Are You Eating Enough to Lose Weight?
Most people who want to lose weight want to lose it fast.
You may be tempted to make drastic changes in your diet to dramatically reduce the number of calories you consume. What you may not know is that eating too few calories can actually backfire and sabotage your weight-loss efforts. It seems to make sense to stop eating when you are trying to lose weight, but it actually works in the opposite way.
The most effective way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than you expend, creating a calorie deficit. However, if your calorie intake dips too low, your body could go into starvation mode and actually start to store fat, stalling your weight loss.
In addition to sabotaging your weight-loss efforts, eating too few calories can also harm your health. When your body goes into starvation mode, you are at increased risk for the following:
- Abnormally low blood pressure and slow heart rate
- Heart rhythm abnormalities
- Electrolyte imbalances, especially potassium deficiency
- Gallstones
- Hair loss
- Brittle fingernails
- Loss of menstrual periods in women
- Soft hair growth over entire body
- Dizziness
- Trouble concentrating
- Anemia
- Swelling in your joints
- Brittle bones
- Depression
Remember that calories are not your enemy. They are a vital part of a healthy and energetic life. Your body needs a certain amount of calories just to sustain proper function. This is why fad diets that force you to cut out too many calories leave you feeling lethargic, shaky, and ready to give up. Instead of opting for a fad diet, let us help you create a reasonable eating and exercise plan that allows you to lose the weight at a healthy rate, giving you the best chance of keeping it off.
