​Is your body broken, or is it all in your head?

​Is your body broken, or is it all in your head?
Or can you actually gain weight from eating too little?
Feel llike you aren’t eating enough but still don’t see the scale weight coming down?
 
Few reasons why this may be:
The law of thermodynamics:
Energy in < Energy out.
 
Thermodynamics is a way to express how energy is used and changed.
 
Put simply, we take in energy in the form of food, and we expend energy through activities like:

• basic metabolic functions (breathing, circulating blood, etc.)
• movement (daily-life activity, purposeful exercise, etc.)
• producing heat (also called thermogenesis)
• digestion and excretion

 
But measuring your exact metabolic rate is tricky and, not only that but the idea of “Im eating too little” is very subjective and more often that not a lot of the problems we face with undereating/over eating is perception.
 
What you can do about it…
 
Measure your intake.

• Use whatever method works for you:
• Options include logging in a  food app such as my fitness pal, using spoons, scales, pictures et
• Track for a few days to a whole weeks, especially if food choices differ on a weekend. We are often surprised by the total calories actually consumed.

 
Don’t be so hard on yourself.

• Being strict and really vigilant about your food can often cause increased stress and have the opposite effect of what we actually want to achieve. Research has shown that having a more relaxed approach allows you to make better food choices, stick to your fitness goals and allow you to make more adult like decisions and will in turn allow you to have a better and healthier body composition. Not everyday will be perfect and thats OK! Accept it and move on :)

 
Choose mostly less-processed whole foods.

• This doesn’t mean choosing foods that are not palatable all the time, but choosing foods that are hyper rewarding will be more difficult to control the quantity that you actually eat. Foods that are more difficult to eat such as less palatable or less rewarding foods will also not cause as much inflammation or leptin resistance. Whole foods include lots of the good stuff, such as vitamins and minerals, water, fibre, disease fighting chemicals and are usually a lot lower in calories.
• Choosing more whole foods will keep you fuller and more satisfied for longer 
• Always choose foods that you enjoy and can eat consistently. I love beetroot, kale, tomatoes and cucumber, peppers and include them in my diet daily.

 
Play with macronutrient levels.

• Some people respond better to higher carbs, fewer fats and some respond better to higher fats ad fewer carbs. (Just remember that 1g of fat = 9 calories where 1g carbohydrates = 4 calories. Which is why using an app such as my fitness pal is very useful when tracking macronutrients)
• There’s no single best diet for everyone. We all have different preferences, and even different responses to foods and macronutrients. So play with this a bit, and find what works for you.

 
Be in control of your decisions.

• Be an adult when making decisions and use your values to do so when sitting down to eat. Make food choices by acknowledging the outcome you would expect.
• Try and avoid playing mental games like “If I eat less today, I get to eat more tomorrow, or if I’m “good” today, I can be “bad” tomorrow or “If I pretend I didn’t eat the cookies, then it didn’t happen”.
• Acknowledge that some choices are poor choices and understand what works for your body and what doesn’t.
• Accept that all choices have consequences and it’s OK to indulge sometimes.

 
If you are still having trouble, get coaching.

• Changing behaviours and habits is by no means easy. Find a coach who can help you get on the right tracks or navigate you through that tough times and start working towards everyday being a little bit better.