Should I eat MORE to lose weight?
Have you ever heard of someone losing weight once they started eating MORE?
I’ve had countless clients coming to me confused- wondering if maybe they need to eat more to start seeing weight loss?
Anecdotally, there seems to be something to it. Sometimes we even hear the phrase “starvation mode” thrown around. As in, “my body couldn’t lose weight because it was in starvation mode”.
In fact, your body doesn’t hold on to fat when you aren’t eating enough. Technically there is no “starvation mode” that makes you resistant to weight loss. (If that were true, nobody would ever be able to die from starvation.)
The energy balance equation (energy in vs. energy out) is always determining whether body fat is being stored or burned, based on intake and output.
But! There are certain factors that can influence either side of the energy balance equation, and there’s also a hormonal piece at play.
When you feel like you’re not eating much, but the weight isn’t coming off there may be a few things going on, so let’s dive in.
1. You may not actually be eating less than your maintenance calories.
Eating in an energy “deficit” is required for weight loss. Meaning, you need to be taking in less calories through food than you’re using through movement, daily tasks, exercise and bodily functions like thinking and digesting food. Often when someone isn’t losing weight, that’s simply not the case.
A common pattern is “eating clean” throughout the week, and then eating far more on weekends, because you’ve been “so good”. Another common pitfall is simply not understanding the energy density of foods you’re eating. You may be eating healthy food that is simply very calorie-rich, like large quantities of nuts, avocados, peanut butter, higher-fat meats, coconut milk, butter, etc. without realizing that from an energy standpoint it’s more than you need. And then there’s also portions- you may feel like you’re having just a small serving of wine, chips, ice cream, whatever… but it’s often difficult to estimate serving size, and this can innocently wipe out a calorie deficit.
A quick pause to say- if this is you, it’s OKAY. In fact, it’s good news. This is an easy fix. Start to become more aware of the energy density of your foods (tracking a couple days can help), notice portion sizes, and eat filling, balanced meals throughout the week AND on weekends.
2. Your metabolism is slower than you realize.
OUCH. I know.
Years of yo-yo dieting, a sedentary lifestyle, carrying less muscle on your body, being very petite, or even being someone who doesn’t do a lot of non-exercise movement like twitching, or foot tapping (seriously!) can all result in a “slow” metabolism- which simply means you aren’t burning as many calories as the next gal on a daily basis. (Try not to compare yourself! Everyone is different, and that’s okay.)
This metabolic “adaptation” can also happen when you are on a weight loss journey, and suddenly you plateau. When your body size gets smaller, so does your metabolism. The more weight you lose, the “slower” your metabolism gets, simply because a smaller body doesn’t need as much energy to function.
Your metabolism isn’t broken- but if you want to continue seeing weight loss, you may want to help things along by moving more throughout the day and/or focusing on building muscle (which is more metabolically active and helps you burn more energy at rest). The type of food you eat can also impact your metabolism- protein takes more energy to digest, meaning a person eating a high protein diet will burn more calories than someone eating less protein.
3. Your body is stressed af.
Alright, here’s where we’ll talk about hormones. Physical, mental, emotional and environmental stress can all increase a hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol is meant to be released in “fight or flight” situations- running away from a tiger, for instance. Or fighting off a bad guy.
But unfortunately our bodies can’t tell the difference between real bad guys and other stressors that we experience far more frequently, such as:
A really hard workout
A poor night of sleep
A skipped meal
An argument with a loved one
An email from your boss
etc, etc.
The result? We end up walking around all day with jacked up cortisol levels and low-grade anxiety.
THE CORTISOL CONNECTION
The reason all of this matters for your weight loss journey is two-fold:
1. Increased cortisol can cause cravings for comfort food.
In some people, cravings are intensified when cortisol is higher. Specifically, you may want foods that are dense in calories and give your brain a hit of dopamine, like sugar or salty, fatty foods.
2. Cortisol can cause us to retain water.
Because cortisol levels directly impact Anti Diuretic Hormone (ADH) levels, when we’re stressed, our bodies will hold on to water. This can be significant, and can “mask” fat loss efforts. For instance, you may have lost a pound of fat this week by being in an energy deficit, but because you’re also very stressed, maybe you’re holding on to three pounds of water weight, causing the scale number to go up. You may conclude that you aren’t making any progress, when in fact you are.
In this case, the answer is simple but not always easy: reduce stress.
You may need to actively do things that help your nervous system get into “rest and digest” mode- like walking, deep breathing, flow activities, etc.
You may also need to address and reduce the stressors that are within your control- get more sleep, eat at regular times throughout the day, reduce substance use, say no to commitments that feel heavy, reduce the intensity of your workouts, and/or focus on getting adequate recovery.
So, back to our original question- when someone starts losing weight once they start to eat more, it’s likely because:
a) Eating more during the day/week has reduced their desire to overeat during evenings and weekends, helping them achieve an overall calorie deficit,
b) Eating more protein (and/or focusing on building muscle) has improved their overall metabolic rate,
or
c) Eating more frequently and not skipping meals has helped regulate thier cortisol levels, and thus they’ve released some water weight and are experiencing less cravings.
There are of course other instances in which someone may experience weight loss resistance, but these are a few of the most common ones. I hope this helps clarify why sometimes eating “more” CAN help your weight loss journey. (Though it’s more nuanced than it seems!)
Looking for support on your healthy weight loss journey? Need help putting this all into practice? The 3-month nutrition reset program is your next best step!