Something I feel very passionately about is not prescribing clients an extremely low-calorie diet.
Some calorie tracking apps will do this and unfortunately, some coaches do not feel the same way I do. Most grown active woman need more than 1,200 calories and most grown active men need more than 1,400 calories a day. (Please note that very low-calorie diets can be prescribed but this should be from a medical professional, i.e. A registered dietitian or a doctor) A lot of the time coaches do this is so they can use your before and after photos to market themselves but what happens after coaching?
Using this method does not provide you with the tools you need to navigate real life when you are not dieting.
When calories are drastically cut this will affect your energy levels and you are also likely to see a decrease in NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) this is the energy expended for everything we do that is not eating, sleeping, participating in sports, and going to the gym. Therefore, leading to the number of calories that you burn on a day-to-day basis to decrease.
You are also likely to see a dip in your performance at the gym and a decrease in your recovery.
Look at consuming food the same way you would fueling your car, would you expect it to make a full journey with only a half tank? So why is it we would expect this of our body, it is so important that we feed ourselves properly.
Undereating can lead to binging food. When you are correctly feeding your body there will be no need to get to the evening and overeat which is then putting you in a surplus. Severe restriction can lead to overeating.
On top of this when you are consuming a very low calories you are likely to be not getting enough of the vitamins, minerals, essential fats, and fibre that your body needs to function.
Yes, you will illicit fat loss on a very low-calorie diet, this however becomes practically impossible to stick to for the time it takes to get to your fat loss goal. Instead look to putting in place habits that you can implement and stick to in your day-to-day life.
With a very low-calorie diet you will get quick results it will just be more difficult to stick to, you aren’t going to enjoy the process and you run the risk of damaging your relationship with food.
Healthy nutrition is also about creating a healthy relationship with food.
Also, I don’t know about you but I am not the best person to be around when I am “hangry”.
If you need any help with the amount of calories you should be consuming or with forming healthy habits please feel free to drop me message.
