It’s a lot more common than you think: not eating enough.
You might think that eating too much is your problem – why wouldn’t it be? If you’re trying to lose weight, you’re probably eating too much, right?
Not necessarily. Let me share with you 3 red flags I run into the most with my clients who are struggling to see results and, guess what,…..also not eating enough.
If you tell me that you have been eating in a calorie deficit for more than 12 weeks and you haven’t lost any weight – chances are HIGH that you are not eating enough.
Granted, I would first rule the following out:
If all of the above are true – then yes, you are probably not eating enough, and here’s why:
If you are in a large calorie deficit, then you don’t have enough fuel for your “metabolic fire,” so your body doesn’t even have the opportunity to burn fat in the first place. You’re eating too little and you’re making your body choose between:
Whether you like it or not, your body is always going to prioritize keeping you alive over burning fat.
If, on the other hand, you were eating in a much smaller calorie deficit, your body doesn’t have to decide between keeping your heart pumping and burning up stored energy with the calories it does get. You should not be eating in a 500+ calorie deficit for weight loss, even if an app told you to!
A calorie deficit is effective for weight loss – but you have to be eating enough to support your metabolism! Your metabolism is the hub of your health and if we ignore this area to eat as little as possible to see results as soon as possible, it’s going to backfire.
This one is a no-brainer as to whether you’re eating enough or not.
Your BMR is your basal metabolic rate. This is the energy your body requires to keep you alive at rest. Like if you were lying down all day and didn’t do anything at all – not walking/standing/not increasing your heart rate. This is your baseline need to just keep your organs functioning.
You can figure out your BMR by using a basic online calculator like this one: https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html
What many practitioners might also use is the Mifflin St. Jeor formula for women:
(10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) – 161 = your BMR
Remember, your BMR is your baseline need, so it doesn’t account for all the movement and extra things you do in a day. That’s why we need to add an activity factor anywhere from 1.2-1.9 for the average person. (yup, your BMR multiplied by a number in that range!)
So, imagine my surprise when women are walking around eating 1,200 calories and their BMR is ~1,500!!! And they expect their bodies to be going above and beyond to burn fat when they aren’t even fueling enough to support their absolute minimum needs to function.
In this scenario, women are still moving, taking care of their families, exercising, and so much more! So, how are they still functioning? Their metabolisms have no choice but to down-regulate. Their metabolisms become very good at storing as much energy as possible and burning off as little as possible to stay alive.
Do you see how crappy this situation is for a healthy metabolism + being able to lose weight?
Did you know that your workouts are supposed to make you feel good? Not totally run you down for the rest of the day?
Soooo – if you find yourself totally spent after a 45-minute strength training session, I can bet that you’re not eating enough to support that activity!
Or if you’re absolutely ravenous after your workout and not sure why? You’re not eating enough! Your body is asking for better nourishment from you. It’s not a “mysterious craving” trying to sabotage your weight loss goal.
It’s also really important to tune into how you’re feeling during and after workouts (especially strength training) because one of the major benefits of them is to be able to build more muscle mass! This directly increases your metabolic rate.
So, if you’re working hard on being consistent at the gym, but you’re not giving your body enough fuel to grow more muscle in the first place, you’re essentially wasting your time. I know…sucks, right?
Since we’re talking about strength training mostly here, you’ll find the most benefit in making sure you’re eating enough carbs and protein specifically.
Carbs are the energy source we use during strength training the most. If you’re restricting your carbs too much in general, you’re not going to perform as well as you could and you’re limiting your potential to build muscle efficiently.
Carbs are also critical to replenish within a few hours after a workout. If you find yourself extremely sore the next day or you are just completely drained afterward, you’re not getting enough carbohydrates.
When it comes to protein, again, it’s so important to be getting enough! This is what we need to preserve the muscle we have AND build more in the first place! Strength training tears the muscle fibers apart and we need enough protein to repair them post-workout and create new muscle tissue. If you’re working your butt off to see results but you’re not eating enough protein – problem solved.
Check out this post to learn more about your protein needs.
Not eating enough is a lot more common than you might think. If you’re thinking: “Oh, there’s no way that’s me,” I really encourage you to double-check. Use an app like Cronometer for a couple of days. Get an idea of where your calories, even your grams of carbs and protein, are falling to support your needs on an average day.
Figuring out what you need to be eating can be really overwhelming, especially if you’ve been struggling to see results for a long time. If this is you, you might be a really good fit for VIP 1:1 coaching.
This gives us an opportunity to provide customized recommendations specifically for you in order to support your metabolism for fat loss ASAP!
You’ll find lots of opinions online about how much you should be eating, so having an expert to clear up the confusion and actually listen to your story 1:1 is what makes all the difference for our clients.
Learn more about VIP 1:1 coaching here and fill out an application today!
Coach Elle
Every week, Megan pops into your inbox with whatever's on her mind. Think of it like a voice memo from your bestie except that it's an email and jam-packed with useful information. This isn't a regular newsletter. This is a cool newsletter.