Skimping on Calories

Under-Eating-NOT a Weight Loss Strategy!

A common pitfall of dieting is to not eat enough calories. Under-eating delivers fast but temporary results. Have you been on a low-calorie diet before? As long as you can stick with eating TOO FEW calories you will see the scale move downward and sometimes rapidly. But then at some point, your progress fizzles out. Being too aggressive with weight loss makes it nearly impossible for you to keep your weight off. Here are FOUR reasons under eating doesn't work:

Reason #1: Eating TOO FEW calories causes you to lose muscle. With muscle loss there is water loss which makes you think you are doing great when you get on the scale. As you lose muscle, your metabolism creeps downward making weight loss more difficult week after week.

Reason #2: Eating TOO FEW calories sabotages your exercise program. Not getting enough fuel makes you feel more tired and less likely to exercise as much or as hard. You will be more successful by burning more calories through consistent exercise and strength training 3x week to maintain/build muscle.

Reason #3: Eating TOO FEW calories creates feelings of hunger and deprivation. Low-calorie diets feel like punishment and are a short-term approach. When they are over, rebound eating usually follows. This is where the term "yo-yo dieting" comes from.

Reason #4: Eating TOO FEW calories makes your body slow down its metabolism by as much as 20% to prevent starvation. Your body will resist weight loss. The goal is to keep your metabolism happy by eating enough -- a happy metabolism is your best weight loss friend!

Keep in mind that eating more can help you reach your ultimate goal, whereas under-eating will cause you to quit your program.

If you're hungry before meals and ready to eat, that's OK. If you're hungry after meals or have hunger pangs during the day, or are feeling extra tired, it's likely that you're not getting enough to eat.

By Greg Hottinger, Biggestloserclub.com Nutrition Expert