People who work out at Habitat Health and Fitness know that continuously eating more calories than you require causes weight gain. It’s the first thing most overweight people learn about weight control. What most people don’t search for are signs you actually need to eat more calories. It may sound like a dream come true, but it isn’t. It’s just as hard to gain weight as it is to lose it. Too few calories can interfere with the functions of the body and lead to critical health issues.
If you don’t have enough energy to complete normal daily activities, you may need more calories.
Exhaustion from doing simple tasks can occur for several reasons. Some reasons are serious health conditions that require medical attention. One that can be prevented is the lack of calories. The body uses calories for energy. If there aren’t enough calories, it uses body fat. Once the body fat is depleted, it breaks down the protein in the body for energy. All along, weight loss and exhaustion can become a problem, particularly over longer periods.
Too few calories can cause mood swings.
If your temper is shorter than usual or you’re laughing one minute and crying the next, it could be from too few calories. A calorie deficiency can cause hormone levels to change, which can lead to mood changes, depression, and irritability. Besides low calorie intake, nutritional deficiencies can also occur. Each type of deficiency comes with its own side effects, which also are clues you’re not eating enough.
While losing weight is one sign, gaining weight may be another.
Weight management is tricky. It requires balancing the number of calories consumed with the amount burned. If you consistently consume too few calories, it can slow your metabolism. That can cause weight gain or difficulty managing weight. Some people starve themselves for a while to shed extra pounds and then go back to normal dietary habits and immediately regain the weight and sometimes more. That can occur because of a slower metabolism caused by too few calories for lengthy periods.
- Ironically, even though exhaustion may be one sign, the inability to sleep is another. This instinct came from early man who remained awake to hunt when there were too few calories in his diet.
- If you notice your hair is thinning, it might be from too few calories and the nutrients you aren’t receiving from not eating the foods providing calories.
- Infertility can be a problem if you eat too few calories. It can promote hormonal imbalances causing periods to cease. Low calorie intake or low body fat percentage interferes with hormones and signals the body that pregnancy shouldn’t take place.
- If you’re always feeling cold, tired, or hungry, make sure your calorie count isn’t too low. It can cause all three things to occur. Too few calories can also cause constipation.
For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health & Fitness