Not sure if you are eating enough to reach your goals?
In my nutrition coaching private practice I often see active people bust ass + not eat enough food. They have a history of endurance (ultra-runners, marathoners, cyclists, etc), CrossFit, Orange Theory, HIIT, Boot Camps, and often train 5-6x/week with no rest days (insert: face cringe)! And on top of over-training, these people are chronically under-eating. This can be intentional or unintentional. It’s not uncommon to see people eating 1200-1800 calories/day (when they often need to be crushing >2500+ calories/day). I once met a grown female eating a measly 900 calories. I ate that in breakfast alone today!
And sometimes these people are GAINING weight. Can you relate?
What gives?
Chronic cardio + dieting + restriction can lead to Metabolic Adaptation/Homeostasis. Basically this means that your body is smart and adapts and becomes efficient and learns to get by with less and less fuel. And when fuel is low, your body will deplete hormones (thyroid + sex hormones). Did I mention how important the thyroid and sex hormones are for optimal health, performance, and fat loss? The thyroid is the primary regulator of one’s metabolism. It controls everything from your energy, body temperature, and weight. While sex hormones are key players for our mood, energy, body composition, and ability to build strength and muscle.
Common signs you might not be eating enough:
How many red flags (signs/symptoms) are on your list?
- Always hungry
- Never hungry
- Cravings
- Low energy, motivation
- Poor performance/plateau/stalled progress
- Chronically sick, injured
- Inability to gain muscle/lose fat
- Irregular menstrual cycles
- PMS symptoms
- Low thyroid, hormones
- Infertility
So what do you do if you think you fall into this category?
There’s hope! Start to track your food intake for a better assessment of your actual baseline.
Check out this article I wrote previously about how to determine your calorie/macro goals: https://coachingwithabby.com/blog/customize-your-calories-macros-and-stop-eating-1500-calories-a-day/
And work with a qualified Registered Dietitian Nutrition Coach https://coachingwithabby.com/about/ that has experience with under-fueled clients. Together we can work to gradually add calories to support hormones, energy, sleep, mood, cravings, and flexibility with your diet.
If you’re ready for help, apply for a FREE Discovery Call/Coaching below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SET UP A FREE DISCOVERY CALL HERE:
https://coachingwithabby.com/apply-now/
Fuel your dreams!
Coach Abby
Registered Dietitian Nutrition Coach & Personal Trainer
