You step on the scale and before your eyes, POOF, your weight has increased. Instinctually, you decide to start cutting calories. Maybe you skip breakfast, maybe lunch now consists of only a protein shake or perhaps you decide that dinner isn’t for you. While you may think this is a fool-proof plan for dropping pounds, you could be doing your body more harm than good.
Gym failure – a major issue with drastically cutting calories is its effect on your performance. In order to kill it at the gym, you need proper nutrition. During an intense workout, your muscles get broken down and your body burns calories. If you’re not feeding your body enough calories, it simply cannot repair itself. Remember, when building muscle, the magic happens when you rest and feed the muscles. By not properly fueling your body means not only will you become weaker at the gym, you’ll likely stop seeing results in muscle growth.
Crazy, hangry mood swings – by now you’ve likely heard the term “hangry.” Hangry is a way to describe a person who is so hungry they become irritable, angry and moody. Running on empty not only weakens your body, it weakens your mind as well. Going on too few of calories will lead to low blood sugar, that uneasy shaky feeling, sweating, headaches and inevitably that hangry, moody stage of the day. If feeling bad weren’t enough to send you reaching for a protein pick me up, the decrease in your mental performance should. Along with the mood swings, you’re likely also to experience brain fogginess, forgetfulness, a dip in creativity and lack of focus. Not exactly a recipe for success is it? Keep in mind that to be successful in your weight loss journey you must find some enjoyment in it, as its going to take time.
Bye-bye pretty hair – along with changes to your metabolism and your metal clarity, eating too little can also lead to hair loss. In fact, hair loss is one of the first indicators of a calorie and protein deficient diet. The body combats the feeling of starvation by adjusting your hormones. This dip in hormones like progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen lead to you finding handfuls of your gorgeous locks rinsing down the drain.
Say so long to sleep – when your body isn’t receiving the calories it needs to function, it will struggle to be at rest. Between the shift in hormones and the blood sugar roller coaster, falling asleep can seem impossible. For those who are lucky enough to drift off to sleep, staying asleep is a whole other story. Going to bed underfed can lead to hunger pangs, cravings and headaches that can wake you in the night and make drifting back off to sleep a serious struggle. Sleep is also very important when it comes to weight loss and something that should not be overlooked.
Consistent low calories that are not realistic leads to bingeing, sending you right back where you started. Trust me, I know how it feels to be in weight loss panic mode, but severely slashing your calories is not the way to go. Take the time to calculate your proper calorie count and macros. Remember, slow and steady truly wins the race when it comes to fat loss. Once you figure out your formula for success, you’ll realize that you don’t have to be hungry to be successful!
And of course if you need help figuring out the right amount of food for your body I would love to help you! Visit my various Nutrition Plans here.
