If we accept that the calorie balance throughout your days and weeks determines bodyweight, then it seems to be simple to talk about eating less than you need in order to lose weight.
But it’s not always that simple. In fact, very often we start to work with clients who don’t eat anywhere near enough and this makes it hard for them to get to the weight they want to be and also can cause other health problems.
Enough of the theory, what about the signs to look out for…
Here are some common signs that you’re not eating enough to support your body:
1 – You think about food all the time
Consistently not eating enough food often results in a preoccupation with food and persistent thoughts about what your next meal or snack will be
2 – You’re tired and cranky (more than usual)
When you go for long periods without eating your blood sugar levels tend to drop. If you don’t eat something to raise them up again, and it remains low, your ability to concentrate, be patient with others and focus on tasks diminishes.
3 – You struggle to sleep
We’ve all been there – tired but unable to sleep. It’s usually a sign of excess stress – and dieting is a stressor to the body! We consistently find that when our clients start to eat enough on a regular basis that their sleep-wake patterns start to sort themselves out.
4 – You’re constipated
When your body is consistently not getting enough calories to meet your needs, your digestive tract can start to move food through more slowly than it should in order to conserve energy. This is not a position that you will enjoy being in.
5 – Your weight loss plateaus (or even increases)
When the scale won’t move or if you start to gain weight whilst dieting, the answer is not to eat even less than you were. How many winners are there in a race to zero?! Instead of giving your body less energy, it might be time to eat more either on a short term or longer term basis.