Bridging the Gap: Why Under Eating is NOT the Answer

In the latest episode of the RSVP Radio with Brooke podcast I had the pleasure of interviewing Emily Field, RD. Emily & I’s paths have crossed a time or two since I have been a part of the FASTer Way, but we recently reconnected in efforts to shed light on an important issue that many women face in their health & wellness journeys.

Emily is a Registered Dietitian who teaches a mindful macros approach to help women ditch nonsense food rules and depriving diet behaviors - for good. Her clients are finding it liberating to focus on how much they can do, instead of how much they weigh, when they fuel and support their body appropriately.

Here is a snapshot of what we discussed on why under eating is not your best bet when you’re trying to make a change:

Some of the most common patterns/behaviors women make to try & lose weight fall into these categories:

  • The more rigid, the better

  • The more rules, the better

  • expect immediate results 

  • eat as little as possible to see faster results

  • “earning food” with workouts

This restrictive mindset is actually doing more harm than good. It holds you back from seeing significant strength gains & lean muscle gains which is the key to improving your metabolism and changing your body shape and size. It’s also holding you back from improving your hormones, metabolism and gut health. Not to mention its depriving you of enjoying yourself and enjoying more food variety.

Here are some signs & signals that you might be under eating for your lifestyle:

  1. You’re hungry - and you may not recognize it as hunger

    • Irritable and cranky

    • Food-focused

    • “Can’t be trusted” with XXX food in the house

    • Can’t simply “wait” for dinner, have to snack before

  2. You’re not making progress in the gym

    • Using the same weights, doing the same routine

    • When asked to increase weights, you’re not able to

  3. You’re not recovering well

    • Need a nap, need a nap post workout

    • You find yourself sleeping in or needing more sleep

    • Need coffee or stimulants to get through the day 

  4. You’re constipated and not having regular bowel movements

  5. You feel like you don’t look like you workout

    • If you’re challenging yourself in the gym but you don’t have the definition to show for it

We’ve all dealt with the “calories in, calories out” model – but it doesn’t hold up any more. Why?

If calories are king for determining changes to weight, macros are king for determining changes to body composition. You know that building muscle to develop a strong-but-curvy body only happens when you lift heavy — but if you don’t have energy to put in that work, you will never be able to add another pound to the bar when strength training.

Emily is a wealth of knowledge on all things macros & using them for guiding our eating habits. Find her on Instagram or on her website for more information & her free guide to calculating your macros!

Brooke LockettComment