Busting the Diet Stigma Part 3: When your deficit is too much

This is part 3 of a series of blogs that will help bust the Diet stigma and change the way you think about nutrition as a whole.

At some time or another, you have been told that calories in need to be less than calories burned or that you need to have a caloric deficit to lose weight. It isn't wrong, but I want to be clear, you still need to eat and eat enough!

Every single day your body burns calories while it breathes, moves, and pumps blood, for digestion and other basic human functions. This is called your Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. Essentially, you burn calories to stay alive every day. Then toss in a few calories burned for activities of daily activity. Combined, you have a basic calorie burn every single day whether you workout or not.

You need enough calories to support this. They need to be healthy, well-balanced calories so that your body has all the nutrients and fuel it needs to live. Then when you add workouts and more daily movements, you add things like muscle building. Again, you need proper calories and nutrients to support these functions.

I'm not a big advocate for counting calories, but understanding basic caloric needs can be immensely helpful when it comes to weight loss. Generally, the average calorie intake for women at the most basic level is anywhere from 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day. However, when calories are counted, women often only eat 1,200-1,500 calories a day. Now add 200-400 (sometimes more) for workouts or extra activity (hello chasing toddlers!) each day. That means, as an active female, in order to support your body properly and maintain your weight, you should be eating 2,000-2,400+ calories a day! Imagine if you are part of the percentage of women who only eat 1,200-1,500 calories a day. YOU ARE 1,000 CALORIES SHORT. In order to lose one pound a week, you should only have a 500-calorie deficit each day.

Cutting your calories too much can severely harm your ability to lose weight. Here is what happens when you undercut: it triggers your body to start preparing for a famine. Yes, that sounds a bit dramatic, but it's true. Our bodies are designed to protect themselves. Your BMR declines, exercise becomes more difficult, the overall energy is reduced, you move less, and digestion slows, basically, this is all in an effort to save and conserve energy (especially fat). Your body will cut whatever corners it can, that also means that some of your bodily functions will be reduced and you may even turn to burn muscle instead of fat for energy.

You need enough calories to support a well-functioning system. You need all your organs and muscles to be working as optimally as possible. When you work out, you need calories to build and repair muscle growth, have energy, and support the workout itself.

Ways to know you might be underrating:

You have constant headaches
You are always thinking about food
You are never fully satisfied with meals/snacks
You are always battling the mid-day fatigue
Your sleep is never good quality

Even if you are not counting your calories, you can try to add some in and see how you feel. Go with slow, strategic intentions. In other words, add one healthy snack or side each day (so if you are eating 3 times a day, now you should be eating 4) for a whole week. See what happens. Did the headache stops, or your sleep improve? If the answer is still no, or you still haven't lost any weight, add another snack or side each day (think going from 4-5 meals or snacks) for the whole week 2.

It can be quite liberating and exciting to be able to eat MORE and see weight loss. Again, be careful not to go crazy at first and take it slow. It can be the difference between having a bun vs a lettuce wrap, or an apple in the afternoon, but a difference it can make!

This is part 3 of a 5 part series "Busting the Diet Stigma". Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.

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Reach out if you have any further questions at any time!

Jen@momsfitlife.com

Live your life confidently!