Are You Eating Enough?

When we think of losing weight, the first thing that pops into our head is to cut back on calorie (food) intake.  While in theory that sounds correct, there's much more to consider than just reducing the amount of food you eat.  I'm going to pick on the ladies for a moment.  We all know that one girl/woman who only eats salads because she is trying to lose weight.  Again, in theory, it sounds like she would be losing weight by reducing her caloric intake to only salads.  While she may see weight loss, there are other factors to consider. 

Before we continue, let's look at something called the "energy balance equation".  Don't freak out, it's not a complicated math equation!!  Essentially it looks like this:


Calories In < Calories Out = Weight Loss
Calories In > Calories Out = Weight Gain
Calories In = Calories Out = Weight Maintenance


Nothing fancy and not complicated at all.  If you take in more calories than you burn/expend then you will gain weight; if you burn more calories than you take in then you will lose weight.  This equation has been around for many years and I'm positive that it will not change.  So take a moment to look at this equation and put it into perspective...look at your calories in versus calories out.  Which part of the equation do you fall under?

So weight loss should be that simple, right?  If it were, we wouldn't have an obesity epidemic on our hands in America.  Let's go back to our original scenario of the woman who only eats salads to lose weight.  She WILL lose weight this way, however, she will also lose lean mass (muscle) and will be vitamin and mineral-deficient in many areas.  On the outside she may look "healthy" with her weight loss but she is doing damage to her body and health by losing weight in this manner.

When considering weight loss, you need to remember the energy balance equation and then balance that with proper nutrition AND exercise.  If you haven't heard, it takes 3,500 calories to burn one-pound of fat.  That means you need to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 (preferably through nutrition and exercise) to get rid of one pound of fat on your body.  You can accomplish this in a week by creating a deficit of 500 calories per day for seven days (i.e., 500 x 7 = 3,500).  For example, you can meet this deficit by reducing your calorie intake by 250 calories and burning (exercising) 250 calories.  Thus totaling 500 calories.

Did I just lose you?  Let's go back to our example for a moment.  While the energy balance equation still allows you to lose weight by burning more calories than you consume, it shouldn't be taken to the extreme.  If the woman in our example is exercising and eating a drastically-reduced calorie diet, her body will begin to utilize valuable muscle tissue to meet the needs of her metabolism.  What this means is if she is not taking in enough calories to meet the basic needs of metabolism (breathing, moving, digestion, etc.) then her body will look for other means of calorie intake...muscle.  By losing lean mass or muscle tissue, her metabolism will further slow down which will make weight loss even more difficult.

Ultimately, we see many people here at PROMATx Health Club who are not consuming enough calories in order to lose weight and meet their goals.  How does the average person figure out what level of calories they should have in a day?  There are many options on the internet that can ESTIMATE how many calories you need based on your age, weight, and activity levels.  To be more accurate, you should have a health and fitness professional determine this for you.  Make an appointment with our nutrition specialist and you can find out just how many calories you need on a daily basis to sustain life at your activity level.  Then you can dive deeper and learn how to balance exercise and proper nutrition to help reach your weight loss goals!!

I know it sounds crazy, but you can't just dramatically reduce your calorie intake.  People look at us like our heads are on backwards when we tell them they are not eating enough to lose weight.  There's a fine line there and our fitness and nutrition professionals here at PROMATx can assist you.

With the proper guidance, you can achieve weight loss and maintain a healthy body.  Don't sacrifice your body just to lose weight.  Do it right and you will be successful!!