting your calories causes your leptin levels to drop. Leptin is a hormone that influences the thyroid, which regulates your metabolism. When leptin levels decrease, so do the levels of certain thyroid hormones, preventing fat loss. (starvation mode)

This means that you can keep eating less and less, yet not lose any fat.

The only weight you lose when you restrict calories is, you guessed it, your muscle. Literally, when you don't eat enough, your body burns your nicely toned muscle for energy, and stores every drop of fat you've got in there.

And then you end up looking skinny-fat like Lindsay Lohan. Bones and fat. (Though she is way more bones than fat.)

Found this "skinny fat" example on fitnesspal.com:

She weighs more but looks better-- why? She doesn't restrict calories and she has muscle tone, and muscle weighs more than fat. (Having muscle increases your metabolism, too... but we'll talk about that another day.)

One more, I promise. The lovely Kate Upton:

Skinny fat! I'd rather eat and look healthy.

Calorie restriction is also extremely bad for your health. On top of that, your hair could fall out, your skin looks old and dirty, and you get sick easier. Have I convinced you yet?

I guarantee the girl below eats fresh, clean foods all day long (without going overboard!), performs challenging workouts regularly, is in a better mood, and sleeps better...

....just saying.

Making sure that you're getting the right amount of carbs, proteins, and fats per day will keep your metabolism in check and keep you feeling great. To figure out what you should be eating, check out Choose My Plate, & How Many Calories You Should Be Eating Per Day 

source: Men's Fitness June 2013 Kevin Van Aelst