I would say that out of ten gals who come my way for coaching, at least five are way under eating for their body’s needs. Without revealing too much on my coaching systems, I look to see how gals are fueling their bodies over time. I have them report to me their actual intake and food choices, all while encouraging them NOT to diet and to be real when tracking and showing me their food choices (don’t eat what you think I want you to eat!)
Many, many, many times people are eating way below their basal metabolic rate, their BMR, the amount it takes to just make your heart beat, your digestion move, and your system function. They’re eating less and doing more because that is what common diet methods tell us: starve to lose. Well, ok, it might make the scale move for a few weeks, but most of that is just water loss and how long can you really restrict yourself to that level?
Here are some guidelines I look for and some self-checks one can use now to get an idea of the intake needed to fuel their body’s basic needs (BMR) and their daily activity and training:
-To maintain your current weight: 14-17x your current body weight
EXAMPLE: 14 x 150 pounds=2100 calories/day
-To lose weight: 10-14x your current body weight; 12 would be for an inactive individual and 14 would be for a more active individual.
EXAMPLE: 12 x 150 pounds=1800 calories/day to lose
-All-time lowest amount: 10x body weight; this is the base number I don’t like to take people below, however, MANY GALS COME IN LOWER THAN THIS! 10x the body weight is often used for those in preparation for a bodybuilding contest in conjunction with intense cardio and training, but is not advisable for the general population.
EXAMPLE: 10 x 130 pounds= 1300 calories/day to accomodate the agressive fat loss phase; this is very short term and reverses up after the show; again, NOT for the general public
So, where do you fall? Some words of caution: if your numbers come in below 10 x your current body weight, there are strategies in my Online Coaching I use to help one reverse up out of their current deficit and slowly add in more calories. When clients are mentally ready to get on board with it (many fight me to eat more food!), we get very good results from this, repair the metabolism, make changes to body composition in time, and give the body what it wants: fuel and energy!
To close, one source from CoachCalorie .com adds these comments that I feel we all need to consider. It’s not about eating less, it’s about eating enough!
“One of the top reasons diets fail is because people eat too few calories. When you do this, you force your body to slow down its metabolism.
This causes all kinds of hormonal changes that work against you and your fat loss goals. Hormones such as testosterone, thyroid, and growth hormone are all negatively affected. Make sure that when you diet you are keeping your metabolism high, and you will be well on your way towards success, instead of deciding what diet you’re going to try next.”
Questions, Comments, Coaching Inquiries? I’d love to connect with you!
-Mindy
