Dieting can be a tricky and frustrating process. Maybe you feel like you’ve been on your weight loss journey for too long without making any progress. You work out, you cut out sweets, you count calories like a maniac, and yet the number on the scale has barely budged. If you feel stuck, you shouldn’t give up, but you may need to change the way you do things. In fact, you may be making a common mistake that many dieters fall victim to time and time again: not eating. sufficient.
You read that right: you might actually be eating too little to lose weight. To learn more about how restriction could be preventing you from reaching your weight loss goals and ruining your metabolism, we spoke to registered dietitian Anne Murray, MS, RDN. Find all his opinions and expert advice below!
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Not eating enough
If you’re trying to lose weight, you might think the best way to do it as quickly as possible is to drastically reduce the amount of food you eat. After all, fewer calories are better, right? It turns out that’s not the case at all. In fact, experts agree that one of the worst weight loss mistakes you can make is following a very restrictive diet and eating too little. This can have serious consequences for your overall health, possibly even leading to slow metabolism and ultimately weight gain.
If you want to maintain a good metabolism (which is an essential part of healthy weight loss), it’s crucial that you eat enough every day. “If you don’t eat enough, you in turn slow down your metabolism,” Murray warns. “Your body has to adjust to your daily calorie intake and if you’re low on fuel for long periods of time, it can take a long time to get your metabolism back up and running.”
Another major risk to consider is that of overeating. Of course, if you’re trying to follow a restrictive 1000 calorie diet (hint: never do that!), the idea is that eating so little will lead to faster weight loss, but often times this will actually result in binge eating later. , causing weight gain instead. “When you starve yourself during the day, you’re more likely to eat a lot at night because your body needs fuel,” says Murray. “It’s better to eat those calories throughout the day to fuel your body and balance blood sugar, rather than eating too late at night to compensate for the restriction earlier in the day.”
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Eat balanced meals instead
Instead of following crash diets and extreme calorie restrictions, the healthiest and most sustainable way to lose weight is always to prioritize eating a well-balanced diet that can provide you with all the nutrients your body needs. need to thrive. “When building a balanced meal, include protein, carbs, fat, and fiber,” Murray reminds us. “An example of a healthy meal might look like a bowl of salmon and brown rice with avocado and broccoli. This meal contains all 4 components of a balanced diet!” If you eat well-balanced meals like this regularly, limit your intake of processed foods, and stick to a good workout routine, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your weight loss goals – no restrictions necessary!
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