Eat More to Lose More Weight - Yes, it Works!

Can eating more food actually help you lose weight? Counterintuitive as it sounds, the answer is yes! Let's break it down in our 5-minute read.

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Cutting Too Many Calories Backfires

Slashing your calorie intake seems logical for shedding pounds. But when taken too far, it can slow metabolism and cause binges. When we restrict food intake our body goes into survival mode and increases the rate at which we store fat. Furthermore, hunger can drive us to overeat or binge after a period of restriction – not a productive approach for health or weight loss.

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Benefits of Eating More

Consuming enough calories for YOU can prevent muscle loss, allow diet freedom, and avoid triggering reactive binges (and is far more achievable than the restrictive alternatives!). Frustrating as it is, when you cut too many calories, your body will revert to burning muscle, instead of fat as it is the road of least resistance for energy production. This doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to eat to excess or eat the wrong stuff – simply that eating enough of the right quality, nutrient dense foods is a more effective and sustainable approach to weight management than starvation or restriction. Think veggies, protein and fibre – but more on this below.

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Signs You Could be Undereating

Constant hunger, low energy, moodiness, dizzy spells, difficulty concentrating, cravings and headaches - these cues may indicate you need more sustenance. If you are trying to lose weight, you shouldn’t force yourself to feel hungry, this isn’t great for your body or your mental health and is not sustainable. Try to focus on veggies, lean sources of protein (such as eggs, poultry, meat and fish, nuts & seeds, and beans & legumes) with plenty of fibre (from veggies but also in wholegrains such as wholegrain rice, oats and quinoa). This combination of veg-heavy eating with sufficient protein and fibre is the golden ticket to good health & successful weight management. You can lose body fat without having to feel hungry!

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Move More

Another key part of healthy weight management is to move your body regularly. Whether that is hiking, exercises classes, swimming, playing team sports, running, going to the gym or walking the dog. Walking is a particularly effective and accessible way to burn fat, support cardiovascular health and support healthy weight management. You can further boost your daily movement by taking the stairs instead of the lift, walking or cycling to work, organising activities at the weekend, and parking further away from the supermarket entrance and walking over. ?But remember, you can’t out-exercise a bad diet!

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The bottom line – don’t be afraid to eat enough calories/food in a day for you and don’t get too hung up about the exact number of calories. If you’re eating the right stuff, it is difficult to overeat as the fibre will keep you nice and full throughout the day – goodbye food cravings and hunger pangs!

Try to be smart about food choices; make small, consistently better choices to see the most benefits over the long run and not only lose weight but sustain the results long-term. And remember that undereating can make weight loss extremely difficult!

Let me know if an "eat more to lose more" approach could work for you!

Let me know what you thought of this week’s Nutrition in 5 or what topics you want covered next!

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