I get new clients that will come to me eating roughly 1200-1500 calories per day wanting to lose weight. While there is nothing wrong with that goal, their timeline is a little off. Weight loss happens when we are in a calorie deficit. I’d say 90% of the people who are eating 1200-1500 calories per day are either not tracking on the weekends, binging at some point throughout the week, or feel constantly run down and low on energy. At this point, you have two options: 1. Drop calories even lower and say a quick prayer, apologize to your thyroid/hormones and cross your fingers that they don’t completely fall apart OR 2. Slowly increase calories, fuel your body properly and consistently so your metabolism can learn how to be efficient again and THEN maybe drop into a cut a bit later.
I get it, increasing calories can be scary and is completely counter-intuitive to weight loss. Here are some positives that can and likely will happen when you let yourself eat more:
1. Your energy increases – more energy, better workouts, more activity in general during the day (aka you actually end up burning more calories during the day without even trying because you’ll naturally be more active)
2. Your metabolism increases – your body starts to use the food you are giving it and normal body functions work better (less bloating, consistent bathroom use, etc.)
3. You crave less ‘junk’ – the more we fuel ourselves with nutrient dense foods, the less we crave the chips, sweets, candy, etc.
4. Body composition changes – this will depend on your workouts but if you are strength training, your body will use that food to help build your muscles and that will reflect in your body composition, even if the number on the scale doesn’t really move
5. You start to lose weight – yep! It’s possible! You can lose weight once you start eating more and eating more consistently.
Trust the process. Lifestyle changes don’t just happen overnight. It may take a few weeks to get into a rhythm and learn what works for you in terms of food breakdown, finding meals that keep you satisfied, etc. Allowing yourself to eat more will help you be more successful in the long run and that’s all that matters.
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