Are you dieting? Here are 5 signs to watch out for if you're concerned you might be under-eating

People keen on losing weight may go on a calorie-deficit diet and reduce calorie intake to a minimum. But it's also important to not to under-eat.

When one is trying to lose weight, often the calorie intake is reduced to create a calorie deficit, wherein the body burns more calories than the calories that are consumed through food. This deficit helps to reduce weight as the body utilises the stored fat for energy. This gap is purposely created for weight loss. But it is also important to have a mindful approach to calorie deficit and meet your daily calorie requirement.

Often in the pursuit of dropping weight and creating a calorie deficit diet, some are unknowingly under-eating. The weight loss journey sure is an amalgamation of dieting, fasting and working out, but irrefiutably requires healthy nourishment to support the body while it's losing fat. Under-eating may feel like it’s part of the calorie-deficit plan, but it’s actually not. It may even harm wellbeing as body’s appropriate dietary needs are not met.

Tanisha Vedhara, a weight loss coach has shared seven signs that you might be under-eating:

No hunger in the morning

The morning is the end of a long fast since the last meal the previous late evening. But some despite of that may not be hungry at all throughout the morning. Addressing this, Tanisha wrote, “You rarely feel hungry in the mornings. Many people who aren’t getting enough quality nutrition lose their normal hunger signals. They think it is bragging right to not be hungry…but really it isn’t a good sign.”

Slow fat loss

If you are doing everything possible, but losing fat still feels difficult, then one of the reasons one could be under-eating. She added, “Fat loss is extremely slow or almost impossible. This is a signal that your body has adapted to the under-eating and in order to lose weight you would have to go drastically low on calories. You CAN still lose weight, but it would be miserable and hard to stick to.”

Tiredness

Overall energy levels will be low when the body's nutrition levels aren't met. Tanisha explained,"Your body doesn’t feel very good. It could be muscle fatigue, tiredness or feeling bleh when you wake up. When we under-eat our metabolism slows our energy to match."

Putting on weight quickly

Under-eating also influences the metabolism levels, messing it up. Tanisha added,"You put on weight easily. It doesn’t take much … a weekend trip…a vacation…a few parties and you’ve put on 5 more pounds. That’s because your overall metabolic rate is low, so it is actually easy to OVEREAT…even if it feels the same as everyone else."

Sugar cravings

When one is not eating enough, the blood sugar levels also get affected. This increases cravings, looking for sugary treats as energy source. Tanisha explained when one craves sugar the most and said, “You have a lot of sugar cravings. Although hunger isn’t there, cravings are… especially at night or in the afternoon.”

Solution

The human body adapts a lot, so similarly to the situation of under-eating, human body slowly begins to adapt, reducing hunger, despite blaring red flag signs. Tanisha emphasized, “Here’s the crazy part… if you have been undereating for a while, your body actually gets used to it and adapts! And the only way to finally get the weight to come off is to fix it by speeding up your metabolism!!”

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.