The belief that eating fewer calories aids in losing and maintaining weight is a widely spread notion. Disbelieving it and stating that under-eating or reducing calories can result in weight gain is challenging and quite difficult. Many studies do indicate that taking fewer calories can help with weight loss management.
Under-eating is where an individual consumes fewer nutrients than the body needs to complete all of its functions. Conscious lessening of calorie intake while keeping count can work to your advantage and help lose and maintain weight in the long run. However, under-eating means a drastic change in calorie intake, thus low energy production and reduced metabolism. Studies show that such an occasion can result in deficiencies, infertility, medical condition such as osteoporosis, and weight gain.
How Does Under-eating Result in Weight Gain?
Reduces Metabolic Rate
Eating fewer calories than normal places your body into starvation mode, reducing your metabolic rates. Studies show that taking less than normal calories decreases the rate at which the body burns the calories. Studies show that the condition perseveres even after resuming normal eating habits, thus the weight gain. It also explains why 80% of individuals adhering to a diet for a specific period of time results in weight gains after the period is over.
According to the Michigan Medical Health Library, a low number of calorie intake also reduces muscle formation. People often avoid proteins and carbohydrates that are essential in muscle formation and energy during a routine workout. Since the body preserves the fats in the body when the calorie count is low, any more fat you take regardless of partaking in intensive routines does not burn up to produce energy.
Hormonal Imbalance
Food is an essential player in the amount and type of hormones the body produces. By undereating, you risk infertility. According to medical studies by NCBI, 22-42% of the women taking fewer calories into their bodies to maintain their weight have suppressed reproductive functions. Others show that it reduces estrogen levels in the body and can have lasting effects on your bones and overall heart health.
Low-calorie intake causes an imbalance in your stress hormones. Chronic stress heavily impacts your weight loss plan. The hormone cortisol released in stressful events induces hunger according to medical studies. Overindulgence in high-calorie food has an opposite effect for individuals wishing to lose weight.
Can Cause Depression
Calorie intake does not only contribute to fat storage in the body. It also provides for body energy or fuel responsible for different functionalities, including mental health. If you feel physical fatigue, your mental health undergoes a similar process. Managing cognitive, respiration, and digestive functions require energy the body retrieves from the calories you take. According to medical studies by the National Center for Eating Disorders in the UK, their absence results in depression, panic attacks, withdrawal from society, and more.
Possible Solutions
Calculate and Know Your Calorie Intake
Restrict your calorie intake to amounts that include whole foods to provide the body with ample nutrients to burn and support bodily functions. Studies indicate that the quality of food you take in controlled quantities determine weight loss and not the smaller micronutrients present in the food. For instance, calculate your daily calorie intake and ensure you get enough to cover the day’s bodily functions without depriving it of its energy.
Body and Way of Life Fitness make it a point to ensure that you have a fitness and nutritionists to guide you during your weight loss period. Our personal trainers provide you with a routine schedule and nutrition plan to feed adequately while working out to maintain or lose weight.
Food is a major source of fuel that allows our bodies to function. When partaking on a weight loss journey, avoid undereating as it deprives the body of essential nutrients. Seek fitness and weight loss instructors from fitness centers such as the Body and Way of Life Fitness in Miami, Florida, for guidance. With that, you get to lose weight, maintain your health and weight in the long run.