3 Signs You Need More Calories
By Genevieve Cunningham
When it comes to losing weight (or even maintaining), it’s all about the calories in versus calories out. We have to burn more than we take in, and we have to do it on a regular basis. While this might seem simple, it rarely is. It’s hard to find the sweet spot when it comes to calories. Are we taking in too many? Should we cut back again? But sometimes the problem is not that we’re taking in too many, but rather too few! If you haven’t found the perfect caloric intake for your body, take a look at these signs that you’re not getting enough.
You Have Headaches or Feel Dizzy
If your diet is causing dizzy spells or random headaches, you’re definitely not eating enough. Both of these are signs of malnutrition. Your body is burning more than you have to offer, and this is causing the unwanted side effects. Increase your caloric intake with healthy foods (veggies and lean meats!) to help get rid of these dizzy spells without ruining your weight loss goals.
Your Weight Loss Has Stalled
It might sound quite contradictory, but sometimes eating too few calories can actually cause weight loss to stall out. The body thinks it’s starving, and as a result, it slows down your metabolism and stores almost everything you give it. If this is happening to you, and you’ve recently cut your calories in a big way, add back a hundred or so at a time until you find that caloric sweet spot.
You’re Constantly Hungry
You’re not supposed to be constantly hungry. If you eat the right foods, you should feel hungry on occasion, but for the most part, you should feel satisfied and relatively full. If you don’t, you may not be taking in enough calories on a regular basis. Take in a few more calories of healthy foods, and you may find the hunger subside, which makes it much easier to sustain the healthy diet long-term.
Most of us only think about cutting calories, but sometimes it’s the opposite problem. When we don’t get enough, it can cause just as many problems as when we’re getting too many. If these problems are apparent in your life, readjust your calories, and you may find your body respond quickly and your health improve like never before.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Aiken, S.C.