“If you eat more than 1200 calories, you’re going to blow up.”
“If you want to lose weight you HAVE to cut out ALL carbs, sugar and dairy.”
“Working out more isn’t enough, you have to REALLY drop your calories.”
I bet at one time or another you’ve been told or thought one of the statements above. They’re pretty familiar statements in relation to diet culture.
With messages like the above, it’s really easy to become confused and lose you sense or what “enough” food really is. Not to mention what “kind” of food you should be eating.
That type of perspective can be overwhelming and hinder your progress to say the least. Regardless of if your goal is to gain strength, gain lean muscle mass, improve your energy or o overall just feel better; you’re going to need to eat.
If you consistently under-eat for a long period of time, you could be:
•Losing muscle mass
•Experiencing loss of energy and stamina, in and out of the gym
•Having a harder time recovering from activity
Are you wondering if you’re eating enough?
Here are 12 signs that you may not be eating enough food…
1.Low energy
2.Insomnia
3.Brain fog or having difficulty concentrating
4.Mood swings
5.Constipation
6.Hair loss
7.Feeling cold
8.Depression or anxiety
9.Craving sugar more than usual
10.Low sex drive
11.Infertility
12.Loss of menstrual cycle
If this sounds like it could be you, start by journaling your food.
Are you getting enough protein?
Your body needs on average 60 grams of protein a day, just to keep you alive. Read that again. Just to keep you alive. Now, if you are physically active, workout, have an active job, you are likely looking at closer to one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Minimum. Start here and slowly work your way forward.
Are you eating your veggies? High fiber carbs to help out digestion and feeling satiated?
Pick one (protein, veggies, carbs, good fats…) and working on getting a little better at just one of them for awhile. Once you feel like you’re on a good track with that, add in the next one (let’s say, eating more veggies.) So on and so forth.
Now, it’s worth noting that some of these symptoms could be due to another medical condition. As always, consult your physician if your symptoms don’t improve by increase energy input or decreased energy out put.
Are you someone 40+ and wants to get into shape, lose fat, build confidence, and become healthier? If so, click on the link below and BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION!
https://www.firstcapitalgym.com
Amber Zuver
Author Bio
Amber seeks to empower women and young girls in strength and to inspire them to not be afraid to step into the gym. Amber finds great joy in helping clients move, perform, look, and feel better! She believes that your training at the gym should transfer over into making your everyday life better as a whole, both physically and mentally.