Most people in their lifetime will try a certain fad diet in an attempt to lose weight. Whether it’s vegan, vegetarian, paleo, ketogenic, juice, slimming world, eating only tree bark and grass…. Whatever it is, these diets work by getting you to cut something out, that then creates a calorie deficit. But what happens to the body if the deficit is too large? Can you have too big of a calorie deficit? Today we’re going to touch on some key things you need to know about your body and what major calorie deficits can do and the lasting impacts it can have on mental, physical and reproductive health.
For those of you who might be reading my blog for the first time, welcome. At this point, before diving in to the main topic of conversation I give you guys a low down on what’s been going on with me and my life in the 7 days since the previous blog, a tradition inspired by Coach Mike Robertson who runs the Physical Preparation Podcast and does the same thing in the first 3-5 minutes of his show. A while ago I wrote about investing in yourself, I did that this week. On Thursday I had a recharge day. I had the day off, slept til 12 o clock and enjoyed a duvet day watching movies and playing Madden. I don’t do that kind of thing often but I listened to my body and took the time to chill out and switch off. I suggest you try do something similar in the coming week, give your body time the time it needs to switch off and recover around this particularly busy time of year.
Basel Metabolic Rate or BMR is the amount of energy expenditure your body goes through daily, excluding exercise and activity. It’s made up of digestion, organ function, respiration and other bodily activity. Basically, it’s the energy our body uses to function and stay alive every day. This requires a certain amount of calories, individual to each person based on age, height and current weight among other things. If I don’t fuel my body with the amount of calories it needs to do these things on a long term basis, bad things will happen. It’s a fine line between sustainable calorie deficit and dangerous calorie deficit.
Some bodily systems can shut down to save the energy cost associated with it’s function. A big one that is quite common, unfortunately, is women losing their periods. This is not normal and quite dangerous to long term reproductive health in women. Now, eating under your BMR isn’t the only reason this can happen and if it does you should seek medical help but when it’s a direct cause of under-eating, it’s non-excusable.
There is a lot of ‘cool’ and quick fix diets that put people on dangerously low calories to get the results they do, but it’s not healthy. Their fancy marketing campaigns in conjunction with big Instagram influencers and the constant demand on women to look a certain way is the perfect storm for developing lasting disordered eating and associated mental health issues. Companies are continually popping with the latest juice, tea or meal replacement supplement that they cause to be the 14, 21 or 28 day answer to fat loss. You’re better off taking the 60 euro you were going to spend on tea and spend it on a consultation with a registered dietitian to work out an eating plan that works to meet your goals. Side note: fat loss is a constant lifestyle choice, not a 28 super detox burner cleanse.
Anyway, the biggest problem to the way these companies create their major deficits is the subtraction of real food, and as a result, macro and micro nutrients. Instead, you’re getting a highly processed product that your body is working hard to digest and take what it can instead of good, whole food. Many people end up trying to get their nutrients and vitamins from manufactured products when they’re on these diets because real food is too sinful to eat.
Hopefully material like this blog along with people like James Smith (@jamessmithpt) and Rebecca Nolan (@tea.to.triceps) on Instagram can help spread the word of healthy calorie deficits and how to make better eating choices to support your lifestyle. Remember, food is fuel. Fuel for our body to do the things it needs to do to survive. You can achieve great fat loss in a small deficit over time while maintaining muscle mass and in some cases even putting on muscle mass. Remember, the best results come from good nutrition choices and a consistent, progressive training programme.
If there’s anyone reading this who may have been impacted by some of the stuff brought up this week, whether it’s bodily system shut downs, disordered eating or anything else please feel free to contact me and I can help point you in the direction of someone who can help.
Have a great week guys,
Rory.