Eat More, Lose More – Yes, It’s Possible!

“Eating too little food can send the body into famine mode, causing metabolism to drop, reducing the number of calories burned, and undercutting weight-loss efforts, said registered dietitian Libby Gordon. RD Kristin Koskinen says eating too few calories also may reduce non-exercise activity thermogenesis, which is the energy expended by the body doing regular activities, such as cleaning, cooking and fidgeting.”- Shape online (8/16/18)

I think most people would be surprised by the number of weight loss clients I encourage to eat MORE food. It’s a concept that sounds too good to be true. However, in this case, it is not…unless taken out of context. The goal here is to eat more of the foods that nourish and fuel your body, not just more of any type of food in general.

Restricting one’s caloric intake too drastically sends the body into a mode of desperation and fear. Your body is unsure when it will be fed next, and thus holds tightly to whatever calories you do consume in case it doesn’t receive any for a while to come. By increasing food intake, particularly by increasing the frequency of your “meals”, this state of despair can be avoided. Rather than putting a death grip on all calories consumed, your body instead uses this food as fuel. Not only do you then burn more calories through your workouts, you also burn more calories at rest/doing very standard daily activities (such as those mentioned in the quote above).

If you are hesitant to increase your daily caloric intake due to fear of weight gain, it is best to attempt such dietary changes under the supervision and guidance of a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). An RDN will be able to advise you on which foods to add to your diet (and possibly which foods to remove), what time of day certain foods should be consumed, etc. in an effort to help you meet your nutrition-related health goals. If you feel that you might fall into the category of eating very little food while remaining unable to lose weight, contact myself or another RDN today to start receiving assistance!