we all understand the importance of fueling our bodies for general health and physique goals, but if we're crazy busy or adapted to our routine, it's hard to know if we’re actually eating enough. making sure we’re getting in enough calories with the right macronutrients is so key!
when we’re under-fueling, our body tells us it's struggling with different symptoms. we’re going over all the signs you should look out for showing you need to increase your intake.
7 signs you're not eating enough:
- poor sleep - we need enough nutrients for our bodies to release melatonin, helping us fall and stay asleep.
- high fatigue - if we're not eating enough, there’s a good chance we're hangry without even realizing it. under-eating also raises stress hormones and depletes the hormones that keep us calm and relaxed.
- poor recovery - we need enough protein, fat and carbs for our muscles to recover from exercise. chronic under-eating inhibits our recovery and causes extra soreness and fatigue.
- hair loss or brittle nails - with lack of nutrients, our bodies prioritize only necessary functions to keep us alive, not including hair or nail health.
- weight loss resistance - when our bodies are under-nourished, they don’t care about losing weight no matter how hard we push. all energy at this point goes into other bodily functions, not including metabolism.
- gut issues / bloating - being in a chronic deficit is a massive stress on the body. high stress will cause gut issues / imbalances, resulting in bloating or indigestion.
- cycle issues or lack of cycle - same theme here of our body will not put energy into certain bodily functions if it’s not fed enough! loss of cycle or heavy pms symptoms are very common with consistent undereating.
if this is you, know that so many of these signs are very easily fixed by increasing your intake. do this through increasing portion sizes of what you’re already eating, leaning into more calorie dense options, and finding convenient ways to get in calories even when you're on the go!
many of the people who struggle with under-eating are those who are constantly busy and running from one thing to the next, making it difficult to get in the right amount of calories. beam’s protein powders are super helpful here since they’re convenient and easy to pack with you! they mix well into smoothies, hot cereals, baked goods, or just on their own! beam offers whey and vegan options, and you’ll look forward to amazing flavors like chocolate peanut butter or brown sugar oatmeal 🙂
we promise your body will thank you for giving it the fuel it needs. if you’re wanting to monitor this closely, tracking your food through an app like my fitness pal can be helpful to monitor your intake and ensure you're getting enough of the right macronutrients!