Not Seeing Weight Loss Results
Eating 1,200 – 1,400 calories and NOT seeing Results?
Not Seeing Weight Loss Results…Can you relate? If so, please know that you are not alone! I’ve been there and I see it often with the ladies who come to me for nutrition coaching.
Eating below your energy needs is extremely common among women (Thank you diet culture!) and oftentimes it prevents them from getting the results they want. In fact, chronically under-eating, intermittent fasting, and restriction of specific food groups can lead to hormone imbalance, metabolic down-regulation, and thyroid problems, all of which can actually cause weight gain.
Here are 7 signs that you are eating too little and have been for too long:
- You can go half the day without feeling hungry
- You get full quickly
- You have cravings for salt or sweet treats all the time
- You’re tired and cranky
- You don’t get restful quality sleep
- You’re constipated
- You’re weight plateaus or increases
Now, you don’t have to have all 7 of these signs, even just 1 of them could be a sign that you have been under-eating for far too long.
So what should you do, when Your Not Seeing Weight Loss Results?
First, we have to repair the damage done to your metabolism, to your hormones, and the ONLY way to do this is by eating enough food. But how much is enough food? Click here to Calculate your Calorie and Protein Needs. This calculator will give you 4 options based on your personal goals, but right now your goal should not be to lose weight. I know that’s what you want, but this is not what your body can do right now.
If you have been under-eating and you are seeing any of the signs above, then you need to first live at maintenance, work to repair your metabolism, balance your hormones, and then you can work to lose the unwanted weight.
Increasing your calories and eating enough protein is not only going to solve all of the problems above but it is also going to help you to kickstart your weight loss, by priming your metabolism for weight loss. Many of my clients actually start to see the fat come off as they start feeding their bodies more food and eating enough protein. Their clothing starts fitting better, bloating is reduced, and they feel better when they look in the mirror!
So, how long should you live at maintenance?
Many people try to cheat this phase but you can’t cheat it, you can’t shorten it, you have to show your body that it can trust you, and you have to truly repair the damage that has been done. Living at maintenance for too short of a period of time will only cause all these symptoms to come right back once you do try to lose weight again. My recommendation is to live at maintenance for no less than 2.5 months. But the longer you live at maintenance the better for your health, metabolism, hormones, and your future weight loss.
When can you switch to the fat loss phase?
Once all your above symptoms are gone and you have lived at maintenance for a minimum of 2.5 months (10 weeks) eating the full amount of calories and hitting your protein every single day. Then and only then can you switch to a fat loss phase, and this is the soonest. Again the longer you can stay at maintenance the better!
But once you switch to a fat loss phase you cannot stay there forever. The longest I ever recommend a client stay in a fat loss phase is 12 weeks. After that, you have to move back to maintenance and live at maintenance for a period of time. And if you still have more weight to lose then you can go back to a fat loss phase. This process can repeat itself until you have reached your end goal weight. But remember once you have reached that goal weight you need to increase your calories back to your maintenance calories and live there…DO NOT LIVE at your reduced weight loss calories or you will eventually cause damage to your metabolism again, and you will start to see the weight slowly come back.
Worried about increasing your calories? Think that you are going to gain weight?
This is the number one thing my clients are worried about when I tell them we need to focus on rebuilding/repairing their metabolism. But guess what, this is NOT something you need to worry about! I work with my clients through this process all of the time. The most any of my clients has ever gained was 3 pounds, but guess what??? Those 3 pounds didn’t hang around for long. Within a short period of time those 3 pounds melted off! Then once we switched to the fat loss phase the fat continued to just melt off!
Have you been under-eating and not seeing results? Are you ready to do what it takes to not only lose fat in a sustainable way,but also repair your metabolism, have more energy, sleep better, and just overall live a healthier life? Then I would LOVE to chat with you and see if we are the right fit to work together! Click here to book a FREE 45-minute discovery call. We will talk through your goals, what you have tried in the past, what has worked and what hasn’t. I’ll share with you how I would help you and then you can decide if working together is the right move for you!
